Vanille Tonka

EDITED TO ADD: I re-read all the reviews for this perfume because with each passing day, I love it more and more. Earlier on in 2022 @clairdelune described this fragrance perfectly; during the dry-down, the fragrance DOES smell like Comme des Garcons "Incense Avignon," or Heeley "Cardinal." Absolutely! The dry down DOES smell like a Byzantine Church filling with smoky incense. Originally, this is such a pleasant surprise. I blind-bought a full 100ml bottle because I love this house, Nicaolia Parfumeur Createur. I adore their unique niche compositions! I owned and wore Saint Honore for quite some time but decided I needed a change. I've owned other creations by Nicolai. After a recent few blind purchase "fails" with this house, someone suggested I try "Vanille Tonka." So I did! Vanille Tonka is not at all what I expected. With carnation and orange flower among its ingredients, I feared Vanille Tonka might be a cloying flower-bomb. But it is not! And after some wear, I'm really liking this fragrance. And my husband (oddly) LOVES Vanille Tonka on me, which is always a huge plus! My husband said, "That perfume is sooooo nice...it's EXOTIC!" Typical for Nicolai, there's citrus in the opening (lemon, orange). But Vanille Tonka also has BASIL. Basil gives the opening a VERY unique, green, vegetal, organic feeling. But despite feeling vegetal and organic, the opening is not dirty, or ground like. Within 10-15 minutes, there are gentle florals, which never over-take, or overpower the opening. As my experience with ALL Nicolai Parfumeur fragrances, the mid-notes rise and SEAMLESSLY blend with the opening notes! After a bit of time, vanilla notes emerge, along with tonka. The tonka notes are COUMARIN DENSE and a bit smoky, which I love. The coumarin lends to a slightly bitter, dry, hay-like experience. The base notes seamlessly blend with all the other notes. With time, the perfume morphs into an ephemeral, ethereal, gentle, slightly sweet, smoky, mildly floral, dry, spicy, vanilla-tonka perfume blend. This perfume is so unique. It's unlike ANY perfume I currently wear, or own. It's actually unlike ANY perfume I've EVER owned, really! The landing is glorious. Cannot stop sniffing my wrists and forearms! I. Absolutely. Love. This. Perfume.

How woud hell smell a like? And not a torturing, sad and so on negative site, but flame throwing hot place with naked people having shamelessy fun? I woud say Vanille-Tonka. My holy grail, my absolute favourite, best of the best...You get the point. I love Parfum de Nicolai Sacrebleu, and thought this is it, perfume coudn't get any better and then I did find Vanille-Tonka. I don't even like vanilla and that's why I almost did pass testing V-T, cause I'm not intrested of most of the sickening sweet vanilla perfumes. And there isn't any of sugary, cupcakes style sweetnes here for sure. V-T is like a high charce turboversion of Sacrebleu, more intense, much more hotter,much, much, more spice. Lot's of nose burning pepper, dark brown cinnamon (V-T is also my favourite cinnamon scent) and incense. I do not get any sweet vanilla, only some sort of soft base under this spicy beast. V-T feels like a living thing when you put it on, it breaths and roars. And because all of this, it only suits night, darkness and time when you are feeling dangerous. Enjoy.

Bottle arrived today 🤤 So many complicated and unjustly negative reviews. I have many vanilla scents - with Twisted Lily’s sad demise I ordered this as a why not... Super straight forward and gorgeous natural vanilla with tonka that creeps forward after an hour or two. The opening is blessed with a super acidic orange just like when you squeeze or bend a bit of peel or bite into an piece and it squirts. After this fades (15 minutes or so) the scent becomes slightly dusty and a tad of incense helps darken it just enough but it is by no means the major player in the make up. Lovely buy, completely unisex, up there with my faves like Atelier Cologne Vanille Inscensee and Vanilla Shot by Olfactive Studio. I disagree with the note vote for the percentage of Incense as it is much softer and more complimentary. All the other notes are there though again very much mixed in and complimentary. Again, straight forward and if you want simple gourmand vanilla that works on a guy give this a go... very happy.

