Vanille

As a devoted lover of vanilla since long time, I’d been searching high and low for a vanilla signature for years.. not necessarily aiming to find the perfect or breathtaking one (which I hopefully may come across in one day), and certainly unable to test every single Niche offering in this immense field after trying/owning about everything in the mainstream category centered on that note, all I craved for was a not ordinary but neither bizarre or overly complicated, maybe a bit complex, overly feminine, refined but not in a pretentious way, and most of all beautifully done fragrance where my beloved vanilla was the main character. Vanille by Reminiscence fits my expectations, totally. For once I feel a scent is really close to my personality as it’s someway reserved, overly sensitive and uncompromising at first encounter and only after a while it reveals itself as warm-hearted, friendly and caring although sometimes capricious and moody... its soothing, innocent but also intense attitude suggests there’s a little world of unexpressed emotions and hidden feelings which only few people will unlock. This may be the ideal fragrance for a Cancerian, if you ask me :) Perfume-wise, Vanille’s olfactory structure is at once easy and unpredictable: I perceive an effortlessly sinuous transition through different textures where vanilla, from nonexistent in the first stage, gets more and more pronounced and gradually shows its multi-faceted features and moods while complimenting perfectly the other notes, enhancing them with its well-known qualities (vanilla is generally perceived as sweet, warm, comforting) while retaining kind of an inexplicable, innate uniqueness. An unusual accord of bergamot (not very perceivable) and juicy osmanthus provides an immediate sense of bright and relaxed exoticness, reminding me of a sunset watched through white silk curtains.. soon, at least to my nose, follows the austere benzoin, with its almost medicinal-oily balminess that’s smoothened and rounded by the velvety almond nuance of heliotrope and an extremely natural vanilla in the heart: here’s the exact smell of vanilla bean as spice, i.e. almost devoid of sugary aspects. Just the right amount of praline is added, creating a refined cloud of yumminess around the wearer that seems to replicate the actual smell of a fine milk chocolate rather than its taste. From there on, it’s all about powdery vanilla with a hint of leather... a soft but persistent trail of resinous benzoin accompanies the wearer through the last hours of this EDT, that’s very long lasting on me (it stayed with me an entire evening and night, and in the morning my hair and neck were still deliciously fragrant: I would say it lasts on me not less than 10 hours). What else to say? I adore Vanille, each time I grab my little bottle with the printed silvery stars I feel like a child, and when I put it on my skin I feel cuddled, emotional, elegant, surrounded by warmth... let’s be grateful for little pleasures of life. (To anyone looking for a good quality but also affordable, non pretentious or extravagant vanilla fragrance: please don't overlook this one, you may love it too)

Reminiscence Vanille is what some have called the 'poor man's' Cuir Beluga and stated that it has less sophistication and less complexity. In some ways, this may be true. In others, this is an understated good friend of Cuir Beluga's that depends on less to be appreciated. Cuir Beluga relies on everlasting strength that it just can't deliver. After several hours, it becomes a faint skin scent. This is probably a not so common occurrence, but I'm reporting based on my experience. Reminiscence Vanille has a soft projection, but will be noticed by others for up to 18 hours. Longevity means next to nothing, but this has to be talked about. $370 for a fragrance that lasts just past 12pm after spraying it at 8.30am is inexcusable. Reminiscence Vanille has a bourbon vanilla base, as the name would suggest, that pushes this fragrance on and on and on. Tonka and praline provide this with a distinctly more edible aroma than the one in Cuir Beluga that really just smells of super creamy suede and curry. Reminiscence forgoes the fresh orange citrus and aldehydes, opting instead to use bergamot and osmanthus (which is quickly becoming a favourite). Osmanthus, I'm coming to realise, can take on many different scents depending on what it's paired with - it's a chameleon. In this, it takes on the sweeter scent that it is more well known for. The dry down of the scent includes resins & musks. It is a much boozier and floral version of Cuir Beluga, which seems to have given it more dimension than the acclaimed Guerlain scent. The heliotrope in this is beyond beautiful, as it is in Cuir Beluga. Go for this if you want something that may be a little more floral than vanilla, but still highly sophisticated and elegant. Well, as elegant as a gourmand-ish scent can be, anyway.

I received a partial bottle of this in a swap, and what a treasure! I've since bought a full backup bottle. This is a true beauty - mainly vanilla - but so many intricate layers. It opens with vanilla and a hint of citrus and as it dries down, a whole bouquet of intriguing floral notes appear. The one that captured my attention and made me swoon is heliotrope. I've never experienced such a lovely fresh heliotrope note in anything else. Fresh and slightly powdery and oh so feminine. It has a bit of a vintage feel, but still a very modern scent. Soft white florals, a hint of musk and patch - all work so well together to create a scent so far beyond just "vanilla". But it has to be said that the vanilla is glorious. Not sticky or overly sweet, but oh so delicious. Great projection, lasts for hours and can be worn year round in my opinion. This one is on high rotation for me. Intricate, but beautifully blended and balanced. This fragrance is responsible for my new love of heliotrope and I've been busy seeking out others. Reminiscence makes incredibly beautiful quality fragrances, and the cost is within reach for most. It's a love for me!

This is by far the most beautiful, amazing, mesmerizing vanilla perfume I have ever smelled! As the previous reviewer mentions, it's so special; it's difficult to describe. The bottle and its stars fit the personality and body of it perfectly, as it is simply creamy and dreamy. Take a whiff and you will be wafting through the stars on a chilly Parisian evening, floating amongst the clouds. It's sweet but not really gourmand and certainly not sugary. It's the adult vanilla that reminds us to be playful, that dares us to take a chance. I imagine myself walking along Blvd Haussman in Paris when I wear this or taking a stroll along the Seine. It is amazingly soft and gentle, in fact there is something childlike (yet grown-up) about it. If a perfume can tell a story, this one is a novella. It's truly like no other. If you were aching for Le Labo's Vanille 44 or wishing for a Lutens Bell Jar to cure your rainy day blues, you only need look as far as this perfume. It's every bit as amazing as those masterpieces, yet within your reach. Perhaps that's what makes it so incredible.

It's very soft, not just a gourmand, it's more powdery, the hliotrope note is really there, and the different Vanilla facets used here give different notes, from rich and creamy, to fruity, to the suede note you get from the Ouganda Vanilla; I don't get much of the floral notes, and better so! The only ones I get are Heliotrope, adna bit of osmanthus maybe at the very beggining, with its creamy dense softness. Frankly, a really nice fragrance, worth some "niche" ones, like I previously said, Cuir Beluga, in sucha reasonable price, sillage is quite good, but it stays quite close to skin, it's soft, it lingers around, wraps you in a sort of powdery creamy cloud... perfect of winter clothes, furs,velvet, cashmere, I love it on my scarf and gloves,and also when I wear suede or leather, then i just add a drop of Daim Blond here and there, they mix together perfectly! It adds some more to the suede note but still being much powdery soft. Really love it, this is going to last in my top 5 for good!