Maison Tahite Vanillade teases with an opening of citrus and almond, but it ends up a mostly linear fragrance that is centered around creamy vanilla; it vacillates between creamier and milkier, sweeter and slightly nutty, and eventually, in the drydown, slightly more of a spiced vanilla.
Vanillade Notes
It is described as a mix of “citrus fruits, sweet flowers, and resins” with “hints of patchouli and benzoin.” These are the notes:
- top notes: citrus peel, almond flower, coconut flower
- heart notes: vanilla flower, vanilla
- base notes: patchouli, benzoin resinoid, vanilla, musks
What does Vanillade Smell Like?
It opened with a touch of acetone mixed with bitter citrus and creamy almond. The acetone facet receded after a minute, which left behind a soft, citrus floral scent that had a creaminess to it. The fragrance became creamier, milkier, and more vanilla over the next 15 minutes with more of a hint of citrus but vanilla was, as expected, the star and the citrus was really just an opening act.
The first two and a half hours were when the vanilla was smooth, creamy, and milky with a hint of citrus that faded and left behind a subtle almondy facet. After that, which was more in the drydown given the short duration this lasted on me, where the almond faded and the vanilla grew slightly darker and sweeter with a subtle spice to it.
Longevity
It lasted for three hours until it was a skin-scent and about six hours before it was quite difficult to detect on my skin. The sillage and projection were quite light from the beginning.
Personal Notes
It was a more linear, straight-forward scent that was mostly vanilla and cream with a hint of resinous sweetness that kept it from being sugary-sweet, though it was quite gourmand and a bit like vanilla ice cream at times. For me, the lack of longevity on my skin, even as a skin scent, was a deal-breaker, and for vanilla fragrances, I still prefer Loree Rodkin’s Gothic I and Diptyque’s Eau Duelle.
These are more subjective feelings based on what I like (or don’t like) in a perfume as well as considering the fragrance against other perfumes I own and love.
Testing Methodology
For testing, I used three sprays from the sample vial (from the brand’s discovery set) applied to underside and topside of my wrist area. I used an unscented moisturizer prior to applying the scent as I found scent did not hold well here otherwise.
I purchased my sample in January 2022; fragrances are known to be reformulated over their lifetime, so be mindful of when a review was made, e.g. a review from 2010 may not reflect what the same-named perfume smells like in 2022.
Availability
Vanillade is available for $120/100ml.
If possible, I highly recommend trying a fragrance before purchasing a full bottle because fragrance can wear differently just because of skin chemistry. Skin chemistry can effect not just the longevity of a fragrance but also what notes are prominent or hidden.
Vanillade Samples
We recommend the following retailers for purchasing decanted samples (typically 0.7ml to 2ml in size). This is a fuller list, so individual availability may depend on inventory.
Where to Buy
Source by www.temptalia.com