L’Artisan Parfumeur Couleur Vanille Review (Aliénor Massenet)+ Oceanic Vanilla Draw

March 2, 2020March 2, 2020

L’Artisan Parfumeur Couleur Vanille (Photo: Despina Veneti)©

L’Artisan Parfumeur’s collections have been missing a vanilla-dominant fragrance ever since the discontinuation of the luscious, rum/tobacco-infused Havana Vanille (composed by Bertrand Duchaufour in 2009, and later renamed Vanille Absolument), which had itself replaced the charming – and rather ahead of its time – Vanilia (created in 1978 by the brand’s founder, Jean-François Laporte). Filling that gap, the historic French Perfume House has just released L’Artisan Parfumeur Couleur Vanille – a modern, airy, widely pleasing vanilla-centered scent, embellished with salty, ozonic and aquatic touches.

Perfumer Aliénor Massenet of Symrise & Beach in Madagascar (Photos via L’Artisan Parfumeur & www.travel2madagascar.com, respectively)©

Senior perfumer Aliénor Massenet (whose work includes all the fragrances of Memo Paris) built her composition upon, and around, Symrise’s beautiful, sustainably produced Madagascar vanilla, utilising both the absolute, and the extract. Mme Massenet imagined L’Artisan Parfumeur Couleur Vanille as an olfactory journey to the Indian Ocean and the exotic island country of Madagascar, where this exquisite raw material is being cultivated; leafing through an atlas, like an adventure novel, she visualized “a subtle union between the sensuality and warmth of vanilla, and a trade-wind breeze”. In the perfumer’s own words: “The images just started to take shape. I could smell the aroma of a Vanilla pod, subtly bathed in Bergamot, Everlasting, Benzoin and Tolu Balm, gently caressed by a salty breeze. The whole story was there for the taking… “

Vanilla ice cream by the beach (Photo via Shutterstock)©

From the moment L’Artisan Parfumeur Couleur Vanille touches the skin, the Madagascar vanilla declares her starring presence bathed in the radiant juiciness of bergamot, accented by discreet floral touches of freesia, and infused with a distinctive, skillfully executed, fleur de sel accord (named after the famed, supreme-quality sea salt). A true catalyst of the composition, this accord provides a pleasing salty contrast to the rich, caramelised vanilla – proving that, just like in fine pâtisserie, a touch of salt can enhance the aromatic experience, while moderating any excessive sweetness. This iodine accord generates a fluid, subtle aquatic aura, that runs through the fragrance like a crisp, invigorating oceanic breeze. This intriguing effect is further supported by the mineral undertones of the emerging immortelle, which enriches the fragrance’s heart with its unique, sweet hay-like floralcy and solar warmth. After an hour on my skin, this effect progressively subsides (although never completely disappears), allowing vanilla to get tinted in deeper, darker hues; dulcet-toned balsams, resins and woods color the star ingredient amber, while the fragrance feels warmer, smokier and increasingly sensual without giving up its ethereal character (the latter amplified by fluffy musks). The gentle drydown is mainly a vanilla, benzoin and musk affair, with the salty undertones sustaining an olfactory sensation of sun-kissed skin.

Clockwise: Pantone® shades of vanilla color, Lisa Fonssagrives in “French vanilla”-colored swimsuit (Horst P. Horst for Vogue 1940)© & Anne St. Marie dressed in vanilla shades (Frances McLaughlin-Gill for Vogue 1956)©

Balancing between fresh, gourmand and light amber, L’Artisan Parfumeur Couleur Vanille offers an enjoyable contrast of the familiar, extroverted sensuality of vanilla, with the less obvious, yet raw and instinctual, seductive appeal of salt. This cosy, playful, light-hearted “oceanic vanilla” is eager, and able, to please a wide variety of tastes and cravings, even of those who tend to shy away from its main ingredient.

Notes: Bergamot, Salt Flower, Freesia; Immortelle, Orchid, Cashmere Wood; Vanilla “Extra”, Tolu Balm, Benjoin, Musk.

Disclaimer: I’d like to thank L’Artisan Parfumeur for my bottle of Couleur Vanille. The opinions are my own.

– Despina Veneti, Senior Editor and Paris Brand Ambassador

Thanks to the generosity of L’Artisan Parfumeur, we have a draw for a 100ml bottle of L’Artisan Parfumeur Couleur Vanille (value: 135€) for one registered reader in USA, UK or Europe. You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what you enjoyed most about Despina’s review of Coleur Vanille, if you have a favourite L’Artisan Parfumeur fragrance, and where you live. Draw closes March 6, 2019

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