This $20 Perfume Oil Smells Almost Identical to Tom Ford's New Vanilla Fragrance

During the Winter season, I typically gravitate towards gourmand fragrances. Scents that remind me of home, that smell warm and comforting. Gourmand scents usually feature notes of caramel, chocolate, vanilla, candy, and so on. They are also referred to as "foodie" fragrances because of their edible enticing notes. This week at Sephora, while stocking up on my beauty favorites for the new month, I came across the viral new Tom Ford fragrance "Vanilla Sex".With the description “Vanilla reveals a pristine glamour, warmed by mysterious florals and bitter almond essence" I was expecting to be completely blown away by this $395 fragrance. After all, how can you get a vanilla scent wrong? Unfortunately and to my surprise, I was underwhelmed. For the price, I expected a vanilla scent with more complexity but it wasn't anything I hadn't smelled before. On the dry down, it immediately reminded me of a fragrance that I've had in my collection for years. Whether I'm running around the city on a Saturday evening or one of my weekly Trader Joe's visits, when wearing this $20 perfume oil, I'm sure to hear "Wow, what perfume are you wearing?" The Nemat Vanilla Musk Fragrance Oil is one of my most complimented and longest-lasting winter scents, it smells very similar to Vanilla Sex. However, it consists of one "in your face" characteristic that may be considered a total turn-off for some. 

Vanilla fragrances are always a great choice because it is such a simple but effective scent. Most people love smelling sweet but sometimes that sweetness can be overwhelming. One thing about the Nemat Vanilla Musk oil is that it is sickly sweet. For some, that smell can be repelling, nauseating, or cause headaches. For others, like myself, very sweet smells don't bother me at all. For days that I don't want to smell like a straight-up cupcake, I layer this oil with a fragrance of woody or even fruity notes. This fragrance oil is a creamy vanilla that makes its way through my fragrance rotation year-round and I think it's an amazing purchase for my fellow vanilla lovers. Also, because this is an oil it's more potent than fragrance sprays so a little goes a long way and it lingers on clothes for days! If you can afford to or simply want to have the Tom Ford perfume in your collection, go for it! It is a nice scent, after all, fragrances are personal and smell different on everyone. What may not smell amazing to me can end up being your signature scent.