Monoi Eau des Vahines

Beachy, gorgeous, sweet, warm, sunny, floral, tropical, creamy, exotic, lush, radiant, feminine, sensual, sexy, sophisticated, elegant, luxurious, luminous, rich, sultry, dreamy, transportive, nostalgic On me this is an absolutely gorgeous monoi oil scent. It’s very close in scent to the NARS Monoi Bronzing Body Oil (which I’ve actually always wanted a perfume version of!). I get the beautiful, exotic, and sweet tiare flower, and the tropical, sweet, and creamy coconut as the most prominent notes. The vanilla is just slightly less pronounced, and adds a lovely sweet, creamy, and sensual warmth and richness. The ylang-ylang adds that touch of fresh, tropical yellow florals. There is a bit of that Sun tan lotion like scent (which I love), but I think that’s to be expected with a monoi scent. This is a sweet and richer/thicker scent that brings the warmth of the sun and tropics to you. Basically, paradise bottled! It’s beachy, sweet, warm, luxurious, sensual, and exotic. If you’re not familiar with the smell of monoi oil, it’s not the lighter or more refreshing beachy kind of scent like something along the lines of Replica Beach Walk, Bobbi Brown Beach, Kayali Maldives in a Bottle, Jennifer Aniston, or B&BW At the Beach. Think more warm and sensual, more along the lines of Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess, JHAG Lust For Sun, VS Coconut Passion, and B&BW Coco Paradise. This has already earned itself a high place of honor in my collection in my all time top 5 favorite beachy fragrances! I’ve always really enjoyed beachy/coconut/monoi scents, so I knew this would be something special for me. It turned out to be everything that I’d been hoping for, and more! A very successful blind buy for me! I also blind bought Kilian Sunkissed Goddess when it launched hoping for something like this. I absolutely love it, and I do find it very similar, but there’s some differences too. Monoi Eau des Vahines is a more straight up monoi scent with vanilla and ylang ylang. Sunkissed Goddess is also a very monoi centered scent, but more complex. It has additional notes that add a bright and refreshing citrusy facet, and a warm woody vanilla base. I am also reminded of an old B&BW perfume I still have from around probably ‘08-‘10 called Ile de Tahiti Tiare Flower. I haven’t found it in the database so far, but it’s quite similar, only more centered around the Tiare flower, and less rich. I personally will enjoy this the most during the late spring and summer, but I think it can be worn year round, especially if you want to feel transported to a tropical paradise. It’s because of its sweet, warm, and rich scent that I think it can work year round. Those aspects make it work for the fall and winter, but at the same time they create a more sultry and seductive feel during the warmer seasons rather than feeling cloying, or too heavy. I might be slightly biased considering my major love for beachy style fragrances, but I also think that this is suitable for the majority of occasions (maybe not for a fancy occasion for everyone, but I wouldn’t even count that out for myself). I get really good performance with Monoi Eau des Vahines. The longevity is really good on me, it lasts about 7-8 hours before needing a touch up. The projection is decent, it radiates out about an arm’s length from me. For reference, just some of my other favorite beachy/coconut/monoi fragrances include TF Soleil Blanc, Nest Sunkissed Hibiscus, Kilian Sunkissed Goddess, Replica Beach Walk, Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess, JHAG Lust For Sun, JHAG Vanilla Vibes, Bobbi Brown Beach, Kayali Maui in a Bottle, Kayali Maldives in a Bottle, Ellis Brooklyn Vanilla Salt, Miami Nectar, Sand, Phlur Beach Skin, SDJ 39, B&BW Coco Paradise, B&BW Oahu Coconut Sunset My single complaint about this wonderful fragrance is that it’s discontinued. I’m not sure how widely it was available prior to being discontinued, but it was difficult for me to find, especially for a decent price. I live in the US, and I had to order my bottle from a different country. I wish this would be brought back, and made widely available, especially now that I have it because I already know that I’m going to need more.

