Description
October 2009. L’Artisan Parfumeur, tireless adventurer, unrepentant traveler and intrepid explorer invites you to encounter the languorous beauty that is Havana Vanille.
From its vibrant Salsa rhythms, its famous cigars and Cuban rum, it is certain there is something magical about Havana. It is a place that contrasts all others.
This mysterious fragrance is reminiscent of travels around the world, the nostalgia of crossing the seven seas to discover far off treasures and the smell of a wooden boat mingling with the aroma of rum and spice. A sensually elegant fragrance, Havana Vanille expresses itself according to the occasion.
At the soul of this infusion is Mexican vanilla pod soaked in aged rum which contains a Top Note of clove and crystallized dried fruit. Its leathery characteristics are rounded off by a ball of vanilla and powder. The Heart Note, a subtle alliance of narcissus, everlasting flower and tonka bean is reminiscent of freshly picked tobacco leaves, both honey-sweet and narcotic. The Base Note blend of balms, smoked woods and musks around a vanilla absolute make the fragrance creamy, mellow and addictive.
A luminous and mysterious harmony, Havana Vanille is indeed the fragrance of a magical place.
It comes in 50ml (1.7oz) and 100ml (3.4oz) EDP. The nose behind this fragrance is Bertrand Duchaufour.
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Kylie_fromAD – :
Just received this gem. I love it, its not for the faint hearted, I could associate it with Arabie from Serge lutens,they are both in the same vibe although this is sweeter, more wearable and with prominent vanilla and rum notes.its definitelly not a girly gourmand vanilla so any Arabie or shalimar ode a la vanille lovers should appreciate it.
hockeist – :
Review for Vanille Absolutment
A gorgeous vanille, I’ve had 3 bottles over the years, All are Vanille Absolutment written on the bottle not Havana Vanille. All of which are rich, long lasting boozy, Awesome perfume for my olfactory sense.
To read the review saying its thin, weak, soda ect makes me wonder if we are even smelling the same perfume. I’m not sure but I love this warm, beautiful, tobacco infused boozy vanilla.
❤
valcido – :
I want to love this so badly and yet every time I wear it, I’m frustrated by it’s lack of depth. It’s a shallow, watery scent, like the sensation of drinking a diet soda VS the real thing. I feel like it has the potential to be truly amazing, like on the level of Shalimar or some other vanillic oriental, if it had just a little bit more of *something*…more musky or more spicy or even just more round in some way. It’s very linear, very boozy, smells like a beautiful cocktail….but not the real cocktail, like a hologram of the cocktail. The wateriness, the transparency of the vanilla is driving me nuts! I am going to hang on to this and use it as a layering scent.
Boozy vanilla, a bit of spice and that sexy play-doh note make it remind me of Full Regalia by Olivine Atilier (and that is one of my all-time favorites, maybe that’s why this perfume is frustrating to me)…for more bang for your buck, I recommend the Olivine Atilier, hands-down.
Tolik Mukovnikov – :
Imagine vanilla reimagined as a very dry champagne without its usual sweetness. Faint nuances of almond, rubber, and pencil shavings. Immortelle dominates. More masculine than feminine and remarkably starchy… you could probably wear this one to the office with nary an eye blink.
petr_ermolenko – :
I have just received this, vanilla absolument on my bottle, not a huge fan my chemistry brings out all the spices, upon 1st spray it’s terrible but mellows to full on spicy vanilla. I washed it off 2x and can still smell it on my wrist. So as far as I can tell huge powerhouse sillage.
Anyone interested in a trade?
zoovet – :
Cloves, a whole bunch of cloves. Bay leaf, distinctly, but unlisted. It’s like neighboring spices in the cupboard have seeped into the vanilla extract. It’s rummy, boozy, but also a bit stuffy, particularly in the opening, and I can see why that turns some people off. Dried fruit can also sometimes have that overripe facet which borders on nauseating, so the dislike bar is no surprise.
