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biokarll – :
Such a gorgeous boozy vanilla. cozy vibe.
vandam2011 – :
Probably the Holy Grail of vanilla. Classy, complex, and very adult. While I love Indult’s Tihota, it has an odd plastic smell before it morphs into a very sweet, delicious vanilla. But it’s strictly that–Vanilla. I like that this perfume has enough complexity to make it truly interesting and Vanilla-y. I get compliments whenever I wear it. Worth the money.
ykor1975 – :
Why would you spend over £300 when you can spend £30 on a fragrance that smells near exact the same- le couvent des missions and it DOES! smell so similar! I have it on today and it is a nice fragrance but not worth the money. 8/10
luk1963 – :
This is a very beautiful boozy rum and vanilla fragrance. I don’t really detect anything else. It’s quite boozy and the rum note is very apparent. It leans feminine but I like it a lot even as a guy. Sillage and longevity are both good. Very sweet and boozy.
4.5/5
Talagrim – :
Imagine the finest bakery and wood workshop combined, but in the best possible way!
It’s like having the most decadent pastry with a glass of rum, but instead of powdered sugar, the pastry has been dusted with fresh wood shavings!
That’s what this smells like to me.
It also makes me think of ancient wooden buildings, like wooden churches. (Cedar + incense)?
Cracked walls that’s been dried by the scorching sun for ages, drenched in a thick, honeyed vanilla syrup.
The overall scent feels vey full bodied, and it’s got the perfect combination of warm, comforting, decadent and “adult”, with a dash of melancholy for good measure.
The longevity and projection is great, you won’t need to put on much of this.
I’m a bit sad that they had to change the bottle and make it look like the rest of the L’Art et la Matiere collection though.
I’m glad they decided to make it permanent and not limited edition, but I have to say, I find the original bottle with the black label and wax seal much more beautiful and unique.
Oh well! It’s still a great scent regardless, and I guess that’s what really matters in the end, right?
sweallyGelp – :
Fine quality perfume, but far too boozy and linear on my skin. It smells like the more complex luxury version of Yves Rocher’s Bourbon Vanilla.
Rinna – :
Septembre, I had similar experience with my sample! I wonder if there are 2 kinds with the same name? The sample I have smells nothing like vanilla. For me it’s all about cedar and smoke…
hamo-05 – :
I’m very curious to know if I received a bad sample of this, as the opening, on paper or on skin, is a horrendous, medicinal, menthol and camphor like smell that almost no vanilla to speak of, and while the vanilla came through some more in the dry down, the medicinal smell did not much dissipate.
Allix – :
I find some similarities between this and Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille. Obviously there are differences between the two, but both have that spicy, masculine vanilla aspect to them. With this one, it’s about far more than just vanilla. I get the spice from the pink pepper, the frankincense, benzoin and the woody aspect from the cedar as well. Extremely well made scent, not too sweet and not too woodsy or harsh. Perfect for both men and women. I don’t feel that it’s very strong but for a scent like this, that’s not a bad thing.
Spoke850 – :
Beautiful long lasting vanilla. Not too sweet, not too woodsy, not too light, just perfect.
This is an elegant and refined vanilla. Could be easily worn year round.
A very comforting and sensual scent. There is little projection, a skin scent for me to enjoy or someone who gets in close.
Porlezof – :
Almost all the ladies of our household like this perfume. It’s sweet and intense so be frugal with it.
LukaMarinko – :
This is my first perfume I purchased from the Guerlain line and I cannot be more happy with my choice.
It is by far the most beautiful and authentic vanilla scent I have came across. It is not at all a gourmand, nor cloying, and nor cheap smelling like many vanillas in the market.
In the opening the benzoin and incense are the most dominant. First I wondered, where is the vanilla that everyone keeps talking about? in 15 minutes or so, the authentic vanilla kicks in. It literally reminds me of smelling a fresh vanilla bean stick whilst scraping off the seeds inside. Its such a beautiful and addicting perfume and I simply cannot stop smelling it on my skin. It is slightly bitter mimicking the authentic scent of a vanilla bean stick. This is the scent that stays throughout closely to the skin as the spices and incense disappear. I do not detect the rose or jasmine at all. It is a true vanilla perfume. Very warm, comforting and simple yet incredibly alluring. I believe it is a must for anyone addicted to vanilla. My slight let down is that I wished it has more projection. It definitely stays very closely to the skin and is not very strong. It only lasts a couple of hours… Good thing you get a lot of it in the bottle they come in !
