M.Micallef Boutique in Dubai

Anyone who has read  CaFleureBon for any amount of time could probably guess which bottles get the most space on our Editor in Chief’s vanity. It was here on CaFleureBon’s site that I first discovered M.Micallef  and if I were to choose one House that perfectly captures the idea of perfume as art, it would be  the opulent gold washed crystal encrusted House that Martine Micallef and Geoffrey Nejman built in 1997. Every aspect of their creations celebrates the art of fine French perfumery.Their breathtaking bottles are worthy of the fragrances they hold; M Micallef produces some of the richest, most sumptuous fragrances available today. Like all fine art, their perfumes are beautiful and evocative; they conjure up memories and fantasies, taking you to other places in time while keeping you perfectly in the moment, savoring the beauty that surrounds you.  It is not surprising that such a house would produce the finest vanilla fragrance I have ever experienced. Note Vanillee is truly a masterpiece among all the treasures de Micallef, and I am not alone in thinking so.

Jean-Claude Astier and Geoffrey Nejman

 the perfume composed by Jean-Claude Astier and Geoffrey Nejman was released in 2007 (although discontinued for a few years), and instantly became a cult classic. It is easy to understand why. This is not a foody vanilla, nor is it a stereotypical comfort scent. Gourmand lovers will certainly adore this fragrance, but to my nose, Note Vanillee is all about the glamour.

Raquel Welch 1960s

And while it would certainly be at home anywhere in Hollywood, this isn’t Grace Kelly’s aloof glamour; non, non….Note Vanillee is warm, sensuous Mediterranean glamour. It’s sexy but stylish, chic but never cheap, haute and hot all at once. It is Bardot seducing the masses with her pout at St. Tropez, Sophia Loren owning the red carpet at Cannes, at 19 or 69, forever and always. I asked my husband what he thought of Note Vanillee several hours after I sprayed it; he closed his eyes and proclaimed that it is what he imagined Raquel Welch’s skin to smell like.

Note Vanillee opens with strong, smooth vanilla. It isn’t sweet at all, just warm, with a soft hint of sandalwood. There is also more than just a hint of licorice. I don’t see it listed in the notes, but I definitely smell licorice; not the sweet anise of black jelly beans, mind you, but the distinctive scent of black licorice ropes. Although the vanilla is certainly prominent, all three notes are incredibly well blended into the smoothest, most luxurious fragrance imaginable.  This accord alone makes an amazing perfume, but Note Vanillee has not yet finished her song.

Raquel Welch in Saint Tropez, Jours de France August 1966

As you float around on this opulent cloud of vanilla, things begin to sweeten up a little. Again, this is not a gourmand sweetness; it reminds me just a little of pipe tobacco. There is a honeyed aspect to it, another layer of incredibly luxurious warmth. At this point, Note Vanillee is indescribably rich and almost palpably golden. Cognac is listed in the notes, and while my nose doesn’t detect it, perhaps it’s what is lending this effect, because it is absolutely intoxicating. Hopefully you will not reach this point in the development when you’re trying to do something important, because you’re not going to be able to concentrate on anything other than how good you smell.

Raquel Welch décolletage

Two hours into the fragrance, I begin to notice amber. It isn’t powdery at all; it reminds me of an actual piece of amber. It crystallizes itself around the pillowy softness of the other notes, somehow giving the impression that it surrounds them, almost as if I was smelling Note Vanillee from a bowl made of amber.  Absolute magic, and Note Vanillee has one last trick wafting from her décolletage… her devastatingly seductive sillage.

Raquel Welch bed sheets strewn with flowers

Over the three days I tested Note Vanille, I would catch little bits of jasmine here and there as I went about my day. It most assuredly was not on my skin and I didn’t think too much about it, since I am a jasmine lover from way back; a whiff of jasmine is quite common in my daily routine. But yesterday as I was cleaning my house, going back and forth to the same areas, I finally realized that the jasmine was in the sillage of Note Vanillee. There is no trace on my skin whatsoever, but when I walk back into my sillage, there it is. Magic again!

Salvador Dali kissing Raquel Welch’s hand in front of his abstract portrait of her.

Note Vanillee feminine? Oui et non, as it smelled amazing on my husband. His skin seemed to really draw out the sandalwood and amber. It had great lasting power on both of us, and the drydown is perfection.

Raquel Welch Terry ONeill Photography

I sprayed the last of my sample on our bedsheets and that’s all I’m gonna say about that, except that I may never wash them again.  Notes Vanillee is the best vanilla centric scent I have ever smelled; it went straight to the top of my Must Have list and I fully understand why there was such an outcry to bring it back after it was discontinued (word has it that our Editor in Chief pleaded for over a year). An answered prayer.

 Tammy Schuster, Contributor

Disclosure: I received my sample gratefully from M. Micallef, opinions my own.

Art Direction: I am not sure if my repeated emails to Geoffrey was in anyway responsible for bringing Notes Vanillee back. There were many. I own the original and to my nose I cannot detect a difference. I chose to focus on Tammy’s husband’s immediate association with the perfume to the imagined scent of a young Raquel Welch’s skin. Just in case you are wondering what fragrance I will be wearing as I watch the Golden Globes… Notes Vanillee!!

Thanks to M. Micallef we have a draw for 100 ml of Notes Vanillee (which is now part of the Art Collection, sold at Luckyscent in the US and at First in Fragrance  in Germany for a Worldwide registered reader. To be eligible please leave a comment with what you enjoyed about Tammy’s review, where you live   and which of M Micallef perfume is your favorite. Draw closes January 13, 2015.

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