Vaniglia from Santa Maria Novella is my fragrance reference for vanilla scents. What I enjoy about Santa Maria Novella fragrances is that they are straightforward, rarely conceptual or abstract. I  find Vaniglia.

 It opens with a tingle of bergamot, brightened with lemon and sweetened with fresh orange. It is a lovely start that soon introduces an opulent note of jasmine that’s sweet, floral, heady, and musky. The jasmine links to a note of vanilla, like vanilla bean, dark and rich. The combination of jasmine and vanilla is surprisingly sensual. The vanilla blooms with body heat, revealing facets of cocoa and coffee to me. As it approaches the base, a note of smoke curls up through the scent. It’s from benzoin, a resin from which incense is made. It gives Vaniglia a feeling of familiarity. Benzoin has a cinnamon aspect that adds spicy warmth to Vaniglia. Sweet woods heighten the sweetness of the benzoin, but the vanilla at the base seals the deal with an unforgettable booziness.

Vaniglia is a well-crafted, well-balanced (not too sweet, not too smoky, not too boozy) cologne that plays up different facets of vanilla to create a sensual, suave seducer that stays close to the skin, whispering “lean in” for hours.

Notes: Bergamot, lemon, orange, jasmine, vanilla, benzoin, sweet woods, vanilla.