Sergefff – :
Totally agree with all previous reviews describing this perfume as the best vanilla of all time.
It is very complex, very “abstract”, as “vanilla” is not a natural one but a magical projection of the concept of vanilla, built with many ingredients by Jean-Paul Guerlain – the last fragrance from a dynasty of perfumers that has absolutely nothing in common with the inglorious present of this brand.
SDV reminds me and is, in a way, similar to Shalimar, like a “niche” version of this fragrance, with no compromise on the quality of the ingredients and much less feminine characteristics – liqueur, flowers and spices are mixed in a perfect harmony to give an impression of refinement and opulence at the same time.
The floral notes, ingeniously mixed with the other olfactory facets, from my point of view make it though feminine, and I appreciate the honesty of Guerlain not to sell this unisex fragrance to maximize sales.
Longevity is excellent and the projection is moderate – meaning appropriate for the type of person looking for quality more than attention.
I think that SDV is not only the best “vanilla” ever created, but it is also the best Guerlain perfume and I consider it at the same level as Chanel Coromandel (EDT) and Dior Ambre Nuit – a timeless masterpiece.
Fragrance 10/10
Projection Medium
Longevity 10 h
oxt814speagoessenda – :
The best vanilla scent ever made. Rich, opulent, and seductive. Guerlain quality is top notch as usual.
Alexandr_S – :
An absolutely stunning creamy and boozy vanilla. This has layers, unlike Cologne of Missions. Both have a very similar feel to them, but this wins out in so many ways.
I am definitely likely to say that this is very similar to Gloria by Cacharel. Cacharel was out of its weird experimentals at that time and were creating more conventional things – for better or worse.
I’d never buy this, especially at that price, but I highly recommend it for bigger vanilla fans than I.
For vanilla lovers only!
jaysonX – :
I stand by my original statement. A beautiful rich vanilla. It reminds me of the vanilla extract you use in baking. A gentle but sweet fragrance. I love it, BUT !! You can’t deny the middle note of pencil shavings. Try it and you will see. Not that it’s a bad thing,
(Maybe it’s the cedar)
msy237InsuffBooni – :
Wow, this is so stunning. I’ve smelled high quality perfumes, but I think Spiritueuse Double Vanille is the first one that’s blown me away. Vanilla is such a commonplace, simple scent, and one would be hard pressed to find a vanilla that truly stands out from its many iterations. But SDV does stand out. It masterfully balances all the nuances of vanilla that make the note special, its smokiness, sweetness, and aromatic qualities. It’s akin to slicing open a fresh vanilla bean soaked in a fine, peated whisky. Comforting, yet somehow sexy and indulgent. I’m buying a full bottle the instant I can afford it.
EDIT: Dries down to something similar to Mac’s Velvet Teddy perfume, which I hear is a dupe of Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille. Settling for a full bottle of Velvet Teddy until I become the Queen of England ;P
SerP – :
Deep, dark Vanilla…
Now, I must start by saying that I have tried the other fragrance that this is compared to, and I really can’t find much difference between them! I’m referring of course to Le Couvent des Minimes – Cologne of the Missions.
What I will say, is that Spiritueuse Double Vanille is a much darker fragrance. The rum, balsams and tobacco really add depth to this fragrance. The performance and longevity are good and it lasts for most of the day with me (but is not the strongest). I don’t find this one completely gourmand however. I think it’s very wearable in many different scenarios (all year round).
I find the fragrance great for people who love the house of Guerlain as it has their signature vanilla accord. I think gourmand lovers would also like it as well, however for everyone else I think there are other fragrances that do what this does, and which come close to what this does, for less. In that regard, unless someone is a collector or a fan of Guerlain, I can’t see this being worth a full purchase. I do recognise that this was a big hit for Guerlain and many people loved it when it came out, but I feel that gourmand and oriental fragrances now are diverse enough with vanilla that you can get more value for what you pay for in terms of a vanilla fragrance. It’s a great fragrance though, that is for sure.