I was born at the beginning of summer, and I guess that’s one of the main reasons for me to adore everything related to the warmest time of the year :) For long time, much before getting seriously addicted to fragrances, I had been fatally attracted by beauty products containing coconut and tiare extracts or - more frequently - monoi oil in all forms. I still wasn’t aware of the existence of a flower named gardenia tahitiensis, neither I knew exactly what heavenly concoction produced the creamy, nutty, overly exotic scent of those famous Hawaiian suntan ointments: all I wanted was to possess that scent to renew the feel of the sunbeams on my skin, of the warmth of sand, of all the pleasant sensations connected to a holiday at the sea. Back then I would have never imagined such a wonderful mix of smells could make a fragrance on its own, otherwise I would have searched for it high and low (ignorance is bliss). Truth is, since Aloha Tiaré by Comptoir Sud Pacifique this genre of fragrances has notably increased and this trend doesn't seem to stop, so last year I wasn’t surprised when I saw Monoi Eau de Vahinés at an Yves Rocher store; I had a little spray of it on the back of my hand, and in the end I decided to go for the oil from the same line (that could easily work as a scent itself during summer). Probably I found this EdT a bit too simple, too linear, too fleeting.. not what I craved for at that moment, although the scent for itself was very lovely. We all know things can change easily when it comes to perfume, so last week I went again to that store and found it for about half of the price tag (less than 13 Euro for a 100 ml, a steal). I couldn’t leave it there! In the meanwhile I had been testing the above mentioned Aloha Tiarè, which I liked only partially due to the strange soapy-synthetic opening, and realized I just needed a carefree fragrance, a mood lifter, something able to transport me to unknown places where everything feels peaceful. This fragrance does all that, it is a straightforward but very effective take on monoi where each note’s quality is amazingly enhanced by each other to give a stunning feel of wellbeing, relax and exotic sensuality. Uniqueness is not to be expected from this scent, you won't find nothing extra-ordinary here... still, few other fragrances feel so natural and "complete" in their simplicity. On my skin tiare feels extremely lively, creamy and luscious from the first moment, almost buttery and gourmand, with that slight “pink” fruity nuance that’s typical of some white flowers; soon after the coconut appears, providing depth and increasing the overall sweetness without getting cloying. The connection to sunscreen gets more and more evident from there on, with tiare and coconut playing harmoniously together without overwhelming each other and melting with skin like a veil of lotion or tanning oil would do. What’s left after a couple of hours is a delicious trail of vanilla and coconut, with a caressing breeze coming from the exotic white flower that lingers for hours on my skin. Even the bottle is really pretty, and the goldenish color of the juice is a perfect match to the scent for me. My only complaint about this fragrance is maybe the lack of intensity after the initial blast of tiare: a more noticeable sillage would have made of Monoi Eau de Vahinés the perfect tropical scent for me, but as for longevity this scent is unbelievably tenacious for an EdT! (about 8 hours on me). In the end, I would recommend this YR scent to everyone looking for a honest coconut+tiare based fragrance... and to those who are not familiar with monoi and are in search of a creamy fragrance to use during summer I wholeheartedly advice to get their hands on this unpretentious (and very affordable!) beauty. As for me, I will enjoy this Edt for the entire upcoming summer (planning to buy the body spray too, that doesn’t contain alcohol so it can be worn during sunbaths).

I have long had a passion for the tropics since I visited the Carribean several years ago. My visit helped since get me started in my interest of collecting palm trees and tropical plants to decorate the interior of the homes I've lived in. That's how I fell in love for with the fabulous gardenia flower, so fragrantly unique. Now that I am interested in wearing those tropical scents, I have been searching for the Tiare flower in a compsition that fully displays it's unique character. I have a couple of tiare scents, such as LouLou and Mariah Carey's "M", but these have only made me want to search further to fully identify the flower's scent. I settled on Monoi Eau des Vahines because of it's description in reviews, and in the end I was able to pick one up for a reasonable price (Thank-You CeeCee!). With the first few spritzes, Eau des Vahines smelled like a vanilla candle- a total bummer. After showering, I spritzed it on liberally, then in about an hour, I started to smell a sweet and spicy floral surrounded by yummy ice creaminess, then the floral accord developed further as the coconut and vanilla disappeared. Then to my delight, beautiful gardenia made it's appearance, wafting through as the composition took another turn. Monoi Eau des Vahines lasts several hours, smells lovely but stays close to the skin after settling. Could be great layering with other Tiare or tropical scents. Would be great for taking on vacation to any beach destination this spring or summer!

