Tainted Love

Just received this today via sephora, I can easily say that Tokyo Milk is becoming a new fav. of mine. 2 scents I blind purchased this && Arsenic based off reviews && I love them both!! As soon as I opened the box I caught a whiff of this heavenly scent && said OMG!! On the my skin it's very delicate I get a lot of the orchid and vanilla && the mix plays well && is just beautiful! I kinda of get a licorice quality from it too as mentioned I also get a vague familiar under tone that reminds me of my YSL Body Kouros it's as if to me Lolita Lempicka && YSL Body Kouros had a baby, I just Love it! As for all the votes for this just being a winter scent, I don't see why it couldn't be perfectly suitable for a cool summer night out on the town it's soft enough, I know I'll for sure wear it when I go out layered w/ a nice fruity exotic scent BAM! there ya go!, && agreed I don't see this really lasting long on the skin, but as curliegurlie stated " Some folks seem to ask a great deal from their fragrance. I just like to smell nice. This does it for me."...agreed I don't care how much long it lasts as long as it smells good I can always re-apply...It's a fantastic scent reasonable in price what's not to love I can see this becoming a reg. scent of mine && I'd deff. purchase it again. Hmmm.. I think the next scent(s) from Tokyo will be Bulletproof && Excess && I think I'll deff. get this body lotion to layer! Curious? do try it! :) Overall: 9/10

Tainted Love (Dark) by Tokyomilk starts off with a vibrant burst of green, possibly from the green tea note, but this green facet doesn't stick around for long – just about a minute. Soon, the enchanting vanilla takes the spotlight and starts to dominate the scene. However, give it a little more time, and the real magic happens. The fragrance evolves into a beautiful blend that's neither overly sweet nor overly floral. Instead, it's a creamy symphony of vanilla, sandalwood, and orchid, creating a cozy yet undeniably sexy aura. There's something subtly spicy in there, and maybe a hint of tonka bean, although it's not listed in the official notes – a pleasant mystery. Tainted Love (Dark) is astonishingly versatile and beautiful. It feels like it could be worn in almost any situation and season, and it might even make for a fantastic signature scent. While it may not have the longest longevity, the affordable price makes it easy to reapply if needed. In a nutshell, it's an addicting fragrance that I can see myself reaching for frequently, especially when the leaves start to fall in autumn.

Tainted Love is a very sweet and simple fragrance, with a lot to love. Where to start? What caught my eye was the name and the bottle.Simple yet sophisticated, all the tokyomilk dark perfumes come in a matte black bottle with different designs in white. A beautiful vintage key adorns the Tainted Love bottle and makes it a pretty addition to any collection. On to the fragrance itself. I find it to have great longevity. I would wear this to work and would still be able to smell it wafting in the air hours later. I've also gotten more compliments on this perfume than any others to date. It doesn't have a ton of notes, but that's okay because the ones it does have blend together just lovely. This is a sweet vanilla oriental perfume. Tea and orchid gently embrace vanilla with just a hint of woods. Also seems like some sort of citrus could be hidden in here. For some reason when I wear this I imagine myself timewarped into the eighties, looking out a stained glass window in a dark room. If you want to smell sweet but mysterious, this will be a perfect scent for you.

This one really crept up on me. I got a free sample at Sephora, tried it once, and couldn't decide how I felt about it. I tossed the sample in my bag just to have in case of a perfume emergency, and sure enough, one eventually arose. I liked it more that time. I eventually bought a rollerball, which eventually led me to buy a full-size bottle. Personally, I've never smelled anything quite like it. It's definitely mainly vanilla, but there's also something almost...sour in the background? Maybe it's the tea? I don't know. It makes it more complex than plain vanilla, anyway. For me, any scent that doesn't dry down to old lady powder/cheap hairspray/dish soap (which is a common problem for me) is a victory, and Tainted Love doesn't commit any of those offences. It's noticeable but not cloying, and I find the lasting power to be adequate. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's in my regular fall/winter rotation.

