Vanilla Bourbon

For $20 this is worth it for sure. The bourbon and peppery facets quickly disperse into a very airy, papery, cereal-ish type of vanilla. This is not dense, dark, or heavy at all. Normally I like a thicc, resinous, mysterious vanilla, but sometimes you have to read the room and wear something lighter. This is a definite sibling of bath and body works warm musk and reminds me a bit of al-rehab choco musk without being as plasticky.

This is my signature fall fragrance. Its name describes it exactly: vanilla with warm bourbon. The scent is simple but not boring. It's cozy, it's yummy, and it lasts forever on my clothes. As soon as it gets chilly outside I start covering myself in this stuff. Been wearing this for three years or more and I keep coming back.

As a fan of VS bare vanilla and Kayali 28, really interesting because I don't smell vanilla in this at ALL, and it doesn't have any resemblance to VS Bare Vanilla. To me, it's entirely powdery amber, sharp enough that it's almost vinegary. I like it but definitely not vanilla like on me at all. That being said I first came across this asking a friend what she was wearing, which included this, layered with eos vanilla cashmere and at least one more product and I thought she smelled like Lush Lord of Misrule, which I can see how that happened. I use this to layer but won't repurchase again.

This is the first perfume in this price range I've ever smelled with no harsh, rubbing alcohol opening. It smells amazing the whole time.

I have smelled an ungodly amount of inexpensive vanillas (and a handful of pricy ones), and this is in the middle of the pack to me. I like it a LOT. But does it dethrone my 3 favorites? Not really. I didn't buy it, but only because I have a glut of vanillas already. But one CRITICAL thing I've learned on my vanilla voyage is just how subjective they are (all fragrances are, but even vanilla as a genre is wildly varied and people can disagree on what constitutes a good vanilla). That being said, I can understand why people adore this. It's a slightly toasted vanilla, a little thick, a little creamy...but even warmer than a standard vanilla. My very immediate thought when testing this was - 'Bare Vanilla?...Is that you?!'. I don't own Bare Vanilla, but this smells like my scent memory of it. It's kind of a "bedroom" vanilla. I very much recommend this, it's a solid 8 to me. Not a damn thing wrong with it, and for the price, this is fabulous.

VERY very heavy vanilla but has never given me a headache. I use this mostly for layering and it does the job, I also have a travel sized body mist of it and it's a nice touch up. I would more recommend the bod mist then the perfume.

Not really sure how I feel and if I like this. It’s powdery and prominent with spice.. smells a bit like cola and the vanilla is lost on me. Reminds me and I’m getting faint whiffs of by the fireplace

I wasn't even shopping for fragrances at Meijer and I unsuspectingly eyed the body spray and sprayed my hand...and it smelled almost identical to a 200 dollar fragrance! My mother wears Josune by Daniel Josier and at first sniff this smelled nearly the same. I am glad because I gave this to her and she agreed! So now I will buy this for her instead. Lol. It smells exactly how it is described. But I only tried the body spray. I will try the perfume version and provide an update.

I just bought a small vile of this from target and i usually am a vanilla hater and just sugary sweet perfume hater in general (i don’t hate all sweet bc i love sweet florals/fruity) but this genuinely smells so good and it’s not overly sweet where its sickening but its very creamy almost like vanilla extract that you bake with. it smells so nice and im excited to wear it and see what i can layer with it!

I love a good layering scent, and what a nice, orderly pyramid! Good job!

I bought this perfume well over a year ago, maybe even closer to 2 years now, and I liked it, but it wasn't one of my favorites; I would occasionally use it to layer with, but I didn't find myself reaching for it very often. But a couple weeks ago, I got a little bored with the my usually fragrances, so I decided to give the Vanilla Bourbon another try. I guess aging had a positive effect on this perfume, because it smelled far better blended/smoother than before, and there was no harsh alcohol smell at all. Now it just smells like a really lovely vanilla; not really sweet, but deep and warm with a tiny bit of the floral on top. I think this perfume is quite unisex and would smell nice on any gender. For $19.99, you can't really beat it! And if you already have this scent and aren't the biggest fan, let it set a while like I did and come back to it, because it might smell better then for you, too!

This is absolutely one of my favorite vanilla “go to” layering scents.

I've had this for over a year before knowing about maceration, so I think it probably smells sweeter for me now. But I really like this! Great grown vanilla (not cloying or dessert sweet), good for layering - I put it on top of my vanilla musk - non offensive. Cozy for before bed. I do have the body spray not the perfume.

This is a great find for only $20. It's a beautiful, boozy vanilla. It just doesn't last very long.

i have the oil which might be different, but when i first smelled this it was so sweet. After a month it started to smell less sweet more of a headache. Kind of bad kind of good, kind of a migraine in a bottle

this has been my go-to perfume for the last two years. i have the perfume oil roller bottle, so my experience might differ slightly from those who have the edp; it's a musky vanilla--it isn't overly sweet--that i feel like strikes a good balance between masc and fem. i tend to hate the syrupy-sweet vanillas that seem to be everywhere, so this is a welcome reprieve. i wear it year-round (i just love the scent that much) but i think it is very well suited to fall/winter

One of the first perfumes I've ever bought on my own, and easily one of my personal favorites. Back in 2022 I had this but unfortunately ran out of it and I recently got around to buying it again. No other vanilla scented perfume has come close to how "genuine" this smells. Every other vanilla I've tried always borders onto a "frosted cupcake" like scent meanwhile this one feels like raw vanilla. The pepper blends into it so well, and its dry down is gentle and warm. It's more of an intimate sillage, but nonetheless one of the best vanilla perfumes out there. Not to mention the price is almost a steal. Love this one.

