To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
boomvolleytut – :
Another Sephora sample and another one for the giveaway pile. I feel that as a grown, mature woman, this fragrance is for a teenager or young girl. I’d buy it as a first fragrance for a 13 year old but past 40, it’s s big no. I not a fan of gourmands -except I love Mon Guerlain, which some say is gourmand. That’s as close as I can get.
Somebody said this was vanilla birthday cake fresh out of the oven, and that’s it exactly right. A lovely smell on a birthday or when trying to sell a house, but not for me and perfume. I don’t like cake candles, bath products, home fragrances-and clearly I don’t like it in perfumes. It’s a very linear frag too-starts out as cake and ends as cake. I smell no cedar or woods, which is good, it would not add anything but weirdness.
Like the last few I’ve recieved from Sephora in my 7 sample pack, this is one that some will like-but not me. If you love biting into a vanilla cupcake with buttercream frosting and sprinkles, and want to smell like you did -you found your fragrance.
xsbkmooezl – :
All of these notes are right up my street, as I’m a gourmand lover who has fallen in love with cedar and woods. Also, I am white chocolate crazy! Secret Genius comes on very woody strong at first, then settles down into a yummy dessert. Every once in a while the cedar pops back in, and those woods notes are the ones that linger over time. It’s not terribly long-lasting a scent, but this is offered in smaller easy to carry versions. In fact, I wish ALL perfumes were offered this way, especially the ones that are $450. It’s nice to have a decant, but I really appreciate the “official” bottles/labeling. I only have a sample from Sephora right now, but I may purchase a rollerball at some point.
EDIT: By the way, I’m over 40 and I love this. Why do people who don’t love gourmands bother to review gourmands? If I didn’t like sushi I wouldn’t bag on sushi restaurants. Just sayin’.
VIKING – :
I got a couple of samples in my Sephora packages and LOVED this scent. Fresh, clean, vanilla and just pretty. Went to try it again at the store and the juice in the bottle was bad… super weak and really didn’t smell like the samples that I received. For that reason, I didn’t purchase.
rumenner – :
I like this one a lot (either to wear it alone or layer it with something else more woody). The wood notes here are actually prominent on my skin in a very interesting way when combined with the sweet, creamy chocolate, vanilla and caramel. It is like being served a warm and yummy gourmet dessert in a fancy restaurant. Gourmand and fun fragrance indeed.
MERGEN – :
Try layering it with Chanel no 5 leau and watch the magic
мустафа765 – :
I think the secret genius of this scent is that there is more to it than the first impression. It seems like a boring, teenagery vanilla at first, until the caramel pops out and you notice how much better it’s getting. The sandalwood is just enough to keep it from smelling like a candle and makes the dry down truly special. This is also fantastic for layering, especially with Gilded Fox—those two were made for each other. I will be layering this with other perfumes I have as well during the winter months for a cozy vibe.
killer94_07 – :
Starts out caramel/vanilla…with a touch of lighter fluid…lol…Yes…IMO…like the reviews below too.
The “lighter fluid” is very short-lived…don’t worry.
The drydown you do get a “little” sandalwood & cedar-ish effect…the final phase is…well….”typical” of so many other scents of it’s “kind” “vibe”. I did not really smell white chocolate…??…To me my nose this has a vibe of Jessica Simpson’s Fancy but lighter for sure in the drydown..??…This is not overly gourmand to me…At first spray…you think you’d be getting a gourmand, but that “part” fizzles out…???
Really, not a bad scent…but I expected more..??
Nothing “genius”….what “secret” did they forget about?
rip532speagoessenda – :
If you want to smell like a vanilla cake fresh out of the oven, go right ahead.
Маргоша23 – :
Top note is caramel; middle note is white chocolate; base notes are madagascar vanilla, sandalwood and cedar.
I LOVE this…fresh, sweet and clean…I get no cedar and minimal sandalwood.
My only complaint is the lack of longevity.
Otherwise this would be my signature scent.
