Fragrance Review: DSH Perfumes Vanille by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz (Olfactif.com Vanilla Coming Home Collection) + Victorian Christmas Fantasy Perfume Draw

winter christmas in london  dancing

English Fin de Siecle Dancing at a Christmas Ball

The holiday season is upon us, and with Christmas only a week away, I find myself welcoming the soft, heady comforts of gourmand scents.   I don’t usually enjoy sweet fragrances as a rule, but as Christmas approaches, with all of the usual rushing around, last-minute shopping and complicated logistics, I rely on the warmth that a fine gourmand fragrance can offer.  A perfume that will ground and delight me as the straight razor-sharp New England weather is carving new laugh lines into my face as I trudge in from the mall parking lot.  I want a scent that instantly transports me from the maddening distractions of the holiday retail rush into a regal, festive and vaguely decadent Christmas tableau, complete with Victorian ballroom dancing, snifters filled with amber liquid and perhaps a mococle.

vanilla extracts and bourbon extracts

Source:Sandra's Alaskan Recipes Hand made vanilla and bourbon extracts

In 2011, Denver Perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes, (and a long time friend of ÇaFleureBon), created Vanille, a most wondrous scent for this time of year.  It is a vanilla lover’s dream – Madagascar and French vanilla are the elegant holiday dinner hosts in this scent, backed by warm, smooth Australian sandalwood and a light dusting of heliotrope.  The lemon and bergamot in the top notes are bright, but subdued – the impression is almost brandy-like rather than acidic – just a quick palate aperitif before the deep, unfolding and resinous warmth of the sweeter notes begins.  This is a rich, opulent and yet very light style of gourmand, with Siam benzoin and jasmine in the background lending a distinctly smoky tinge as well as wet, white floral highlights. Vanille is your companion at the fireside, for nights in from the cold and for wearing shearling-lined slippers while sipping eggnog laced with whiskey or rum.  The Madagascar and French vanilla showcase their spicier side, rather than making this fragrance tooth-achingly sweet or heavy and bland.  There’s refinement and restraint in this scent, reminiscent of a tastefully-placed red velvet wreath rather than the quick, sweet rush of tearing through your Christmas stocking and gobbling up all the Hershey’s kisses at the bottom.

christmas dinner viggo johansen

The Artists Dinner Viggo Johansen

And, fortunately for me, DSH Vanille caters exclusively to my need for a fine holiday fantasy.  The benzoin and vanilla absolutes are happy to entertain me as long as I like – their hosting skills are exquisite, offering hour after hour of spicy, smoky vanilla-wrapped treats.   And their manners are refined as well – this fragrance, while deep and potently spicy, doesn’t decide to get drunk and go loudly caroling through the town.  It stays with the wearer and wreathes them in a close, soft mist that only your conversational partner at the table may feel the need to comment on.

silent-night-viggo-johansen

Silent Night Viggo Johansen

So let the mall crowds elbow me from all sides, and the parking lot fill up for miles in every direction.  Right now I’m tucked inside a sophisticated Victorian home, someone’s lent me their monogrammed evening wear and there’s pipe tobacco on offer as well.  An Irish wolfhound lopes in and makes a silent show of propping up fine Italian portraiture while it’s being measured for the wall.   DSH Vanille is my choice for a restrained, refined and very much needed scented escape from the last shopping week before Christmas comes and we can all relax with family and welcome in the New Year.

Notes: lemon, bergamot, heliotrope, jasmine, Australian sandalwood, French vanilla, benzoin Siam, Madagascar vanilla absolute

bourbon_vanilla_beans_transparent_1

Disclosure and writer’s note: I received my sample from olfactif.com: “Coming Home Collection” sampler which includes three vanilla themed perfumes Xerjoff Lira, DSH Perfumes Vanille and Black Flower Mexican Vanilla by Dame Perfumery.  As Michelyn wrote when Olfactif.com debuted, in her interview with Founder Tara Swords last May of 2013, this is a dynamite way to “try before you buy” curated niche and artisan perfumes. And for me, it was how I discovered Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s fragrances as well.

