Searching for the Perfect Vanilla?

[tativa]

I'd like some more black vanilla... its so nummy in banshee beat. But I have such scent ADD I don't think I should buy half a bazillion bottles of it.

The only other lab scent I see off hand with black vanilla is the anti------ mechanism. Which I traded off ages ago because it smelled like wooden floor on me. Teak doesn't seem to play nice with me ><

But with the new medication my skin no longer turns everything into vanilla... and being so used to that I'm going thro vanilla cravings all the time!

[obsidienne]

Does anyone have recommendations for those scents with a "hidden" vanilla note -- like Black Opal, for example -- where vanilla isn't listed as a scent, but you definitely know there's a jolt of vanilla in there (or at least your nose thinks there's some vanilla -- I'm looking at you, The Girl! )

[Gold Dust Kitten]

Banshee Beat is my perfect vanilla. I need to get 2 more bottles at least.

[violetblue]

Do any of you get/amp cigar smoke from vanilla scents? I swear, no matter what brand I try, vanilla heavy blends keep going cigar smoke on me. I am so frustrated, esp. with the same thing happening with Detestable Putrescence, The Girl, Liz, and Black Lace, recently and I know there are more. It happened also with another etailer's vanilla blend as well...

[Vega]

Firmly in the Vanilla Fangirl Bandwagon too. I've found that vanilla-dominant blends come in two categories, creamy and sugary.

 

Creamy:

Snake Oil, The Antikythera Mechanism, Lyonesse, Haloes, Love's Philosophy, Liz, Under the Harvest Moon.

 

Sugary:

Antique Lace, Tombstone, Black Opal.

 

 

Thankfully there are more creamy-vanillas, because I love all the above -- just the right amount of warmth, sweetness and smooth creaminess, without becoming excessively sweet or food-like. The sugary-vanillas seem to have a kick of sugar-sweetness on top of the vanilla, which can get a bit excessive, eg. Tombstone is perfect, but Antique Lace was simply too sugary for me.

 

I wonder if anyone has observed this? Maybe the sugar-vanillas are a subset of the creamy ones, or a version thereof.

 

 

Most unfortunately, Mouse's Long and Sad Tale was mostly sweetpea with a hint of amber and no vanilla, Regan was unpleasant stephanotis with the faintest touch of vanilla, and Pink Snowballs was overwhelmed by mint, my nemesis note.

[The Amber Dawn]

I know I love Vanilla, I've always loved Vanilla, but I am having such a hard time finding the perfect one!

 

So far I've tried Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, White Rabbit, Gluttony, Dorian, Bow & Crown of Conquest, Wezwanie/Hold, Haloes, Lyonesse, Hollywood Babylon, Defututa, Her Voice, The Antikythera Mechanism, Inez, The Illustrated Woman, Thirteen (13): November 2009, Black Heart, Unveiled, Ü, Narkissos, Clockwork Couture: Female, Gypsy, Rosy Maple, Tombeur, Calaveras, Candy Corn Coated Candy Apple, Dragon's Milk, Velvet, Mata Hari, Blood Kiss, Peitho, Euphrosyne, Tamora, Le Serpent Qui Danse, and Snake Oil.

 

I've got Black Lace and Terpsichore but haven't tried them yet, and Sachs and Eat Me are in the mail.

 

The ones that were close (but not THE ONE) so far were Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, White Rabbit, Dorian, Lyonesse, Tombeur, Calaveras, and Dragon's Milk.

 

Is my chemistry just not playing nice? Am I doomed to be perfect-Vanilla-scent-less?

[Lorelai1945]

I know I love Vanilla, I've always loved Vanilla, but I am having such a hard time finding the perfect one!

 

So far I've tried Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, White Rabbit, Gluttony, Dorian, Bow & Crown of Conquest, Wezwanie/Hold, Haloes, Lyonesse, Hollywood Babylon, Defututa, Her Voice, The Antikythera Mechanism, Inez, The Illustrated Woman, Thirteen (13): November 2009, Black Heart, Unveiled, Ü, Narkissos, Clockwork Couture: Female, Gypsy, Rosy Maple, Tombeur, Calaveras, Candy Corn Coated Candy Apple, Dragon's Milk, Velvet, Mata Hari, Blood Kiss, Peitho, Euphrosyne, Tamora, Le Serpent Qui Danse, and Snake Oil.

