Vanilla Club

I had Tobacco Vanille on my wishlist for a while when I unexpectedly came across this fragrance that was unknown for me at the time. After trying it though, I immediately recognized the resemblence. However this is not the “trying too hard” kind of dupe, I would even say that it offers more than Tom Ford’s original, at least for me, I find it creamier, warmer, cosier, the TF doesnt have any honey, and I feel like the dried fruits and the cacao stand out a bit more in this one and it has a slight boozyness to it too. Later I tried Al Haramain’s Amber Oud Tobacco Edition too, which is a very close dupe to Tobacco Vanille, and I even started to second-guess my decision about Vanilla Club. But after comparing them side by side I was reassured that Vanilla Club is a beautiful and special fragrance in its own right too with excellent quality, and the Al Haramain dupe smells more artificial and flat. Because of the slight differences I mentioned, people looking for a close alternative to Tobacco Vanille should try this first if they can, rather than going straight to blind buy it based on the reviews. I strongly recommend it though, my partner and I both got one for each of ourselves the first day we discovered it, this is how much we both fell in love with it and wouldnt even want to share. 🙂 The presentation and the packaging is impressive too, wooden cap, book style case, it shows too that this is indeed a quality niche fragrance. It has a card in it describing the whole inspiration behind the scent, I thought I would copy it here for those of you interested in its whole vibe and story: “There are women, indeed, in whom the trembling of kisses received previously persists for a long time on the surface of the skin, making them softly blush as they remember their lover or absent husband: Last night there was a party of love. (Las Impuras by Miguel de Carrión) Vanilla Club was inspired by the novel Las impuras (“The Impure”) by the Cuban storyteller Miguel de Carrión – a multifaceted tale that toys with moral boundaries.”

This fragrance is an absolutely amazing clone of the legendary Tom Ford: Tobacco Vanille for fraction of the price. In terms of clones this is an exceptionally high quality fragrance in it's own right that serves as a more than apt substitute for the original. The similarity is such that it is hard to tell the difference even when comparing the fragrance side by side with the original (I have a sample to compare). There are differences especially in terms of density of the fragrance and longevity. The original has exceptional longevity that can last 24 hour on skin and weeks on clothes with strong projection and sillage. It is the superior fragrance but not by much and that is the testament to the quality of Vanilla Club! VC still has amazing longevity ( 10-12 hours on skin and days on clothes), projection is arms lenght for up to 2-3 hours and then it stays at about half an arms lenght with good sillage. You get all that for a fraction of the price (I got mine for 63€!) For those who haven't smelled the original Tobacco Vanille, this smells like heavily sweet boozy natural bourbon vanilla, complemented with cacao, spicy clove (euganol), and smooth tobacco. The smell is juicy, thick and boozy with a slightly sour tinge running in the background helping to balance out the heavy sweetness of the fragrance. To me both TF and VC are vanilla fragrances first and tobacco distant second. This is a winter gourmand fragrance that is warm, cozy, addictive and alluring. Absolutely no go for warm weather. It is a tried and tested DNA that will appeal to everybody and will garner universal praise. It's unisex although it leans more masculine. This DNA is quite one dimensional and linear which tends to get quite tiresome after prolonged use. When used sparingly you can fully appreciate it's richly lushious dark vanilla. Given the price and the DNA this is a must have for all vanilla lovers and a worthy alternative for the original.

It arrived today and could test it and compare with the last drops of my decant of Tobacco Vanille. On its own merit - lovely, warm, sweet, spicy vanilla with just right amount of a pleasant pipe tobacco. Good longevity (after 8 hrs I still smell from my wrist while typing) and definitely not linear performance. Starts as strong sweet cloves and tobacco (on my skin even I smelled cinnamon too. Then softens quickly, and vanilla starts growing. During the first hour it was not as deep, dark and mesmerizing as TV, a bit lighter and less complex, but still enjoyable. Over time it gets sweeter, vanilla stronger, tobacco and spicy notes and fruits move slowly to the background, but they don’t disappear just take a supporting role. This also helps that the dry down is not a simple vanilla, but a gorgeous combination of the main notes. Comparing to TV: 85-90% similarity, but Vanilla Club is easier to wear, more suitable for women who prefer the rather feminine side of the unisex/niche fragrances. If lightly sprayed can be office friendly, for me it is rather an evening/going out/special occasion scent. Price/value: Absolutely worth the price!

In my opinion an absolute masterpiece. Didn't expect anything so picked up 10ml, after wearing it for 2 days and receiving numerous compliments immediately picked up a 75ml bottle. Honey is the most prominent note to me, but not cheap supermarket honey, but the expensive kind which is dark and comes with a bit of honeycomb in it. The second most prominent note is sweet light Turkish tobacco. Tonka bean and dried fruits throughout. In my opinion an absolute masterpiece, never smelled anything like it. Yes it resembles TF tobacco vanille but this is more wearable and less in your face. Suitable for fall/winter/early spring and late summer nights. Scent 9.5/10 Longevity 7/10 Sillage 7/10 I find the bottle design a bit un inspirational tbh.

The tobacco in this is very pleasant, as someone who usually hates tobacco in scents. It's dry, like the loose tobacco you use when rolling your own cigarettes. Kind of reminiscent of rooibos tea. Vanilla Club is beautifully unisex, and I imagine it works in many different settings, changing depending on the context in which it is worn. It has a sophistication to it that makes it appropriate for office wear, and a playfulness that invites it to be worn to celebrations or just every day. I can't motivate why, but I think this scent works in all seasons except winter. I'm slightly disappointed by the longevity.