Steve Johnson, Senior Contributor

dsh min dram roller oil vanille

 

We have a draw for one reader. For our Worldwide readers: 1 dram oil roller of Vanille courtesy of DSHperfumes.com

olfactif coming home vanilla december 2014 sampler

Olfactif Vanilla themed December Collection Photo:MC

 For our USA readers, you can choose the dram of Vanille from DSH Perfumes OR the sampler from Olfactif which includes Xerjoff Lira, DSH Perfumes Vanille and Black Flower Mexican Vanilla by Dame Perfumery. To be eligible, please let us know what you enjoyed about Steve’s review,  what do you do to escape during the holiday hustle and bustle, if you have a favorite DSH Perfume and where you live. Draw ends December 20, 2014

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

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23 comments

  • I certainly enjoyed reading about vanilla, one of my favorite notes. As a gourmand lover, I wear vanilla year-round, but this article was especially interesting… I liked hearing how Steve equates vanilla and gourmands to the holidays and how the scents lend a sense of calm during this busy time. During this time I personally escape to my favorite coffee shop with a good book or a magazine and loose myself in a good cup and a good read. I would love to have the the dram of DSH Vanille. I have never sampled any DSH scents but if I had to pick a favorite I would bet Vanille would be the winner! I live in the US. Thanks for the draw!

  • I enjoyed reading about vanilla, too! Is there anyone who doesn’t love the note? And, yes, it’s a great one for the holiday season, so thanks for the post!

    I live in a tiny town, so the “holiday hustle and bustle” are not anything I want to get away from because it’s so festive!! My favorite DSH perfume is Rubis Rosé. I’d love to win the Olfactif sampler. This one sounds so great that I’m kicking myself for not being an Olfactif subscriber (well, I do that every month)! In the US, still. Cheers.

  • Steve, I agree with you about how vanilla scents lend s sense of calm! Vanilla is my favorite note in fragrance and I receive the most compliments when wearing it. I escape with sea salt baths and a cup of my favorite tea. I would love to win the dram of the DSH Vanille, as it would be my first DSH perfume. I live in the US. Thanks for the draw! Happy Holidays!

  • I enjoyed reading about every detail of the DSH creation, Vanille. I escape the hustle and bustle by doing all my shopping early and watching everyone else go mad. It’s very relaxing. 🙂 If I won it would be my first time smelling a DSH perfume. USA

  • I’ve been on the hunt for more vanilla fragrances – I love that the DSH Vanille doesn’t seem too loud and stays close. I’d love to win the dram of the DSH Vanille! In the US, thanks for the draw!

  • This. I totally loved this line: “..doesn’t decide to get drunk and go loudly caroling through the town.” PERFECT! To escape the holiday madness I completely avoid malls from Thanksgiving until Twelfth Night. My fave DSH…that’s tough! It might be Pandora! I live in the US and adore Vanilla frags (dying for a FB of SDV), and I think I’d go with the Olfactif sampler! Thanks for the draw, and happy hols!

  • This fragrance really seems suited to this time of the year, with both French and Madagascar vanilla…It is interesting this fragrance takes the middle path when it comes to vanillic creations and also has other gourmand elements. I rarely face the issue of holiday hustle :). My favorite DSH creation is Cafe Noir. I am in the US. thanks for the lovely draw.

  • Donna Spiegel says:

    Loved reading this review. This is a favorite time if yer for me and I love to transport myself to older, Victorian times. Love the styles, the music of Christmas at winter in Victorian ages. I found myself gliding along the words on a beautiful, sparkling silver sleigh that was glistening in jeweled snowflakes. I could smell the different notes of the fragrance as I got to escape to a fantasy works for just a moment during the hustle and bustle. I do love the craziness though as we wind down this last week. Merry Christmas!

    I’m in the US and would choose the sampler 🙂 thank you so much!

  • I loved the description of Vanille as a refined Victorian fantasy, complete with shearing slippers, tobacco pipe, and Irish wolf hound! My favorite DSH perfume right now is White Lilac. My escape is curling up with a good novel for a few hours.
    I’m in the US and would love the dram of Vanille. Thanks for the draw!

  • Sounds gorgeous, the booziness sounds perfect for the holidays. My favorite DSH right now is Mahjoun. My escape is a good book or a good movie, maybe a walk. I would choose the dram. Thank you!

  • I love the way Steve paints a scent picture of Vanille and the images it evokes for him. And the pictures chosen to illustrate the article are marvelous!!