The tobacco note is spot on, very literal, freshly dried, sweet and vanillic. The wait for the spice rack to dissipate enough to allow it through takes about two hours on me. I find myself wishing it would happen faster, and for this reason it is merely a like.
dmitrijj-kra0 – :
Wow gorgeous gourmand. The resemblance to Frapin is huge! Gorgeous definitely worth buying this one. The Frapin doesn’t last amazingly on me. This is ok overall defo better value.
Antipus – :
I get the grassy smell and, now you mention it, the bodily secretions aroma. Disappointing because the notes and description sounded amazing 🙁 Scrubbing it off, yuk!
miskmece – :
I’m not sure if the bottle I bought had turned for the worst before it landed on my doorstep, but I get NONE of the notes described. It’s sharp, green grass. Nothing warm or remotely vanilla happening here. I’ve tried it so many times in the two years I’ve had it, refusing to believe that this could really be the gorgeous perfume everyone raves about! I have never been sadder about a perfume, however…I have a decant on the way so I can compare the two.
Настька – :
I just received my blind bought bottle of Vanille Absolument yesterday, and I was apprehensive because I’d read reviews comparing it to bodily fluids and secretions. I’m happy to report that there is nothing like that here. The initial blast does smell just like vanilla extract from the kitchen, as others have said.
I don’t really detect any booze, tobacco, or leather, but I do smell the powdery tonka. Luckily there’s enough else going on to mitigate it. I smell an unlisted bay leaf or other green herbal note, too.
It is a sweet, dry vanilla, but with a syrupy nuance at the same time. When perfumes have as many notes in their pyramids as this one does, I’m usually able to identify somewhat more than half of them. I’m having trouble doing that here.
I think, though, my biggest surprise in this perfume is the greenness in the middle and the drydown―exactly the same as that of Piment Brulant. They probably share a common base.
eginegin58 – :
I love vanilla fragrances and this is one of the better one’s in my collection. On my skin it almost smells like a block of plain Cadbury chocolate with the addition of tobacco and some dried fruit and then afterwards a coating of vanilla and a hit of rum layer themselves on top of the chocolate. It’s perfect for the colder months but in the summer it’s intoxicating and very sexy..it almost becomes overpowering but in the most euphoric and interesting way. If you like dry, boozey, chocolatey vanilla fragrances then i highly recommend giving this a sniff. The only thing that would make it better is if the lasting power was better.
danbox – :
I am not a huge lover of super, super sweet fragrances. This starts off VERY sweet vanilla that seems a little synthetic….plasticy…..It hasn’t dried down to something that I would want to wear though :o( Another off to the “sell” box.
Lexsandr – :
A green vanilla that dries down into creamy vanilla with spice, dried fruit and tobacco. Very nice and not your usual vanilla, not by any means! Ten stars!
Max-freerun – :
This starts off really “gooey” but I like it. That quality becomes less obvious over time and allows the notes a bit more room. However, to me this is mostly a blend, with the vanilla/honey element really dominating. It seems like there’s a hint of tobacco and other things, but the main element is the gooey vanilla and honey blend. Comparing this to Black Vanilla Absolute by PE, I’d say that is drier and there’s much less of a gooey/syrupy quality than there is here. It’s more vanilla with little or no honey and a touch of “Play Doh.” I like HV/VA better, due to personal tastes, though BVA might be a touch more “masculine,” for those who care.
petr1981 – :
The opening reminds me of a space heater we had growing up with a red coil and a metal grate covering that would hiss and glow with a buzzy humm and a mind of its own while it was running. After it had been running for maybe 30 minutes there’d be a smoky smell, like it was on the brink of burning out. That is what the opening is for me.
Then it smells like a glue gun that you have left plugged in for about 20 minutes. It remains smoky through the dry down and continues to smell like a burnt glue gun.
It’s an interesting smell. Not quite what I expected.
