Virgile

This is the most addictive, intoxicating and unique fragrance I have in my collection. I bought a 30ml bottle in a boutique store in Grasse this summer after sampling Sylvaine Delacourte’s vanilla collection. This one stood out the most. On spraying it, you immediately get notes of rosemary/sage and smell some vanilla. The vanilla comes forward more in the dry down with some pink pepper as well. When you open the box, you get gorgeous notes of cedar in the box itself. The perfume bottle is an absolute treat - it’s a proper heavy glass bottle with a heavy metal cap. Opening the box is an experience in and of itself. Edit after wearing this for a month and being halfway through the 30 ml bottle: this is an easy go-to perfume for me and I still really enjoy it. However, I do agree with some reviews saying the staying power isn’t strong and you do need to reapply a few hours in. One person on here says they smell pencil shavings, and I understand what they mean.

Vanilla is my favorite note. Vanilla perfumes dominate my collection. When I heard about this line and that Sylvaine Delacourte, with her background in Guerlain, was the nose, I HAD to try them. Because I love gourmands, I did not expect to like this one very much because it's not as sweet as the vanillas I usually wear, but it has slowly become one of my favorites. It has a quiet herbal aura built on top of a creamy warm vanilla base; like walking through a field on a sunny day. It's not the straight up "vanilla extract" type of vanilla I usually wear, like Tihota, nor the sunshine tropical vanillas I love like Guerlain Ylang Vanilla; this one is savory AND sweet, and probably the most wearable and flexible vanilla I own. I picture walking through the agave fields in Mexico, in a long cream colored maxi dress in this one. It's really beautiful; like a beautiful landscape or a field of flowers kind of way.

God I love the vanillas from this line. I have sampled all of SD's offerings. The orange ones didn't connect with me, but I love Vahina and Virgile (from the vanilla set) and Lilylang from the musk set. I have ordered all 3 in small portions. I wish she offered fragrance oils. It's just amazing that a former Guerlain perfumer is making a cleaner line with no animal testing. Virgile's notes (herby vanilla) would not have appealed to me except for Sylvaine's crafty touch with the rich sweet vanilla. I get the rosemary and definitely cedar (pencil shavings), and they totally temper the vanilla to keep things interesting and not smelling like a cupcake (which is more of the direction of Vanori). Why can't I smell the geranium? I may grab a larger bottle of this if offered a deal. I cannot think of any smellalikes of this scent.

This one is fun. It begins startlingly sharp—the geranium and cedar make for a piny, evergreen opening, and the vanilla is barely smoke. I would not want to smell like a Christmas tree farm all day long, but I it caught my attention. As this settles, the sage and thyme come out and it smells like cooking. The herbs start sharp and green, and they mellow over time—much as they do in the oven. The vanilla comes up smoky sweet, and it reminds me of cigars more than anything you might eat. I get the frequent comparison with Vangelis, in that both feel decidedly smoky, but this one is homier. It’s more kitchen than temple; more campfire than censer. In the dry down, it continues to feel like that shirt you wore camping over the weekend. For me, that’s a pleasing and evocative smell.

It's so interesting to read how others perceive scent. I don't agree that Vangelis and Virgile smell similar. The first phase of Virgile is brighter and sharper. Vangelis leans gourmand with a smokey vibe (contrary to the notes listed, incense is absent). I do agree that the similar vanilla dominant dry down does connect them, but that is expected. Of the two offerings, I prefer the herbal notes that make Virgile unique for a vanilla fragrance, and I can squeak out a bit more in terms of projection and longevity which is slightly below average in terms of performance. Several differing opinions mean this is something you should experience for yourself and the discovery kit makes this possible. Order direct from Sylvaine Delacourte and and get all five vanilla based offerings.