Vanille Tonka is a near-perfect creation by Parfums de Nicolai. This niche company is run by Patricia Nicolai, granddaughter of Pierre Guerlain. As common among niche perfumeries, they focus on distinctive scents that pay little attention to pop trends or marketable bottles (I have the smaller size, which comes in a plain square bottle like the ones you can buy retail on-line for a dime a dozen). This offering is close to a sweet gourmand, especially in the tonka-vanilla base for which it is named. The top starts with a delicious creamy-sweet orange peel note, underpinned by pepper and the ever-present tonka-vanilla. As the citrus top note fades, the scent becomes subtly spicy, more with carnation than with cinnamon. Finally the delectable base remains and goes on forever. I suppose it is mostly a touch of incense that makes the base great - it certainly isn't just vanilla and tonka, though they dominate. A thing of beauty.

The most comfortable, lightweight tonka/vanilla scent in existence, like crisp white sheets in a hotel room in Florida cooled by a summer breeze. There’s a warm-spicy incense thread winding through it, which only accentuates the soothing white-on-white main chord. Similar vibe to Heure Exquise (creamy white minimalist luxury like lotions and sheets in a fine hotel) but Heure Exquise’s vanilla-iris is far sweeter and heavier while Vanille Tonka is fairly dry and whisper-light. Linen, rather than satin. Several hours later it lands in a warmer, sweeter cinnamon-spiced place, though still pleasantly understated. A “simple pleasure” whose construction is probably anything but simple. All hail Patricia de Nicolai, mistress of understated, impeccably crafted delights.

Nicolai is currently one of my favorite perfume houses. I like all their creations, even those that I wouldn't choose for myself and there are some that I love. Vanille Tonka is a love for me. Works every day and in any occasion. It's far from linear, very fresh in the cold, more ambery when inside, sweeter when my skin gets warm, sometimes the flowers are shining, other times the spices, the incense never hides, mixed with a woody, slightly animalic vanilla. Lasts all day, others can always smell it, even when it eludes me. Totally unisex, both women and men ask me what perfume I wear, liking it for themselfs. So very beautiful

This one had to “grow” on me a bit. Ordered a sample and tried it several times. I LOVE that it is not a vanilla with a ton of fruity or bakery notes. Just a clean, dry “adult vanilla” with herbaceous and pepper notes, very unisex. It has a very sophisticated scent profile and is well compounded. Great for colder months, but honestly this one can be worn all year. It is more of a skin scent, with very low projection. Going to take the plunge and purchase a bottle and also a discovery set! Also love the quality and history of this niche house.

Gorgeous vanilla scent - don’t be misled - it’s unisex with a slight lean on feminine. Blind buy - lovely fresh citrus burst rapidly disappears leaving a slightly darkened natural vanilla thanks to a tad incense and a teeny bit of dusty cinnamon. After an hour the creamy tonka backs up the vanilla quite heavily with the other notes backing it up and rounding it off. Nose to skin there is a slightly tart orange rind helping keep it gourmand and fresh softening and polishing the cinnamon and incense. Gorgeous - have to buy a big bottle now!

Warm, resinous vanilla with a green, ashy tobacco leaf and touch of smoke. The light dusting of spices give it a slightly powdery feel, while the citruses and frankincense add a faint fruity nuance. Cozy, comforting amber scent. Consistent moderate projection for 2-3hr, longevity 8-10. Tobacco Vanille wishes it was this and not the cloying sweet mess it is to my nose. Reminds me of Royal Crown Sultan, warm and comforting with just the right amount of accents, but this is more powdery and has green instead of woody undertones.

Handsome, spicy and sweet in equal measure. The cinnamon-orange-vanilla chord from her old Vanille Intense is here, but it's made more edgy by a dose of green basil and black pepper up front and a big carnation note in the heart that lasts through the drydown. It's a nice combination, quite unisex, and the perfume itself is pretty strong, almost more like an extrait than an EDP.

