If I imagine something angelic, the purity, naivety and tenderness of a newborn comes to mind. “Baby Scent”, which is similar to the smell of dolls, smells of pure, good, baby skin, clean and talcum powder! Well, surely many of you have your eyes closed right now and are wandering in your memory in that dusty cloud that enveloped you as children? It’s a baby’s perfume, and it’s angelic. At the first test run, I had put this perfume aside, thinking that the presence of the almond aroma could create problems for me like its predecessor
Hypnotic Vanilla, which I purchased and returned. Too much resemblance to
Hypnotic Poison Eau de Toilette, which I struggle with. When I got home, the scent took on those fresh, dry, slightly powdery, nutty undertones, which I assume are due to the rice notes. From research, I found that rice is almost odourless, except for the aromatic Basmati and Thai Jasmine varieties. Don’t think that the latter smells like jasmine since its name is due to its pure white colour. Therefore, I assume that perfume oil from one of those varieties has been added to the Angelic Vanilla fragrance, which makes it wearable and different from Hypnotic Vanilla/Poison for me. Sometimes it’s fresh, it's boozy, it’s bitter, and it’s powdery, although it never becomes cloying. I bet this perfume is polarizing.
About Angelic Vanilla. At first, a gust of wind hits my face, quite alcoholic, tasting like soft rubber, talc and sake. I close my eyes, inhale and my mind flies to mini baby toys, soft animal bath companions, which delicately smell of talcum powder. It is a sensation that arouses powerful emotions, memories of childhood, of puppies, of newborns. You must like this aroma to fully appreciate the Angelic Vanilla scent, as it will be the common thread of the entire trip. The alcoholic accord of sake, or Chinese rice liquor, vanishes after a few moments, giving way to a delicate almond blossom mixed with a creamy bergamot zest. Delicate like rice powder and butter, without too much nuttiness or spiciness. The Almond tree is now in full bloom in Southern Italy. At least those that are found in sheltered places are, and it is a pleasure for the eyes and the senses. Their scent is subtle and sweet, similar to cherry blossoms.
Soon, Angelic Vanilla enters the heart phase and a hint of a rose emerges from a dark, tart background. However, it is not a dominant or pronounced rose, like the one we can find in the Chapter No.8 Rose collection. Instead, the rose is somewhat dimmed by the coalition of dusty rice and resinous myrrh. I like this myrrh, it’s not sugary and opulent as often happens in fragrances that use it. For example, I can’t stand the rich and sticky puffs of
Mirra, it makes me feel nauseous. That starchy, angelic aura I go through could be the fruit of the rice starch, which I don’t think I have yet encountered in other fragrances I own or have tested. I’ve read that some people find it too strong and annoying, while I perceive it as pleasant on the nose, to my liking, intriguing and not at all disturbing. After an hour, the unsweetened myrrh pleasantly takes control.
In the end, coumarins come into play, maintaining a semi-sweet trail without invading the gourmand territory of cakes, puddings and biscuits. Likewise, the rice doesn’t smell like rice pudding. There is soft, warm wood, probably sandalwood or cedar. However, blond woods without smoky or leathery tones are soft and gentle. The dusty note of rice starch remains in the background, which is the signature of this perfume, along with nonsweet and musky tonka and vanilla.
Overall Angelic Vanilla is an intimate perfume, not at all brash or aggressive. Given the notes present, it should perform better, but both projection and longevity are below average on my skin. Let’s say it performs well for half a day, then it fades. It is healthy, and absolutely genderless, for all lovers of vanilla perfumes, and for those like me who don’t prefer gourmand vanillas. Furthermore, the powdery aspect I’ve highlighted several times is not what we get from the orris, for example, but something more sophisticated, dry, velvety, and starchy. Its freshness makes it ideal for the middle seasons, certainly autumn and spring, on winter days, but also on the cooler summer evenings.
Layering Tip: If you have
Mystic Rose I suggest you try layering them. You will get a perfume poised between hell and heaven, the devil caressing holy water. A chiaroscuro rose, the result of the fusion of the two roses present in the original perfumes, with dirty, musky, bitter and powdery facets. I’ll call it Angelic Rose!
I’m expressing my opinion based on a bottle I’ve owned since February 2024 (BC 40162).
-Elysium
Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
Elysium
