The background: French niche line Comptoir Sud Pacifique released Vanille Banane in 2003. At that time, the brand had a bit of a cult following for their various vanilla + fruit blends, none of which I cared for (although I still wear two early Comptoir Sud Pacifique fragrances, Aqua Motu and L’Eau du Gouverneur). I doubt I even tried Vanille Banane. In due course it was discontinued, then in 2018 they brought it back…
I should have written this post weeks ago, when we had a brief period of glorious summer weather. Other than that, it’s been a rather odd summer, weather-wise, after a rather odd spring. At the moment, we’re having the usual heat and humidity you’d expect in August, but far more gray, gloomy days than usual for this time of year, and we seem to be on a daily thunderstorm schedule. But onward and upward: this is the last of my seasonal vanilla posts, since I’ve already done fall, winter and spring. As always, do chime in with your own picks in the comments!
Diptyque Eau Duelle: The vanilla martini top notes are perfect, and even though I don’t love the dry down (a quiet hum of tea and spice) quite as well, Eau Duelle would be my first choice for a vanilla that can take the heat of high summer…
Just imagine: enchanting peonies, transformed into invisible irezumi to beautify the skin and its surroundings.
This is the introductory line in the press release for Geisha Botan, the newest fragrance from independent perfume house Aroma M.1 This scent is an homage to the peony (“botan” in Japanese) and its cultural significance in Japan and China, where the peony is an auspicious motif and has appeared for centuries in art forms from porcelain and tapestry to printmaking and, yes, traditional tattoos.
The mention of irezumi (tattoos) and these other visual arts is telling, because Botan is much more an artistic interpretation of the peony’s color and texture than a literal recreation of its scent…
It’s been a very odd spring in my little corner of Pennsylvania: first way too cold, then way too hot, and only just recently approaching the happy sort of spring temperatures I look forward to all winter. That’s probably made it a little easier to think about which vanilla perfumes might work best for the gamut of spring weather (I’ve already covered fall and winter). As always, do chime in with your own picks in the comments!
Aedes de Venustas Cierge de Lune: With a creamy powder finish and a hint of warm amber, Cierge de Lune is probably best suited to the cooler days of spring…
Happy Vanilla Friday! (Plus, happy Popcorn Day, and happy birthday to Dolly Parton.) Our community project for today: wear a fragrance with vanilla.
What fragrance did you pick? As always, do chime in with your scent of the day even if you’re not participating in the community project.
I went with Imaginary Authors Memoirs of a Trespasser…