    My favorite DSH scent is White Lilac, reminds me of my childhood, plus it’s just a very lovely scent. 🙂

  • I enjoyed Steve’s description’s of sitting by the fire, wearing DSH vanille. I love so many DSH scents that it is too hard to list them all but today I am wearing Cafe Noir. I would love to win the dram of this perfume. To escape Christmas crowds I do alot of online shopping! In the US

  • Yes, nothing comforts like a (really good) vanilla scent! Haven’t tried it as a remedy for pre-christmas stress, but on the other hand this season doesn’t really stress me out, nor do I spend the whole holiday with a vast amount of relatives or friends that I need an escape from. For a long time, christmas has been a calm holiday, spent with just my sis and parents (now parent as dad died last autumn). But I do use vanilla as mentioned in the review: “Vanille is your companion at the fireside, for nights in from the cold and for wearing shearling-lined slippers while sipping eggnog laced with whiskey or rum.” Vanille 44, which I only have a precious sample of, makes me sleeps with a harmonious, relaxed smile on my face, for example.

    I’m in the EU (Sweden) and I don’t have a favourite DSH as I haven’t had the opportunity to try any yet.

  • I’m loving the fantasy of the elegant Victorian home and all the trimming that go with it. Personally I hate the hussle and bustle of pre Christmas chaos and then you get to the table and everyone chomps through the meal and its over and you pack away for another year- nope, over that and the thought of taking this beautiful perfume with me to a relaxing senario of warmth and languid times is totally appealing.The review paints an eloquent picture of a reality that could be possible, almost certainly desirable!. I;m international and thanks for the generous draw.

  • I absolutely love vanilla, and this review did make me think of Christmas. I completely agree that in this time of year, I reach for my gourmand scents. To escape the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I take my children to a park and enjoy their company. I haven’t tried any DSH perfumes, but I’ve always wanted to.

    I live in the US, and I would love to win the sampler.

    Thank you. 🙂

  • The words “red velvet wreath” made me sigh as I imagined sinking slowly into a proper and luxurious moment of holiday happiness. Steve’s review was a mental vacation from the holiday hustle.

    In my home we take time to read favorite stories to escape the holiday rush. Today it will be “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” by Dylan Thomas.

    I don’t have a favorite DSH fragrance yet, but hope to find one someday. I live in the US. Thank you for the thoughtful review and for the generous draw.

  • I liked reading about vanilla, I’m always up for trying a different vanilla. I don’t avoid the hustle and bustle of the holidays, what is the point of that? 🙂
    I don;t have a DSH favourite yet, but I’d love to try Vanille, I’m in the EU, ty

  • I enjoyed reading about vanilla because I am a gourmand notes lover and it vanilla smell gives me a sense of calmness as the review mentions. I love Christmas holidays and the “holiday hustle and bustle” so for nothing in the world I would do something in order to get away from it, because everything looks so joyous and festive.
    I have not experienced any DSH perfume so I have no favorite one but I would love to win and get to know them better. I live in EU.

  • Enjoyed – the feeling of intimacy,
    escape solution – yoga, or mountaineering.
    I have never tried any of DSH perfumes, and I thank you for the opportunity.
    I am in EU (Bulgaria).

  • I loved the sense of cozy chiaroscuro in this review, supported by the art very well! Vanilla is a favorite note of mine, there have been years I lived in it.
    To escape the bustle I just spend time alone or take walks around the reservoir near my home. I saw some interesting swans necking (they had lots of gray markings) and the wedge-headed ducks that swim really well. The dogs are all friendly and all the living things frolic rather than franticly rush.

    USA, the sampler would be my pick

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    I enjoyed Steve’s review and how he captures the feeling of an old-fashioned Christmas via the evocative vanilla note. To escape during the holiday hustle and bustle, I like to get lost in a great book in a cozy chair near the fire. I live in the US and have not yet had the pleasure of wearing a DSH Perfume.

  • Steve builds so lovely Christmas atmosphere around Dawn’s Vanille. I really have some special kind of love for vanilla during Christmas time, but more important is that I’m very intrigued by the usage of two different vanilla notes with Australian sandalwood. I’m convinced that Australian sandalwood has great potential in perfumery. I tried it and I’m sure that Dawn Spencer Hurwitz gives us only the best of its characteristics (as she has already done with Mysore).
    I’m in the EU, Croatia. Thank you.

  • I enjoyed Steve’s soothing description of DSH Vanille: “Vanille is your companion at the fireside, for nights in from the cold and for wearing shearling-lined slippers while sipping eggnog laced with whiskey or rum.” While I don’t drink whiskey or rum, the picture this paints is so cozy. To escape the hustle and bustle of holidays, I just try to slow down and appreciate the present moment, whatever it may be. I don’t want to miss the good stuff because I’m too busy rushing around! I love DSH December, and of course have been wearing it lots this season. I’d love to win the dram of DSH Vanille. I’m in the US.