This is a nice fragrance. It smells thick and waxy, to me. Like a sweet summer coconut-floral candle. But not in a bad way— although, I wouldn’t spend too much on this perfume. I bought this as a set with the oil for like $60... which, to me, is a lot, considering it retailed for a lot less back before it was discontinued. I do like this fragrance, though. Maybe I’ll enjoy it more in the winter for that “take me back to summer” scent. I feel like it’ll hold well since it’s a more thick scent, whereas Replica’s Beach Walk is a more airy suntan lotion scent (which I personally love a lot— just wish the performance were better on that one). All in all, I’ll probably keep this scent in my collection since it IS discontinued and it is a nice beach scent at a more affordable price than, say, Terracotta, Soleil Blanc, Beach Walk, etc. I DO want to try out Bronze Goddess, though. We’ll see which of the beach smells wins in being the best! Edit: I’d like to add that the projection and longevity on this is pretty good! I kept getting whiffs of myself through the day, and normally I don’t ever get that with my perfumes (my skin is pretty dry I guess, so I generally don’t hold scents very well). I actually really do like this perfume. It’s pretty cozy and sweet. 6/22/22 - This is a new love for me. I’ll keep this bottle forever. It’s very cozy and comforting. I like wearing this at home, but I also feel sexy when I wear this out. Yes yes yes.

This scent is probably one of my favourites now because I was so lucky to travel to French Polynesia, the home of the tiaré and frangipani flowers. On the plane, we all got this lovely tiaré flower and I fell in love instantly with her scent. As it was an incredibly long trip (almost 20 hours of flying) I kept on having the scent of the flower in my nose. In Tahiti I've bought practically every product I could find having tiaré in it. This perfume brings out the memories about the most beautiful trip of my life. Wearing this for the first time today and earned my first perfume compliment coming from a co-worker. This is definately a divine, innocent floral sweet scent. Not for babies though, as it is quite harsh at the top notes. A real splash of tiaré. In the beginnen I had pure floral notes, after a few hours I got tiaré/coconut, now I have a mixture of coconut and vanilla with a little bit of tiaré left. I'm wearing 2 spritzes, behind the ears. Superb sillage, good longevity. Scent: floral, sweet, but not overly sweet thanks to the tiaré lasting power: wearing for +4 hours now and still very noticeable sillage: enormous the first hours, gets softer after a while no-no: if you don't like gourmand scents (cause you get a lot of coconut/vanilla) my score: 4/5 (nothing is perfect :))

Some fragrances are strictly seasonal and this one is a good example. Monoi Eau des Vahines is like a tropical flower that blooms in the heat and won't stand the cold. I agree with many reviewers that this one needs certain temperatures to show it's true character. l tried it once in the dead of winter and it smelled like pungent, oily bugspray! It was warm summer day years ago when l fell in love with this. I bathed in it the whole summer! More than a tropical getaway, it takes me back to those carefree summers of my childhood; blooming flowers, vanilla ice cream, Barbie dolls, plastic swimming pools, sunny days, evening breeze and setting sun. It smells all that. Eau des Vahines has also grown up, sensual side. This and the actual oil has something very sexy, carnal thing about it and on the other hand something heavenly pure. This one is my go-to summer cheapie and also the one that brought me to Fragrantica. It's great for layering; l love it with the oil for better longevity. So many special things about this one indeed!