 

I've got Black Lace and Terpsichore but haven't tried them yet, and Sachs and Eat Me are in the mail.

 

The ones that were close (but not THE ONE) so far were Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, White Rabbit, Dorian, Lyonesse, Tombeur, Calaveras, and Dragon's Milk.

 

Is my chemistry just not playing nice? Am I doomed to be perfect-Vanilla-scent-less?

 

I feel the same way sometimes. I have tried pretty much all of those you have listed plus some (notable absences from your list are Antique Lace, MB: Underpants, Love's Philosophy, Joyful Moon, Morocco (not super vanilla-like but has that feeling), Tombstone, Hellhound on my Trail, and Cake Smash- I know most of these are super hard to find, but you may want to try), and I still feel like I'm looking for that vanilla holy grail. Love's Philosophy is probably the most VANILLA scent of them all that I've come across. I have found some vanillas that I really, really like, but none enough to end my searching. Some scents that other people get vanilla from- Liz, Boo, O, Detestable Putrescence, Black Opal, Lyonesse, Sachs, Gypsy, Banshee Beat, Pink Snowballs, Antikythera...okay a LOT of scents that other people find a lot of vanilla in just don't work with my skin chemistry. My skin sucks in sweetness and creaminess and amps pretty much everything else..so a scent has to scream vanilla for me to smell it on my skin. I would say not to give up and to keep trying- I felt like it took me awhile to find the scents that are really "me" and that I want to wear regularly.

 

My vanilla favorites are Love's Philosophy, Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, Dorian, Snake Oil, Joyful Moon, Cake Smash, Hellhound on my Trail, CC:Female, Morocco, Antique Lace, and Under the Harvest Moon (which doesn't read vanilla on my skin at all but is beautiful nonetheless).

 

I recently was super disappointed with The First of the Three Spirits- it lists "voluminous vanilla" as a component, but on my wacky skin there was none to be found.

 

I personally find three types of vanillas (at least)- the "creamy" Snake Oil/Tombstone/Hellhound/CC: Female/Love's Philosophy kind, the "sugary" Antique Lace/Dorian kind, and the more "watery/aquatic" type like Sachs/Lyonesse/Pink Snowballs.

[jizatt]

[quote name='VioletFemme' timestamp='1291349741'

I feel the same way sometimes. I have tried pretty much all of those you have listed plus some (notable absences from your list are Antique Lace, MB: Underpants, Love's Philosophy, Joyful Moon, Morocco (not super vanilla-like but has that feeling), Tombstone, Hellhound on my Trail, and Cake Smash- I know most of these are super hard to find, but you may want to try), and I still feel like I'm looking for that vanilla holy grail. Love's Philosophy is probably the most VANILLA scent of them all that I've come across. I have found some vanillas that I really, really like, but none enough to end my searching. Some scents that other people get vanilla from- Liz, Boo, O, Detestable Putrescence, Black Opal, Lyonesse, Sachs, Gypsy, Banshee Beat, Pink Snowballs, Antikythera...okay a LOT of scents that other people find a lot of vanilla in just don't work with my skin chemistry. My skin sucks in sweetness and creaminess and amps pretty much everything else..so a scent has to scream vanilla for me to smell it on my skin. I would say not to give up and to keep trying- I felt like it took me awhile to find the scents that are really "me" and that I want to wear regularly.

 

My vanilla favorites are Love's Philosophy, Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, Dorian, Snake Oil, Joyful Moon, Cake Smash, Hellhound on my Trail, CC:Female, Morocco, Antique Lace, and Under the Harvest Moon (which doesn't read vanilla on my skin at all but is beautiful nonetheless).

 

I recently was super disappointed with The First of the Three Spirits- it lists "voluminous vanilla" as a component, but on my wacky skin there was none to be found.

 

I personally find three types of vanillas (at least)- the "creamy" Snake Oil/Tombstone/Hellhound/CC: Female/Love's Philosophy kind, the "sugary" Antique Lace/Dorian kind, and the more "watery/aquatic" type like Sachs/Lyonesse/Pink Snowballs.

 

what.an.awesome.breakdown.

 

/bow /bow

 

eta:

and to make my post a bit more USEFUL, I would like to suggest O if you like amber as well. I get a sexy lustful vanilla there.

