DogiCoco
2
Not my favorite in this genre
I really enjoy woodsy vanillas and have tried many of the fragrances that are regarded as similar to this around the web. Some of them are true loves. Unfortunately, Vanilla Woods isn't.
In principle, it's a warm vanilla with a dry, papery texture, a creamy gourmand aspect from the caramel and amber, an undertone of soft woods and a juicy cooked pear note to round things off. Rose is extremely subtle here.
The scent reminds me the most of Al-Rehab Golden Sand, which is a low budget masterpiece that was sadly discontinued in spray form. There are also similarities Swiss Arabian Casablanca (the fruitiness and caramel) and Cologne of the Missions (the texture).
But there is one thing I really dislike: For the first hours, this has a weirdly scratchy undertone. At its worst moments, it reminds me of damp, musty cardboard, at its best moments it just feels spiky and a little green. It seems to change depending on the day, sometimes it's better, sometimes worse, but it's never something I want in a vanilla fragrance. After about 2 hours it's gone, and the rest of the drydown is really nice, but why wait when there are so many similar fragrances on the market that don't have this problem?
I rate this as 5.5, so, because it changes from a dislike to a strong like and 5.5 is in the middle, but there is no phase of the perfume when I think "this is just OK". It's either good or really bad, depending on how long it's on my skin.