FIRST! I do not understand why it says Limited edition. They still sell it today and the reason I bought it two years ago? My mom! She have been wearing this every summer since I was a baby! So from when she was 19 til today and she is 40. Anyway! This reminds me so much of her! But it doesn't matter because the fragrence is amazing! It's a hot summer in a bottle. You smell the sand, the heat, coconuts, sun-tanning oil, flowers and the sun! It's truly a perfect beach fragrance. I do own the golden shimmer oil in the same scent which might suit the beach better, but you get the idea. It really gives me summerfeels! I can't live without this one and I repurchase this one every two years. I know some people find it too warm and almost sharp, but give it a chance! Sillage: Moderate-Heavy Longevity: Moderate Scent: 8/10 Overall: 7/10 (It last okay, but it would be even more amazing if it lasted more than like 3 hours.) I would definitly recommend this to anyone who like either floral or summery fragrances.

I had high hopes for this but am a bit disappointed. It's certainly a tropical suntan lotion scent, but to me it smells very synthetic and harsh. I'd have liked a creamier coconut note and a fresher, more natural aroma overall. It does remind me of Terracotta. Lasting power is good but I think it would be too suffocating to wear in a hot and humid climate. UPDATE Having worn this quite a few times now, it's really grown on me and my opinion has changed. Weather makes a big difference to this fragrance - I've been wearing it on warm days and the harsh note that I disliked has softened very quickly leaving a lovely warm, exotic scent which reminds me of a bowl of ripe apricots! I'm definitely getting more sweetness and creaminess now. This is really delicious and I can imagine wearing this lots during the summer. In fact, it'll probably be my new go-to perfume for warm, sunny days.

This is such a gorgeous exotic smell I can't believe how cheap it was. It's floral, creamy and dreamy without being cloying, exotic and feminine. Lovely sweet tiare and nutty coconut with a hint of smoky vanilla, it is very floral and reminds me of my most treasured Burberry London, which also had tiare in it. This will be my holiday scent meaning I don't have to worry about my Burberry evaporating in my bag on the beach! It is Edt but 1 spray on each arm is still projecting really well, my neighbour just asked me what I was wearing whilst we had a natter in the garden! I got the Monoi de Tahiti traditional oil at the same time and it smells almost the same and sinks in really lovely, it doesn't just sit on your skin but leaves a sexy scented sheen. I can imagine this being lovely on your hair & skin after a day in the sun. Go on, get both and feel exotic & gorgeous!!

Yaaasss... Yaaaaaassss... As one of the reviewers here said, this is summer in a bottle. Nothing super complicated going here; it's a very simple composition and it works. You get coconut but not too much and (thankfully) not too sweet. Ylang Ylang and Tiare, two typical beachy florals, are thrown in there to complete the mix. Wonderful. I almost like it as much as Estee Lauder's "Bronze Goddess". And so simple it's very layer-friendly. I especially like it with fruitier as well as deep smoky scents (but it doesn't work well at all with sharp green florals imo). An awesome cheapie-but-goodie. You're getting so much for the price. The one issue is longevity; it's not the worst but don't expect this stuff to last all day. Oh, and it does smell like suntan lotion-ish. Personally I love that scent but if you have issues with that you might want to stay away.

This is absolutely summery, relaxing and gorgeous. Like diving into a pool of fragant oil, gardenias, coconut and vanilla. Whenever I wear this I feel like a nudist hippie or one of those exotic women portrayed by Gauguin wandering across the beach. This is the same smell from Yves Rocher Monoi hair and body oil. I ́ve been using their oil for my frizzy, curly hair for years and always wanted some eau de toilette with some staying power featuring that wonderful yet volatile smell, and here it is. Not extremely long lasting and moderate sillage, but I ́ve discovered that it lasts longer if I rub some of the oil on my skin before spraying it. Not a complicated fragance, in fact it ́s very simple but so beautiful in it ́s simplicity. Curiously, I can ́t smell the alcohol denat in this, it smells so very oily, almost the same as the very Monoi oil itself.