Gorgeous vanilla scent. Not vanilla you would expect. It is a dry, a little bitter vanilla with the light smokiness of incense and a little sweetness from tonka. Develops fast and then lingers around for the whole day to warm you up. It is perfectly unisex. Love it!

Much more interesting than its name suggests. Spicy and citrussy vanilla. Tasteful, not too sweet and the variety of notes remain prominent into the drydown. Deserves more attention!

The thing about PdN to me is that all her perfumes smell somehow obvious: But of course this is beautiful, did nobody really think of this before? Nobody did, and the scent is new and unique but not surprising, just pretty. Right now I'm wearing Vanille Tonka for the first time, and I like it very much but I don't love it. Why? Maybe because it doesn't ask anything of me. It changes nicely on my skin, all different phases of the perfume are beautiful but it never shakes me to the core. I'm a SL fan, mostly because the scents from that house make me laugh, they shock me and surprise me and never fade to the background. Even the most polite SL seems like a drunk anarchist next to Vanille Tonka and the other PdN-scents I have. And I guess I prefer the anarchist.

I went to a perfume shop to explore this one. The SA sprayed on the paper strips, and I was like 'ooooh', nice citrusy vibe, along the lines of a lemon cheesecake. I almost bought it, however, I reminded myself that perfumes can massively change on the skin, so I only took a sample of it. And man, I was right to do so. On my skin, it turned out entirely different: I did not get the lifting effect of the citruses, but more of the aromatics, perhaps the basil note, and lots of it and then some carnation (which I'm not a big fan of). Long story short, on paper strip, it smells like a modern take on tonka, vanilla and citruses, while on my skin it smells like a heavy, dusty vintage, and is rather sweet. You might get lucky though.

Pleasantly surprised. I’ve tried many Nicolai perfumes and this is the first one I would like to wear again. This is a vanilla scent but it has unusual development—sometimes I pick up orange citrus notes, other times it’s incense and sometimes it’s cinnamon. But vanilla is the note that’s holding this all together. This is not a sweet, cake batter vanilla. To my nose it’s sophisticated and would seem best in colder weather. I know better than to trust my experience with a vial as I can only splash it on my skin. I want to try a spray. This review is TBC. Edit: im looking for a used 30ml. Message me if you have one and you’re letting it go.

Another fascinating creation from Parfums de Nicolaii. Ever-mutating, just like Vanilla Intense. Vanille Tonka smells like a soft orange at first. The vanilla becomes stronger over time. It's a very true vanilla, not overly creamy nor too sweet. After wearing it for a few hours, I was excited to smell some masculine qualities like pepper, green basil, and a spicy carnation. But they never overwhelmed the vanilla, so this is definitely a vanilla perfume. It's really easy to wear for men and women--really, really lovely!

I like Nicolai fragrances, they are not simple and linear. On my dry, cold skin, vanilla did not sound at all at first. The aroma at first was how be "prickly" . Incense and black pepper with citrus notes. Then this witticism dragged on smoke. Vanilla is beautiful, soft and slightly bitter with the sweetness of Tonka beans, it appeared on me after 4 hours! The scent is very strong and beautiful. I would like to hear it on a man ... Unfortunately, my significant other does not use perfumery)

I have no idea why this one was targeted for women; it's 100% unisex, imo. I usually despite Carnations, but it's extremely well blended here. The overall scent profile for me is a powdery, light amber, with a floral touch, and some incense. No sickening sweet, desert-y vanilla here. IDK why, but it feel a bit "Baroque"; probably because it's got that "old money" vibe. Very nice!

Frankincense seems the most prominent note to me, alongside a lemony-cinnamon vibe. There is something faintly creamy underneath, but Vanille Tonka is a misnomer. Although not really alike, if you delight in Byredo's Gypsy Water you might like this too. Note: extra points to this house for selling 30 ml bottles.

Warm, spicy-fresh aromatic with a cosy atmosphere of vanilla-infused incense. Warming and lovely, but doesn't develop or thrill. A rainy day pleasure. Distillation: spice-infused lemon with a shot of cinnamon in a cloud of warmth