Around 2021/22 when this fragrance first came out I purchased it and fully enjoyed it. Something of this quality at the price point it was selling at (idk if price has increased as I still have my original bottle) was too good to be true. The pepper along with the vanilla really stands out on my skin. I was skeptical about the pepper but I LOVE it. Funny story. One autumn I went to a Halloween store for costume shopping. The sales rep that was helping me smelled frickin amazing. The most beautiful sensual "dark" vanilla and it went well with her whole vibe and the store. I asked her what she was wearing and she said mix bar vanilla bourbon 😂 I didn't recognize my own fragrance on her! No pepper like on me. She said she always gets compliments. I told her how I pull pepper and vanilla and she looked at me like, yeah, nah 😂😂. Goes to show that frags can smell different on different people. And that's the beauty of it all!

This scent embodies my favorite features when looking for a new perfume to wear. Vanilla, Musky, Woody. This perfume to me smells like a cool night downtown in some bar you don't remember the name of, but the vibes are just right.

i passed on this in the body mist form because it smelled weird on the paper and i wondered what all the hype was about. now that it's in walmart, i went ahead and picked up the EDP on impulse because it's inexpensive, i'm a vanilla fiend, and if it sucked i could use it up in layering pretty fast. i get the hype now! the pepper in the opening is not my favorite, but luckily fades pretty quickly. i'm more of a pink pepper this isn't a gourmand, cupcakey vanilla. it's an ambery vanilla with a hint of spiciness and citrus. it's sweet but not cloying, a little fresh from the citrus, but still warm from the amber and sandalwood base. i wish it projected a bit more because this smells beautiful on my skin. i don't mind dousing myself with it to get a scent bubble due to the price/availability, just would be great if the performance was a bit better too!

I was at a play when a woman slipped past me in our row, and I did the only reasonable thing: stopped her mid-shuffle and demanded to know what she was wearing. I was purchasing it online before the curtain went up. Priorities. This is a true vanilla, not cupcake frosting, not syrupy dessert, but vanilla with spine. It has a spiced, almost floral edge that keeps it elegant rather than saccharine. And then the dry down is where the real seduction happens. The sandalwood melts into the skin and turns into this cozy, warm, quietly intoxicating magic—like cashmere, candlelight. Is it a beast-mode, fill-the-room-for-12-hours situation? No. She’s intimate. Soft-spoken. Knows you’ll lean in. But for the price, the performance is genuinely impressive, and honestly, I’m happy to reapply just to stay close to her. A perfect addition to my cold-weather, holiday rotation. Festive, comforting, a little sexy. Exactly my type.

This is a nice accent, but extremely masculine. I prefer something more overtly feminine, but this would be great on a guy or someone who prefers to present as masculine. The "bourbon" in it smells like smoke and leather.

The most PERFECT vanilla and scent of all time. I love this so much. I bought 5 bottles as a backup because Chemist Warehouse wasn't restocking it, but my baby is finally back. It's a lovely, sweet, almost powdery vanilla. It is on the heavy side, not overly gourmand but still very sweet and delicious. To me, it is a very versatile scent - one that I can wear to work on busy weekdays, to long days at university, or just to chill at home on a quiet evening. It is also very inexpensive and lasts a long time. Perfectly layered with Bare Vanilla and any of its flankers, and try with Kayali Vanilla 28 because it's absolutely beast mode.

My go to. I was gifted a bottle of this by a dear friend and it has been one of my favorites to wear to layer or just as a stand alone fragrance. Remarkably affordable for what it does- a deceptively complex scent that has it all. Warm sugar cookies, a crackling fireplace, a boozy drink right under your nose, oddly somewhat erotic. It makes you want to bury your face in someone's neck and snuggle up close.

This is the type of vanilla that DOES NOT work for me. The woody, spicy, citrus vanilla's are a big NO for me.

I wish I liked this given the notes listed are some of my favorites including vanilla orchid, Madagascar vanilla and sandalwood, but there’s something in this that is incredibly cloying to my nose and headache inducing. I think it is the sweet boozy note that overwhelms the other notes. If that boozy note was taken out, it would be a really good gourmand vanilla especially with the note of apple blossom present. I am finally accepting that I don’t like too much sweetness in the perfumes I wear on myself, even if I like it on someone else. I will unfortunately be letting this one go as there are much better vanillas in my collection.

I agree with Lpagano!! It smelled so good on a paper I tested it on. And then I tried it on my skin and absolutely hated it! It turned to a funky smell on my skin. I would agree it turned sour on me! That’s the word —ha! I was so disappointed because I love vanilla fragrances so much! This one wasn’t it! This one wasn’t boozy or gourmand vanilla. This one was a vanilla turned flat and unappealing.

Inexpensive and (at least in my experience) often-complimented. Better longevity than other Mix Bar scents I've tried. A pleasant, boozey vanilla. I really enjoy the pepper note here.

I love this perfume. I am on my second bottle. It is th perfect warm, cozy, rich vanilla with not being disgustingly sweet. I get a lot of compliments on this perfume. It really is rich, warm, cozy, and just sweet enough.

My second perfume ever. Definitely smells cheap, but it's not bad. It gave me a love for bourbon/smokey/ambery scents, so I will be grateful for that.