I agree a lot with DarkViolet because I was born in the middle of summer. To me this smells aquatic, fresh, flowery and strongly vanilla. It's very long lasting with a moderate sillage so I would call this a high quality fragrance which surprised me for its low price. This is actually the best vanilla fragrance that I've tried yet compared to S by Shakira and Rise by Beyonce. This became one of my instant favorites but I'm still not sure if this could become my signature. It's anyway worth buying and trying and I cordially recommend this to other summer souls alike myself! Would buy this again.

I love this!!!! Monoi-tiaré Tahiti Wonder! Beachy without trying, mild and rich yet not cloying. Since there is no alcohol in it your skin will not develop those brownish spots due to the sun. A sweet tropical breeze. I have the body wash, the dry oil and the fragrance. When layered, it lingers beautifully on my skin all day. I do not think it is meant to project much but when I wear this yummy combo I am often complimented. Great summer fragrance!!!! I sometimes layer it with Cocoon (Y.R. also) to mellow out the patchouli. good day all!

Smells identical with the body and hair oil. The longevity is beyond amazing, I wouldn't say is just EDT. I was looking all summer for a smell like this. took 6 smalls bottles with 20 ml to be easy to take in my holidays. From all the perfumes I have this is the only one that smells 100% like summer, beach and expensive resorts. If you get this, trust me you don't need Terracotta, Soleil Blanc or Bronze Goddess, I have them and I'm so sorry I didn't try this first. Better longevity and more accurate beach smell.

I love this simple, tiare-forward fragrance. I don’t find it ‘cheap’ smelling or ‘car air freshener’ in the slightest. It’s the exact scent of Monoi oil - tiare-infused coconut oil - if you have ever smelled that. Simplistic? Yes. But beautifully evocative, also. I am wearing it today in Springtime London and it is taking me to far flung islands where tropical flowers grow. Delightful! (For such a relatively cheap fragrance in a ‘body spray’ bottle it has good lasting power, too)

Yummy! Smells just like Monoi Tahiti hair and body oil, though not as sweet. I imagine layering the two would be beautiful. It lacks warmth on my skin, and I feel like I want it to be oilier and sweeter, but I might try layering with some coconut oil, or perhaps Palmers Cocoa Butter will do the trick :) If you like Terracotta or Roberto Cavalli EDP drydown, but want something more day-friendly, less heavy, then you'll love this cheap and cheerful summer frag!

A delicious, uplifting and calming scent of tahitian gardenia and oily coconut milk. It is very tropical, not in a beachy but in a classy way. I like to use it in a cold european climate and during colder seasons. In summer I like it too, but then it seems sweeter, heavier and more coconutty. Anyway, I always love it. I think it's a great complex scent and not a simple summer spray. The bottle is also very nice and unusual in its exquisite simplicity.

Ilove this scent ;) I am true lover of seet, musky, vanilla, powdery scents, to begin with, not a big fan of flowers because often they are sour and then automatically reminds me of bathroom fresheners, don't know why... This scent is not sour at all on my skin, it is sooo optimistic and feminine, creamy, a perfection :) and also it doe not give me a headache, while the majority scent do, unfortunately :(

Hm, that's great. It was a blind buy - but a good one. Tiare and coconut. Coconut and tiare. Very simple line, but it is perfectly worked out. Tropical summer in a bottle. Warm and happy, it can make you smile whole day. Highly recommended if you want a very good perfume but you don't have too much money ;) It is at least as good as Montale's Intense Tiare is. (And I really like the Montale perfumes!)

It is true that it is almost the same to Terracotta, which I also had but Terracotta for me was unwearable as to my nose brings you too much white flower, very intoxicating and I ended up selling it on Ebay. I did keep this beautiful Monoi Eau des Vahines wich is extremely well made as most of the YR perfumes and has nothing to envy to Terracotta.