Low sillage / Longevity – 3 hours
4/10 — maybe would bump up to 5 for uniqueness but the longevity was abysmal! completely undetectable after hours!
AleksGDZ – :
I tried a sample of this one recently…some very nice things happening in this fragrance, and it held some promise, unfortunately much like a cheating partner all promises were broken in the form of a what I believe to be a vile dried fruits accord that managed to eat my food, drink my wine, spend my money, piss in my Wheaties and generally screw-me-over while I was busy working.
Havana Vanille performed moderately on my skin, but it certainly didn’t show me any love and respect in the process. Thank goodness for Tea for Two, Mon Numero 10 and Timbuktu because this L’Artisan fragrance will not be in my collection.
nikolayks – :
The immediate vanilla hit delivers no pudding, sulk.
LAPSANG SOUCHONG. Smoky fish tea. A very acquired taste. Yuck.
midashko – :
I love the boozy, vanilla extract opening. Unfortunately for me it fades and is replaced with a mouldy, earthy smell that overrides everything for the duration.
Funnily enough, the only similarity to frapin 1697 I found was the same mouldy note, to a lesser degree.
мишаня 24 – :
Sono piuttosto perplessa su Vanille Absolument. Ho dato un’occhiata alle note, vaniglia, rum, tabacco, più tutta una serie di altre tessere di un puzzle che credevo potesse piacermi, sicchè ho accettato di scambiare un mio profumo per questo. E rimango perplessa, appunto. Contrariamente alle altre fragranze de l’artisan, questa ha una persistenza, specie nelle note di testa, piuttosto prolungata. e sono proprio quelle che un po’ di danno la nausea. trattasi di una vaniglia burrosa, ricca, quasi come fosse cioccolato bianco, che per me è assolutamente (sic!) stucchevole. questa fase persiste troppo, sicchè, quando il tabacco e il rum fanno capolino, lievemente, rimane comunque come un tanfo preponderante che a lungo andare rende le altre note irriconoscibili. ho indossato altre vaniglie, alcune molto mangerecce, con la sensazione di sprigionare odore di pasticceria, gelateria, etc etc, ma questa è troppo cremosa, troppo burrosa (nessun termine rende meglio), troppo insostenibile. qualcuno sostiene che spruzzando Vanille Absolument con un profumo ambrato, la resa è strepitosa. proverò, ma sono scettica. bleah
biven-sav – :
I know of a few people who this smells great on–one friend of mine claims it smells like vanilla ice cream on her, and another friend of mine claims this smells like a smoky gothic vanilla.
However, on my skin this fragrance smells like a depressing medley of flat soda and a wet cigar, and that makes me frown. I just imagine a cigar that must’ve fallen out of someone’s pocket, laying in a puddle of flat root beer.
yura1380 – :
I’ve had a difficult time with this scent these first 3 weeks. First time it seemed to be a raw vanilla pod with no sweetness added, which I found pretty original for a vanilla scent but still a bit lacking something. Then I smelled this cold metallic edge which turned it a bit hostile, without adding any interesting feature. Overall a very weird scent with no oomph nor punch.
The next times it got more confusing, becoming to my mind a dead ringer for a few Etat Libre d’Orange I dislike such as Sécretions Magnifiques. Not that they smell the same, not at all, but you know that strong base of salty saliva and weird metallic vibe… it really made me regret the purchase. The saliva part is still now something I feel throughout the whole development. Salty and persistent.
By then I came to Fragrantica and checked what ingredients are in there and went again to spraying and I could finally get a whiff of something different… I was like “ah… rhum of course… ah… tobacco? ok… it’s barely there…” and I could appreciate some cookie tendency in the fragrance too. “At times” it smells delicious.
