Searching for the Perfect Vanilla?

[Lethran]

I liked the sachs, but it's clearly needing aging and seasoning to really tell where it's going.

[AllyKat]

I love vanilla scents. To give you a reference, I ADORE Yankee Candle's Christmas Cookie scent. Anyone have any scent recommendations?

 

I also love LUSH's All That Jas, so please let me know if you have any recs for that one, too. Thanks!

[Apple]

I love vanilla scents. To give you a reference, I ADORE Yankee Candle's Christmas Cookie scent. Anyone have any scent recommendations?

 

I also love LUSH's All That Jas, so please let me know if you have any recs for that one, too. Thanks!

Definitely check out these threads:

Searching for the Perfect Vanilla?, Find it here, alone or in combos

All I want in the world is to smell like a bakery, BPALs that smell like cake, cookies, donuts, Cinnabon and more

Gourmand - Foody Scents - General Recommendations, separate threads for bakery scents, candy scents...

 

It sounds like you might like:

Antique Lace

(Bewitching Brews) - A soft, wistful blend of dry flowers, aged linens, and the faint breath of long-faded perfumes.

 

Dorian

(Sin & Salvation) - A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea.

 

Eat Me

(Mad Tea Party) - Three white cakes, vanilla, and red and black currants.

 

Lyonesse

(Wanderlust) - Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss.

 

Mouse's Long & Sad Tale

(Mad Tea Party) - Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.

There are also a couple of currently available limited edition scents that might appeal to you:

Bite Me

(2009 Halloweenie) - Croquembouche with almond silk and a drizzle of caramel.

 

Boo

(2009 Halloweenie) - Eerie billows of spun sugar, fluttering white cotton, and sheets of cream.

[samhainschimera]

I'd grab a limited edition of Boo or Detestable Putrescence, one of the Poe scents. They are vanilla-y and yummy!

[anna1850]

I love vanilla scents. To give you a reference, I ADORE Yankee Candle's Christmas Cookie scent. Anyone have any scent recommendations?

 

I love Christmas Cookie (and Vanilla Cupcake as well) but unfortunately I've yet to find a good match for it at BPAL.

 

But there are some foody and vanilla-y ones in the general catalogue that I like, even though they are nothing like Christmas Cookie:

 

King of Hearts - Smells like a blackcurrant pie/tart. A bit like YC's blueberry scones.

Antique Lace - Vanilla ice cream and clean linen sheets (I don't like it fresh as much though, I have to keep it for several months and wait for the scent to smooth out).

TKO - Starts out sugared lavender but leave it a few hours and it goes to vanilla marshmallows.

Dorian - I don't get much vanilla from this but a lot of people do. It's like sugared tea on me with a tiny hint of lavender on me.

Eat Me - A big, fat currant bun.

 

I've only tried about 180 scents though so there might be a closer match hiding somewhere.

[Lorelai1945]

Vanilla is my favorite! I've tried many of Bpal's so far, and here is what I think.

 

GC/lab orderable now:

Antique Lace is very nice- it starts out kind of powdery, but the drydown is a soft vanilla.

Mouse's Long and Sad Tale ends up very similar to AL on me when it dries. Also a nice soft vanilla.

TKO is wonderful! It has a lot of lavender, but the more it dries, the more it is a sugary vanilla. Yum!

Sachs is nice. It starts out with quite a hit of chamomile, but softens when dry to a nice vanilla. It doesn't seem to have a lot of lasting power, though.

 

LE/Discontinued:

Love's Philosophy is a wonderful, creamy vanilla on me. It can be hard to find, but I think it's worth it...It is probably my favorite Bpal scent.

 

Many people recommend Snake Oil..I tried an imp straight from the lab and didn't get vanilla at all..but aging could make a difference in this. (?) I also tried Dorian and Regan (both not vanilla to me, but they're not bad scents. I like Dorian the best of the two). Detestable Putrescence turned plasticky and strage on me, but smelled great in the bottle- creamy vanilla. Boo dried down with similar results. Eat Me was too strong and spicy for me. Lyonesse is a nice, golden scent..I get a little vanilla, but not as much as I was hoping for.

 

Hope this helps!

[Lethran]

Snake Oil gets more vanilla as it ages, yes.

