Madagascan Vanilla Flower

This is the MOST beautiful vanilla fragrance to have graced this earth. Sensual, warm and tropical vanilla, slightly white floral and yellow floral, touch of amber. Even though I say tropical vanilla, there is no coconut note. I don’t even smell a hint of it and I appreciate that it allows the vanilla to stay this uniquely well rounded vanilla. The body oil version lasted 2-3 hours before fading away into a beautiful skin scent, still true to its notes. The sillage was not overwhelming and would bloom on the warmth of your skin and slowly radiate outward. Noticeable in a small room. The vanilla in this is potent and enhanced by the florals. You won’t smell like cookies entirely and it’s not sugary sweet. It blooms in the heat so beautifully but surprisingly performs so well in the cold and lends you its warmth. So potent. In the cold, it somehow turns into a cool vanilla upon first application, but then warms once again. I can only storytell this to describe the vibe it exudes... It’s the evening, golden sunset on a beach in Tahiti, you’re in a cozy beach hut overlooking the sunset over the ocean. It’s warm, very slightly humid, but a mild cool breeze about. There’s white flowers all around the hut, releasing their intoxicating scent into the area around you and you’ve just been massaged with a concentrated Madagascan vanilla oil that’s seeped into your pores and warmed and radiating outward to mingle with the floral. As tropical and alluring as that sounds - it will make you feel this way even in the winter, just leans more sensual and cool. Very good to layer and have another more pink floral fragrance on top in the winter. This is the vanilla fragrance that all the vanilla perfumes currently popular out there should aspire to. So underrated and overlooked. The Body Shop should definitely bring this one back.

In my first review of this I called it aquatic, but I take it back. I do however think that the "amber" listed in the notes is actually ambergris. Madagascan Vanilla Flower seems to be a very musky, salty ambergris fragrance with a lightly powdery vanilla glaze finish. The floral element is close to non-existent. I don't detect a whole lot of vanilla bean here; the vanilla is instead a facet of the dusty salty musk. Nice for a hot day but a little bit weird and inarticulate. I'm starting to prefer the Body Shop to Bath & Bodyworks. The latter makes sharp bodywash detergent style scents, while the Body Shop makes less shiny scents which paradoxically are more vague but also more interesting, to me anyway. I'm not saying that B&BW scents are coherent; they're as abstract chemical soup as any scents in their price range, but they have a certain unnatural brightness which is not present in Body Shop scents.

I'm sort of wondering if there is fragnipani in here or not...on the little paper slip I got tied to my bottle it said vanilla orchid, but I don't know. It doesn't smell a ton to me like either one anyways. I agree the vanilla is a more cool vanilla, but it's still very sweet. I think this vanilla is very versatile in that it could be worn year round easily through even hot weather because it's not super heavy for being so sweet. The amber tones aren't really that deep or rich. It's just sweet, simple, cool vanilla with some sweet flower something. It's linear and is moderate in silage and projection. It's incredibly easy to wear and I just love it without having to try. Well worth it's sale price!

I opened an account just to write this review. When I started dabbling in fragrances, this was my favourite! I was in university and this was my favourite night time or date scent. Men and women loved it. It was warm and inviting, not loud or harsh, not too sweet either; Very balanced. Unfortunately it went missing right about the time it was discontinued and I have been looking for the appropriate dupe all these years and I found it today! It's not hypnotic poison as HP is loud and sweeter. It's Sun di Gioia by Giorgio Armani. Unfortunately I'm hearing talks that's about to be discontinued too.

I love this perfume. It smells kind of like Siren by Paris Hilton when I sprayed it on a paper, like flowery vanilla as I thought. On me though, it reminds me a bit of Lady Million by Paco Rabanne, it's a spicy vanilla scent. It's a warm scent that's kind of heavy for being an EDT but not overpowering, good lasting power too. It works for every occasion (but I think I'd want something stronger for a party) and it's never too much, not even in the winter. If you just want one perfume this is definately the one if you're not older than 20-25. Women over 25 or30 might think it's a bit childish...