However,I don’t like it when I feel so worried about people smelling the saliva mixed with some oxidised metal and zero sensual aspect. It sometimes feels as a work in progress, missing the main part. I wonder who would make the best use of it since no girl friend smells great with this on (I’ve shown it to 10 people mainly wishing to sell it quickly and no one said a single positive thing!), neither men of my age… I don’t know… It is a big question mark in my head and I still find it is a big fail in the wonderful travel series of l’Artisan. I bought mine from the main Paris store and it is the reformulation so I can’t say anything about the first batches.
I am sorry but I advise everyone to check this a few times before buying.
IgorLeonov – :
I so wanted to love this one, since it has all the notes that I love but for some reason on my skin smells like carnation with raw beef. I know its weird but that’s exactly how it smells and it remains the same … its very strong and the longevity is amazing but sadly it hates my pH
DanGo – :
A dark, sweet, boozy vanilla…
I really like this one. I find it has a wonderful very complex vanilla note. In some respects it reminds me of vanilla extract. But there are also dried, boozy fruits here, and it really adds character to the scent.
It is strong but it is interesting. I love the way it sits on skin and develops. In a dark and intriguing way. This is another example of a great vanilla scent which I would recommend to anyone who wanted to move away from the sugary, ice-cream like vanillas found in other fragrances, to this one, which has a dark, complex and grown up aspect. I really like it and would happily recommend it for cool weather.
valentovanikol – :
That is a very gentle scent that stays close to the skin. It opens up immediately with all notes and feels exactly like praliné chocloate candies. Gorgeous, cozy and very gourmand.
mesnik – :
What a shame they first changed an intriguing name and then discontinued it! One of the most interesting scents from L’Artisan has disappeared. Unfair and shows no respect to the customer.
D.G.MASTER – :
I really enjoyed wearing Havana Vanille…and start loving it. At the forefront moist tobacco leaves, tonka combined with very unusual smelling vanilla – completely deprived of the sweetness that usually plays the most important role in all vanilla based fragrances. One has to be brave to take the sweetness away 😉 But…ever tried chewing a vanilla pod? The vanilla has an almost metallic, medicinal smell to it; it smells bitter, quite dry with a definite smoky tone. Somewhere in the middle a thin layer of woodsy notes breaks the density and sharp clove steps in. What makes the scent smell so strange are probably the tobacco leaves, as still partly green not yet completely dry. I can almost smell the “green” slowly evaporating from the leaves . This scent is not all amber-brown. After about 1h, somewhere in the middle a barrel of aged rum cracked open, dried fruit served in dark wooden bowls, even more clove and leather at the very bottom. About 1h is the amount of time that the tobacco/vanilla combo takes to settle down and reveal what’s trapped in the basement.
efusernamee1 – :
Questo è uno fra i profumi dell’Artisan che trovo più interessante.
Alcolico, inebriante di liquore,solare e nostalgico, mi porta alla mente un bar di Cuba con uomini che fumano il sigaro e bevono liquore, ridono, schiamazzano e fuori c’è il sole caldo.
A differenza degli ultimi tristi e diluiti profumini chimici questo mi piaceva .
ijngdbcSAZl – :
This one opens with creamy vanilla on my skin and then, 5 mins later, transforms into my favourite ice cream flavour of all time – Butterscotch!
At this point, I’m in Heaven and everything feels so beautiful…
…for about 10 mins. It now turns into what slightly burnt milk with sugar smells like. This is where it completely lost me. If they did something to hold that Butterscotch smell longer (a couple of hours at least), I’d be all over it. Unfortunately, 10-15 mins just doesn’t do it for me.
rak3068 – :
This is the most bada*s vanilla I’ve ever smelled. It’s dark, moody, and it has a naughty streak. It is incredibly boozy up front, so much so that those around you may question your sobriety. For a while it smells like straight vanilla extract, then it develops this strange, salty facet, and it almost smells like cookie dough. After about an hour it settles down into a rich, luxurious vanilla with just the right touch of musk and spice. One of my coworkers walked around the corner and said “Whoa, it smells really good over here…like cinnamon sugar.” I waved my wrist in her face and she confirmed that I was the source. I have only worn this on frigid days. Exercise caution when wearing this in warmer weather, or risk suffocating yourself.
lucky277 – :
ME: Oooh, Vanilla… I love vanilla in all forms and shapes! “Vanille Absolument” I’ve GOT to try this out.
