Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
05/26/2023
Elysium
815 Reviews
Elysium
3
A Scentless Flower
Vanilla is a climbing orchid vine that produces a pod that looks like a string bean. The vanilla orchid flowers are white, tinged with a bit of green. They don't smell like vanilla. Strangely, the flower itself is scentless. They don't have any fragrance at all. The orchid blossom only lasts for a day. Vanilla is grown in several areas of the world. Each has a slightly different flavour. There is a Mexican Vanilla which is considered to be bold and dark. Indian Vanilla has a full, almost chocolaty flavour. Indonesian Vanilla is relatively mild. Tahitian Vanilla has a floral touch. Tonga Vanilla is earthy, with a bit of a fig or raisin taste. Lastly, Madagascar Vanilla is rich and creamy and especially coveted because it is considered by many to be the best vanilla in the world. Vanilla doesn't just smell sweet, enveloping, and deliciously comforting — it's like magic in terms of flavour and scent. It comes from the seeds of a dried pod of an orchid-like creeper; the best quality of vanilla comes from Île Bourbon, now known as Réunion. It gets its name from the Spanish word "vaina", meaning sheath or pod, and translates simply as "little pod".
I thought this was one of my least favourite Olfactory Lab snippets because of the vanilla I frequently associate with gourmand essences, cupcakes, ice-creams, latkes, and buttercream frosting, until I reached for it this chilly mid-May morning, a bit abnormal and still cold for nearing the end of spring. Instead, I found it very welcoming and warm. This vanilla scent is anything but ordinary. The initial aroma is a boozy bourbon vanilla akin to Don Papa rum from a fine strain of cane. Once distilled, it is aged in ex-bourbon American oak barrels, lending a larger-than-life vanilla aroma. If you have Caribbean Vanilla - Original Vanilla or Vanilla Eau de Toilette in mind, then forget it, ain't no things in common, not that sweet flora, that might be a pain for some people including myself. The vanillic nuance has a peppery slant, courtesy of pink peppercorns, and a tinge of balminess from the green cardamom pods with some smoky incense coming through. It opened in a surprising way that left me speechless.
At its heart, the booziness is almost gone, and Vanilla is now spicy, a waxy-vanilla nuance with a hint of paraffin joining the dominant vanilla. The vanilla aroma becomes more prominent as the scent develops, but this is not your typical vanilla; instead, a vanilla scent for adults, not for kids seeking to smell like a cupcake. Then the spices come on fast, with a lovely hint of cardamom, and shortly after that, there is a nice whiff of juniper and a whoosh of incense, everything but liturgical. The fragrance is intoxicating, smooth, intense, exotic, and resinous. Couple this with the balminess of juniper, and the scent will remind you of a dried vanilla bean pod lying in a bed of dried spices and incense. There is a touch of sweetness, but it doesn't make the wearer smell like a dessert.
The cold spices, which are at the heart of the spiciness of the perfume, also disappear quickly. The vanilla is the star here, and it starts off more spiced and woody before drying down to something more powdery and veil-like. While the vanilla seemed on the powdery side, it isn't as sweet or spiced lately, so I'd describe it as a softer, sheerer vanilla–almost like wearing cashmere. From this point, there were little shifts between notes; it remained a smooth, lightly musky-spiced vanilla that became more powdered and more vanillic through the dry down. The cypress is tamed, but the musk is detectable and shares the last episode with the vanilla. The composition is richly foiled in its creamy, opaque sweetness underpinned by a solid smokiness. The sweetness and smokiness are kept in a good balance, neither dominating the composition.