[mejuxtaposed]

Blackberry Jam and Scones I like more than Eat Me in the GC. Its delicious.

 

Vanilla wise, I really really can't stop pimping Velvet Unicorn. It is straight up vanilla cake on me. Makes me want to nom my wrist off.

 

I also am an Antique Lace fan, but its not a OMFG food scent, but really nice against the linen scent. Sachs is really delicious, but not a pure vanilla cake scent, I definitely get the bourbon quality which isn't so much of a boozy vibe, but deepens the vanilla itself.

 

Before BPAL, I thought vanilla was a boring "safe" scent. Not so much anymore.

[donnatron]

There are a lot of great vanillas in the BPAL catalogue. From the GC you might want to try:

 

Tombstone Wanderlust vanilla, balsam and sassafras layered over Virginia cedar.

This is a luscious, thick vanilla and sassafras over a touch of grounding wood notes. It has a rootbeer-y quality.

 

Defututa Ars Amatoria Olive blossom, honey, smoky vanilla, cinnamon, jasmine, sandalwood, and champaca flower.

A sticky smoky vanilla/honey scent with cinnamon. Other than the champaca I don't smell a lot of floral in this.

 

O Ars Amatoria Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla.

Depending on how much you amp each of the components this is a very sweet vanilla honey grounded by the amber. It's a favourite around the forums.

 

Belle Vinu Marchen Red sandalwood, vanilla, rosewood, osmanthus, and white peach.

I get a really true vanilla from this one--it reminds me of the vanilla in Snake Charmer, a popular limited edition around here.

 

Velvet Bewitching Brews sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh.

Soft chocolate and vanilla. The myrrh and sandalwood are really supporting elements, not the stars of the show.

 

Eclipse Bewitching Brews bitter almond, vanilla, frankincense and heliotrope, with a drop of cinnamon.

This may be closest to your candle--a sort of foody/cream/spicy vanilla.

 

Good luck finding blends! My advice is to try something completely out of your comfort zone (a resin or a light floral or citrus or something) and you might be surprised at what your chemistry makes sing.

[MeiLin]

I need an enabling scent: Meyer lemon and vanilla. Any hits? or is it a miss?

[rawgirl75]

I need an enabling scent: Meyer lemon and vanilla. Any hits? or is it a miss?

 

Is it for someone new to bpal? Try fresh Dorian, which smells like straight-up lemon vanilla to me. Not quite what you were looking for, but it might do the trick.

[Katiedid717]

I'm trying to figure out what to get one of my sisters for a Christmas or birthday present. She's turning 14 in early February and said that one of her favorite smells is Vanilla, but in everything I looked at that has vanilla in it, the scents ended up focusing mainly on the other notes or seeming a bit too sultry from an eighth grader. Any suggestions?

[Delirium1009]

My favorite vanilla bpal scents are Dorian (like lightly lemony vanilla musky cookies) and Black Opal (smells like vanilla rocks, but in a good way! Totally unique). IMO, just plain vanilla can get a bit overpowering and boring, so other notes really bring it out. The ones I listed have other things in them, but they're not really super sexy scents. They're also impable since they're GC.

[cfrancesca]

Try Detestable Putrescence (melty vanilla ice cream) its probably the closest to a vanilla only scent we're gonna get (except for the Single Note but that's near impossible to acquire).It's a bit french vanilla, but has turned plasticky smelling on some (including me, but I pretend not to notice because I like the vanilla so much! ).

 

Even if she likes vanilla only I would also consider Pink Snowballs (roses, vanilla and snow) or Snow White (flurries of virgin snow, crisp winter wind and the faintest breath of night-blooming flowers) this is a beautiful scent and age-appropriate. Good Luck!

Edited November 13, 2009 by cfrancesca

[donnatron]

Check the swaps forums for I Fell In Love With a Floating Brain. It's a sort of strawberry-vanilla sweet scent. It reminds me a lot of the fragrances I liked back when I was in junior high.

 

From Carnaval Diabolique you could try Pickled Imp (Cinnamon, clove, vanilla, and pine sap). It's a nice bakery sort of scent that's not too overt or sexual.

 

From the GC you may want to try Tamora (Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean). Very pretty and girly and soft. You can also try Regan (A deceptively sweet orchid vanille with a faint trace of stephanotis). It's a little floral but still a true, sweet vanilla orchid.