SPLASH, SPLASH (two decent sprays on my wrist).
SNIFF… oh, yikes.
Sniff, sniff.. let’s give it another go.
REACTION: Oh god… not what I expected. Let’s wait a bit for it to calm down.
10 mins later: dear, this is burning my nose. Something stingy in here.. bitter, harsh. Is it pee I’m smelling amongst the vanilla? No cut the crap.. it can’t be.
40 mins later: Nope, still bitter and smelling like something is rotting in between vanillary aroma.
1 hour later: sniff –> Oh crap. There’s no hope. Game OVER. *scrub, scrub*
Sadly this was hideous on me. NOT my kind of vanilla.
ugg boots for cheap – :
This is a VERY boozy Vanilla. I actually get the Rum note as much if not more than the Vanilla at the opening at least. Very Boozy! Which is great. The Vanilla is always there like a light vail of warmth.
In the mid, the Boozy (rum) tones down, and the Tobaccoy-leathery vibe comes up. This part of the fragrance is great. Slight spices, but nothing notible. Not cinnamon spice, more of a Clove type of spice, but not too noticable – I had to REALLY look for it.
The drydown is heavenly. Very smooth transparent vanilla base that gives off a cigar (tobacco) vibe, Which I really like.
L’Artisan changed the name from Havana Vanille to Vanille Absolument, but I actually think the first name is more suiting. I definitely get a cigar/pipe tobacco vibe from this rum & vanilla fragrance. I’ve even had people tell me I smell like Swisher Sweets, haha.
Since I like the smell of a Boozy Vanilla, and fragrances that have a cigar/tobacco vibe.. I am loving this Absolument Vanille fragrance.
artur36 – :
When I first sprayed this perfume this morning (from a sample thanks to a wonderful Fragrantican), without knowing I immediately said: this can only be a Bertrand Duchaufour. Now, in my book Monsieur Duchaufour can get it very right (see: Parfums MDCI’s Chypre Palatin among others) or very wrong (Penhaligon’s Amaranthine). Unfortunately this one is on the wrong side. It contains the same note(s) that made me gag in Amaranthine. I honestly don’t know what it may be, probably the the type of musk he uses, together with the vanilla, but it is absolutely sickening. For some reason it reminds me of babies’ saliva mixed with stale vanilla milk. Whatever it is it is absolutely repulsive and cloying to me. The rest of the perfume doesn’t register in my mind, this sickly note is overwhelming. Sorry, on the dislike list it goes.
gene1976gene – :
an identical twin sister to Frapin 1697
Pivovarov555 – :
Dry, sweet, spicy leather…. It’s actually a very dramatic scent, in that it needs interpretation and appreciation.
The spice is boozy and divine and really develops on the skin. This is edgy and artistic. I’m thinking in the way of Frida Kahlo, creating a masterpiece amongst the tobacco and boozy background…
Lasts quite a long time for L’Artisan and is incredibly unique…
However, not for everyone, so sample first!!
RoraUtterne – :
yep, it’s 1697 alright…
potent vanilla, dried fruits and sweeet booze. oh yeah! i love this…
Rebel – :
Faint without characteristic. Negative review for the reformulation here! I do not know how the vintage stuff smell like.
Шалун:D – :
Got a sample of this and found it an interesting scent. Very nice vanilla, not strong if applied correctly (not much). On my girlfriend’s skin it didn’t turn out good when first applied, but after some hours it got awesome. Maybe she had put too much. On me, this was very nice from the beginning.
plusuaturvili – :
This is strange. Opened like others said, it smells exactly like pure vanilla extract, after a few minutes it became more rich, but then, all of a sudden, this awkward green thread runs through it, just ruins the whole fragrance… and I like bright, crisp, greens! I definitely associate the green to the narcissus note listed, that’s exactly what it smells like, a freshly picked daffodil. It’s just not blended right, the green smells misplaced.
turkmenistan – :
Boy, what I got was not what I was expecting. I bought this without testing, and I couldn’t force myself to try more than twice.
