Vanille Carbone by Atelier Materi

Vanille Carbone is a tribute to dark vanillas with an opening of pink and black pepper very similar to Spicebomb Infrared. Then that smoky ambered crystallized vanilla dominates until the end reminding you of sun-dried Mexican vanilla pods. Leather is barely noticeable just in the background. Don’t expect much evolution; it’s essentially incense resin with vanilla. If you’re looking for discretion it’s not for you. Watch out: if the tester is near light or heat it spoils and smells like burnt sugar vanilla. From experience. It’s useful for casual or semi-formal situations all year round except in high heat. Use it moderately; don’t overdo it to avoid wasting perfume and regretting it. At work max two sprays. It has good performance and projection for the whole day. As always don’t rely solely on ratings; test any niche perfume on skin before buying; don’t trust the paper.

At first it’s spectacular: a touch of powerful vanilla that I decided to wear on my skin based on a recommendation from an infallible perfumer (irony: this was one of his first misses). A masterful scent a brutal vanilla that wasn’t cloying and enveloped me my wife and everyone around. The downside came at dinner; I thought the vanilla would yield to something more intense and less sweet but as we sat down I noticed that mix of pepper incense and pure embers gave me a headache. At first I couldn’t even eat even though I’d already washed my arms. My wife loved it saying it smelled like embers but to me it was horrible after the first half hour. There are noses for everything.

Vanille Carbone is a balsamic oriental with natural vanilla that avoids the typical gourmand. Its final sweetness comes from raw black vanilla pods. The initial pepper doesn’t invade and soon leaves a velvety smoky aroma. Polished leather blends well with incense giving body to a play of light and shadow. I’ve never heard anything like it; it’s original and deep like a magic potion with a medicinal touch. The CO2 vanilla absolute leaves a sensual trail that doesn’t bother and accompanies you for hours. As a vanilla lover I’m delighted with its longevity and avant-garde approach. What I imagine wearing it is a bright solitary star in the darkness of the firmament.

It mixes pepper leather and vanilla in a dance where nothing always dominates; at first pepper and rose explode with force evolving into something armored and then sweet sometimes like strawberry gum other times fresh and spicy. As it dries the vanilla brightens and the smoky aroma becomes more noticeable close to the skin though it always yields to the two protagonists. It’s a spicy gourmand with a balsamic touch that after several uses reminds me a lot of a gourmand version of Oud for Greatness.