GREEN VANILLA & SANDALWOOD. This has a powdery, tonka-like gauze over green vanilla & sandalwood, and the tannins from tea read leather to my nose. Picks up cherry nuances as it dries down, but it's relatively linear. There are reminders of Joop! Le Bain, but this scent makes me think of being on a motorcycle in summer. Small projection but moderate longevity, that may perform better in the heat. I only have a small sample, but performance may improve from a full bottle with dark storage after first sprays. Contrast to Joop! Le Bain: These are different, but my first thought when smelling this was that I'm smelling JLB, however TLTM is woodier & darker, and I get a more forward leather note from the tea. JLB has superior performance. TLTM may perform better in the heat. Overall: Beautiful scent profile, with moderate performance. This is the perfect scent to wear on a summer motorcycle trip.Enjoy!

This is a perfume that truly depends on body chemistry, I think. My reaction to this perfume is different from some previous reviewers, both in how it smells and how long it lasts (about seven hours on me). This may have common notes, but I don't think the resulting fragrance is common at all. To me this is different from the usual vanilla scent because it's vanilla bean--maybe it's not as "dark" as the name might suggest, but it's a huge difference to my nose, just like the use of the actual bean transforms the taste of food. The orchid is very present on my skin and lovely in combination with the vanilla, and the tea is dry and surprising. It almost smells like incense on me, and while other reviewers have said this is white tea I would have guessed lapsang souchong or something equally strong and flavorful. The entire combination is a little smoky and definitely intriguing.

I first had this as a rollerball and lip balm set and fell in love with it then. It's lovely, sensual, slightly unusual, not too strong and very seductive to my nose. When I found it again and tried it in spray form recently I was worried about sillage and longevity and as it seemed very soft, softer than I remembered, the shop owner (the lovely Hannah at Lore in Melbourne) told me to step outside and smell again. I did, came back in and bought a full bottle on the spot. Definitely more tea and tobacco than vanilla but that could be just my skin - and I have many vanilla perfumes to compare it with so I know my nose doesn't deceive me here! I agree completely with Alikat's description of Tainted Love. A leafy tea and woods delight, get up close to someone wearing this and I dare you to not want to nuzzle them!

This bittersweet vanilla isn't your little sister's kind of candy sweet-everyother-typical-vanilla. Nope, Tainted Love is slightly sinister. She's a bit of a good girl gone bad... but in a vanilla gothic kind of way. It does start out with a familiar bright top that seems slightly citrus. After a few minutes, it calms down and turns into a slightly powdery (just the right amount), almost chocolate-y scent-yummy. Then comes the cozy drydown of a sandalwood vanilla. Slightly dry, not heavy or overly sweet. I personally like that one has to come in close to get a whiff of this delightful concoction. This is not the type of scent you want assaulting people's noses. It takes away the mystique. This is a heavenly creation! If you want gourmand that isn't saccharin sweet, a great pick.

This is my favorite from the dark collection so far. It smells sooo good😍 I recently went on a Tokyo Milk buying rampage because, honestly, I love the bottles and love to add nice bottles to my collection. The scents are all a bit odd to my nose, so I don't really wear them, but I do love Kabuki! Tainted Love isn't even my style of frag, but there's something so nice about it. This isn't sweet or milky, it's woody and fresh. My skin really brings out the sandalwood, orchid and tea. Not so much vanilla for me, but I'm thinking I might try and layer it with Coco Figue. Something about it kinda reminds me of D&G Pour Homme. I even layered this with Katy Perry's Indi one day and it's a great combo.

This was my first TokyoMilk fragrance, and I loved it. On me, it was woodsy and sweet with a hint of vanilla. It reminded me a bit of Yves Rocher's Cantata from the '90s, but Cantata was classier and more mature. This is classy, but still a little bit innocent. There is something heavily romantic but just a tad mysterious about this fragrance. I could imagine a young film noir actress wearing this. I'm surprised that so many consider this a unisex scent because, for me, it is only feminine. It's strong and heady right out of the bottle, but quickly turns to a whiff of vanilla before fading to nothing. I have reviewed several TM fragrances, and my complaint is always the same: zero longevity.

