Two Flavours

A budget take on the near-mythical Spiritueuse Double Vanille by Guerlain, Two Flavours opens with a curl of incense smoke, bergamot and pink pepper before the heart adds a soft floral lift of Bulgarian rose, jasmine and ylang over dry cedar. The base is the star and the reason anyone reaches for this: a rich, slightly boozy vanilla deepened by resinous benzoin, carrying the dark, smoky-sweet warmth the original is famous for. Set against the real SDV it reads more two-dimensional, the vanilla sweeter and the boozy, incense-laced complexity dialled back, so it trades some of the Guerlain artistry for an easier, comforting vanilla. Projection is moderate and turns intimate after the first hours, with respectable rather than standout longevity. Even so, for the money it captures that luxurious dark-vanilla signature convincingly - a smoky, sensual sweetness that suits cool-weather evenings, dates, cosy nights and formal occasions, reading as sophisticated, comforting and quietly seductive.