Searching for the Perfect Vanilla?

[WidgetAlley]

Dorian and Toooombstooone, which is the thickest, richest, gooey-est vanilla ever. Mmmmmm.

[MichelleM]

I find Dorian to be very sugary lemon, and a light soft vanilla, and Morocco and Antique Lace are very similar on me - all three of those are light, soft vanillas.

 

If I'm looking for something that is Vanilla, but stronger and heavier, I definitely go for Snake Oil or Regan.

 

I find O to be heavy on the honey note on me, but your mileage may vary with every oil.

[styro]

I'd like to resurrect this thread with a question for vanilla-scent-lovers: have you noticed different *kinds* of BPAL vanillas and do some work for you while others don't (in the way that some people can wear black patchouli but not red or vice versa)?

 

Two of the first three BPALs I ever tried were vanilla scents--Dorian and Regan--and I loved them both, so I looked forward with great anticipation to trying the rave-reviewed Antique Lace, Black Opal, and Snow White...none of which turned out to work on my skin. Antique Lace came closest to working, but something about it was just a little off to my nose. I notice that Black Opal and Snow White are both described in reviews as having a hint of coconut to them, and wonder whether my reaction has anything to do with that (and yet I've enjoyed actual coconut scents such as Black Pearl and Perversion).

 

Just for reference, of the other popular BPAL vanillas mentioned in this thread, I've tried Snake Oil, O, Tombstone, Golden Priapus, Morocco, and Dragon's Milk, and they've fallen on the okay-to-mildly-pleasant spectrum for me (i.e., not my favourites, but not unwearable either). Tamora didn't work on me, but I don't think the vanilla note was to blame in that case.

 

So...are there different kinds of vanilla at work here, or am I simply reacting to other notes in these blends?

[empi girl]

I think there are different vanillas at work. The vanilla in Tombstone, Snake Oil, Golden Priapus seems really different from the one in Black Opal and Antique Lace (neither of which work on me). One is rich and heady and voluptuous, and the other is soft, powdery and genteel. I always wonder if it is the light musk in Black Opal and AL that ruins them for me.

 

I don't get any vanilla out of Dorian.

 

The only vanilla I really love is Lick It, which on me dries down to a minty vanilla. I do really like Golden Priapus on my husband.

 

I also have high hopes for Death Cap! Dirt and vanilla sounds really good to me, just have to wait for my order to roll in.

[styro]

I think there are different vanillas at work. The vanilla in Tombstone, Snake Oil, Golden Priapus seems really different from the one in Black Opal and Antique Lace (neither of which work on me). One is rich and heady and voluptuous, and the other is soft, powdery and genteel. I always wonder if it is the light musk in Black Opal and AL that ruins them for me. [...] I also have high hopes for Death Cap! Dirt and vanilla sounds really good to me, just have to wait for my order to roll in.

 

Interesting! I notice that the reviews for Death Cap are similar to those for Tombstone in that they both describe the vanilla-sweetness in those scents as having a marshmallowy quality. I wonder if that has to do with a certain roundness of the vanilla note itself or whether childhoods full of camping have programmed our brains to interpret vanilla-sweetness as "marshmallow" when we encounter it in a context of trees and/or dirt. (I haven't tried DC myself, but I definitely got the "roasting marshmallows around a campfire" association from Tombstone, especially on the late drydown.)

 

It occurred to me after I wrote the post above that one of the vanilla scents in the general catalogue is specifically described as "Bourbon vanilla" (I thought it was one of the voodoo blends, but a search reveals that it's Peitho) and I see that the vanilla in that one is described in reviews as soft and smoky.

 

I don't get any vanilla out of Dorian.

 

Really? I never know how to describe the wet stage of Dorian on me (spicy citronella candle?) but the drydown is definitely an "I've been in the kitchen baking cookies all day" sugary vanilla. :-)

 

The only vanilla I really love is Lick It, which on me dries down to a minty vanilla. I do really like Golden Priapus on my husband.

 

The reviews for Lick It sounded yummy! I love mint scents, but since one of my cats is a little too fond of mint (in the glued-to-my-wrist kind of way *g*), I have to be cautious about wearing them.

 

ETA (because my cat posted this for me prematurely...): Golden Priapus does such an interesting morph on the skin--it's got that sinus-clearing blast of juniper at the beginning, but then it goes so very, very subtle on the drydown. I would imagine it's a great morning scent for that reason--waking you up at first, but then settling down into a close-to-the-skin scent for the rest of the day.

Edited June 23, 2006 by styro

[Galen]

ETA (because my cat posted this for me prematurely...): Golden Priapus does such an interesting morph on the skin--it's got that sinus-clearing blast of juniper at the beginning, but then it goes so very, very subtle on the drydown. I would imagine it's a great morning scent for that reason--waking you up at first, but then settling down into a close-to-the-skin scent for the rest of the day.

