Mona Di Orio - Vanille : A boozy and balsamic Vanilla | Perfume Review.

 

 

Mona Di Orio - Vanille.

The idea behind this perfume was Mona Di Orio’s imagination about a cargo ship carrying rum barrels, oranges, vanilla beans, ylang-ylang, cloves and sandalwood. When the name of the perfume is based on a single note we usually expect it to be the most prominent note in the fragrance but it isn’t the case with this perfume. It does not mean that the name is misleading or it does not have ample dosages of vanilla because it does and while vanilla is present throughout, it plays its role very silently until the dry down. Vanilla here is definitely the base, every other note pays its respect to vanilla stays a while and leaves when their part is done. It’s a very beautiful composition that shows both the dark and the comforting facets of vanilla.

Notes :- 

Top - Cloves, Rum , Bitter orange, Petitgrain.

Middle - Guaiac Wood, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang.

Base - Madagascar Vanilla, Amber, Tonka Bean , Tolu Balsm, Leather, Musk.

The perfume starts with a heavy and strong blast of rum, clove, bitter orange and petitgrain. Clove here doesn’t come across as very spicy but rather adds a very dry texture to the opening, while rum delivers its boozy character but not too strong. Vanilla can be felt even at this point but more as a base for all these notes to lie upon. The most beautiful note for me in the opening is petitgrain.

                                                                Image Source - deepgreenpermaculture

A fresh green and woody note which is light in texture and also happens to be a very important note in this composition i.e Petitgrain, a note extracted from the branches and leaves of the orange tree that I personally missed a lot lately since I don’t see it being used much anymore now. Petitigrain is quite prominent here in the top along with bitter orange. I have had my experience with different notes extracted from orange tree and its counterparts, it’s surprising how once a single tree can give so much and in my experience bitter orange and petitgrain go beautifully together when an orange based accord has no sweetness in it. The mix of both these notes along with cloves gives the perfume a unique start.

There is hardly any middle here, expect for the short lived Vetiver and ylang ylang.  A slightly powdery nuance is felt for a moment and I am glad that it doesn’t last long. The middle here is exactly what we have read of its purpose to be, the bridge between top and base. Vetiver and ylang play a role of the bridge for perfume to go from a fresh and boozy clove scent to a Vanilla that’s warm, balsamic and woody.

The Dry down here has one of the best sandalwood, tonka and vanilla bases that I have come across. The sandalwood here is supreme, soft and rich.  Even at this point vanilla isn’t over powering and lets other notes play around it.  There is a slight balsamic touch at the tail of the perfume which compliments the overall structure of the drydown. The dry down is a woody and sweet combination of many notes which either have vanilla like qualities or balsamic.  To conclude, I shall strongly say that Mona di Orio – Vanille is one of the best oriental vanilla I have come across, though it is not a fragrance which features heavy Vanilla but that’s the beauty of it, to have vanilla at the center of everything and yet it isn’t the driver here.

“I want to create fragrances that make people feel, dream, and travel, remember and surprise.” – Mona Di Orio.

                                                              Image Source :- mashed
  

My hunt for the best vanilla scent was probably over in 2016 when I procured this beautiful bottle and juice. Launched in 2011 Mona Di Orio’s Vanille can put a lot of vanilla scent to shame with its unique creation and quality. Sadly 2011 is also the year when Mona Di Orio herself passed away during a surgery. Not many know that she was a disciple of Edmond Roudnitska and worked with him for 15 years.