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tolstun-3 – :
An unpleasant hot boozy mess initially, the drydown (hours later) was much nicer.
sava-igor – :
On my skin it turned out to be a soft vanilla fragrance with just a bit of spicy chocolate in it. It’s only slightly sweet, and it is smooth and delicious. My skin type is such that I can t feel the smokiness or extreme sweetness. Anyway, on me Vaniglia lies extremely close to the skin and lasts a long. I found it to be a nice, yummy, warm personal fragrance.
cherepanov_av – :
When first applying it, this scent was seemed alcoholic, like a spicy gin cocktail with lemon in the topnotes. However, the progress of this fragrance is adoring. The middle notes and base notes start to come out and when the scent dries down, I can feel the intens vanilla with cacao in the background. The cacao gives the scent this dark incense quality that is unique in my experience.
Overall, I do not find this scent too sweet. It’s very darkly soft and has good longevity, surprising for a cologne. The vanilla is really beautiful, strong like an actual vanilla pod, but without the sugar. I like this fragrance more each time I put it on. It has surprising depth for a cologne.
ZARATYSTRIK – :
Yes, the perfect vanilla is right! People are paying much more and missing this house. This goes on a blast of alcohol, booze and sweet vanilla but in seconds dries down to a dry vanilla cooking vanilla. So smooth and rounded with the cocao in it. Vanilla without being overtly gourmand. This is a vanilla haters vanilla and a vanilla lovers heaven.
P.S. I have the vintage with the foil label not the modern pictured above. Not sure if formulas have changed.
Status – :
Whilst on a quest for the perfect vanilla I came across this beauty in store. I tested it on the back of my hand and accidently got some on my coat. The fragrance lingered on my coat for months! It smells amazing to me and pretty linear. Once I save up my pennies I will be back for it.
hristo – :
I can attest that if you are looking for a true vanilla, this will disappoint you. I thought I would like this when I read the Notes, but there was a dark, smoky component to this that I just couldn’t handle, but I abhore smoky smells. I think I was expecting nutmeg or cardamom spices, and got something like incense instead. Bummer.
kapael – :
This smells so similar to Lush’s Vanillary from afar that I kept thinking I was wearing it or I had taken a trip to the Lush store. I like this better though. I get powdery tonka, sandalwood and smokey vanilla pod, strong and enveloping. Definitely a vanilla scent on me. I find some similarities to the smokey vanilla powdery scent I get from Shalimar. It’s a different, more vintage take on vanilla that is really beautiful in my opinion. I really like this! I plan to save up and hopefully get myself a bottle. Good sillage and longevity.
Just a note, for some reason when you first spray this high-pitched slightly fishy scent comes out. This burns off quickly and you can’t smell it after a few minutes.
GreGrey – :
sick and boring
to me it was like an old air freshener
can’t find any charm or delicacy
(the staff said it is single note perfume, but unfortunately I can’t feel the depth either)
bimbom – :
Finally. A primarily Vanilla fragrance that I love. No, scratch that…. Adore!!!
Vaniglia is my latest exploration of the House of Santa Maria Novella. These are all such natural, slightly unusual fragrances.
Vaniglia is a beautiful, very slightly sweet vanilla, touched by cocoa and spices. It really (really) smells like a high quality vanilla extrait being poured into a sublime batter of extra special cookies or cakes. These cookies are the one’s made at our in-house bakery… only the best spices, butter… maybe decorated with edible gold… branches of vanilla pod, perhaps?