Хаттори – :
I was able to try this in the Guerlain botique and thought it smelled delicious. It seemed to last just a few hours. I kept comparing it to Les Couvent des Minimes while wearing it, and Les Couvent won. Les Couvent makes me happier and it lasts a heck of a lot longer, plus the sillage is greater with it.
Edit 9/18/17 I couldn’t stop thinking about this perfume and wanted to try it again to see if it did better where I live, and not the Desert in summer, which is where I first tried it. Now I LOVE this, and crave it. I went from buying a small sample to two decants. The warm, woodsy, delicious vanilla of this perfume does much better on me when it’s not 110!
I highly recommend this now as I find the scent too delicious to skip and the sillage and longevity are awesome.
likOwetty – :
Finally I bought a bottle of SDV. Earlier I had samples and I love this scent. Rich, soft, mild but absolutely there around you all day, warm, sexy, flirty. Not in you’re face – more of a teaser, that makes next person inhale and come closer.The Vanilla is sweet but not sugarsweet – just perfection. On my skin I can smell SDV about 12 hours, on my clothes a couple of days. Darn expensive – but worth every penny. If you can get a sample of this beauty -get it. Unisex towards feminine I think.
Äntligen har jag köpt en flaska av SDV. Tidigare hade jag samples och jag bara älskar denna doften. Rik, mild men absolut “här” runt dig hela dagen, varm, sexig, flirtig, Inte kraftig alls utan mer av en retsticka – nästa person drar in andan genom näsan och kommer närmare. Vaniljnoten är söt, men inte sockersöt- den är helt enkelt perfekt. På min hud känner jag doften i ca 12 timmar, på mina kläder sitter doften kvar några dagar. Extremt dyr – men värd varje öre. OM du kan komma över ett sample så testa den. Unisexdoft som drar åt kvinnligt i mitt tycke.
byby – :
The third and final bottle I picked up in Paris, I bought this for myself until I smelled Mon Precieux Nectar, then I decided to give this to my mother, who is enamored with it. Rum, vanilla, and spices, for grown up ladies. Couvant has been a big fave of mine for years, this is less sweet and more spicy, but of course similar. Update: tempted to steal this back from my mother, it lasts all day. 😛 At first, it’s spicy and rummy, it takes a while to reveal the vanilla, but when you catch of whiff of it after nearly and hour, it’s amazing. It smells ENTIRELY different from samples I’ve ordered in the past from places like Surrender to Chance. The samples were nearly pure tobacco (no wonder I didn’t love it), this contains none of that, is primarily peppery at first, with quite a bit of booze. My only update is that sadly this fades quickly on me, it’s gorgeous, then gone. Ugh.
savinkirill – :
Two most notable points here. Vanilla and an alcoholic incense. That’s it if you hate either you wont like this fragrance. I bought Cologne of the Missions first before revisiting this fragrance at a department store. And they DO NOT smell the SAME. Same being the key word. They have their similarities. Comparing a bottle of scotch with woody incense vanilla notes to a butter menthol they have similar undertones however the experience is entirely different. A visual image I would envision would be sitting in a whiskey bar having a casual conversation with younger – early middle ages single – engaged individuals no older. Amazing scent and if I was in that situation a winner next to oud wood for sure.
Scent 10/10
Projection 5/10 (appropriate)
Longevity 9/10
Creativity 9/10
Overall 9/10
nikolay_nikolay – :
Oh, wow. I spritzed a little of this on a couple hours ago and it seems to be getting stronger as time goes on. Its a boozy, resiny, but soft, sexy vanilla on me (not much incense). My skin brought out the cedar at first, but now its classic sophisticated Guerlain vanilla. Actually reminds me a lot of Van Cleef & Arpels Orchidee Vanille I used to have but which my skin ate and was unsmellable within 5 minutes. This is beautiful, and as a fan of both vanillas and Guerlain, this is probably my new signature. Its beautiful and warm in 80 degree sun right now, I can’t wait to see how this shines in colder weather. Only complaint: the atomizer on the bottle does not squirt out very much or very far, so if you like your perfume strong like I do, you’ll need extra sprays. Otherwise, this is a super sexy scent I think my husband will notice when he leans close to me — which is also perfect. (I also voted yes on the similarity to Diptyque Eau Duelle, which I also own and love – this is a bit like that but booze and cedar instead of cardamom, and a lot more longevity)
Fesenko50 – :
This is a boozy vanilla with some myrrh and incense. It has something slightly spicy yet sweet.
