Perfume Notes: Lavanila Vanilla Coconut, Marc Jacobs Pomegranate, Biscotti - Beauty Addict

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Perfume Notes: Lavanila Vanilla Coconut, Marc Jacobs Pomegranate, Biscotti

Did you catch last week's edition of Perfume Notes? Time and energy permitting, I'm attempting to try a couple (or three) fragrances every week and bring you some quick reviews. This week's sniffage:

  • Lavanila Vanilla Coconut: I had majorly high hopes for this, and really thought it was going to be love at first sniff. I have issues with many coconut-centric scents; I find them to be somewhat stuffy and not true to the scent of an actual coconut. But when I tried the Lavanila, I was impressed by the boozy, bourbon vanilla and sweet coconut undertones. Unfortunately, that only lasted about five minutes. Soon, the vanilla was almost completely gone, leaving behind a pedestrian, stuffy, plasticky coconut. The vanilla returned a few hours later in the drydown, but at that point I was already disappointed. For $58, it just isn't worth it for me. For a better (and cheaper) vanilla coconut, I recommend the Coconut + Vanilla Bean products from aerie's Botanicals collection.

  • Marc Jacobs Pomegranate: One of three from MJ's Patisserie Splash collection, Pomegranate doesn't smell exactly like the fruit, but it's lovely in its own way. It reminds me of a classic colgone, with plenty of green citrus, fresh but slightly tart and bitter. Aha - and there's bergamot and rhubarb right there in the notes, so that explains that. Very wearable and refreshing on a hot summer day. Notes include pomegranate, mandarin blossom, bergamot, rhubarb, violet, musk, vanilla, amber, and exotic fruit accord.

  • Marc Jacobs Biscotti: Another from the Patisserie splash line (I forgot to sample the third, Apple, on my way out of Sephora), Biscotti opens with an orangey blast of Grand Marnier. Now, I'm a big fan of Grand Marnier, but I certainly don't associate it with biscotti. No bother, though, as after about 5 minutes the scent settles down into, yes indeed, the delicious aroma of delicate biscotti. It's softer and well-balanced in the drydown, so you can enjoy it both as a dessert scent and a more traditional perfume with vanilla in the base. Notes include freesia, bergamot, orange blossom, pistachio blossom, vanilla.


Comments