It is not gourmand, to me, more Oriental with a capital “O”. Do I sense some distant resemblance to Shalimar Original? A bit, yes. That is a Good Thing.
pai107 – :
This is melted Mexican Vanilla ice cream mixed with chocolate liqueur and topped with sweetened whipped cream. A delight for some, too rich for others…
maksim78 – :
Tried again. Realized that the initial hit that turned me off last time is actually a very strong incense scent on me. I let it dry down, still only smell the incense, not the vanilla. Not a warm vanilla on me at all. Staying power is – unfortunately – quite good, the scent continues to linger on my skin even after repeated washings.
madein – :
Not a good perfume for me. Smeels very synthetic, didn’t get much vanilla out of it on me at all. It smells… wet. Like vanilla got stuck somewhere and got wet.
regauposter777 – :
This one did not work with my skin. I was wanting to love it but unfortunately it was unwilling to love me back. Well…you win some…you lose some!!! The first blast out of the bottle was a rush of alcohol. It settled down after a few minutes but an hour later I have this strange synthetic almost plastic note. Plastic not leather. It has to be the way the spices are blending on my arm but unfortunately I get no cacao and definitely no soft incense or vanilla.
nikolay11 – :
On my skin this turned out to be a soft vanilla fragrance with just a bit of spicy chocolate thrown in. It reminds me of a Tootsie Roll :)) It’s only slightly sweet, and it is smooth and delicious. My skin chemistry is such that I do not get any of the smokiness or extreme sweetness that some of the other reviewers experienced – or maybe I am strangely anosmic to those qualities, I don’t know. Anyway, on me Vaniglia lies extremely close to the skin and lasts a long time. I found it to be a nice, yummy, warm personal fragrance.
romiros – :
On me, I get a ton of vanilla, but also something smokey in the background. I don’t get any sweet notes from this. Slightly powdery. I would not purchase again, and probably will sell this off. It’s not feminine enough for me. It smells like old men at the pool hall with their fedora’s on, cigar smoke lingering in the air in the back of the pool tables. Yep, I visited the pool halls only to purchase comic books when I was younger, I was too afraid to look in the back, but when I got older, I used to hang out in another one, and this cologne reminds me of that. I think it’s better suited for a man. Not a young man either, this is old man’s elixir.
HVV83 – :
On initial application this scent was very alcoholish, like a spicy gin cocktail with lemon in the topnotes. However, the development of this fragrance is lovely. The middle notes and base notes start to come out and when the scent dries down it is a lovely very spicy, incensy vanilla with cacao in the background. The cacao gives the scent this dark incense quality that is unique in my experience. It is not a sweet chocolate at all.
Overall, I do not find this scent too sweet. It’s very darkly soft and has good longevity, surprising for a cologne. The vanilla is really beautiful, strong like an actual vanilla pod, but without the sugar. I like this fragrance more each time I put it on. It has surprising depth for a cologne. A man could definitely rock this with no problem at all.
roman532 – :
I’m still in a slight state of shock. I never expected to smell such a sweet vanilla scent. Actually it’s sweeter than sweet, it smells almost like a bag of icing sugar.
It’s hard to detect the vanilla in Santa Maria Novella’s Vaniglia. It seems to be smothered by a variety of sweet accords; soft incense, sugary powder and banana lollies. If you’re not looking for the perfect vanilla, then this fragrance is enjoyably different, but for vanilla lovers seeking vanilla in all its glory, this fragrance could be a disappointment.
In all honesty, I’m not a huge fan of the sugary and powdery opening, but I do like it once it reaches the heart. Vaniglia becomes increasingly spicier and smokier as it settles on the skin. Very unique in its approach and strangely sensual.
It’s somewhat of an acquired taste in some ways. It’s not something that I initially liked, yet the more I subject myself to smelling it, the more it grows on me. The spicy and musky accords really make Vaniglia an interesting experience on the skin. After five hours of wear, the scent is still there but very subtle, as you would expect from a cologne.
Throughout Vaniglia’s development, I really didn’t sense any strong vanilla accords, however I did smell it every now and then, lingering in the background, not necessarily wanting to be found. Sugar, spices, powder and smoky incense is a more realistic scent description.
opex2114 – :
The vanilla is not too sweet and I smelled something like incense in the fragrance. For a minute, it reminded me of Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens, but without the heavy smoky notes. The lasting power in this was excellent and I am very surprised because it’s a cologne.