It’s very dry, smoky and smells like a bottle of rum (not the Malibu kind). There’s also a horrid bad body odor smell that was gag inducing. Even after scrubbing my arm, the scent lingered. There’s very little vanilla, which I would normally think is a good thing as too much vanilla can be cloying, IMO, but that wasn’t the case here.
At first spray, the first thing I pictured was some drunk, dirty, sweaty man (hibiscus shirt unbuttoned, chest hair showing), hanging at the beach smoking a cheap cigar.
I couldn’t pull it off. But to be fair, it does smell just as described.
strnnks – :
I’m sorry to say that but this perfume is horribly sickening… I’m writing this review for avoiding vanilla lovers of blind buying it. I love vanilla note, but this is NOT the case of vanilla. Imagine someone offers you a dessert – tobacco and dried fruit mixture soaked in sugared rum, that’s it! This is foody gourmand with some non-foody ingredients.
I did not arrive to drydown, I just couldn’t.
I have had the same reaction with other Bertrand Duchaufour creations – Deliria and Amour Nocturn (I love Skin on Skin, by the way). Even Traversee du Bosphore that opened pleasantly turned to something unpleasant. I love some strange, weird scents, but this is big NO.
Test before buying!!!
Vistutebsig – :
Bought this from a trusted website and I’m not sure I got what everyone else is talking about. It definitely feels boozy and the drydown on me is cinnamon/vanilla but the projection is the worst I’ve ever encountered and longevity isn’t that far behind. I was expecting more from L’Artisan Parfumeur. I have a full 1.7oz and I’m not sure what to do with it. 🙁
ateistkarl – :
The base is very nice and warm, but the heart is too ‘green’ smelling for me. It’s nice, but I wish the emphasis was more on the warmth.
The opening is the hardest part, it’s like opening a bottle of strong rum, but that lasts just a few minutes and is easy to get past.
I got a decant of this and I’m glad I did not blind buy a full bottle. The decant is going straight to my swap list again.
enotas – :
Agree with many of the previous reviewers – the initial hit of this is gross. Rum/whiskey mixed with some bizarre green grass-type of scent, at least on my skin. Even the middle notes were off on me. The dry down is a beautiful powdery vanilla, interestingly enough most similar to Creed’s Sublime Vanille on me. Will try again (have a sample) and see if I like the drydown enough to suffer through the top notes. Probably not – will likely just go back to the Creed fragrance that gets me there almost directly.
kosmos_93 – :
I am such a Willi Wonka lover!!! =))))
Makes me feel like in Cuba besides Willi Wonka dreams.
essecer – :
Vanille Absolument is nothing like Frapin’s 1697 to me. It’s nowhere near as complex as 1697 is, and nowhere near as dense. Neither is it as boozy, nor fruity, etc. Surprisingly enough, I like Vanille Absolument more than the Frapin, and enjoy to wear it.
Basically, VA is a creamy vanilla perfume with a dulce de leche touch, and with a light undertone of rum. The overall effect is very chocolate-y, and it’s milk chocolate or even white chocolate with rum filling.
It’s powdery due to tonka beans and, probably, immortelle. Tobacco (not smoked tobacco, just tart and fresh leaves) is also here. That’s all I get and to me this is a wonderful composition, exactly what I wanted: just vanilla, but not a plain and a simplistic one: I wanted vanilla with a twist. This is it!
1697 also is a great perfume, but it’s more about expensive alcohol and dried fruits, and it’s so dense and so boozy that I get the famous “bug spray” note from it on my skin, which obviously made me forget about purchasing and wearing it. I blind-ordered VA instead, and, although it smells NOTHING like 1697, I’m happy I did.
