Vanilla Royale Sugared Patchouli 64
Kayali (2022)

Oh my God, this is amazing. I don't think I've ever had a vanilla perfume that felt like an unsafe scent. Like, most vanillas I know my mom would love & I could over spray and not have everyone in public hate me but this is the exact opposite in the most delightful of ways 😻.

On first spray I immediately smell this deep, smoky, vanillic rum that instantly has oud wrap itself around it quickly followed by the scent of fresh leather. It's like entering a house of worship that isn't shy on using incense - not Catholic, thankfully. This is more resinous and earthy and just DEEPER than that scent.

After about ten to twenty minutes, the most delicious smelling caramel joins the party and I'm ready to sell my soul to be drenched in this, honestly. I'm in love and am so happy I ignored negative reviews! Sugared Patchouli is truly the correct name for this fragrance as patchouli sparkles throughout the entire fragrance.

I'd recommend wearing this on nights out, especially date nights when you want a sexier rather than sweet vanilla fragrance. It would especially go well with an outfit featuring black and gold - a brocade mini skirt & black mock neck turtleneck sweater with black shimmer tights & either black and gold boots or gold maryjanes instantly comes to mind when I smell it.

Okay, so my bottle just arrived and I immediately put it on. So this is really just a first impression of the scent itself since I obviously cannot speak to how it develops or wears over the course of the day. I’ve been wearing it for maybe 20 minutes or so. And here is how I perceive the scent on my own skin. Purchased when it was released yesterday Nov 16, 2022… delivered today.

The most prominent note to my nose is absolutely patchouli. I don’t think I have ever encountered another fragrance with a patchouli note this strong. It’s doesn’t smell like head shop patchouli, in fact, it smells almost mint-like. There is no blast of cool that mint would give, but it definitely smells as if mint and patchouli are in the same family. I’m not sure if they are or not. So it doesn’t smell dirty, but more on the aromatic side of things.

The next accord that my nose is picking up is Créme Brûlée. It definitely leans more custard to my nose than a regular vanilla. There is a soft and subtle underlying creaminess that I can pick up on.

And the third and final note that I can definitely perceive is rum. There is a sweet boozy quality but it is more in the background than the first two notes/accords I mentioned. It adds a warmth and slightly jagged interest.

Maybe a tiny hint of brown sugar as well, but I don’t know if I would have guessed that without knowing it.

Overall, the fragrance is not overly gourmand to my nose, but it is rich, and decadent. It feels like a fall and winter fragrance to me. And it’s also an unexpected scent profile. Unique is a hard word for me to use, but I do feel it leans that way. I definitely have never smelled another designer fragrance with a similar scent profile. I will say, that if you struggle with patchouli, this would probably not be for you. Definitely test first. I also would say that if you’re expecting a strong vanilla, you might be slightly disappointed. Vanilla is there, but patchouli is the star here. At least to my nose. Fresh out of the box, on day one. All of this could change over time, but I hope that this is helpful if you are curious.

I do think it would layer nicely with vanilla 28 if you wanted to bring out more vanilla.

Personally, I’m kinda digging it. I don’t think I ever smelled a patchouli this strong that didn’t smell like a headshop or dirty. This is neither of those.

I’m wearing two sprays and I can tell it does have at least arms length projection, but I’m alone, so I don’t know if it’s more than that. I will have to update this later to include longevity and such, and I will probably make an update further down the road if the vanilla develops more over time.

EDIT TO ADD UPDATE 12/12/2022:
As the age of the bottle is increasing, the Créme brûlée vanilla is becoming more prominent. It’s still a patchouli dominant fragrance, and gorgeous too, if I say so. But as the creaminess is becoming more and more pronounced, my addiction to this bottle is increasing. Honestly, I feel like people are really missing out on Kayali and not taking them seriously because the sister of the owner is Huda beauty… Kayali, I feel, can really stand on their own.

02/27/2023: Edit to add another update because this fragrance really morphs in the bottle over time. I am absolutely head over heels for this. The vanilla has a creamy effect but the earthy patchouli and incensey oud, balance the sweetness and really make this stand out as the most badass vanilla fragrance I’ve ever come across. This is really amazing. On a technical scale alone, this might be the best the house has to offer so far. Still not my personal favorite of the house but it’s top 2 for sure!