Quite an interesting take of vanilla as it has some delicacy and softness yet bit strong within.
shsa – :
Very lovely. That said, this is just more peppery Yves Rocher Vanille Noir. Which means two things: 1) SDV is humongously overpriced, 2) YRVN is very good indeed!
GrinM – :
Probably the best vanilla scent on the market… alluring, balsamic, sweet and a bit spicy. A very refined, classy scent.
8/10
N1KO – :
Like others have said, silage and longevity are not fantastic, especially for the price. I’m not on a quest for the perfect vanilla, but if I was, this would not be it. It’s nice, and pleasant, warm and good for layering, somewhat boozy which I like, but also very sweet initially, which I don’t like, and it has a “tea” note in it (not listed); it’s like a “vanilla tea.” I’ll layer it with some Shalimar or an incense. BTW–I do not smell the incense, a faint whiff of cedar and peppercorns, but no strong incense. Try before you buy.
striukov – :
I’m beginning to think people just hype this because its a Guerlain. I’ve never been so underwhelmed by such a popular fragrance in my life. This was supposed to be the vanilla to end all vanillas. I’d rather wear bath and body works. Thats how this smells.
kosty56 – :
I really like vanilla and I really like scents that remind me of Catholic Church so I thought this would be a love. However, the strangest thing happened to me, the first twenty minutes all I could smell was the sweet, sickly, starchy, earthy juice of cutting into a potato that has started to rot. I couldn’t get beyond it. Never mind me though, I’ve decided I have the oddest sense of smell.
tgm110speagoessenda – :
Very nice and lasting. I sometimes use it to amplify other parfumes, e.g. Cuir Beluga
Giliu3 – :
Decanted sample worn at 21 degrees C.
Hmm… Spiriteuese DV seems nice enough but with the cult status and pricetag to match this fragrance wasnt the piece de resistance expected.
It IS pretty and a natural smelling dark bodied vanilla. An initial hint of lime at the opening and an hour in the florals start to waft ever so slightly amid the vanilla which eventually becomes less and less dense. Frankly though, I wanted the vanilla to have more resonance. For it to drift through different stages and perhaps be a bit more spirited and lively. Pun intended. For it to rise off the skin a little more and enchant. As it is Im getting about 4hrs of close to the skin scent.
I will take others advice and use it in layering.
moroz1012 – :
A Dark, boozy & warm vanilla scent.
This is my favorite vanilla based fragrance.
This fragrance is not overly sweet as some other vanilla fragrances. It comes off slightly smoky, warm and boozy.
The longevity is excellent on this but the projection and silage are moderate.
Performance: 8/10
Overall score: 9.0/10
adik76 – :
Smells nice, lasts up to 30 minutes..
I find Guerlain to be the most overrated house on fragrance forums.
argon11 – :
Very nice. Touche’.. this just smells so rich! I wouldnt call it signature material or a favorite even, but i wear it a lot. If a perfume were a diamond, it would be this. It Reminds me of gold and riches. The gold bottle, and the juice inside, so lush and dulcet. I love how it looks on my dresser especially. If you like pretty bottles, this is a very nice addition to your collection aesthetically. maybe I am over rating it a bit, just because I paid so much money for it lol. Who know whats going on subconsciously. But consciously, I like it very much! But, I will say that yes, it was still expensive– but I got it at a great discounted price from a perfume lover like myself! Otherwise, I would’ve never paid the 300-400$ for this. I’m sorry, but it’s just not worth that. There’s many things that smell similar to it, with a much cheaper price tag. So I’m not sure if I would recommend buying it. Perhaps if you get a good deal on it, but there’s many other expensive perfumes out there more worthy of your hard earned money. But hello, it’s still GUERLAIN. I don’t know about you guys, but Just the idea of owning Guerlain perfumes, makes me feel like a Queen. I find it funny though, with all the notes listed in combination with Guerlain’s master perfume expertise, that all I can obviously smell is very sweet Vanilla–straight up vanilla extract… and peeking through with some hints of Benzoin and Incense. but that’s ok with me! I prefer it this way… i love VANILLA–I could care less about some hidden floral/fruity notes ;). I definitely recommend this.
