Yves Rocher Secrets D'Essences Vanille Noire EDP* (£49.00, £24.50)
I am still obsessed with everything vanilla and I don't think I will ever get tired of it! The latest addition to my 'vanilla centric' perfume collection is Secrets D'Essences Vanille Noire by Yves Rocher, but unfortunately it isn't what I was looking for.
First of all, the bottle is gorgeous! I love the shape, the colour and all the finishing touches. The fragrance is described as a combination of sensual & leathery notes of Vanilla Bourbon Absolute, sweet & floral Tahitian Vanilla Absolute and woody Ugandan Vanilla Absolute. I am not sure why I expected this EDP to be simply vanilla, but it definitely isn't this kind of scent. As soon as I spray it onto my skin, I can smell strong woody, smokey(?) notes that remind me of cigarette smoke or a campfire. Obviously, the traditional vanilla scent is still there, but I noticed that after a while I just smell tobacco, which isn't nice in my opinion. I hate cigarettes with a passion so this was the biggest disappointment I could possibly imagine and something I did not expect.
After trying Secrets D'Essences Vanille Noire and feeling seriously confused, I had a look at reviews on fragrantica and some people feel the same way and find it too smokey, earthy and tobacco-y. Someone even described it as the smell of 'cigarette butts'. It's not that bad, but it is not for people who absolutely hate the smell of cigarette smoke.
Like every fragrance, Secrets D'Essences Vanille Noire will smell slightly different on everyone's skin, so it could be perfect for you, as some people absolutely love it.
After trying Secrets D'Essences Vanille Noire and feeling seriously confused, I had a look at reviews on fragrantica and some people feel the same way and find it too smokey, earthy and tobacco-y. Someone even described it as the smell of 'cigarette butts'. It's not that bad, but it is not for people who absolutely hate the smell of cigarette smoke.
Like every fragrance, Secrets D'Essences Vanille Noire will smell slightly different on everyone's skin, so it could be perfect for you, as some people absolutely love it.
Have you ever tried a fragrance with a strong smokey note? I haven't, so I am a little bit sad, because I wanted to love this EDP.
Available from www.yves-rocher.co.uk, currently half price.
*PR sample