If you like this, you should try:
~BS Private Show~
~Lavanila Vanilla Coconut~
~CSP Vanilla Coco~
ЗаднийХод – :
Very pretty, it smells like a woodier Pour Femme. I am sampling a mini rollerball from the nine scent Pinrose discovery set. It may be the fact that it’s a rollerball instead of a spray but it seems to be rapidly disappearing from my skin 🙁 I do however see from previous reviews that it doesn’t have the best performance. Why? Aren’t these supposed to be higher end, higher quality fragrances? If not for the performance issues this could easily be one of the best scents ever, warm, creamy cozy gourmand heaven, that lasts for 7 minutes. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if the price tag is worth 7 minutes in heaven, with Secret Genius 😉
Update: while the silage is skin close this one actually lasted a good seven hours on my skin, so I’ll call it FB worthy
sdvsiv – :
I love this! As I am a huge fan of gourmand and sweet fragrances (that’s the foodie in me) – this one is very nice, sweet but not overly so. You smell the caramel and vanilla in it. It doesn’t last that long on me, however I don’t mind because it’s very nice – sweet but it’s not sickeningly so. I just wish they came up with a better name for it! LOL
tri62y – :
Update: the combo worked out great. Equal parts. I’m a secret genius! Lol. This perfume was made to be layered.
qbmbewnqri – :
Pure white chocolate. This will be great for layering and I’m thinking twilly. The new name is definitely improved. Sugar bandit- what a stupid name. I really like the name secret genius
Vitaalkaa – :
I bought this from Sephora about a month or more ago. It smelled like marshmallows when I sprayed it on me in the store. When I got home and sprayed it again, it reminded me of Burberry perfume my mom had and I was a little taken aback. I kept wearing it and it grew on me. It’s very warm and yummy. Like caramel if it was warmed up literally. I don’t know much yet about scents, but I do smell something else in there I suppose it is the white chocolate or the sandalwood? I don’t know, but it’s a comforting smell. My boyfriend was laying next to me and he said I smelled mad good. I blushed a little lol. Sometimes I mix this scent with Britney Spears Private Show EDT. It mixes together well on my skin. It’s very cashmerey.
edo44 – :
This has all the same notes as Sugar Bandit, a discontinued Pinrose fragrance. I think Sugar Bandit may have just been renamed, not totally discontinued.
DREDmix – :
aquolina pink sugar and most victoria secret perfumes would be dupes , it is ok is just not original
paulvirt – :
This is pretty much everything I hate in a perfume. Vanilla, caramel, sweet. Ugh. I guess I could see women liking to wear it in the winter – it’s one of those gourmands people think is cozy – but I hate it.
OGaqyfL – :
Love it! Definitely that top caramel note blends beautifully with vanilla and a hint of just the right amount of sweet.
tomus77 – :
Straightforward super-sweet gourmand. Nothing offensive, but also nothing complex. It’s most likely meant to appeal to the younger crowd. It reminds me a bit of Tokyomilk Dark Bittersweet, but Secret Genius lasts longer.
vadim1289 – :
From Pinrose site:
Top – Caramel
Mid – White Chocolate
Base – Madagascan Vanilla, Cedarwood, Sandalwood
I own B&BW Wild Madagascar Vanilla and feel like this is a softer, office friendly version of it. Secret Genius lacks the beautiful jasmine & gardenia notes that make WMV so sensual and exotic. Instead, it presents the woody gourmand notes in a more straight forward manner that projects a soft spoken sweetness. The lovely co-ed next door or the kind elementary school librarian. Is it sweet? Absolutely. Does it give off an immature teen fragrance vibe? I don’t believe so.
Secret Genius wears very close to the skin, so it’s something that I wear just for me. This would make it a nice introduction to gourmands for people who are hesitant to wear sugary or vanilla heavy fragrances. Longevity is about 7hrs on my skin, so a few sprays would be enough to get you through the workday. Very nice on a chilly winter day.