 

My best vanillas:

Black Opal/Mouse's Long and Sad Tale/Morocco/CC: Female/Love's Philosophy/Antique Lace/Dorian/Sachs/Lyonesse

Edited December 3, 2010 by CaudaPavonis

[mimers99]

I know I love Vanilla, I've always loved Vanilla, but I am having such a hard time finding the perfect one!

 

So far I've tried Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, White Rabbit, Gluttony, Dorian, Bow & Crown of Conquest, Wezwanie/Hold, Haloes, Lyonesse, Hollywood Babylon, Defututa, Her Voice, The Antikythera Mechanism, Inez, The Illustrated Woman, Thirteen (13): November 2009, Black Heart, Unveiled, Ü, Narkissos, Clockwork Couture: Female, Gypsy, Rosy Maple, Tombeur, Calaveras, Candy Corn Coated Candy Apple, Dragon's Milk, Velvet, Mata Hari, Blood Kiss, Peitho, Euphrosyne, Tamora, Le Serpent Qui Danse, and Snake Oil.

 

I've got Black Lace and Terpsichore but haven't tried them yet, and Sachs and Eat Me are in the mail.

 

The ones that were close (but not THE ONE) so far were Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, White Rabbit, Dorian, Lyonesse, Tombeur, Calaveras, and Dragon's Milk.

 

Is my chemistry just not playing nice? Am I doomed to be perfect-Vanilla-scent-less?

 

I would also second VioletFemme's suggestion of Banshee Beat, which I find the strongest and most rich of the vanillas, on my skin. For me, a lot of times the vanilla doesn't get a solo until much later, after the other scents have burned away (e.g. Black Lace smells tobacco-y/boozy with a bit of vanilla at the beginning but at the end of the day or sometimes the next day, there's this amazing vanilla scent that lingers).

 

Also, if you're hunting down rares, XCDL13 is very vanilla to me as well

[The Amber Dawn]

My vanilla favorites are Love's Philosophy, Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, Dorian, Snake Oil, Joyful Moon, Cake Smash, Hellhound on my Trail, CC:Female, Morocco, Antique Lace, and Under the Harvest Moon (which doesn't read vanilla on my skin at all but is beautiful nonetheless).

 

I recently was super disappointed with The First of the Three Spirits- it lists "voluminous vanilla" as a component, but on my wacky skin there was none to be found.

 

I personally find three types of vanillas (at least)- the "creamy" Snake Oil/Tombstone/Hellhound/CC: Female/Love's Philosophy kind, the "sugary" Antique Lace/Dorian kind, and the more "watery/aquatic" type like Sachs/Lyonesse/Pink Snowballs.

 

Yeah alot of the one's you listed that I haven't tried yet are on my eventual wishlist.

Though of course they are rarer ones. I also really want to try The First of the Three Spirits, even though all the reviews say there is little actual vanilla that comes through.

 

But I definitely do love alot of the foodie-sweet scents like Cake Smash, Boo, that may or may not have vanilla, but are close.

 

 

I would also second VioletFemme's suggestion of Banshee Beat, which I find the strongest and most rich of the vanillas, on my skin. For me, a lot of times the vanilla doesn't get a solo until much later, after the other scents have burned away (e.g. Black Lace smells tobacco-y/boozy with a bit of vanilla at the beginning but at the end of the day or sometimes the next day, there's this amazing vanilla scent that lingers).

 

Also, if you're hunting down rares, XCDL13 is very vanilla to me as well

 

I am interested in Banshee Beat, but the patchouli worries me... I don't know if it works on me.

[mimers99]

*snip*

I would also second VioletFemme's suggestion of Banshee Beat, which I find the strongest and most rich of the vanillas, on my skin. For me, a lot of times the vanilla doesn't get a solo until much later, after the other scents have burned away (e.g. Black Lace smells tobacco-y/boozy with a bit of vanilla at the beginning but at the end of the day or sometimes the next day, there's this amazing vanilla scent that lingers).

 

Also, if you're hunting down rares, XCDL13 is very vanilla to me as well

 

I am interested in Banshee Beat, but the patchouli worries me... I don't know if it works on me.

 

I actually HATED patchouli until I tried Banshee Beat It taught me that I should try everything because you never know!

[The Amber Dawn]

I actually HATED patchouli until I tried Banshee Beat It taught me that I should try everything because you never know!

 

Oooh that's good to know! Now to get a hold of some. (That and all the other ridiculously impossible to get ahold of vanillas.)

