December Vanilla by PARIS CORNER

If patchouli gives you headaches, this isn’t for you, even though it’s there. The good news is it doesn’t dominate; it blends beautifully with vanilla and brown sugar: noticeable, but not overwhelming. It’s a sweet, full-bodied scent, clearly for adults, with a woody, earthy base. It’s perfect for cold days or rainy weather. At first, the opening is potent and intense, almost aggressive. But between one and two hours, it transforms completely: that’s when it gets best. Vanilla takes over, everything balances out, and the mix of vanilla, liquor, and patchouli sounds harmonious, with no single note competing. It lasts about 9 hours on clothes with moderate projection. It starts strong but then evolves into something sensual, dark, adult, and suggestive, with a unique and well-defined character.

What a marvel, unbeatable price-to-quality ratio. It feels like a boozy vanilla with a medium chocolatey touch, anchored by patchouli and a crème brûlée note. It comes across as dark and totally unisex… elegant, and not at all invasive. Reminded me a bit of Mugler’s Angel Muse, but more boozy and unisex.

The name can be misleading. I expected a sweet gourmand fragrance, super vanilla-forward, with a hint of rum, lots of sugar, patchouli… and what I found was a very alcoholic perfume, where you can sense some vanilla, lots of patchouli, spices, and oud wood. Note, it’s not what I expected, but I absolutely loved it. I see it as an adult vanilla perfume, spiced, boozy, woody, dark, sexy, elegant, and mysterious. It’s not the typical sweet dessert vanilla. I think it’s great for night outings in colder climates or autumn. One day someone complimented it, asking about the perfume. It makes a statement, it’s quite intense and different. The longevity and sillage are excellent, plus the price is very affordable. It’s a fantastic fragrance, but don’t buy it blind.

Wonderful mature and spiced vanilla, nothing like sweet dessert. It has character, with noticeable rum and spices, but it’s not a ‘boozy’ perfume. Ideal for mixing if you want to add that spiced sweetness to other fragrances.

I love them! Forget Van Py Rhum, I sold that one because it had no projection and was very masculine. Here you have something super unisex and gourmand. It smells like burnt sugar and patchouli, like Lord of Misrule or Angel, nothing like the patchouli in La Vie Est Belle or Chanel that I don’t like. You can definitely smell the rum. The projection is beast mode, excellent price-to-quality, and it lasts a long time. When it dries down, it’s super sweet vanilla with oriental touches.

Ugh. This perfume is a whole other story. If you’re looking for a greedy, baker-style, sweet vanilla, turn around. If you want an adult vanilla, stay. In my case, patchouli, burnt sugar, tonka, and spices stand out, closing with an alcoholic vanilla. It’s not youthful or playful, but formal and serious. I don’t recommend buying it blind because it smells like what you love or hate, with no middle ground. I think it’s unisex. I don’t know if it’s a dupe of Kayali’s since I don’t have it in my collection.

I like it. I thought the vanilla would stand out more, but on my skin, the patchouli (very fresh) dominates along with the rum. Definitely for special occasions.

I’ve had it for a short while, and honestly, it wasn’t what I was looking for. I was expecting a sweet Christmas scent with rum and lots of powdered vanilla, but this is pure alcoholic drink on a freezing day, like a street market. At first, it’s like a rum punch that punches you in the nose and takes some getting used to, but then it settles and blends well. What stands out most is that burnt brown sugar. Then comes the oud and patchouli, and the vanilla mixes a lot with that burnt note until the perfume balances out. I bought it blind and it was a letdown at first, but it’s opened me up to a bit more rum-forward perfumes, which don’t go bad in winter.

I agree with Carmetta’s review, except for the similarity to Khamrah. It resembles Kayali but is sweeter, more vanilla-forward, and feminine. The rum is very noticeable at first, and it’s much more balanced than Vanilla Royale. I loved it.

I’m obsessed; it’s a super sweet and intoxicating perfume. I smell lots of rum, vanilla, patchouli, crème brûlée, and sugar. It smells like custard with cookies. It’s very similar to Kayali’s Vanilla Sugared Patchouli, but I like December Vanilla more: it’s more feminine, softer, and less loud. I also detect a bit of Khamrah, like it has cinnamon. That’s why I won’t buy it, since I already have Khamrah. The December Vanilla bottle is gorgeous; I’d love to have it in my collection.