19 people who find these perfumes similar, hmmm, I don’t know what to say 🙂
Anyway, both perfumes are lovely and very duchafourian. Just try these on your skin first.
Like the majority of L’Artisans, VA is rather light, but lasts a good deal of time, probably around 6 hours. I suspect that it’s going to be discontinued like some other newly discontinued lovely L’Artisans (read Safran Troublant, Traversee du Bosphore, at least in my country). I would try it before the supply is over, as it’s a beauty.
simtanas – :
I am really enjoying Havana vanille and every single time wearing it seems to me like it is for a first time, because each time this superb vanilla is different on my skin.
I just love it!
lkr048bedyWelty – :
I read the notes, vanilla, tonka bean, rum, tobacco.. and think that this is a fragrance I would probabily fall in love with. I went to the shop with high hopes to try it. I must say I only tried it on paper but I was shocked. I usually love most of L’Artisan but this no, oh no. I smelled no vanilla, no rum, just something similar to food gone bad. Maybe the tester was really gone bad or maybe it was the paper, as soon as I can I will give this fragrance another chance.
genadiy – :
I vehemently disagree with the comment below. This is a dry, resinous, yet sweet and boozy vanilla fragrance unlike any other vanilla fragrance I’ve encountered. In the opening you are hit with a shot of whiskey/bourbon and a dash of spice and immediately thereafter the vanilla kicks in. This is not a “edible” vanilla that you would find in SDV by Guerlain. It’s quite powerful and one that I thoroughly enjoy. I don’t get the mold and dirt that the commenter below speaks of. As I noted, it is a different take on vanilla which is what I need in a fragrance…..not a product similar to Bath and Body Works. I give this a 8.5 out of 10 for a vanilla based fragrance.
yanahal – :
Nice take on vanilla , a vanilla pod, rum, leather tobacco scent. One of the more masculine smelling vanilla perfumes out there. Quite realistic, natural and rich. I like it a lot!!! Great for winter and cold days !
Update, quite enjoying this , it softens into a very beautiful softer scent after half an hour. So even if you are not a fan of the leathery, tabaco smell in the first minutes, don’t be discouraged , it’s pretty impressive. Like real vanilla extract… Or open up a vanilla bean and smell it directly , black pure vanilla ,this is similar.
Oh and the real juice is yellow, dark brownish yellow and not white like on this picture..
lion – :
my nose is purely a gourmand lover… pure adn simple. yes, there are other beautiful scents that i enjoy but i am a true sweetaholic. THIS is pure tobacco and leather on me… no vanilla, no dried fruit, no nothing! Its a real shame! I wanted to love this since my parents are from havana and i love vanilla. This is NOT gourmand.
UPDATE:
Very green vanilla. It grows on you
ParAdoX – :
This fume perplexes me. Love all the notes but when I sprayed I thought I must have received a bad sample. BTW…I ordered a sample by mistake from both Lucky and Posh Peasant (yet another reason to not place large sample orders at 2 am). Anywho, my samples are identical. It isn’t the fragrance, it’s my skin. Twenty minutes after spraying my skin has really warmed and allowed the scent to open up. Ahhhh…much better and more along the lines of what I was hoping for. I can’t imagine this scent ever offending anyone and I think it would be perfectly acceptable in an office environment. TF tobacco this is not. On my skin the leather takes over for the first hour or so…not so happy about that. After that it settles down and is much more enjoyable. I was hoping for something with a stronger punch but instead this is a warm sweet embrace. The drydown is my favorite part. Decant worthy for sure but have not decided if I would spring for a FB yet.
seNEchka – :
Vanilla that defies “vanilla fragrance”. If you are thinking “but I don’t like vanilla” and have made faces smelling those vanilla scented girly body sprays and drug store numbers…..worry no more. This is in no shape or form the same type of vanilla animal.
