Secret Genius

All of these notes appeal to me, however I often find that scents I expect to "wow" me often leave something to be desired, or they're mixed with a very floral or powdery scent that puts me off. Not this one. but of course it has a catch because that's my luck. I LOVVE Secret Genius. I received a sampler box with the scented towelettes, and decided to swipe one on before bed. Secret Genius was the first one I tried because of the notes it listed, and I was in love at first sweep onto my wrist. I headed to Amazon and purchased a sampler of some of their best sellers in 1.5ml for under $25 hoping to find maybe a couple more that I loved, and to make sure I liked it, (spoiler, I didn't like any others) and with each coming to $3 each.... it's a waste for me. To my nose SG is not entirely linear, but comes close. It's delicious in a sweet, comforting way without feeling like you're standing in the middle of the Great British Bake off tent.... not that I would mind such a thing. The first spray for me is the least enticing part, though not bad. I can only describe it as a soft, nearly spicy scent that quickly turns creamy (sandalwood, bergamot I'd guess) but this transforms into a clean scent - not my favorite note when it comes to scents, but this is not a soapy laundry clean, it's more of the sandalwood coming into a sweeter scent, almost powdery to my nose. If it stayed here, this one would be a 2/10 for me, but very soon the sweetness of the caramel makes it's debut, adding warmth and it's deliciously sweet base without being a toothache (however I don't mind a caramel/chocolate/vanilla scented toothache in my scents.) I fell asleep smelling it and loved the warm white chocolate melting into gooey caramel scent. The vanilla was undetectable. For me it was a comfort scent, and I'd catch whiffs of it the first few hours through the night. Of course there's a huge downside. For me this was a skin scent and did not project at all. I don't care if everyone around me can smell what I'm wearing, but I would like to enjoy it myself at least, yet it was just no existent unless I stuck my nose right against my arm, and even then? very faint after the first hour. I might even forgive that, because again I loved the dry down so much, but after 3-4 hours it was completely gone. It may last longer on others, my skin tends to eat scents. Pinrose is pretty cheap though, and for me I'll use the 1.5ml til it's out and enjoy it at bedtime at least. Bottom line is this is a great scent but it'll ghost you before you can really get to know each other, and when they're selling FB for nearly $100 I know they're crazy, or maybe I am because I feel me and this scent are barely acquainted because it wants to take off as soon as I start enjoying it. I don't recommend you waste your money, even though I do like the scent. the scent itself is 8/10 projection and longevity 2/10 price 9/10, it's extremely overpriced at $44 for a fb that you'll need to constantly reapply and over spray. if your skin doesn't aggressively eat scents then I'd recommend trying their sample sizes before committing. I hope Pinrose can do some refining, and I love that they're an environmentally aware business, but surely they could make a scent that lasts at least longer than drugstore body sprays?!

All of these notes are right up my street, as I'm a gourmand lover who has fallen in love with cedar and woods. Also, I am white chocolate crazy! Secret Genius comes on very woody strong at first, then settles down into a yummy dessert. Every once in a while the cedar pops back in, and those woods notes are the ones that linger over time. It's not terribly long-lasting a scent, but this is offered in smaller easy to carry versions. In fact, I wish ALL perfumes were offered this way, especially the ones that are $450. It's nice to have a decant, but I really appreciate the "official" bottles/labeling. I only have a sample from Sephora right now, but I may purchase a rollerball at some point. EDIT: By the way, I'm over 40 and I love this. Why do people who don't love gourmands bother to review gourmands? If I didn't like sushi I wouldn't bag on sushi restaurants. Just sayin'.

I have been a diehard lover of this scent (and Gilded Fox) since Pinrose hit the market. This is a sweet vanilla with a twist. With just enough complexity to make it mature enough to stay out of the overly sugary vanilla realm. I have always framed this as one of the ultimate vanilla scents. That said - I’m seeing a lot of impressions here that just don’t make sense to me? If they changed the formula that might be something (I still have my original full size (even though it’s nearly empty) and a travel size from 2022) but the Secret Genius I know and wear? I swear I have never gotten more compliments on a perfume, singular. The only thing I’ve gotten as many compliments on is my mix of Tobacco Vanille, a BPAL collab oil that’s a soft rose, and the Kiehls original musk oil. People just love Secret Genius. It’s a good thing I do too.

I love Secret Genius. It reminds me college, as this was my signature scent when I was barely getting into perfumes. This isn't a complex fragrance, and I find that a lot of people either love it or hate it. To me, it smells like a beautiful, rich and deep vanilla caramel, with some slightly woody notes. However, I would not claim that the woody notes overpower the fragrance. This perfume smells almost identical to Amber Vanilla by 7 Virtues. I'm convinced Amber Vanilla is just a clean, grownup version of SG. Secret Genius is a perfect scent for a teenager or a young woman. It's fun, flirty, cute, and delicious! It's a beautiful, caramel vanilla fragrance. It's so addicting to smell. If you aren't a woody gourmand lover, this perfume might not be a favorite for you.