 

there's a thought! I might have to stick my Golden Priapus imp under my pillow to compare it with Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo's wake-me-up-gently properties...

[styro]

I might have to stick my Golden Priapus imp under my pillow to compare it with Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo's wake-me-up-gently properties...

 

ACJM as a wake-up scent is something I hadn't considered before--I'm guessing a little joy comes in very handy on Monday mornings! :-)

[Galen]

I might have to stick my Golden Priapus imp under my pillow to compare it with Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo's wake-me-up-gently properties...

 

ACJM as a wake-up scent is something I hadn't considered before--I'm guessing a little joy comes in very handy on Monday mornings! :-)

or any morning! I conducted a semi-scientific experiment a while back, which is detailed here

[mermaidrage]

I seriously amp the vanilla in Euphrosyne, to the point that it competes with the gardenia (which is always strong on me) so that's my pretty-close-to-perfect vanilla. Other than that, Dorian is utterly fabulous for a non-overwhelming vanilla.

[styro]

I conducted a semi-scientific experiment a while back, which is detailed here

 

Cool thread, Galen!--and very useful. I've heard of putting a drop of snooze-inducing scent on your pillow before, but never of keeping a wake-up imp under your pillow: I'm quite charmed by the idea.

 

It's interesting that Golden Priapus actually qualifies as a wake-up scent (which I think it certainly does) because so often we tend to think of vanilla scents as falling into the soft/comforting category. I suppose Dorian might also be considered a good "wake-up" vanilla, given its fresh, citrusy opening.

 

And now that I think of it, it occurs to me that I used my imp of O as both a bedtime *and* a morning scent: its soft baby-powderiness was lovely to wear to bed, but what I really liked about it was that it was so long-lived that it was still very present on my wrists the next morning.

 

 

I seriously amp the vanilla in Euphrosyne, to the point that it competes with the gardenia (which is always strong on me) so that's my pretty-close-to-perfect vanilla. Other than that, Dorian is utterly fabulous for a non-overwhelming vanilla.

 

Interesting! Do you find that your skin always amps vanilla, or only in certain scents?

[Galen]

Can I just mention that I didn't find Golden Priapus piercing enough for morning wake-ups? It's lovely and the juniper start falls into sweet comforting vanilla; but I think it's probably more of an evening relaxing before bed blend for me...

[Dinerdulcinea]

I hope this is the right place to post this and the appropriate way to ask...I couldn't find Jill Stuart fragrances mentioned anywhere when I searched the forum...

 

Does anyone have an experience with a BPAL scent that smells like/works like Jill Stuart's scent "Vanilla Lust?"

 

If so, which BPAL scent was it?

 

Thanks!

[Electra]

Can someone talk to me about Antique Lace vs. Eat Me vs. Mouse's Long and Sad Tale? I know that some of you foody-vanilla girls have tried all three!

 

I'm not a food-scent person at all. I usually run away from anything with vanilla listed as a note. However:

 

1) I actually have and like a 5 mL of Antique Lace (vanilla, but somehow does not smell like either food OR generic "vanilla perfume." This is most mysterious to me.)

 

2) I heard a rumor on the Recommendations forum that Eat Me smells like a lighter Snake Charmer/Snake Oil. I like Snake Charmer (though I don't really smell any vanilla in that one on my skin. I mostly get plum, and what I guess must be some musk).

 

3) Monster Bait: Underpants was awful for me. That's way too foody. It made me feel queasy. So there's your reference for vanilla that's "too much."

 

4) ...and Mouse's Long and Sad Tale is just in this question for good measure .

 

 

So what do y'all think? Too close to AL to need to try if I'm not really a vanilla person? Too foody? Or worth a shot, even given my non-vanilla-anti-smelling-like-dessert tendencies?

 

Edit - er, actually, perhaps the Recommendations forum is the more appropriate place for this post. I'll notify a mod and see what they think. Sorry if this was a snafu. *sheepish*

Edited July 21, 2006 by Electra

[portalkat]

Well, I think of the ones that you listed, Antique Lace, although containing vanilla, is the one that I would eliminate from the foody category. I think of it more as a sweet floral. The others that you listed are, I think, very foody. I think of the vanilla in Antique Lace as more vanilla/orchid, meaning more like the flower from which vanilla is from as opposed to something from your cupboard.

[feline.by.design]

Mouse's Long and Sad Tale is more like a powdery vanilla. Are you familiar with Dorian? Think of it as its lighter, dustier cousin.

 

That being said, I wear Dorian and Mouse's Long and Sad Tale on a very regular basis. I wear at least one, if not both, once a week, if not more.

