I can't believe it's been nearly three years since I wrote a post about vanilla lotions, with suggestions for fragrance layering; but time has indeed flown, and the new year seems like as good a time as any to revisit some favorite themes. I still agree with my own recommendations from that earlier post, and now I can add another half-dozen ideas for products that feature vanilla, often mixed with other notes for results that may also appeal to the non-vanilla-lovers among us.

First, an option that's traditional all around: Caswell-Massey Vanilla Orchid Hand & Body Lotion (above center), from the venerable toiletries company. Even though its name mentions the flower of the vanilla plant, this is a rich gourmand vanilla with a caramel note. If you're really in the mood for some head-to-toe vanilla-bean sweetness, you could also try the matching shower gel, dusting powder, and Eau de Toilette. ($17, currently on sale for $12.75, at the Caswell-Massey website)

I have a weakness for certain high-end natural lines, and since I already loved certain skincare and haircare products from this company, it wasn't surprising that I fell for John Masters Blood Orange and Vanilla Body Milk (above right). This light lotion is packed with antioxidant-rich oils, soothing botanicals like comfrey leaf, and extracts of vanilla, honeysuckle, blood orange oil, and grapefruit peel oil for fragrance. It smells like a Creamsicle...

Eau Duelle is Diptyque's new unisex fragrance. The description — a fragrance that follows vanilla on its journey along the spice route — and the notes¹ both sounded perfect. I'm fond of Diptyque, anyway: I love the vintage-look black and white packaging, and they happen to make two of my favorite reading-in-bed perfumes of all time: Philosykos and Tam Dao.

When I reviewed their last fragrance, Vetyverio, I noted that it started "out bright and fresh and energetic", and that the dry down was "an exercise in subtlety". The trajectory here is quite similar. Eau Duelle's opening is vibrant: it smells just like a vanilla gin martini with a twist of citrus peel. Then the spices come on fast, with a lovely overload of cardamom, and shortly after that there is a nice whiff of black tea and a whoosh of incense.

Then it all sort of quiets down...

You don’t have to be obsessive-compulsive to worry about germs these days. It’s cold season, it’s flu season, and worse yet, now we have to fear the H1N1 virus (“swine flu”) too. Accordingly, sales of antibacterial soaps and hand gels have risen dramatically in recent months. However, there are some problems with mass-market antibacterial products: the ones with triclosan pose possible health concerns, and the ones with too much alcohol leave your hands dry and cracked, and thus vulnerable to all kinds of irritation and infection.

For these reasons, not to mention the harsh window-cleaner smell of so many drugstore antibacterial products, I’ve long preferred alternatives like EO Hand Sanitizer. Lately, I’m even more pleased with the new Hand Purifier from Intelligent Nutrients. It’s a gel product (rather than a liquid that runs down your wrists and onto the front of your winter coat when you try to apply it on the go), and it feels like a lightweight hand lotion...

Vanilla & Anise is new from Jo Malone; it's meant to "...evoke the moment that vanilla orchids bloom at day-break in Madagascar", Madagascar being the world’s largest producer of vanilla.

Vanilla & Anise starts out bright and citrusy. It's slightly sharp in the early stages, and very fresh. Patty at Perfume Posse found it melon-y aquatic, but I hardly noticed until I sprayed it on paper. On skin (my skin, anyway), the fresh notes pass by in a flash. It sweetens up quickly but it never gets more than slightly sweet, and the vanilla is balanced by a slightly bitter edge in the mostly transparent florals: it reminds me of wildflowers more than tropical florals (the notes: bergamot, neroli, wild fennel flower, star anise, oleander, tuberose, frangipani, purple vanilla orchid, clove, white amber, vetiver, vanilla bourbon absolute and tonka bean). The licorice notes are subtle, and the base is pale and woody, and just slightly earthy...

Havana Vanille is the latest fragrance to join the travel series at L'Artisan Parfumeur. It follows Bois Farine, Timbuktu, Dzongkha and Fleur de Liane — not bad company, as these things go. This time, we're off to Cuba:

From its vibrant Salsa rhythms, its famous cigars and Cuban rum, it is certain there is something magical about Havana. It is a place that contrasts all others. This mysterious fragrance is reminiscent of travels around the world, the nostalgia of crossing the seven seas to discover far off treasures and the smell of a wooden boat mingling with the aroma of rum and spice.¹

The perfumer is Bertrand Duchaufour, who developed all of the L'Artisan travel series fragrances to date with the exception of Bois Farine, and the notes include rum, clove, dried fruits, narcissus, tonka bean, helichrysum, vanilla, smoked woods, moss and balsamic notes. Sound good so far? It sounded darned good to me, and lo and behold, I was not disappointed...

On my latest trip to a Sabon shop, however, I ended up purchasing a bottle of Patchouli Lavender Body Oil. I liked its antique-looking, ribbed-glass bottle, the idea of concentrated, oil-based moisture for my dry elbows and legs, and oh yes, the scent. I surprised myself by being drawn to this fragrance, because it doesn't smell like lavender essential oil, vanilla absolute, or actual patchouli; in other words, it's definitely a synthetic scent...

Les Parfums de Rosine

Beautiful days are back and La Rose de Rosine metamorphoses in an Eau Fraîche, a more lively, light and sweet fragrance: LA ROSE LEGERE.

The top note is gently kicked by a wild strawberry and is mixing the green and grinding blackcurrant, the acidulous and fresh bergamot and the sweet neroli...

Racy and incredibly natural bourbon vanilla absolu will take you miles away... An exotic tribute to the vanilla bean with a captivating rhum top note enhanced with Indonesian patchouli oil for a warm and woody dry down...

Lavanila has launched Vanilla Lavender:

Innocent & fresh. This clean and romantic blend of Spanish Lavender, Rose Absolute, Violet Leaf and warm Madagascar vanilla is created by natural perfumers who use only the finest pure essential oils. Peaceful and serene, an oasis of tranquility awaits...

Felanilla — and let's not even talk about the name, 'kay? — is one of the latest fragrances from Parfumerie Generale, and it did make an immediate impression. My testing notes from the first trial say simply "Shalimar", not because it's a dupe, mind you, but because it struck me as something like a modern niche meditation on the Shalimar theme...