Vanagloria

This is really a comparison; I am currently wearing Babycat on one hand and Vanagloria on the other. On my skin they are very close. If I’m splitting hairs I would say Babycat is sweeter & creamier of the two while Vanagloria is dryer/dustier and mildly less warm. My husband preferred Vanagloria on me. Both are great leathery/incense vanillas. Longevity is pretty good on both of them - it’s been 6 hours and can still smell them. Personally if I received either one of these I’d be happy, the overall scent profile is similar once you’re catching wafts in the breeze.

Finally got my hands on a decant of this (it is surprisingly difficult to obtain and actual bottle in the U.S.). It's nice! Not what I was expecting based on the reviews. On first spray, I don't get much if any sweetness. I get a really sharp blast of balsamic resinousness, some incense, and vanilla. It's the saffron that jumps out at me first, and it almost reads as leathery, but it also reads as a jar of capers. It's not my favorite part of this and honestly I could do without. I also get a tiny hint of pineapple, very briefly at first. It occasionally reappears later as a mild waft of sweetness, but it doesn't scream pineapple. The incense is sharp but not quite churchy. It's a nice incense, not powdery or cloying. Strong and dry and pleasant, and mildly smoky. I didn't get very much smoke, which was a bit of a disappointment. I definitely understand the comments talking about some kind of industrial smell at the beginning. It's not quite gasoline and it's not quite plastic. I think this may be the saffron and the tonka. I have a bottle of Perfume De La Tierra by Ceremonia that has a similar gasoline quality to it in the opening. No saffron in that one, but it has tonka as well, so maybe it's the tonka. It's not unpleasant though! And it does fade fairly soon. As the fragrance develops, the sweetness comes out just a bit more, but it never really gets sweet. That capery balsamic quality fades fairly quickly, thankfully, and stays pretty close to the skin. At arms length, all I cam smell is a pleasant vanilla bubble. The vanilla has that papery quality, but also a quality that reads to me as damp. Just watery. Like when you take a shower and the bathroom smells damp and steamy. Its odd in an otherwise dry fragrance. They don't smell the same, but specifically the vanilla in this reminded me of the vanilla in Memoirs of a Trespasser from Imaginary Authors. They both have that very papery quality. That smell of a fresh book. I sprayed this on in the late afternoon/early evening, and it lasted through the night. Most of the notes have faded by now (the next morning) but the vanilla is still a bubble around me. Haven't smelled Babycat, Eau De Audacity, or the Rosendo Mateu No5 to compare, so can't really comment on that. Overall, a surprise. I was expecting smoky, rich, resinous vanilla that leaned masculine, based on some reviews I'd seen. Or perhaps something very rich and sweet and dense. This was not that for me, though. Its airy, dry, mildly sweet if at all, gently resinous, and inoffensive. I was after a good cold weather fragrance for the winter, but this could honestly be worn in hot weather and be fine, I think. Where I am, it's still in the 60s and 70s, so I'm excited to see how this performs.in colder weather. I am on an eternal quest to find the holy grail smokey vanilla, and I don't think this is the one, but it's still really nice and I'd probably buy a 30ml if not the full bottle. UPDATE! okay. I know this review is already way too long, but after wearing this for a.few days and getting used to it more, I have a little more to say. I get the saffron a bit less. It's still there on first spray, but I notice it a lot less and I notice the incense a lot more. The saffron is what is creating the urine accord some people describe. For me, it's not really urine. More pickle. But it goes much faster after a few days. I just get a strong hit of incense that is very reminiscent of Missippi Medicine (D.S. and Durga). And the burnt marshmellow effect is much stronger. I wouldn't say it's overwhelmingly smokey like Kerosene's Blackmail, but there is definitely a char to the vanilla and it is a bit more gourmand than it initially was. Up close on the skin, very incense heavy. At arm's length, very marshmallowy. I also notice the pineapple wafts more. Just the sweetness and not the tartness. I generally don't go for sweet fragrances but this has really got a hold of me. I am obsessed. It's definitely fb worthy for me. Really love this. Unisex and crowd pleasing

At first spray I really did not like the opening but have subsequently worn it 6 or 7 more times and oddly the opening has grown on me to the point that I now really enjoy it and have bought a full bottle. I’m glad I persisted because I was about to give my sample away after that first spray. I’m telling this just to illustrate that first impressions are often deceiving and it’s worth it to try a scent a few times before making up your mind on it. This fragrance is very similar to ysl babycat, which makes sense as they are both Ropion creations and made just a couple years apart. The biggest difference between the two is the opening. While babycat has a very peppery opening Vanagloria has a pineapple, saffron, incense opening. If that combo seams weird to you, well, you are not wrong. It IS weird, but, it is also wonderful. It has a sweet burning rubber/plastic undertone that might be a deal-breaker for some but I get a kick out of it I guess. That particular note doesn’t last long. The best part is the transition from that wild opening to the vanilla heart of the fragrance. Lingering fruity top notes lose their tang and begin to impart a more banana-like note to the creamy vanilla. Smooth incense smoke hangs in the air. Just the right amount of suede-like saffron dirties up the sweetness. The overall effect is nothing short of magical so long as you can tolerate the weird opening. If you can’t tolerate the opening just get babycat instead- both of these fragrances end up in roughly the same place after the top notes fade, though Vanagloria smells slightly more creamy. Another great thing about this fragrance is that it lasts a good long time, especially on clothing. Projection is just the right amount for me without having to spray a whole lot- for me this means that when people are arms length from me they will notice the scent but it doesn’t fill the room.

Rubber tires spinning on pavement, twigs soaked in vanilla extract then set on fire, a wisp of incense in a dimly lit room.

The opening is HORRID on me, I almost puked but after 30min it gets better like more muted. Nope, get babycat instead,