Overall, Vanilla is based on very unsweet vanilla, even very discreet. It is more like a soft, comfortable blanket yet sits next to the skin; fortunately, it lacks that creaminess and sweetness of classic vanilla but instead murmurs resins, waxes, and spices. This intricate vanilla is slightly familiar but different enough to make people wonder what you're wearing. Vanilla is warm and inviting, a little spicy, a little earthy, a little animal, and just enjoyable. The scent sits close to the body, so the projection is nearly moderate and appropriate for the office or a date night out. On clothes, it lasts forever, day after day. It really shines in the cold seasons, so I prefer it during winter, late fall, and early spring. Still, courtesy of the light, unsweetened vanilla, it might also fit well in the summer. It's a well-done fragrance with that unique incensed twist for those looking for a richer, spicier vanilla and something that doesn't get too sugary-sweet.
I'm basing my impressions on a bottle I've owned since May 2023.
-Elysium
I thought this was one of my least favourite Olfactory Lab snippets because of the vanilla I frequently associate with gourmand essences, cupcakes, ice-creams, latkes, and buttercream frosting, until I reached for it this chilly mid-May morning, a bit abnormal and still cold for nearing the end of spring. Instead, I found it very welcoming and warm. This vanilla scent is anything but ordinary. The initial aroma is a boozy bourbon vanilla akin to Don Papa rum from a fine strain of cane. Once distilled, it is aged in ex-bourbon American oak barrels, lending a larger-than-life vanilla aroma. If you have Caribbean Vanilla - Original Vanilla or Vanilla Eau de Toilette in mind, then forget it, ain't no things in common, not that sweet flora, that might be a pain for some people including myself. The vanillic nuance has a peppery slant, courtesy of pink peppercorns, and a tinge of balminess from the green cardamom pods with some smoky incense coming through. It opened in a surprising way that left me speechless.
At its heart, the booziness is almost gone, and Vanilla is now spicy, a waxy-vanilla nuance with a hint of paraffin joining the dominant vanilla. The vanilla aroma becomes more prominent as the scent develops, but this is not your typical vanilla; instead, a vanilla scent for adults, not for kids seeking to smell like a cupcake. Then the spices come on fast, with a lovely hint of cardamom, and shortly after that, there is a nice whiff of juniper and a whoosh of incense, everything but liturgical. The fragrance is intoxicating, smooth, intense, exotic, and resinous. Couple this with the balminess of juniper, and the scent will remind you of a dried vanilla bean pod lying in a bed of dried spices and incense. There is a touch of sweetness, but it doesn't make the wearer smell like a dessert.
The cold spices, which are at the heart of the spiciness of the perfume, also disappear quickly. The vanilla is the star here, and it starts off more spiced and woody before drying down to something more powdery and veil-like. While the vanilla seemed on the powdery side, it isn't as sweet or spiced lately, so I'd describe it as a softer, sheerer vanilla–almost like wearing cashmere. From this point, there were little shifts between notes; it remained a smooth, lightly musky-spiced vanilla that became more powdered and more vanillic through the dry down. The cypress is tamed, but the musk is detectable and shares the last episode with the vanilla. The composition is richly foiled in its creamy, opaque sweetness underpinned by a solid smokiness. The sweetness and smokiness are kept in a good balance, neither dominating the composition.
Overall, Vanilla is based on very unsweet vanilla, even very discreet. It is more like a soft, comfortable blanket yet sits next to the skin; fortunately, it lacks that creaminess and sweetness of classic vanilla but instead murmurs resins, waxes, and spices. This intricate vanilla is slightly familiar but different enough to make people wonder what you're wearing. Vanilla is warm and inviting, a little spicy, a little earthy, a little animal, and just enjoyable. The scent sits close to the body, so the projection is nearly moderate and appropriate for the office or a date night out. On clothes, it lasts forever, day after day. It really shines in the cold seasons, so I prefer it during winter, late fall, and early spring. Still, courtesy of the light, unsweetened vanilla, it might also fit well in the summer. It's a well-done fragrance with that unique incensed twist for those looking for a richer, spicier vanilla and something that doesn't get too sugary-sweet.
I'm basing my impressions on a bottle I've owned since May 2023.
-Elysium
Elysium