 

I've been pretty good about trying everything that comes my way at least once. Some of them are so disastrous, but some really do surprise me.

[ltrittipoe]

Boo is the most vanilla of the vanillas on my skin. I use it a lot to layer when something needs a little more vanilla. I get more vanilla-y sweetness from Boo 2009 than 2010, but I don't know if that is due to aging or formulation.

 

Banshee Beat is gorgeous. I love the combination, and I was also wary of patchouli until Banshee Beat. (There were bad scent memories there.... )

 

Tombstone is a sasparilla-y vanilla on me, like a root beer float. With leather.

 

TKO has wonderful vanilla in it. If you like lavender as well, it's wonderful.

 

Midway smells like cream soda on me, I get a lot of vanilla from that.

[Lorelai1945]

Boo is the most vanilla of the vanillas on my skin. I use it a lot to layer when something needs a little more vanilla. I get more vanilla-y sweetness from Boo 2009 than 2010, but I don't know if that is due to aging or formulation.

 

Banshee Beat is gorgeous. I love the combination, and I was also wary of patchouli until Banshee Beat. (There were bad scent memories there.... )

 

Tombstone is a sasparilla-y vanilla on me, like a root beer float. With leather.

 

TKO has wonderful vanilla in it. If you like lavender as well, it's wonderful.

 

Midway smells like cream soda on me, I get a lot of vanilla from that.

 

I wish I had your skin chemistry! Boo dries to burnt buttered popcorn cloth on my skin, Banshee Beat was so patchouli that I didn't even get vanilla from it, and Midway was again too buttery. I do like Tombstone and TKO, though. I struggle with the "buttery" vanillas and foody scents because that's all I end up smelling, and I don't like it.

[Jupita]

I'm very curious about vanilla blends...

I've never been a big fan of vanilla, but lately, I find myself being seduced by it, more and more... then again, I don't think it's the sugary vanilla that would be my cup of tea, more the creamy/buttery vanilla...

I don't know what to order exactly, among the GC blends, to try it out... So far, I've only ordered Tombstone, because I know I like cedar, and I hope it will save the blend for me, even if I'm not really pleased by the vanilla...

any recomendations as to what gc blends have a nice creamy vanilla to try?

[starpixi81]

Black Opal has become my perfect vanilla. It reminds me a lot of Antique Lace and it is GC.

[Vega]

any recomendations as to what gc blends have a nice creamy vanilla to try?

I second Black Opal. Also The Antikythera Mechanism and Lyonesse, maybe Dorian. And Snake Oil, if you haven't already!

Liz is also a gorgeous smoky vanilla, but unimpable.

[Ryokumuji]

Black Opal is a wonderful vanilla and I usually am not crazy about vanilla scents!

[ModderRhu]

love's philosophy is the creamiest ever, but good luck finding it

 

snake oil (with at least a few months' worth of aging), dorian, white rose (from the BPTP's unity set), detestable putrescence, and black opal all smell like a "creamy" vanilla to me.

 

maybe morocco too? but it's creamy vanilla + soft florals.

 

boo doesn't have vanilla in it, but it has that creamy type of feel.

 

we really need more GC creamy things...

[Lorelai1945]

we really need more GC creamy things...

 

Yes!! to this!!

 

White rose, huh? I will have to check that one out...

[ivyandpeony]

These are all my takes, so of course chemistry comes into play.

 

The creamiest vanilla to me - pushing a little into the buttery territory, but not so much that I can't wear it - is Detestable Putrescence. Other creamy vanillas: Love's Philosophy, MB Underpants, Waltz of the Snowflakes, MB Bigger Critters, Humbug. Castitas bath oil from the Trading Post is also a super-creamy vanilla that layers wonderfully with vanilla BPAL blends of all types.

 

"Hidden" vanillas, where it isn't listed as a note, but the scent has a vanilla-y quality on me: The Girl, Under The Harvest Moon, Morocco, Antique Lace, Velvet Bandito.

 

Sugary vanillas: Dragon's Milk, Le Serpent Qui Danse (which I would only recommend to floral lovers!), Tamora, Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, O, Regan, Pickled Imp

 

Dry vanillas, which may skew to aquatic, mineral-y or crystalline for me: White Rabbit, Black Opal, Lyonesse, Zephyr, Dolce Stil Nuovo, Kubla Khan, Torture Queen, Ashlultum, Mr. Ibis

[tailoredshirt]

I am looking for scents with a drier vanilla note that isn't too sweet. I recently swapped for a vanilla CT with a dry cedar note, and it is wonderful. I would love to find more scents with that dry vanilla. The closest I can think of is maybe Crowley, which has "vanilla husks," or maybe The Bow and Crown of Conquest, which is paired with drier notes. Neither of those are as dry as my vanilla CT, but probably the closest I can come up with. I basically just want a vanilla that isn't too sweet, gourmand, or creamy.

