Vanille Absolument

Havana Vanille

L'Artisan Parfumeur 2009

Simple vanilla perfumes generally strike me as boring and banal, probably because they smell so much like the big bottle of Mexican vanilla bean extract in my kitchen. Yes, it smells good, but I cannot really muster up much enthusiasm for the idea of showering my body with it. L'Artisan Parfumeur VANILLE ABSOLUMENT, however, that's a very different story.

This is probably the most complex vanilla perfume I've ever encountered, so the first wonderful aspect is that it really seems like a perfume rather than just a mono-note vanilla fragrance. There are so many beautiful and engaging facets to this creation that it is hard to say which I find most appealing. The tolu balsam and benzoin add a creamy lusciousness. The tobacco leaf has a fresh greenness, but also the scent of processed tobacco before burning. The rum is evident in the opening, but it smells more like cognac to me, thankfully, since I dislike rum. There is an initial booziness, but it is brown (not dark rum!) without having any sort of molasses quality to it. At times the composition seems woody to me, perhaps it's the vetiver. The florals are blended in with everything else to embellish the creamy vanilla and tobacco facets. It may sound like a mess, but the blend works beautifully for me.

I always eschewed vanilla perfumes before, but this complex and gorgeous creation has proven at last that a great vanilla perfume is possible. Thank you Bertrand Duchaufour!