MoLoY – :
It is with the most respectful voice that I am saying that Spiritueuse Double Vanille is nothing special at all. No, that’s not quite true. SDV is something, but not enough of that something. The ingredients are there when one first sprays it on, incense, benzoin and VANILLA (I didn’t get any rose or pepper corns at all). However, just a few minutes later after two very generous sprays on both wrists (not rubbed together), it was down to a skin scent. I was very disappointed, but relieved too. If I had really loved this, and found it to be a rich, creamy, vanilla with beastly projection and sillage I would have slapped down my $399.00 for the bottle. However, it was not and I would also say, it’s just plain not worth $400.00 for a bottle of this weak juice. For that amount of money I want to smell this on my skin when I wake up the next day. I want it to be THE vanilla scent in my collection. But it’s not. So my quest for the stand-out vanilla scent continues…
AS_007 – :
This is my second review of this sublime fragrance, with my first being based on a decant. I now have a bottle of this in my possession, the newer one with the bulb atomiser. First of all, its jewellery style leatherette box is amazing, so stylish and elegant. The bulb atomiser I am not entirely sure of, it seems safe from a leakage point of view but the spraying process is a bit random and awkward (cannot predict where the actual perfume will land on the skin).
As for the perfume itself, now I see what the dark qualities of SDV are. The woods are very present here, whereas on my decant it seems as if that accord had evaporated in the decanting process. It feels smooth, dark but not overbearingly so, serious but playful, unisex but graceful, just right. The only negative I find about it is its price. Other than that it’s perfect.
zmey696 – :
This is one of my all-time favourite perfumes, a boozy and smoky vanilla, between vanilla extract and rum.
I had a sample of this perfume, but couldn’t afford such an expensive perfume.
I tried Perfume Parlour’s spray version, haven’t stopped wearing it for a few days, I’m so impressed! The smokiness is there from the beginning, it settles down quickly to the gorgeous vanilla-rum I remember, and the slightly sweet vanilla drydown is amazing, I can smell it the day after I sprayed it. I may have found a new signature!
vervolf321 – :
I always loved vanilla. This fragrance is nice, soft, not sticky, but I just can’t “smell the price”. I don’t get the hype about it. If it was quarter the price, I’d be raving about it. X
gorpi – :
I think I adore this
proger.13 – :
Simple, beautifully made, expensive but clearly full of natural materials, Spritueuse Double Vanille is essentially a vanilla soliflore. How you feel about that depends on how much you already like vanilla, but it’s not meant to challenge you or say anything new on the subject.
salabunny – :
From what I’ve tried from Guerlain’s L’Art et la matiere collection, this one gets my biggest respect. Despite of a simple pyramid, Double Vanille took my breath away after the first spray. Mind you, I’m not the biggest vanilla lover, but I can hardly remember another vanilla perfume that would smell so luxurious. You need just a drop of Spiritueuse to smell it whole day and night… To make heads turn… To make you put your most elegant outfit on instead of jeans and plimsoles.
It’s not heavy and complicated, but rich, dense, concentrated… It’s a quality of materials that makes a difference here.
In my opinion, vanilla is a very tricky note. It’s difficult to make it dominant without a whole composition ending to smell like a delicious pie. Even the best vanilla scents smell warm, cuddly, inviting, but never so exquisite and luxurious.This one really stands out! A masterpiece!
tonoAxiomoTom – :
@lito2 I have it and I totally agree when I went there to buy SDV they suggested the same and I found it amazing really. You should try it guys layer bother SDV with gourmant coculin.
solujn – :
It combines incredibly well with other fragrances. It increases the duration of them a lot and gives them a great deal of depth. My favorite combination is with Gourmand Coquin, together form a foolproof Duet!