I am very picky about vanilla…it has to be only a certain type that I can tolerate. Not too sweet, not too “burnt”, not too “brown sugary” or any of that. It has to be a sheer and luminous vanilla blended with other notes that take the sweet bite off. Basically, the type of vanilla you get in Vanille Absolument (or Dries Van Noten for example).
I am not getting an overload of rum thank goodness. I am not big on a big rum bomb. There is an interesting touch of greenness to this. If you are expecting a sweet rum or pipe type smell, you will be severely disappointed. This has more of a green smell to it…more botanical. It is a much fresher fragrance than I was expecting. A pleasant surprise. I was afraid I would be drowning in sweet vanilla and that is not the case at all.
Vanilla Absolument is a unique take on vanilla and I am happy that I went ahead and bought a bottle of it while it was on sale.
usam – :
When I wear Havana Vanille I can imagine Lauren Bacall in her 30s/40s in a jeep in South America, looking elegant despite her dusty safari-like clothes. She stops at a wooden shack for a glass of water and the inhabitants barely move an inch, she’s offered a glass of rum and a rickety seat outside in the shade, where she gazes at row upon row of drying tobacco leaves, raisins and vanilla pods
The opening is a fruity rich vanilla with a sense of substance – which I’d say is the leather. As it dries down it becomes drier, and the tobacco note is perfect – dried leaves in the sun, which give it a sun-warmed feel.
The overall feeling is sun-drenched, it’s richly sweet, in a way that’s about real vanilla pods, rum and raisins, tobacco. Depending on skin chemistry I detect the dry note of vetiver more on some days. Sometimes it feels a little too sweet so it depends on your mood, For comparison’s sake I’d say it’s much sweeter than Shalimar, for example.
But I’ve already been complimented on it a couple of times. It’s certainly not a simple vanilla, but like many vanilla-based scents, it’s comforting, also uplifting. It’s comfortable to wear and I feel it would be right for any occasion when you feel like wearing something fairly low-key, yet subtly rich and luxurious. My friend noticed it on me when I first wore it and said she couldn’t rest till she’d bought a bottle. (A fellow perfume fanatic!)
Sillage is noticable but not loud, longevity is about 6 hours, which on my skin is impressive!
tomakuchatova – :
I bought this whilst in search of the perfect vanilla but unfortunately this alternates between a vanilla that’s sweet with dried fruit and a vanilla that’s full of masculine woodsy notes. Neither of these notes react well with my skin so sadly this one didn’t make the grade. My bottle is now on ebay practically full, only one spray used, and in great condition waiting for a new home. If anyone’s interested look up my user name delilahcat2013 on ebay.
psx330bedyWelty – :
My review is for Vanille absolument.
I like vanilla smell in general, in food or on somebody else, but it would never come to my mind to wear a vanilla perfume.
I have no idea why I wanted to try this one. And – surprise! This is not a common vanilla scent. It`s not sweet at all on my skin, which is nice. It smells cold, earthy, non-smiling vanilla. Even the Tonka beans don`t add any sugarness. I had some rum at the opening, but it was gone very soon. A hint of tobacco here, a little of leather there make it more complex then just a pure vanilla scent. The lasting power is around 6 hours on my skin.
Nice. I can`t get enough of it. Very cold, decent vanilla on my, no girlish-sweetish-syropy, nothing of the kind. I`m 40, and it`s a fantastic choice for my chemistry. Everybody keep asking what I`m wearing! Even on the streets, not to mention my colleagues, male as well as female. I`m happy)
doorhanlviv – :
this is the work of genius, the most inneresting and groovalicious vanilla-centered frag i have (& have plenty!) duchaufour is a master of ‘weightlessness’ in perfumery, and to achieve this with traditionally heavy notes – vanilla, tobacco, rum, imortelle(!) is really inspired. this remarkable balance also makes it quite seasonally versatile, giving you sweeter options in summer. chalk up another 5-star scent to d