This is a fascinating scent. I DO NOT tend to go for vanilla fragrances, but Tainted Love made me overcome my typical aversion to that typically too-cloying ingredient. This vanilla is sort of bitter and dry, not sweet and oppressive. The sandalwood, orchid, and tea all manifest in a slightly edgier way than normal, giving this powdery scent some teeth. At this point, when I have 100+ perfumes in my wardrobe, I am really appreciative of unusual scents and this one is certainly different. Love it. It also has really reasonable staying power on my skin - unlike what a lot of other people have been saying in their reviews.

I am surprised to see this getting so much hate, but then again, I am also surprised to find things I can't tell from every other loud floral cacophony being praised as the height of modern perfumery. I like simple scents I can layer or wear to work. Orientals have always been my weakness, and things with a warm sandalwood or vanilla base have always been my favorites. This somehow conjures a dark currant and pipe tobacco vibe to me, despite not being listed notes. A fall or winter staple for me, I just wish it had a little more longevity.

I love this, it is my perfect vanilla. Not a teenybopper fruity vanilla perfume but not a musky grandma version either, perfect for a sophisticated 20-30 woman. There is a touch of chocolaty smokiness that keeps it warm and sexy, the sandalwood is definitely present but the orchid keeps it from being too earthy and the vanilla is deep without being too sugary or overpowering. I can smell it on the inside of my elbow after a long day, but only slightly. Layering with the same scented lotion really improves the longevity.

At first I was meh, its alright, yet I find myself reaching for it quite often. Because my skin loves it! My advice don't be discouraged by the negative reviews, test it for a few days. On my skin it opens a bit citrusy then dries down to a smoky woodsy vanilla. I bring a small rollerball in my purse everytime I wear this, doesn't last long unfortunately so I don't mind reaplying here and there. The tiny rollerballs are super cheap and usually come in a set with a travel size hand cream which I adore.

I get all four of the notes that are in this: major vanilla and tea leaves, minor orchid and sandalwood. This all comes together for me in a comfy, milky, yet sensual fragrance. I also get the tobacco vibe that other reviewers have and assume that's the tea leaves. I love this scent. Unfortunately, Tainted Love doesn't last very long and it's a skin scent on me. I got this in a sampler with some of Tokyo Milk's other Dark Curiosities and appreciate the overall presentation.

This perfume is new to me, so I may revise this later. So far, I love this scent! It smells sweet, but not like cotton candy sweet, more like caramel or toffee. The dark vanilla bean is obviously the strongest note, but I smell the sandalwood a lot too. On me, the perfume dries down to a nice sweet cedar scent that is warm and comforting. I am so pleased with this because it is cozy and heavy on the vanilla.

I fell in love with Dead Sexy at first spray, but Tainted Love took me a bit longer to come around to. Now I can't stop thinking about it. The vanilla note feels very different between the two and this one really conjures up images of dank, mushroom covered tree stumps in a dark forest. Bottom line, it's like Dead Sexy's older goth sister and I absolutely love it. Longevity is decent but not great.

my FAVOURITE scent ever! i got a sample size of this 10 years ago back when sephora carried it and i thought about it for years until i could find it again. i don’t love super sweet vanilla and this is the perfect dark and mysterious yet sweet perfume. the sandalwood and orchid are not overpowering but help add the right balance imo. this perfume is definitely giving soft romantic goth vibes!

There is something boozy/dirty about this vanilla. If you stick your nose on your arm too soon after spraying, that sandalwood can almost give off a faint smell bitter/burning scent. So, it might not be a safe blind buy for some people if that's a note that can turn sideways on you. When this warms with your body, it is yummy and edgy. I love it. Doesn't last very long though.

like most other sweet perfumes with woody bases, the vanilla and sandalwood cling to my skin. i get hints of tonka bean as well, but im not complaining. it smells like a hug from a middle-aged hippie who wears rings on every finger. the orchid and the white tea don't last very long on me, the latter being the most persistent. i could wear this every day and never get bored.