It has a magnificent composition for this purpose.
jbeueipcmzq – :
“Spiritueuse Double Vanille” is really nothing special and I’m amazed by the reviews and the outrageous price people are willing to pay for it. It smells like so many other fragrances I have tried and dismissed…
(・_・ヾ
My hopes were for something dark, smoky and subtly sweet, but SDV is straight up bright, syrupy vanilla bean (which put me on edge immediately as I had sprayed it on my way into work!). The opening has a slightly pinched, mentholated quality, which I thought was attributable to rum, but as I’m seeing now is just a sharp dose of bergamot. I don’t detect any floral notes and nor do I pick up on any incense, regrettably. What I do get occasionally is a saccharine woodiness that reminds me of a wet ice-cream stick.
As it wears on, the thick, gooey texture retreats and the sweetness becomes drier and slightly dusty. From here on it smells exactly like fine cherry pipe tobacco mixed with a waxy Yankee candle. In other words: nice, cosy and oh, so boring.
It’s in the same ball park as “Herod” by Parfums de Marly or “Xocoatl” by Fueguia. Just flat, stodgy vanilla&tobacco that feels very appropriate for a Christmas party…but nowhere else.
Save your money.
Дим-Ка – :
So I finally have a decant of this much-hyped fragrance and my verdict after testing it 3 times at different occasions is…. I don’t know.
My first reaction upon spraying was: “Really?? This is what all the perfumistas are raving about and praising endlessly?”
This is nice, yes, a great smokey, full, vanilla but longevity isn’t great, I get around 4-5 hours and projection is moderate. It’s also quite linear and the smoke, in my opinion gets old after a while.
Nah, I’ll wear my decant a few times more, like, it’s not a bad perfume, far from it, but for the price, yup, take your family for dinner and buy either of these:
Smokey:
1. Raghba from Lattafa (Which this reminds me most of)
2. Vanille noir from LD (a bit smokier)
3. CdM from le couvent (I prefer this times 100)
4. Vanille Noir from Yves Rocher
Seriously, to me, this is WAY overhyped, sorry fans.
свидетелев – :
Probably the most beautiful vanilla of the perfume market.
It sublimates all the vanilla absolute facets, from the vanillin and sweet one, to the liquorous side, including spicy and woody tobacco tones.
One of my favorite fragrances, after Habanita and L’Heure Bleue.
gsiyfzktyf – :
IMHO this is the best vanilla ever created. I live in the Toronto area and Guerlain store just informed me that they deliver free in Canada and the northern US. The 75ml is approx. $275Cdn and they are very generous with their 10ml samples. Hope this helps because the eBay prices are ridiculous! Enjoy 🙂
tsh469speagoessenda – :
Great longevity and sillage, and a really lovely Vanilla/Incense fragrance, but Vanilla/Incense is really all I can smell, no Jasmin or Ylang Ylang at all. I LOVE Cedar in my perfumes, but this was just the tiniest bit that it was hardly noticable, the Vanilla + Incense (beautiful though it is) overtook all the other notes. It has that unmistakable Guerlain-esque beautiful smell to it, but on spraying it, I couldn’t decide if I just ‘Liked’ it or ‘Loved’ it, and to me that’s a sign that I only ‘Like’ it, because if I loved it, it would be instant, like with all my other Guerlains…sadly this just isnt a love for me. I really like it a lot, but to me it’s just not FBW.
dimastiy – :
Guerlain’s Spiritueuse Double Vanille is a superb vanilla composition, occupying a space somewhat less boozy than Tauerville’s Vanilla Flash but less floral than Dame Perfumery’s Black Flower Mexican Vanilla.
I do get some incense and cedar but the other notes escape me. For me, SDV is overwhelmingly vanilla and it is the vanilla that shines through well into the dry down over any other aspects.
I agree with the consensus that this leans toward colder weather use, but it’s the type of vanilla (not too gourmandish) that makes it accessible in warmer weather, as well, though I imagine fewer sprays are desired. Versatile as well in gender, while it seems to me marketed more toward women, this is surely unisex and a gem for men like me that enjoy sweeter fragrances in general and vanilla-based fragrances specifically.
Strong on projection and longevity, this is a classy expression of vanilla that needs to be tried, perhaps the best I’ve come across so far. Obviously pricier ($260 for 75ml) than brethren like Vanilla Flash ($63 for 30ml) or Dame BFMV ($65 for 50ml), SDV is worth trying to see if you prefer it.
