Va Va Vanilla

Something about this fragrance brings to mind "Bodacious". I get hints of it, but it is not by any means a copy. This fragrance has more development. It has more notes, more density. It feels thick. Plush. It is extremely cold here where I live. Temperature is currently in the teens. This perfume is very enjoyable and feels warming like a sip of an alcoholic drink.

Update, 2/24/26 Ok, as promised, I am revisiting this a day later and now, since I think of this only as espresso and licorice, I like it more and am actually considering adding a full bottle to my collection. The vinyl odor has worn off (whatever floats to the top during shipping of my 5ml sample, I guess) and I am left more with a burnt and boozy fragrance that is ultra sophisticated. I can see wearing it for some night events any time of the year. Sarah Baker redeemed! (By the way, Sarah Baker advises against shaking or agitating her perfumes to "mix" them. It can destroy the delicate elements comprising the scent, so just let the bottle sit and mature to rid it of the noxious gases that may develop in a new bottle). 2/23/26 Let me start by saying, I am quite aware that sense of smell is idiosyncratic, so what smells like a gourmand to one person might smell anything but to another. I had high hopes for this because it has ingredients that I typically love, especially vanilla, coffee, cinnamon, rum and whiskey, but this is a fail for me on first try. The opening seems harsh and very leathery, evolving into a licorice accord that smells strangely like woven vinyl in a hot car -- not my favorite scent. I don't mind the licorice and hope the boozy qualities will overcome the acrid vinyl smell I am getting. I will try it a few more times and then come back here with more informed thoughts. For now, this is a disappointment, as I have a lot of respect for Sarah Baker's line.

Smoked vanilla supporting actor, boozy black cherry lead. There’s a real internal heat to this fragrance. It smells – for lack of a better word – hot. Fevered skin under a leopard fur coat. It’s Lost Cherry minus the almond cyanide, Cherry Punk minus the leather jacket. Runs in the same clique as Babycat. I’m not a cinnamon girl, but here it kindles beautifully with the saffron. And the cherry is truly exquisite. Petition for Sarah Baker to bring us the Cherry Trinity after finishing the Vanilla Trilogy. I wouldn’t say it’s a Yuletide scent, but it’s definitely one for the darker months. Lasts longer than your wild night out and really clings to the skin. (I’m at seven hours and still going strong). Mental Snapshot: Chocolate velour tracksuit, 4” cork wedges, and a generous hand of bronzer. You have the best table in the house (the Cheesecake Factory at the Glendale Americana). No SkinnyLicious chicken for you. You and the gals are splitting an entire Very Cherry Ghirardelli®. Compliments of the chef, of course. tl;dr: hot mama 🍰🍒

Did the universe need *another* vanilla perfume? Hmmmm....probably not. But *Va Va Vanilla* isn't just *another* vanilla perfume. Can my nose and I detect (separately) every one of the notes: Black Cherry, Cinnamon, Espresso Martini, Whiskey, Coffee, Rum, Nutty Notes, Saffron, Vanilla, Skin, Guaiac Wood, Sandalwood, Leather and Woody Notes. Definitely.... thankfully....not. Do I find the combination of notes work/blend together creating something new and different....especially for a vanilla perfume? Yes. It's *spicy* but not peppery; it's warm with a no-mint coolness. It's unique....neither masculine or feminine.... much the way a food recipe/dish isn't gender specific. It needs nothing; I can't imagine layering it with anything. (I can imagine wearing it with a cashmere turtleneck and a tweed blazer.) It's new, fresh, classic and unique ~ it's Sarah Baker's *Va Va Vanilla*.

My preordered bottle has just arrived along with my free 15ml due to the release delay, which was a very kind gesture. As a lover of cherry (and I already have way too many cherry scents!) I knew I wanted this the minute I saw the notes! Day one - On first impression I get a slight leathery black cherry with coffee and boozy undertones. The leather is quite prominent. Day two - the whisky note is stronger Day 3 - the nutty notes are most prominent but the scent is beginning to balance out more. It’s already a love, but I’ll update my review in more detail when the fragrance has properly recovered from shipping. It’s frustrating that people are able to spam pages with fake ratings and “reminds me of” links. This is nothing like any of the scents in that section currently. I’d say if you love scents like Cherry Punk or Elan Noir, you’ll enjoy this.

It is a very interesting perfume that’s for sure. First I thought I’m getting waffle cone and cherry, but it actually really reminds of JANY, the same doughy, bready kind of feeling with a very strong cherry. Hours later this mellows down to a beautiful warm vanilla. It is not exactly what I expected from the name, but it is very strong and potent will keep it for colder weather.

I can’t wait for my bottle to arrive. I’m sure this will be another amazing creation. I do wish people who spam rate fragrances would be banned off this site. It’s really unfair on the creators of these fragrances, who work so hard to develop a scent, only for some disgusting immature little idiot to rate it low without even smelling it....

Very concentrated and strong. Something in this physically tickles my nose. At first sniff reminded me of a more complex spicier Mancera Amore Caffe. The cherry and coffee definitely seem to be the main character here. Both together almost give a leathery/vinyl scent with some booze. At the end of each sniff the cinnamon comes through. Gives me holiday vibes. Drinking coffee while a pastry bakes in the kitchen and the smell wafts through the house. Vanilla is definitely a background player and kinda shows up to smooth everything out. The more I smell it. The more it reminds me of an Angel Share with coffee and less cinnamon. It is a very interest take on vanilla. Not your typical vanilla for sure. For me, it is ok. Wouldn't get a full bottle of this, but is worth a shot if you're in the market for a fragrance with this interesting combo of ingredients.

Heavy dose of licorice to my nose. Black licorice & black coffee. Kind of dusty & antique smelling.

WTF Sebastian. Almonds and Christmas candle. This stuff is disgusting. Into the bin it goes.

This fragrance is a horror to my nose. I'll give it one thing: I have absolutely nothing like it in my collection. The second I smelled it, I physically recoiled. To me, it smells like warm, stale urine baking in a neglected public restroom on a hot summer day. Think day drinking at a baseball game, stumbling into the filthiest bathroom in the stadium (the kind that doesn’t even bother with an air freshener) and unleashing an ungodly, alcohol soaked urine stream. Foul. That's the scent. Va Va Vanilla? Where? If you’re a vanilla lover lured in by the description of this fragrance - beware. To my nose, as a true vanilla lover, there isn’t even a semblance of vanilla. Not even a whisper of its familiarity. Va Va Vomit. And one more thing: if we're reviewing fragrances, let's actually review fragrances. Sure, downvoting a perfume you've never smelled doesn't help anyone - but neither does giving it five stars before you've even opened the bottle. Excitement isn't a review. Wearing it is.

the opening smells like Jany to my nose. Warm and rich apple or cherry pie with a tinge of coffee and nuts in the background. I don’t get much leather. As it dries down, the cherry and sweetness become more prominent, and it moves into Rouge Smoking Extrait territory. A woody, cherry vanilla drydown. It is pretty nice, but done before. 3/5

No bueno, very artificial and just odd, definitely not vanilla.

I will be trying this one out!!!! Can’t wait!!!