Perfume review: Parfums de Nicolaï Vanille Tonka

Vanille Tonka released in 1997 holds the prize for being one of the most sophisticated vanilla scents. Even if one does not care for heavy doses of vanilla in fragrances (your author is one such individual), Patricia de Nicolaï’s creation will surely be a pleasant surprise. On these days, when the autumnal chills are felt in the morning breeze, its sensual and warm embrace is wonderfully comforting.

The fragrance starts out with a soft smoky note of cinnamon ornamented by sweet tangerine and tart dry lime, which give a sensation similar to eating cinnamon flavoured candies that simultaneously burn and chill your mouth. Tonka bean softens the cinnamon with its powdery softness. The scent melds into the skin beautifully, and when vanilla appears, it has an understated, soft, and slightly smoky quality that endows the final result with a hint of delicious sweetness. The elegant drydown touched by smooth balsamic frankincense is what elevates Vanille Tonka out of the gourmand vanilla realm.

The house has several boutiques, the locations of which can be discovered directly from Parfums de Nicolaï. Fragrances and ancillary products are available online at Beautyhabit, First-in-Frangrance, New London Pharmacy, Senteurs d'Ailleurs.

Comments

[MC]

Lovely! My wife wears this one. After Vol de Nuit, it's my favourite scent of hers.

[parislondres]

Lovely review as always dear V! Somehow most PdNs do not work well on me. I like this perfume but is not one I can wear. I can appreciate them but somehow - the drydowns are never too great.

Hope you are well.

xoxo

[Sisonne]

Dear V, I love Vanille Tonka! It´s a truely unique vanilla composition.. As you´ve already mentioned it´s a bit smoky, but I find it also pretty refreshing, so that I like to wear it in summer.

[BoisdeJasmin]

Mike, how wonderful! Both you and your wife have superb taste. :)

[BoisdeJasmin]

Thank you, dear N. Did we visit the PdN store together? I am trying to remember. Lately, I have been exploring more of the line, because it appeals to me very much. It is very underrated here in the States.

[BoisdeJasmin]

Dear C, it is rather soft and understated, like a second skin. That is the best way to describe it.

[Sisonne]

Dear V, Yes, that´s a very good way to describe it. It´s just loevly :) It´s rather sad that it´s underrated - the other PdN fragrances are worth trying, too.

[cora-lu]

Dear V, I always enjoy reading your wonderful descriptions, and especially the ones about fragrances I love and still am intrigued about. You always seem to find some hidden note or unusual association (the tangerine and lime/cinnamon candies in this instance). And you're so right about the wonderful frankincense hint in the drydown. This indeed is what made me fall in love with Vanille Tonka!

[Marina]

Lovely description as always, Vikochka! I used to love heavy vanillas, but know I need something "with a twist". A twist of balsamic frankincense would suit me just fine :-)

[Laura]

This is one of my mother's favorites! For myself, I can't seem to really cozy up to scents with dominant vanilla in them. I am a fan of PdN in general, though.

[Karin]

I like this fragrance a lot.

A body lotion that smells quite similar to me is Korres Vanilla Cinnamon body milk available from Sephora. (I do not care for the same scent in Korres fragrance line. It does not smell like the body milk.)

Karin

[Robin]

Must echo Laura, it is a lovely scent but I only rarely want so much vanilla. But need to try this one again, it has been a very long time.

[BoisdeJasmin]

C, yes, I wish they were better known, because then the distribution would be larger. There are so few stores that carry them, other than online retailers.

[BoisdeJasmin]

Cora, thank you. I find that PdN fragrances are unique in terms of their interplay of notes. Vanilla and frankincense is such an interesting combination. One of the few vanillas I truly like.

[BoisdeJasmin]

Marinocka, I like frankincense because of Orthodox church associations. In this case, it is churchy at all, but it adds some mystery.

[BoisdeJasmin]

L, I am so glad to see another PdN fan. I like just about everything from the line, with few exceptions.

[Atreau]

You make every fragrance sound so tempting V. I don't remember this working on me but I want to test it again so badly now.

[BoisdeJasmin]

Karin, thank you for mentioning Vanilla Cinnamon. I was just wondering about it. I will definitely try it the next time I have a chance.

[mreenymo]

You have an uncanny knack for making me think twice about a fragrance, missy! LOL!

Guess I'll have to dig through my samples to try this one again.

Hugs and love!

[julien]

Hi...
Sorry for not answering that much these times but my new job is really exhausting....i hope your well, my dear.
Well,Vanille tonka is with Sacrebleu my favorite Nicolai perfumes.
It is powdery,not that strong...vanilla in there is not "gourmand",just has the smell of vanilla without sugar and the woody chocolate balsamic scent of tonka beans is so wondefully matched with it.
Then some incense and get something mysterious and sensual,long lasting,and dark...my first vanilla scent wich is not "too much" joyous...
What a pleasure....

Kisses dear.

[BoisdeJasmin]

R, I can understand not liking too much vanilla. I was surprised I liked this fragrance!

[BoisdeJasmin]

S, oh, I just love this particular fragrance. I am a big Nicolai fan!

[BoisdeJasmin]

Dear R from LA, you made me smile. I wondered about you liking this scent. Now, you would have to let me know. :)
xoxo

[BoisdeJasmin]

Dear Julien, nice to see you here again! I was wondering where have you gone. Glad to hear that everything seems to be ok.

Yes, Vanille Tonka is everything you say. Its softness paired with incense is what makes it stand out. Another great fragrance from Ms. de Nicolai.

[Tania]

Ah, someone gave me a sample once. I could tell it was lovely, but it wasn't love—I don't wear big vanillas (unless you count Shalimar). Oh well!

[julien]

Please forgive me...
I am just so busy and my english is not good as you can see after a hard day of work.
I swear i don't forget you,but sometimes life makes us go another way...
Take care,i still love your comments and of course, i love you.
I won't forget you...never.
Kisses dear.
Julien.