[ljaylh]

Try Detestable Putrescence (melty vanilla ice cream) its probably the closest to a vanilla only scent we're gonna get..

 

Seconded! Fortunately I don't suffer from the dreaded vanilla-turning-into-plastic syndrome.. so Detestable Putrescence for me is a gorgeous soft and creamy sweet vanilla (despite its name suggesting otherwise) - just like melted vanilla icecream. I've seen both bottles and decants for sale here on the forum, and it's also still available to order from the Lab here

[devilot]

Thirded on Detestable Putrescence! That was the first thing to pop into my mind when I read the title, and then the OP.

 

LE and possibly a little tricky to find, I'd recommend Love's Philosophy: Vanilla, saffron, and cream.

 

But in terms of readily accessible GC blends, DP from up above and...

 

Lyonesse (Wanderlust): Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss. (The end result is just a subtle, gorgeous vanilla-y feel, at least w/ the two imps I've tried.)

 

Mouse's Long & Sad Tale (Mad Tea Party): Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.

 

Dorian as mentioned upthread is one of my top 5 favorite BPALs, but I don't necessarily feel it's vanilla. I mean, duh, yes, of course it's vanilla, but I think it's not the vanilla most people think of when you say vanilla. I "blame" the gorgeous musks in it.

[Apple]

From the general catalogue, I'd recommend:

Black Opal

(Bewitching Brews) - A play of geological darkness and jagged brilliance. Soft and luminescent with flashes of black fire.

 

Mouse's Long and Sad Tale

(Mad Tea Party) - Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.

Those are both very innocent, uncomplicated vanillas.

[unlaced]

I third Mouse's Long and Sad Tale for sweet, fairly uncomplicated vanilla. Morocco is a nice vanilla to me. It's a bit spicy but not overly so. It might be worth a try. Love's Philosophy is a very creamy, sweet vanilla, but it might be a bit hard to find.

[ephemera]

Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, definitely, and I also recommend Regan, which is a little less girly without being (to me) at all sultry. Regan is less straight vanilla, but it's really lovely.

[juniperus]

I'll second Mouse's Long & Sad Tale.

 

My daughter is about to turn 13 and my son is 7 -- both have had their own stashes for a couple of years.

 

Emma loves Alice - in addition to Mouse's Long & Sad Tale, you might look at a lot from that collection, I think most would be light enough for a young teen.

[jizatt]

I was coming to recommend, but all the good recs are out there I think! So I'll second these for

simpler, age appropriate, vanilla for a 14 year old:

 

Love's Philosophy

Tamora

Mouses Long and Sad Tale

Black Opal

Snow White (not exactly vanilla, but I bet she likes it!)

 

 

I want to say Dorian so bad, but its dead sexy on me, so I just cant!

[cfrancesca]

I forgot to also mention Boo! (Eerie billows of spun sugar, fluttering white cotton, and sheets of cream) a vanilla note isn't listed, but on me (I wearing today actually ) it smells more vanilla cream than DP, I bet she'd like it. Love's Philosophy is great too, I see many have recommended it already. I personally don't get any vanilla from Dorian only lemon tea.

[emily2531]

My favorite vanilla bpal scents are Dorian (like lightly lemony vanilla musky cookies) and Black Opal (smells like vanilla rocks, but in a good way! Totally unique). IMO, just plain vanilla can get a bit overpowering and boring, so other notes really bring it out. The ones I listed have other things in them, but they're not really super sexy scents. They're also impable since they're GC.

 

I second the recommendations above. To me, Dorian is mostly sweet vanilla with touch of tea and musky, grassy, mossy undertones. Black opal smells like vanilla musk with a hint of something woodsy and almost minty (like wintergreen). I think vanilla plays the most central rose in these.

[hkhm]

Try Detestable Putrescence (melty vanilla ice cream) its probably the closest to a vanilla only scent we're gonna get (except for the Single Note but that's near impossible to acquire).

 

fourth-ed.

 

none of the other blends mentioned are very vanilla-y on me except this one (not that i don't love quite a few mentioned here) and it indeed reminds me of french vanilla. for a vanilla-lover, it would be a hit.

 

you may also consider cake scents: cockaigne does not list vanilla, but it smells just like vanilla cake on my skin.