Belgwen

In my search for an introductory patchouli fragrance, I've come across this beauty thanks to the great suggestions from the forums. At first application there's a lot of pink pepper, patchouli, and a little bit of red berries. In about 15 mins, comes the heart phase. Cedar lovers - Definitely go for this one! I smell a LOT of cedar and I mean a LOT of cedar! Whew! It's like the smell of a cedar closet. It's not bad but I think this is where a lot of people say they smell toothpaste or something medicinal. It can take that direction as well. So I can see what they're talking about. The dry down is my absolute favorite part... Sweet powdery patchouli with berries. YUMMY - but - I have to wait at least an hour to get there. I've tried this scent on a tester strip a while ago and remember not favoring it much. THIS is why I didn't. Because on a tester strip, I got stuck in the pepper, cedar, patchouli phase. Not bad but not my thing. It's not as feminine as I'd like my perfumes to be for at least half of its stay on my skin. Unfortunately, I cannot wait that long for an olfactory pleasure. It's a pass for me.

This is as beautiful as I remember it on a friend's skin (and if I may confess it's actually much better on me!) I get beautiful jasmine (non-indolic is the keyword here!), orange flower, and honey at first application. It stays the same though the heart phase but the dry down is to DIE for! I get sweet, sexy patchouli, honey, and jasmine. This is definitely a "golden" fragrance at this point even though the lead in the composition is a white flower. The indolic bitterness of jasmine is virtually nonexistent. All I get is the BEST note of fresh jasmine accentuated by that delicious honey. The patchouli here is so good that even I, a confirmed patchouli-phobic, LOVED it! It was a brilliant idea to use it as a base for the orangey jasmine. Or else it would have been a run-of-the-mill fruity floral instead of the glorious floriental that it truly is. Fragrantica didn't categorize it this way, but I do. This is in no way a straight floral. Too deep and complex for that - JUST how I like my perfumes to be! The drydown does remind me a little bit of Fan di Fendi EDP. Has a femme fatale quality about it.... Very come hither. I'm pretty sure it'll turn a man gaga in a second!

I’ve tried the EDT, EDP, and the Parfum versions of this fragrance and decided that the BEST version is invariably the Parfum version as far as longevity, projection, and overall quality. The EDT was too weak on my skin and had a urine-like, almost bug repellant note in it that I couldn’t get past. The EDP version was an improvement as that unpleasant note disappeared. But the Parfum version really nailed it. It is the least woody and fruity of the concentrations and yet it is also the richest of them all. The berries here aren’t juicy but rather have that “cooked” feeling as in a decadent fruity vanilla cream cake that just came out of the oven. The florals present themselves in a supporting role, ylang ylang being in the lead, and yet never tempering with the gourmand aroma of the fragrance. This makes it incredibly sensual, making this MUCH more than just a vanilla cake batter fragrance. There are no indolic notes, no bitterness, no sharp woods. Everything is divinely blended. I highly recommend everyone to try the Parfum version. There hasn’t been one guy that smelled this and didn’t want to smell it again by coming audaciously closer to me with a moan escaping their lips!! This is a rare vanillic gem. And I’d dare to call it a masterpiece!

Pure Vanilla’s name is quite misleading. I actually find it not quite descriptive of the complex oriental that this perfume really is. On my skin, top notes are a combination of patchouli and vanilla, in equal strength. In the heart phase the patchouli softens and blends with heliotrope. The fragrance turns more and more luscious with each passing hour, finally ending in a powdery vanillic cloud. It is not only gourmand but also very sensual due to the presence of the woods and hint of flowers. Masterfully blended and projects well. It lasted a good 6 hours on my skin. I also recommend the deodorant version of this perfume. It is totally natural and is incredibly effective. Probably the best deodorant I've ever used.

Of all the vanillas I’ve ever tried, Molinard’s version is possibly the truest vanilla out there. For those of you who are looking for vanilla fragrances that AREN’T sugary or cake-y, try this one! It smells exactly like the vanilla extract from a bottle. I didn’t find it to be boozy, dessert-like, or anything else. It is JUST VANILLA with good projection and lasting power. For this reason, it is also excellent to layer with any perfume you’d like to give some depth and/or gourmand edge to. It is guaranteed not to interfere with any of the notes except for adding straight up vanilla to it. The dry down gets a tad powdery but I love that.