9 out of 10
nisa0504 – :
A rich vanilla but not too sweet or cloying. This is how other perfumers should strive to represent their Vanilla.
ssttaass – :
I first smelled this gem at the guerlain boutique in champs elysees, Paris …
While i Heard so many great things about tonka imperial, I decided to sample that one first and it actually didn’t do much for me. Spiritueuse double vanille is the only fragrance that blew me away out of the l’art et la matiere line. Now don’t get me wrong this line has some great fragrances such as cuir beluga or angelique noire but SDW is the only one that had a wow effect on me.
Very luxurious,sophisticated not overly sweet boozy vanilla (which makes it unisex to me) coupled with benzoin and a noticeable cedar in the opening.
The melange of Floral notes and incense comes forward 30 minutes later in to the composition. While still maintaining that great balance i get some pepper here and there that gives it a mouthwatering kick…A masterpiece.
In the dry down you are pretty much left with vanilla and incense with a little bit of rose while that booziness from the very opening is still lingering around weaker though …
Projection and longevity are both average but you dont need to reapply this as even in the drydown the scent will still be noticeable paired with your own body smell and keeps you confident .
Best for fall’s romantic dinners or if you want to make an impression to the opposite sex.
10/10.
DjMarsel007 – :
This one does bear some similarity to Cologne of the Missions Couvent de Minimes, but I don’t feel they’re identical. The Couvent is much more sweet, really a gourmand. Spiriteuse has a large amount of cedar and smoke notes that immediately come through. I would say they’re very predominant notes on my skin. It does have a sweet vanilla base that is not as boozy as the Couvent.
So with that comparison, I think I much prefer the Guerlain Spiriteuse. It smells deeper and more interesting with its smoky cedar. The vanilla smells more natural, not edible, not with a candy sweetness. The first hour can be a little harsh with the cedar if you’re sensitive to it, but on drydown after that it’s very beautiful.
alcapone – :
Personally one of my favourite vanilla scents ever, it’s beautiful.. but the performance is terrible, I get 3 hours and it’s gone.. I would never buy it, but I keep a 5ml decant just to smell it now and again.
ivser – :
this is by far one of the most perfect and delightful vanilla scents I have encountered, and being a major vanilla lover i have a lot…to say the least…;p
..this is FB worthy. it is sugary, exotic and rich vanilla bean/mexican vanilla type of vanilla on me with layers of notes revealing themselves as the clock ticks…i get spice and woods, tease of fruit and then there is the incense – all the while enveloped by the sensual, high-end vanilla. This makes me picture rolling around in decadent, fluffy, spiced, warm vanilla bean, mexican vanilla custard that has just recently been flamed (like creme brulee);therefore, a thin layer of smoke (the incense) hovers wispy, curling just above, the way an early morning fog hugs close to the ground. Despite my description I don’t smell ‘foody’ or crave to eat dessert! Oh what a masterpiece of a vanilla perfume
xxxrufikxxx – :
Sorry, but this is too expensive, too boring and too one dimensinal.
This is a generic vanilla fragrance that even doesn´t come close to some 5 Euro fragrances which are upon the topic vanilla.
Only positive about GSDV is that is last long.
4e6irs – :
Boozy and smoky warm vanilla, I feel like there is missing a rum note somewhere in the pyramid above. Pink pepper with its rose-like notes and rose itself playing in the background, together with the benzoin and woody notes, it creates a very warm but dry, timeless scent perfect for winter time. A safe card for me!
angasolka – :
Of course, Spiritueuse Double Vanille is wonderful. At times, it’s the best true vanilla I’ve ever smelled – I don’t know how it does it, but it manages to smell at the same time almost exactly like actual vanilla extract and miraculously mature, elegant and restrained. At other times a lovely, heady, fruity booziness which is just as seductive takes over. In the end both those aspects blend together beautifully, and some extra smoke comes into the picture to add an extra layer. Every whiff of it is pure heaven, delicious and luxurious and cosy.
So even though I was put off by my colleague bursting out “Yuck, who’s drinking hot chocolate?!” when he walked into the office the first time I