Search Suggestions

      Vanille Leather (2023) • BDK🔺, ScentAdvice

      BDK
      Vanille Leather

      2023

      PERFUMER
      Dominique Ropion


      Vanille Leather (2023) • BDK🔺, ScentAdvice


      pink pepper
      violet
      tuberose absolute
      jasmine absolute
      orange blossom absolute
      vanilla
      patchouli
      oakwood
      leather
      ORRIS
      benzoin

      ‘Vanille Leather honors vanilla, a precious spice from Madagascar, in a creation with voluptuous and textured tones. Majestic, it invites you on an olfactory journey between warmth and sensuality. It melts into a trilogy of Indian tuberose, Egyptian jasmine and orange blossom. To this harmony of white flowers is added a spicy facet of pink berries to give way to the addictive notes of patchouli and oak wood. An intoxicating and audacious trail with leathery and smoky facets.’ – BDK
      ‘My intention was to combine the precious vanilla pod with a bouquet of white flowers to slowly reveal its warm and sensual personality. The vanilla is adorned with the sulfurous and slightly honeyed tones of tuberose, then drinks in the powerful sweetness of jasmine and finally melting into the round, carnal notes of orange blossom. To intensify the trail, I chose to work around the notes of oak wood and patchouli.’ – Dominique Ropion

      Vanille Leather (2023) • BDK🔺, ScentAdvice

      I was very curious to review this one. BDK is a brand with a bunch of fragrances that I like, but there’s also some popular ones that I didn’t get along with. The notes sounded good so I went in hoping that Vanille Leather ranks among their better releases. And I think that it largely does.

      The name and part of its description feel a tad misleading. As far as leather and smoke goes, this plays it very safe. I do get a leathery hint straight away, but subtle and mostly in a floral sense. Violets are prominent, it’s heady and it’s more on the sweet side than it is on the leather side for sure. I guess if I would have to compare this with leather scents it’s more in the iris-leather direction of the Dior Homme line. But I think it’s good to make clear that your ‘tolerance’ for florals and sweetness are likely more important than your view on leather when it comes to how Vanille Leather lands for you in the opening.

      It’s also temporary.

      As mentioned, it’s very sweet. More caramel than vanilla to my nose, especially in the later drydown, where this almost exclusively smells like an amber, caramelized woody mix. This could’ve been called Caramelized Florals just as easily as Vanille Leather and this could throw some people off, but I prefer the direction it took. I really like the floral nuances in the first hours, they elevate it from what otherwise could’ve been a more generic combination. They also pull this in a perfectly unisex direction.

      Other first reviews I’ve read for it remark a lot on the smokiness. I can picture a smoky edge to the woodiness, but very subtle. I don’t consider this a smoky scent, but the entire later drydown is focused on this slightly smoky, slightly burnt caramel-vanilla and woody scent. No leather at all to my nose at this stage, but I will edit this review if that changes on a second wearing. I find it lighter, more airy than it may sound (more on that in this next paragraph). It’s an easier to love part than the opening (which I think can throw some people off coming in with different expectations), although for me not as exciting.

      My only gripe with Vanille Leather is that it feels textured and structured like something found in a Sephora. It’s quite a strong scent profile, yet it doesn’t have a rich, dense quality to it in my opinion.  Definitely not as full-bodied as I would like. I’ve worn it for 6 hours and it’s still noticeable, so longevity is likely fine though.

      I really like the scent, with the opening being interesting and the drydown being comforting. It makes a better first impression on me than for example Velvet Tonka or Ambre Safrano did, but I will need another wear to properly assess my feelings for it (edit: after properly wearing Ambre Safrano, I like it at least as much), . Wouldn’t call it a homerun or on par with my love for Gris Charnel EDP as of now, but it’s one of the BDK’s that I enjoy most so far.


      guest
      0 Comments
      Newest
      Oldest Most Voted
      Inline Feedbacks
      View all comments