Secrets d'Essences - Vanille Noire Yves Rocher 2010

I have to say, I just adore this. I am a huge vanilla lover so of course I was curious to try this. It's not your typical "ice cream" type vanilla. It's slightly sweet, but mostly dry and quite woody. I can smell the cedar trees blowing in the breeze in the background, while the dusty vanilla shines in the forefront. I do get mimosa, but that doesn't bother me (I'm not a huge fan of mimosa) and I think it helps round out the composition. I don't care what anyone says, this is a masterpiece, especially for the price, and in my book, Jacques Cavallier can do no wrong

I'm so pleased I have the opportunity to test this perfume, as I have been curious about it for some time. As I already have Voile d'Ambre,from this house, and enjoy it, I wondered just what sort of vanilla fragrance this would turn out to be. First of all, it doesn't strike me as a Noire type. It doesn't seem to be deep enough for that Noire word, which seems to be the Trend these days). We all know that Black is sexy, but so many Noire fragrances around! Anyway, back to subject! I got a slight whiff of the Mimosa on the opening..but it faded very quickly. I could detect the orange blossom, but it certainly is low key. Coming to the dry down, cedar is evident, but rather overwhelmed by the vanilla, which is perfectly understandable, as it is complete vanilla scent. The vanilla in this is similar to the vanilla in L.T. Piver..Heliotrope Blanc. A kind of vanilla essence vibe. But, the dry down is not over sweet at all. It hasn't got the zing that some of the other vanilla fragrances have, in this price range. It just seems to be a good, solid, everyday type of vanilla. So, if you are looking for a safe, not too complex vanilla perfume, this could be the simple solution.

The name seems well chosen for this fragrance.

The scent of the sample tissue resembled that of vanilla tobacco with the combination of heady smoke and the concentrated sweetness of vanillin essence.

The liquid fragrance developed a very distinct and persistent musty note, bordering on sweat on my skin. In fact, there is a similar perfume that also has this buttery, strangely 'dirty' and 'perfume-y' kind of vanilla, although I'll have to test Hypnotic Poison again to confirm the widespread comparison.

While I suspect that the cedar note adds a somewhat dry 'shrewdness', the rest of the sultriness and somewhat artificial florality must be attributed to the name-giving star of this perfume: Apparently, three different types of vanilla were used; quoting the brand - "Bourbon vanilla absolute with leathery accents, the delicate and floral absolute of Tahitian vanilla, and the Uganda vanilla with a woody and spicy character".

Apart from the surprising 'leathery' aspects of the Bourbon vanilla, the spiciness of the Ugandan variety was probably too unfamiliar for me to be comfortable with. I, for my part, prefer a simpler rendition of this note, such as in the body lotion of the same brand - cheerful, tasty and uncomplicated without any suggestiveness like Vanille 'Noir', a fitting name for its somewhat shady facet.

Judging by the overall favourable reviews wherever I look, I seem to belong to the minority that does not appreciate this perfume.
Nevertheless, it may not be to everyone's taste, and despite the great positive feedback, I strongly recommend a skin test before purchasing.

I received a free bottle of Vanille Noire from a friend who's family was doing some cleaning. I can't say if the fragrance has been well kept over the years, but I knew I had an old, vintage bottle in my hand. I was pretty curious to see how it'd go.

First thing: very powerful cedarwood that translates to a strong, woody pencil shaving beginning. Cedarwood is a strong note, so no wonder it rose before everything else as time went by. It's not my thing, but I was ready to let the fragrance follow its path to see if it would reveal the other notes underneath. Thankfully it does. I start getting some pretty solid dark vanilla as the cedarwood starts retreating. It's slightly powdery, a tad sweet, but also dry. It has this gentle, vintage feeling that makes it sophisticated. Not too heavy, it can be worn for many different occasions. I didn't get any fruitiness or floral notes but that may be because time has made them fade. It doesn't have a large scent bubble, but it has some nice longevity on my skin.

It's a lovely dark vanilla kind of fragrance. Not my thing since I'm not a fan of the powdery part and the overwhelming pencil shaving note at the beginning, but it's still a nice perfume! Will probably not be keeping the bottle in my collection since I have limited space, but I might have kept it if I had the space for it. Will be passing it on for sure :)

Once, I narrowly avoided running into a woman pushing a stroller while she was on her mobile phone, who abruptly stopped in the middle of walking. She then immediately apologized for the near-collision, as she suddenly remembered that she wanted to quickly go 'to Üffes' - and disappeared with her little daughter into the Yves Rocher shop. I wondered for a moment if this might have been an example of people intentionally mispronouncing words for fun, but since she had been so refreshingly rustic on the phone - I think not.

Vanilla is probably one of the most commonly used fragrance accords. Most of the popular gourmands today take advantage of its comforting aroma - an aroma that can be arranged in light or dark - and I usually find dark to be more pleasant and interesting. Light vanilla is a bit like a light blonde woman in a white dress - it can look great, but it requires a knack and attention to detail. Dark vanilla, on the other hand, is usually at least somewhat pleasing, and Yves Rocher's Vanille Noire relies entirely on the qualities of dark vanilla - sensuality and opulence - the name already reveals that.

Essentially, Vanille Noire is a sweet fragrance - but because it has a woody underpinning sweetness, it is not a gourmand. Like most vanilla scents, it is easy to understand and consume - peaceful and friendly, without being flat. The mimosa gives it a dry quality from the start, which takes away too much heaviness from its warmth, and accentuates the alcoholic note that vanilla scents often have. And yet, Vanille Noire remains accessible, not moody or challenging, but delivers the uncomplicated simplicity that vanilla is generally so loved for. Of what I know 'from Üffes' so far, probably the best.

Conclusion: later in the day, I wondered if that might have been the same woman in the car that stood in front of me at the parking garage exit barrier shortly after - with the sticker 'Beyoncé on board' on the back. And was that a little 'Bejonntse' in the stroller? One never knows...