Vanilla.

What it smells like.

Vanilla is warm cream and soft sugar with a faintly boozy, balsamic depth underneath. It is the note people describe as cosy without knowing why. On skin it stays low and close and it takes the sharp corners off everything around it.

In a blend it is a finisher. Fruit becomes dessert, florals become skin-like, woods become warmth. Because it evaporates slowly it is often the last thing left at the end of the day. The caution is the obvious one: vanilla plus caramel plus cotton candy is not a fragrance, it is a bakery. Give it something dry to push against.

In a blend.

The most reliable base there is. Vanilla rounds edges off everything. It is also the fastest way to make a blend read as sweet, so use it deliberately.

Sweet. Soft sweetness without overpowering.

Pairs beautifully with.