Un Bois Vanille (Serge Lutens)


By Dane

I thought I had already reviewed this...but I guess not. Either way, vanilla's always on the menu as winter approaches, so now is the time to discuss the options. There are many (hundreds, thousands?) out there, but frankly, you may as well start with the best.

We've got a few contenders in the running, but for the most part, vanilla is just one aspect of them. Bvlgari Black would probably be my personal choice, but frankly, if you don't like burnt rubber, it wouldn't work for you. Caron's Pour Un Homme would be my next choice, but again, you've gotta work for your vanilla, and lavender forms a strong barrier. Kenzo Amour ranks up with the best, but the sheer...err...sheerness of it, along with the musk undertones may not be what a die-hard foody would choose.

Which brings us to the soloists. Guerlain's Spiriteuse Double Vanille has many fans...Mark is one...I am not. Why spend the crazy amount of cash they want when you could just dip yourself in vanilla extract from the grocery store? Lutens trumps Guerlain on every level with this one. Un Bois Vanille will satisfy the most discerning purist, but also throws in some complex aromas of licorice, coffee, and his fav woody-cedar backdrop. Rich and sweet in the opening, UBV gets drier as it progresses, finally ending in a tidy musk with fruity undertones.

Well composed, always appropriate, and the best vanilla money can buy...if indeed you spend your bread on such things. For a more poetic review, head over to The Non-Blonde to hear the lovely Gaia's impressions.

Year: 2003
Perfumer: Christopher Sheldrake
Notes: Vanilla, Black Licorice, Sandalwood, Coconut
Posted by Brand:

4 comments:

  1. Oh your description is dead on. I loved this one and wore it until it just became too sweet. But I appreciate it's boozy deliciousness. SDV had no more to offer me than UBV either.

    Do you ever wear this?
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  2. I appreciate it as a vanilla option more than something I'd personally want to wear. It's easily one of (if not "the") vanilla you can buy, but I prefer more abstract interpretations (Black, etc.), or Douce Amere, which is similar with an licorice twist (which I don't normally like, but love in this instance).
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  3. Hm. I like the vanilla in Tocade *runs*
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  4. I'll pick door number 3 and go with M. Micallef's Note Vanillée, which edges out both Spiritueuse Vanilla Extract and Un Bois Marshmellow for me.

    By the by, if you'd like Amour with that extra je ne sais quoi, the Le Parfum flanker does that quite admirably.

    ~veuve amiot
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