French Vanilla

[lucycat]

Tahitian vanilla bean with a slight custard undertone.

 

In the bottle, this is slightly plasticky, making me afraid it would turn to pure plastic when worn.

 

That doesn’t happen. This is a pure, sweet vanilla, rich and smooth. It’s actually more spicy than creamy to my nose. French Vanilla is a slightly lighter version of my late, lamented original Body Shop vanilla and Kiehl’s vanilla oil, which is to say terrific.

 

The creaminess emerges more with wear and on the back of my hand rather than the crook of my arm.

 

It’s soft and close to the skin.

 

I like French Vanilla enough that I bought backup bottles, and I rarely buy backups.

[Allison93]

Wet: Harsh and sharp plastic.

 

Dry: this is not a warm vanilla. This is a cold vanilla that actually hurts my nose if I inhale it. Darn I had so much hope for this one.

 

After many hours pass and I smell close to my wrist I do smell a bit of the vanilla from Black Lace. But by the time it gets there it's almost faded completely.

 

My skin reacts very weird to certain vanillas. Darn I had high hopes that I could layer this with things. Might try it with something else before I sell it.

[lizabelle]

What is this "slight" business? This is a soft, sweet, creamy vanilla dessert. Custard through and through. I can see where some people might get plastic out of the sharp undertone, but to me it keeps it from being too sugary--it's a lovely hint of the bean coming through. It's almost vanilla candle-like, and I mean that in the best possible way; it's soothing and rich but not overpowering at all. I had hoped this would be a bit more boozy, but I still like it a lot and I can see it layering well with nearly everything I own.

[MadameSalty]

Just as advertised! A Vanilla Single Note! It's a light vanilla, not a deep or chewy one like say Love's Philosophy. Definitely custardy, like an uncooked Creme Brûlée or vanilla pudding, although not particularly foody. It invokes the color of vanilla custard without vanilla bean flecks. More cool than warm. Sweet but not at all cloying. Simple but yummy. It has a touch of what I know people will say is "plastic", but it is not plastic to me, it's what makes it a "French" vanilla. Not sure yet what the throw is like or if it will be more of a stand alone or something to layer but probably both! I would imagine this will get richer and even more lovely with age. A clean, light, simple, and straightforward vanilla. I'm happy to have a bottle!

[goldentipyunnan]

I was lucky to snag this from a friend who didn't like it, and since it's discontinued I will be using it very very sparingly. To me, this smells exactly like creme brulee. Wet in the bottle, it's a sophisticated vanilla with a hint of sasafrass/root beer (but not in a gross soda way, in more of a nice spicy herbal way). Wet on the skin, the custard really comes out, and it seems to stick around while it dries. Eventually it ends up as a soft custardy vanilla, not overly sweet, with a slight sexy herbal undertone.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Creamy vanilla and... root beer?

 

Dry: Very similar to the wet stage. I'm not sure how I'm still getting root beer, it's boggling my mind a bit.

 

I bought this mostly for layering purposes, so I'll have to do some mixing and see if the root beer scent still comes out!

Edited June 16, 2018 by donkehpoo

[Aveya]

I too must join the club of slight plastic, rootbeer, and commercial vanilla.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely vanilla. The rootbeer note threw me for a loop (takes a few minutes to come out but then I can't unsmell it lol). It reminds me of this Vanilla and Brown Sugar perfume I had as a kid, from I think Bath and Body works. It was literally the first perfume I had that i liked and wore the crap out of it when I was like, 13.

 

So, to me, this is a juvenile, entry-level scent. I think my history has given it bias it doesn't deserve. But I was really hoping for something much ... more extravagant and elegant and extreme for some reason.