I had this when it first came out and stopped wearing it for whatever reason. I recently discovered it again and am in love with it – finished the bottle and will get another one. I remembered that Harry Fremont nosed this, as well as my beloved Tom Ford Noir De Noir and David Yurman's excellent first fragrance. It's a beautifully delicious gourmand that rewards patience in the heart and drydown. The opening is not my favorite but it doesn't last that long before you get to bliss. Is it groundbreaking? Maybe not, but it's been around for a few years now and I think we've all gotten used to very sweet vanilla and caramel perfumes. It works better with my chemistry than most and right now I can't get enough of it.

Beautiful!!! Oh I looove Secret Genius!!!! It's soooo delicious, sooo rich and creamy, such a lovely caramel, such gorgeous deep vanilla......mouth-wateringly beautiful perfume!!! It's not too sweet, it's just perfect!! And it lasts on me really well...10 hours....and I am told I smell delicious all the time (firstly, but not only, by my husband!) everywhere I go. And yes it does have a white chocolate touch too, and thankfully not too much of it, because I find white chocolate tooo sickly sweet usually, but in this it's just perfect! And I suppose it's the lovely sandalwood and cedar (the notes that are missing here) that grounds it and makes it be not too sweet. It's just beautiful!!!!

I really enjoy the scent, and I smell most of the notes listed. On my skin it's a predominantly sweet and creamy vanilla/caramel fragrance with a soft woody base. It sits quite close to the skin. which isn't necessarily a bad thing IMO. But sadly, this perfume doesn't last at all. I found the scented body lotion and layering with that made it last a little longer, but not much. This is pretty much a bed scent for me, and one that I only use if I'm quite tired and expect to fall asleep fairly quickly. Needless to say, there isn't a single trace of it left when I wake up in the morning. If it lasted longer it would be a keeper, but when this bottle is gone I won't be repurchasing.

I got a mini rollerball of this perfume in my Ipsy bag this month and love it!! I'm absolutely loving this perfume!!! I am a huge perfume collector/addict and I love gourmand scents so this one is perfect!! I love the Madagascar vanilla and caramel notes they blend perfectly with a light hint of sandalwood!! Longevity and sillage are both moderate and decently long lasting on me!!! Once my rollerball mini is out I'd buy a bottle!!

Warm and sweet, with a clear orange undertone to keep it from getting cloying. Clearly a gourmand. It's relatively simple as a scent but it smells *good* which is what counts. Mostly caramel and white chocolate on me. Not "signature scent" amazing but a good everyday scent just to leave a good impression (until you find "the one"). Surprised at the strong negative reactions, I guess this one just works well with my chemistry.

Top note is caramel; middle note is white chocolate; base notes are madagascar vanilla, sandalwood and cedar. I LOVE this...fresh, sweet and clean...I get no cedar and minimal sandalwood. My only complaint is the lack of longevity. Otherwise this would be my signature scent. If you like this, you should try: ~BS Private Show~ ~Lavanila Vanilla Coconut~ ~CSP Vanilla Coco~

This fragrance smells like cream soda in the best way, I think this is a good vanilla frag for people who usually care for vanilla-based perfumes, defo a good blind buy. The sillage and longevity on my skin is disappointing.

I adore this perfume, it smells so grown and put together and sexy. like caramelized jasmine and vanilla. definitely not a purely gourmand scent - this is very floral. if you want to smell rich and sweet, go for this.

I’m a huge fan of Secret Genius. Caramel and Vanilla are two of my favorite notes, and this creamy syrupy scent does not miss!! It’s fresh and sweet at the same time, and can be worn day or night!

Pure white chocolate. This will be great for layering and I'm thinking twilly. The new name is definitely improved. Sugar bandit- what a stupid name. I really like the name secret genius

Love it! Definitely that top caramel note blends beautifully with vanilla and a hint of just the right amount of sweet.

Update: the combo worked out great. Equal parts. I'm a secret genius! Lol. This perfume was made to be layered.

Really love...but it should be closer to $50-$60 for a 1.7 oz bottle.

Carnival day by anecdote smells exactly like this. Way cheaper too.

Try layering it with Chanel no 5 leau and watch the magic

I scored this in my local Marshall’s for only $6! It’s a 30ml bottle that came with 10 petals. The Secret Genius Kit. For $6, I’m so excited to get home and try this! Edit: it’s a fine gourmand fragrance, but I have several very similar to this so I’ll probably sell it or swap it. It smells great but I just feel like I have several slight variations of this scent in my collection. Oh well! Future me editing to add: this is an EXTREMELY BASIC vanilla. Absolutely no bells and whistles here. It is truly nothing special on its own. I think this would serve a better purpose as a layering fragrance. Okay, back to past me! To me, this smells almost exactly like Commodity Gold and I also think of Sugarful Spice from Michel Germain too. Future me again: Ughhh, no, this is no Commodity Gold. Maybe a very watered down version, but don't let my idiotic past self fool you! I have learned a lot about fragrance since this review.... Including the fact that Secret Genius smells nothing like Commodity Gold. I'm thinking they call this "secret" genius because it is very much generic, quiet and basic. The "Genius" may come from the layering potential...