Vanillestern

Summer evenings by the sea in a small Italian town.
Exhausted, happy, and refreshed from a day at the beach, I take a shower, apply lotion, and head out for dinner with friends and family. My skin has already absorbed the summer, and the scent envelops me in a beautiful aura. Delicate, creamy, and feminine, well-groomed and cheerful. Mature, soft, and carefree. Also sensual and vibrant.


A truly beautiful fragrance for feeling good! I dream of the day by the sea in Italy and the promising evening among narrow, picturesque alleys.

The beginning is indeed difficult, somewhat synthetic. A bit fermented and hard to define.
However, after a very short time, the "cocooning" begins and something beautiful emerges. Yes, Angel resonates. The transformation continues and becomes more beautiful on my skin. The longer I wear Queen of silk, the more full-bodied and deeper it becomes. Vanilla, vibrating in harmony with saffron. I enjoy scents that change and do not reveal their character right away. After 7 hours, I want to nibble on myself, it smells so delicious.
Absolute favorite, although the start is a bit unusual.

I think Queen of silk reacts differently on every skin. It touched me deeply and I neither suspected nor expected that.

Today is really not my day!
Somehow, things are just off. I actually wanted to take advantage of it before my training starts on Monday. Since March, I’ve had a D...s voucher from my colleagues lying around, and I thought today I could finally redeem it.
It should be something that reflects my time at work. Bitter-sweet, warm, professional, fitting. Not so easy. My thought was to find an all-rounder that highlights my character. Help, even more difficult. On days like this, I don’t even know who I really am...
So at ten in the morning, I headed straight to the store to avoid potential crowds (Black Friday). Still, there was quite a bit going on. Everything felt somewhat uncomfortable. A scent sprayed on the right, another on the left, and then back out to see how they develop. Running some other errands.
Unfortunately, both scents develop unfavorably, which is a shame. Who doesn’t know that feeling!
One disappears after two hours, the other leaves a hint of old sweat on my arm. Ugh. But onward we go.
A quick stop at Kaufhof, and as I’m leaving, I remember that I absolutely wanted to test the new Si intense and Fiori. They find a spot on my arm and get to come home with me. First impression is great. Both have their charm. Zesty, lively, cheerful at the start. I think it’s that blackcurrant.
Still, my mood is somehow down, and I hardly pay attention to the scent development. I only subconsciously notice the notes and sillage, which are pleasant.
At home, I have a somewhat silly phone call with my oldest son (21) over video. Because today I particularly miss him, and that lingering bittersweet pain from his moving out a year ago sits in my throat. He just doesn’t feel like communicating, and I end the conversation quite commendably. But inside, the tears rise. Ugh, not again!

And then suddenly, there it is. The Fiori! I’ll call him "the Beautiful." A delicate handkerchief in rose for my nose. Soft, floral, and fine. Is there a little rose hidden in the background? But the best part is: it becomes cookie-like. Wonderful comforting winter cookies. A bit dry, a bit sweet. Perfect for dipping in cocoa or coffee. A cozy scent sits at home on my arm and holds my hand. It says gently and quietly: it’s okay.
And then the tears can flow. What needs to come out, must come out.
He is a little star in gray Berlin. A smiler because everything is allowed. I can be imperfect and emotional.
The musk is soft and gentle. It cuddles up like my cats, and the sweetness reminds me of the cookie-like scent of my three children when they were small and rosy.

So in the end, I found more today than I thought, and I’m already looking forward to redeeming the voucher.

This scent is perfection for me. However, it is a different kind of perfection: the imperfect variant. There is a perfection that almost physically hurts me, as a strong uniformity, the gliding of thoughts and eyes, in this case the nose, does not set a counterpoint.
Here, on the other hand, there are stones in the way, edges and corners touch me, a story is being told, my mental cinema starts. Wonderful! This is how perfume should be for me. Stimulating, inventive, indulgent.

And that's exactly how I felt about John Malkovich in "Dangerous Liaisons, 1988". I was fifteen and completely drawn into this drama (actually an epistolary novel) by Pierre-Ambroise-François Choderlos de Laclos. It roughly revolves around intrigues, affairs, love, and death.
The Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont (J. Malkovich) portrays a lustful womanizer who wants to conquer love through playful intrigues. However, he ultimately fails, as none of the protagonists (Glenn Close, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman) find happiness or redemption - only misfortune and death.
He embodies the Vicomte so incredibly well that you believe every movement he makes. He is not a handsome man. Large, protruding ears, slightly crooked legs. But his smile, his movements are highly erotic, irresistibly real, pleasurable, and sensitive. He presents in this role everything forbidden that attracts a young girl. His arrogance is shockingly sexy and has led me to watch the film very often and to revere it to this day.
He plays in the mid-18th century and the film is full of wonderful costumes, outstanding actresses, and a dense, thrilling atmosphere.

This erotic yet melancholic aura represents Dior Homme Intense for me.
It feels a bit out of time. The powdery sweetness from the ambrette seeds and iris reflects for me the powdered wigs, the makeup, and the hint of a slightly open mouth. It is grand and captivating like the Vicomte and deep like love in all its beautiful and dramatic facets. It has something languid for me, which becomes sweeter over time: soft, abandoned gloves of a lady that exude the sweet physicality of pleasure after an affair. Dior Homme is full of edges that make it so exciting. A complex, profound scent full of poetry. Lustful, warm, and yet arrogant. A beautiful face with quirks and a very erotic aura. A glimpse into the soul of the perfumer (François Demachy).
My John Malkovich of the 80s. Timeless and influential. I think it fits best in autumn, as it tells the end of a story. A melancholy resonates with it and points to mortality and transience.

I enjoy wearing the scent very much and believe both genders can and should enjoy it. On me, it develops vanilla-powdery, sweet. It lasts long (8-10 hours) and is well perceptible.
It is one of my absolute favorites and my John Malkovich among fragrances.

For my last birthday, my father chose this fragrance for me. I wasn't there, as we live in different cities, it was a surprise. I always find it interesting and exciting what other people choose for you, what they associate with you. In any case, I probably wouldn't have bought this fragrance for myself. My preferences tend to lean more towards the warm, woody, sweet side.
I still enjoy this gift every day, as my father is seriously ill and we are grateful for every reunion (he probably had help with the purchase).

The fragrance starts very fresh-citrusy, but with a mild freshness. I think it’s the green mandarin that makes it start so deliciously. My mouth waters a bit... My first association is "freshly washed laundry that has dried in the garden." It has absorbed the sun and the scent of grass, clover, and little flowers. Its dryness is spicy and summery.
It is a green fragrance that fits very well in spring and summer. But I can also see it on a slowly cooling late summer day. Refreshing, clean, and very well-groomed, it clings to the first sweaters and cardigans that are dug out of the closet again. A peaceful walk, a moment of pause, and a visit to the café - everything is rounded off with it. In fact, I spontaneously reached for it when I had a job interview and felt well-scented. Over time, it becomes woodier and warmer. The musk always lingers... until the dry down after about 6-7 hours (on me).
It is labeled as a women's fragrance, which I do not agree with. I find it unisex and my son (in his early 20s) enjoys wearing it very much - I have already gifted him a decant.

This gift surprised me and brings me particular joy, as I would not have encountered this beautiful fragrance on my own.