Scent: 8/10
Sillage: 1/10
Longevity: 8/10
Sokol_77777 – :
From the second I applied this my brain screamed “red cream soda!” Secret Genuis reminds me of summers in the 1980s with my Dad’s side of the family in Ohio. Creamy and somehow effervescent, just like red cream soda. It’s got a nice nostalgia element, but I wouldn’t want to smell like this all the time.
sukub3 – :
Yes! Very much a young throwback sort of scent..I wanted so much to like this, but it’s so loud and sweet, like a teenaged girl out with all her friends showing off and trying to be way more grownup than she really is..
asid78 – :
This is great if you are a 13 year old girl. It’s a pretty throwback 90s scent — artificially vanilla + caramel with a twinge of something vegetal in there. Reminds me a little of the Bath and Body Works Rice Flower scent. The staying power is as ephemeral as youth. 😉
shamagov – :
Oh my gosh, this smells like bad teenaged decisions to to me..like some insipidly sweet body spray fourteen year old me wore to a sketchy roller rink to make out with boys I wasn’t supposed to associate with..a fun flashback to more innocent time.
Super candy sweet in the way late 80’s/early 90’s gourmands were..
trusova.anna – :
Beautiful!!! Oh I looove Secret Genius!!!! It’s soooo delicious, sooo rich and creamy, such a lovely caramel, such gorgeous deep vanilla……mouth-wateringly beautiful perfume!!! It’s not too sweet, it’s just perfect!! And it lasts on me really well…10 hours….and I am told I smell delicious all the time (firstly, but not only, by my husband!) everywhere I go. And yes it does have a white chocolate touch too, and thankfully not too much of it, because I find white chocolate tooo sickly sweet usually, but in this it’s just perfect! And I suppose it’s the lovely sandalwood and cedar (the notes that are missing here) that grounds it and makes it be not too sweet. It’s just beautiful!!!!
Kreoss – :
Vanilla and caramel. Can it be sweeter? No.
And yet, it’s not as sweet as you may think.
There has to be a flower note hidden somewhere. This is less sweet than “Troublle in Heaven” but sweeter than “Vanilla Insensee”, so you get an idea. It’s not fully caramel nor full vanilla, it’s more like a in-between hybrid.
I don’t dislike it but…
minializunink – :
I got a mini rollerball of this perfume in my Ipsy bag this month and love it!! I’m absolutely loving this perfume!!! I am a huge perfume collector/addict and I love gourmand scents so this one is perfect!! I love the Madagascar vanilla and caramel notes they blend perfectly with a light hint of sandalwood!! Longevity and sillage are both moderate and decently long lasting on me!!! Once my rollerball mini is out I’d buy a bottle!!
zilk – :
No Jasmine? I detect jasmine in this yummy fragrance.
Alachliberty – :
I went into this a little biased, I’ll admit. I really don’t like caramel or most vanilla in fragrances. I’m always reminded of the godawful vanilla perfume from the 80’s or 90’s that everyone wore (Vanilla Fields I think). Caramel tends to overpower nearly everything, both in food and in fragrance, so I really thought, “Better get this one out of the way”.
I can’t say I LIKE this fragrance because to me it smelled exactly like Warm Vanilla Sugar from Bath and Body Works or one of the vanilla Yankee Candles (can’t remember which one). However, it’s not overpowering once it dries down, and it’s not engulfed with caramel notes. If you’re a vanilla and/or caramel fan in scent, this is a good one. Someone might try and eat you up though!
WetRaisee – :
The pyramid is missing a few notes here, according to Pinrose:
Top – Caramel
Mid – White Chocolate
Base – Madagascan Vanilla, Cedarwood, Sandalwood
Yummy soft vanilla and caramel, not as loud as Jessica Simpson Fancy or Viva La Juicy but still falls in the same family. The dry down reminds me of Britney Spears Fantasy Intimate. It is very warm here, so it might be projecting more vanilla to my nose than otherwise, as I don’t smell the spices the other reviewer was referring to.
I guess not a hard one to like, if you’re looking for a soft cozy gourmand, warm vanilla spiked with caramel, it’s worth a test!
gevrich – :
I was told I smelled “spicy”, though not particularly sweet when I tried it on. Light, close to the body, and fades fast. It smells high quality, but doesn’t stick around for long. More for the Eau Duelle lover than the Tihota lover, the sweetness is much harder to discern than the spice. Lasts five minutes.