 

-doreen

[ivyandpeony]

I'll do another try of Eat Me this weekend and comment on it, since I have only tried it once from the imp when I was trying a bunch of other imps (in that Yay! my order is here kind of frenzy )

 

But I am a huge fan of Antique Lace as well as the Mouse. Neither one is foody to my nose in the least - I'd categorize AL as a rich, musky vanilla with floral tones and MLST as a light, powdery floral vanilla. On me, MLST has a lot of sweet pea and white musk evenly balanced with the vanilla - whereas AL is predominantly vanilla.

 

So, I owe you an Eat Me review...

[shelldoo]

i fully agree w/ donna's assesment. al and mlst are my two favorites in your list. the mlst seems to me like a cousin of al, the sweet pea is very pronounced though. eat me imho wasn't like the others in this catagory, and i don't get the connection to snake oil at all, but that is my chemistry for ya

[lookingglass]

Antique Lace is a vanilla floral skin scent, to me (it is my everyday, smells like me, go EVERYWHERE scent).

 

I haven't tried Mouse' yet. It is low on my list because, as a general rule, woods smell like pencil shavings on me.

 

Eat Me is foody, but dry and spicy. It is not buttery like Grog or Jack (which are the super foodies to me). The vanilla in the cake scents goes a bit plasticy on me after drydown, which AL absolutely does NOT do. The current in EM is fruity, but not as fruity or sweet as BPAL's plum note.

Edited July 22, 2006 by lookingglass

[Aiglet]

Can someone talk to me about Antique Lace vs. Eat Me vs. Mouse's Long and Sad Tale? I know that some of you foody-vanilla girls have tried all three!

 

I'm not a food-scent person at all. I usually run away from anything with vanilla listed as a note. However:

 

1) I actually have and like a 5 mL of Antique Lace (vanilla, but somehow does not smell like either food OR generic "vanilla perfume." This is most mysterious to me.)

 

2) I heard a rumor on the Recommendations forum that Eat Me smells like a lighter Snake Charmer/Snake Oil. I like Snake Charmer (though I don't really smell any vanilla in that one on my skin. I mostly get plum, and what I guess must be some musk).

 

Have you tried Desire yet?

 

I've only tried Eat Me of the ones you list, but Snake Oil was *waaaaay* to strong for me (as in, I've diluted one imp down to *two* one ounce spray bottles with perfumer's base and it's *still* too strong), and Eat Me makes me smell like cake.

 

Desire is what I *wanted* out of Snake Oil -- a sexy, sophisticated, non-foody vanilla that lasts and lasts and lasts, so you might want to give that a try.

 

Good luck!

[olympia301]

If you like Antique Lace...well. I am one who thought that there was some passing connection between Snake Charmer and Eat me. The latter is a foody spicy resin to my nose and that's its charm. I really love what Beth did with it and the spice keeps it from being cloying.

 

The Mouse's LST, on the other hand, was rather incense--the kind you get in Chinatown, with a huge backdrop of the sweetest sweetpea. I love sweet and sugary scents and incense but the Mouse was too much for me. I just had to pass, which is a pity because I loved everything about it, even the way it was done. But for me it was tooooo sweeet. But don't be put off by that, you might like it.

 

Since shipping times are getting so short, why don't you give all 3 a try as imps? Or go cruising for them in the Swaps and Sales area? That is the best way of all of seeing if what we are saying is your taste.

[joseybird]

Is simple:

 

Antique Lace is the baby marshmallow

TMLAST is the baby marshmallow's blanket

 

See? Simple!

[Electra]

Is simple:

 

Antique Lace is the baby marshmallow

TMLAST is the baby marshmallow's blanket

 

See? Simple!

 

 

Er...

 

*scratches head*

 

Yeah, I don't get it. lol.

 

 

Thanks for the input, everyone!

[ivyandpeony]

Josey! Law school hasn't changed you.... yet.

 

I gave Eat Me a whirl yesterday - despite the description including "3 vanilla cakes" this one is crazy fruity on me. The currants are remiscent of, but not identical to, the plum in Snake Charmer - they actually seemed a little boozy.

 

Eat Me & Mouse's Tale seem to be doing such wildly diverse things on different people, I think the only logical thing to do is to treat yourself to both of them so you can decide for yourself. After all, there are only so many things you can indulge in when you're studying for the bar, but perfume is definitely on the OK list, isn't it?

[olympia301]

Yea, Ivy and Peony has hit the nail on the head. I also get a shot of red musk out of Eat Me. It's really delightful.

[joseybird]

Is simple:

 

Antique Lace is the baby marshmallow

TMLAST is the baby marshmallow's blanket

 

See? Simple!

 

 

Er...

 

*scratches head*

 

Yeah, I don't get it. lol.

 

 

Thanks for the input, everyone!

 

Smell'em both and you'll know what I mean ^______^