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Kate Apted
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G’day APJ folk!
Vanilla? Yuck, no thanks!
I hate vanilla in perfumes. End of story. It belongs in foods and reminds me of endlessly of vanilla ice cream and vanilla flavoured rice puddings. Just don’t bring me a bottle and ask me to try it if it is vanilla centred. But then one day…
I bought a sample set of Mark Evans’ Evocative Perfumes; the alcohol based scents. Out of a solid sense of duty to the effort gone by Mark to make all the scents in the pack, I felt I owed it to him to try every single scent. Even the dreaded one called Vanille Tonique. I sprayed with my breath held and forgot I was even wearing it minutes later.
Vanille Tonique by Evocative Perfumes 2014
Vanille Tonique by Mark Evans
Vanile Tonique begins in a very humble, quiet way. There is nothing booming about it in the way some other vanillas open. It eased its way to my nose about 15 minutes later with a slightly spiced, non sweet glow. I actually had to wrack my brain to think of what I was wearing. I was running errands that day and quite busy, so it had slipped my mind. I got home to find out what I had sprayed. Aha! Vanille Tonique. Oh. No.
I lasted out the few hours of the day til shower time to gauge the development of Vanile Tonique; desperate to find a reason to hate it. I sprayed all of Mark’s other creations on cards and tried each of them again. As much as I love several other of Mark’s scents nothing captured me quite like Vanille. I had to admit by shower time that the mildly buttery development and the simmering spices were a love. My body heat had amped up the voracity of the whole composition without once making the vanilla sweet or overpowering. And though not a powerhouse, it had accompanied me in my shadow the whole 6 hours. It had trailed off to a skin scent by 5 hours, but I find I get bored of scents by then.
PDI
A week later, at Tafe, I had been craving something, but I wasn’t sure what. I grabbed a few of the Evocative samples and smelled them at all the red lights on my way to Tafe. Vanille Tonique still stood out. It was exactly what I was after. I ordered a bottle during my break and as I ate my food, I pondered on what had shifted in me. I smelled my arm and it did not interfere with my appetite.
One of the things I totally deplore about sweet, gourmandish scents is that they do affect my desire to eat. As a half-arsed body builder (that is another story), I have to fit a certain number of calories into my day. Vanille Tonique doesn’t ever interfere with my food and appetite. As projection is arm’s length, and the spices are what bring the subtle heat, the vanilla is left to be what it is. Just a delightful, somewhat sensual, warm glow that does not have that hyper vanilla of ice cream.
PDI
Further reading: Australian Perfume Junkies
Evocative Perfumes has $40/12ml oil + Samples from $4
Are there any gateway scents that have completely spun you around? Are there any notes you still won’t try?
Kate xxx
Australian Perfume Junkies 
Great choice from the Evocative Perfumes line Kate,
I have a bottle of this on in my collection and LOVE it.
Gateway? I think L’Eau d’Issey Pour Homme Intense has reignited my love of aquatics.
Portia xx
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Funnily, Portia, I do not associate aquatics with you. L’Ed’IPH has floored me a bit! Still, best of that genre. Kxx
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Yeah, it surprised me too but we love what we love.
Now I’m looking for other aquatics that might be fun.
Portia xx
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Yay!!! Converted! Yummy vanillas – so soothing and “feel good”. I love my gourmands,but I was a floral/citrus person all my life until…Tauerville Vanilla Flash. Changed my life. Stirred my interest in fragrances, taught me that almost all scents can be unisex, and sent me down the rabbit hole to where I am now. Dishing out $$$$ for fragrances I simply must have, discovering new wonderful notes and then having to find more. And making wonderful new friends along the way. Beautifully written Kate. More please.
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I too love vanillas and a few other gourmands. Reading your reply, I realize I have never tried Tauer’s vanilla and am wondering what I’m missing. I will have to remedy that 🙂
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Awww, Monsie, I think of homebaked vanilla angel cake and it brings you to mind. Hope your day is bringing that reprieve. Kxx
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The only note that really turns me off is the celery/immortelle note. Does that read as sweaty? Or is that cumin…anyway they live in my spice drawer, not my perfume cabinet!
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Jackie, it seems this combo is a real polarising one. People tend to love it or hate it. But I’m the same with cumin. Divine in a great curry; not so yummy on me. K xx
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I have always loved perfumes as has my mom. But what sent me down the rabbit hole was less a scent but rather a book, Coming to my Senses by Alyssa Harad. I had never realized there was a whole community of perfumistas out there that I could be part of. And then when I heard about all the niche perfumes that I knew nothing about, I was lost-as was my pocketbook 🙂
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Ha! You have joined an elite group, Kandice! Interesting you found this hobby via a book. Are you part of any online groups? Or split/swap groups? Kxx
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No. Just follow some of the blogs. When I have time, I will have to look for some online swap/split groups. That would be fun, and I don’t usually buy full bottles anyway.
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Ha– I’ve had those conversion moments. Actually vanilla is not my favorite scent, and I’m only keen on gourmands usually at night before bed (weird). I have found a few vanillas I like such as Mona de Orio Vanilla. Gateway to green crunchy crisp scents (not usually a favorite) was Masque Milano Romanza. Got a decant, used it all up. Got another decant, used it all up. I finally threw for a FB. It’s not my usual incense/amber wood love, but I’m addicted to it. This is why I think it’s important to try a few new offerings even if they don’t fit our usual profile, so I will try anything scentwise once, sometimes twice, and I try not to scrub (though I was sorely tested the other day with a Montale Bois Vanille, while we’re on the topic of vanillas–in my top (bottom?) 5 WORST ever perfumes, and my standards are not as high as others here…). I do like Tauer Vanilla flash for some kicky fun, and its pricepoint is so reasonable.
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I admit I’m yet to actively expand my vanilla experimentation. I am very content with Mark’s Vanille, but I was given a bottle of Dior’s Addict edp from the formulation before the current. It is so much like rice pudding I cook. It is lovely, but I have to layer it with a little floral. I should do a Tauer flash sample set. One day…
I had pegged you for a more opulent, spicy scent lover, so it is a surprise you took to a crunchy green scent. Has it opened up the door to more of that genre?
K xx
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That was a nice treat to see this article pop up in my feed – thank you for the wonderful write-up, Kate. I had wanted to create a pure vanilla perfume since first smelling Vanilia by L’Artisan which blew my mind at the time. Vanille Tonique actually has quite a bit of frankincense in it which balances surprisingly well with vanilla and cancels out some of the sweetness. Glad you enjoy it 🙂
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Oh Mark! If you only knew where your scents have ended up…. I took some to work to keep in my tool box. A few are FABULOUS for the hot weather and are perfectly ok to wear inside truck cabs. We have to be careful with new trucks and scents, you see.
Anyway, yours have been used to add a little pizzaz to some cabs that have been quite challenging to sit in. The boys grab the samples and are happy to spritz the cabs! So, some truckie in far north QLD has been in olfactory heaven.
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Haha that’s great! Good to hear of truckies enjoying niche perfumes.
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