 

Other vanilla scents that I have tried (including some that I love): Lyonesse, Snake Oil, CC: Female, Banshee Beat, Madame Moriarty, Snake Charmer Resurrected, The Soldier, The First of the Three Spirits, The Pickled Imp, Golden Priapus, The Antikythera Mechanism, Dorian, The Illustrated Woman, Tombstone, Love's Philosophy, Gypsy, Sachs, Inez, Wulric, TKO, Lilith Victoria...there are a million others that I am probably forgetting.

 

Scents I want to try next: Zephyr, Black Opal.

 

I have a partial bottle of U (the Mutter Museum scent) on its way to me, and the description makes it sound like it could be dry, so I'm hoping it will work.

Edited December 14, 2010 by tailoredshirt

[dronzeka]

These different categories of vanilla are really interesting to me, mostly because a few of the scents other people bring up as VANILLA on them give me no vanilla at all... For instance, I got no vanilla from Tombstone at all, although it's probably because I dislike cedar (so of course amp it). And Lyonesse was pure acquatic lily on me, no vanilla. I don't even get much vanilla at all from Snake Oil - mostly the red musk and spices. Morocco is vanilla-ish on me, but mostly warm spices (I don't even get any floral from it). Love's Philosophy went to plastic on me, Boo was all burnt sugar, and Under the Harvest Moon is gorgeous, but doesn't read vanilla to me at all.

 

It's just funny how different noses and chemistries are!

 

I do agree that Antique Lace and Black Opal have a similar kind of vanilla feel to them. I got that vanilla very strongly from Morocco when it was brand-new-fresh, but not so much now.

[birthdaycake]

These different categories of vanilla are really interesting to me, mostly because a few of the scents other people bring up as VANILLA on them give me no vanilla at all... For instance, I got no vanilla from Tombstone at all, although it's probably because I dislike cedar (so of course amp it). And Lyonesse was pure acquatic lily on me, no vanilla. I don't even get much vanilla at all from Snake Oil - mostly the red musk and spices. Morocco is vanilla-ish on me, but mostly warm spices (I don't even get any floral from it). Love's Philosophy went to plastic on me, Boo was all burnt sugar, and Under the Harvest Moon is gorgeous, but doesn't read vanilla to me at all.

 

It's just funny how different noses and chemistries are!

 

I do agree that Antique Lace and Black Opal have a similar kind of vanilla feel to them. I got that vanilla very strongly from Morocco when it was brand-new-fresh, but not so much now.

 

Hey I think I've just found myself a scent buddy in you. Everything you've said has hit the hammer on the head re: my own experiences with those oils- vanilla is probably my favourite ever note but I can never seem to identify it in the 'popular vanilla' scents. I should probably have given Tombstone a miss altogether as I dislike cedar/sassafras in any combination but it was still an absolute joke on me- I smelt of ganj. Lyonesse, whilst I love it, is very aquatic and almost cologney to my nose. I mostly get incense/spice from Snake Oil and Boo reads as treacle to me. It's not too dissimilar to Detestable Putrescence, which is undeniably vanilla but also of the very foody/extract oil kind (which I'm not a huge fan of). I thought Dorian smelt like a bar of lemon soap, and whilst I like Morocco I hardly get any vanilla from it either once its aged.

 

I do, however, advocate Antique Lace and must concur with those who recommend it as a scent, vanilla or otherwise! I also seem to recall enjoying my imp of Black Opal and noting a similarity. I've plundered reviews for both and it seems that quite a few people have drawn a parallel between the two which is encouraging given AL's discontinuation. Ho hum. I see something on the horizon and it looks vaguely like a 5ml bottle order.

[jizatt]

I just have to add Celeste and Kitty here for outstanding vanillas. Celeste has to dry down a bit to let the saffron subside (though I happen to love it), and becomes the vanilla cotton candy style. Kitty is a lovelovelovely french vanilla paired with fresh strawberry