{"id":4149,"date":"2025-12-22T17:55:43","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T18:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/?p=4149"},"modified":"2025-12-25T14:57:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T14:57:26","slug":"vanilla-fragrances-need-a-rebrand-respectfully-this-new-line-is-the-scents-savior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/22\/vanilla-fragrances-need-a-rebrand-respectfully-this-new-line-is-the-scents-savior\/","title":{"rendered":"Vanilla Fragrances Need a Rebrand (Respectfully) & This New Line Is The Scent\u2019s Savior"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s 2010. I\u2019m 13 years old and I\u2019m on my way to what I know<\/em> will be one of the craziest nights of my life: The Justin Bieber <\/a>My World 2.0<\/a><\/em> Tour.<\/a> As I crank my hair straightener<\/a> up way too high (RIP to my ends), I pause mid-section and wonder: What am I missing? What would truly make Justin fall in love with me? <\/em>And then it hits me: my vanilla cupcake perfume<\/a> from Claire\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The perfume is aggressively sugary<\/a> and smells like straight icing. All my mom could hear from downstairs was sksksksksks<\/em> as I drowned myself in it, fully convinced that if Justin couldn\u2019t see me from the stage, he would at least smell me. And well, not to spoil the ending, but\u2026 he did not fall in love with me that night. Congrats, Hailey<\/a>!<\/p>\n

What did<\/em> happen, though, was far more consequential: that was the night I fell in love with gourmand fragrances, specifically, vanilla<\/a>. I never cared what brand it was, as long as the bottle starts with buttery<\/em>, whipped<\/em>, or sugar<\/em>, I was in.<\/p>\n

Life was going great until one day, a coworker casually mentions that my favorite fragrance<\/a> reminds her of what it smells like to be a child. Suddenly, I was overthinking everything. Was I still that 13-year-old hoping to be noticed by JB, or did my signature scent simply need a rebrand?<\/p>\n

Turns out, it was both.<\/p>\n

When I heard that Soap & Glory<\/strong><\/a> dropped a brand-new, mood-boosting fragrance line, I was intrigued. It covers pretty much every palette. There\u2019s Tropical Sunrise<\/strong><\/a> with pineapple and coconut, Orchid Bliss<\/strong><\/a> with orchid and sandalwood, Radiant Rose<\/strong><\/a> with florals and bergamot, Watermelon Spritz<\/strong><\/a> for something bright and juicy, and of course Vanilla-licious<\/strong><\/a> with warm caramel and vanilla notes. With a set with this much range, it\u2019s perfect for mixing and matching. And with each fragrance under $20, it felt like the perfect chance to find my signature scent and actually play around with layering.<\/p>\n

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Since I hadn\u2019t elevated my fragrance in nearly 20 years, I tapped the internet\u2019s favorite fragrance guru, Paul Fino<\/strong><\/a>, for advice on how to layer scents and whether I can keep being a vanilla girl at my big age. <\/p>\n

DashDividers_1_500x100<\/title><\/div>\n<p><strong>Unbothered: So talk to me about vanilla. Do you think it\u2019s having a moment right now? And do you think it\u2019s one of those scents that transcends seasons, like a year-round thing?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Paul Fino:<\/strong> Yeah, for sure. Vanilla is year-round for me because there are so many vanilla-adjacent scents. You can find vanillas that lean super creamy, more floral, or even more powdery. That said, vanilla is definitely most popular in fall and winter. People love warm gourmands in colder months, and in summer they usually want something more tropical, fruity, or fresh. But vanilla is not going anywhere. It\u2019s had its moment and it\u2019s become one of those things that just sticks around.<\/p>\n<p><strong>My coworker said vanilla is childish. So when you see something like Vanilla-licious, which feels more grown and sexy but still has that inner-child sweetness, how do you elevate it? How do you layer it so you don\u2019t smell like cupcake perfume from Limited Too?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>PF:<\/strong> I 100% get that. A lot of gourmand vanillas can lean artificial or very young. When people say they want a \u201cmature\u201d vanilla, I get it, but \u201cmature\u201d doesn\u2019t mean grandma. It can mean deeper, sexier, more attractive. One of my favorite ways to elevate Vanilla-licious is pairing it with Radiant Rose. Radiant Rose is basically their iconic signature scent, but repackaged and made a little newer and fresher. Rose is romantic, and it deepens the vanilla. The musk in both helps them blend really beautifully. That vanilla-rose combination is gorgeous.<\/p>\n<p><strong>I feel like layering fragrance is like cooking. You wouldn\u2019t put mustard and jelly together. So how do you know what works? What\u2019s the science of scent layering, especially for someone new who wants to smell unique but still wearable?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>PF:<\/strong> It\u2019s all about understanding notes and scent families. I can usually predict how something will smell based on the notes and how many fragrances I\u2019ve experienced, but a simple rule is to keep things in similar scent profiles if you want to play it safe. Sweets with sweets, gourmands with gourmands. For example, vanilla with pineapple and coconut makes sense because it\u2019s tropical sweet. Vanilla and coconut always work together, so Vanilla-licious with Tropical Sunrise is an easy layering combo.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11952222.jpg\"><\/figure>\n<p><strong>What about combinations that are risky?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>PF:<\/strong> Sometimes mixing two different ends of the spectrum can clash, but sometimes a clash is exactly what makes it interesting. That\u2019s how you get people to ask, \u201cWhat are you wearing?\u201d Also, fragrance wears differently on everyone, so experimentation matters.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Are these meant to be layered only with each other, or can you layer them with perfumes too?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>PF:<\/strong> You can absolutely layer these with perfumes. They\u2019re body mists, but they have really good projection and longevity, especially for the price point. They\u2019re great as base layers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you have a method for layering? Like an order you follow?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>PF:<\/strong>Yes. I do heaviest to lightest. I start with my deepest scent first, like a heavy wood or musk, then layer lighter scents on top. It\u2019s kind of like how fragrance is built, with base notes, heart notes, and top notes.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/11952224.jpg\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>If someone just wants one scent from the line for self-care, like a shower that makes you feel calm and relaxed, which one is it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>PF:<\/strong> Orchid Bliss. Hands down. If you want truly relaxing and calming, Orchid Bliss is the one. It\u2019s slightly sweet, it has sandalwood, and there are also notes like vanilla and pistachio in there, but they feel more subtle and deeper in the background. It\u2019s like a spa in a bottle.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why not Vanilla-licious for calm?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>PF:<\/strong> Vanilla makes me feel confident. Like, super confident. Orchid Bliss gives more calm spa-night energy. If you\u2019re tired, overworked, and want the most relaxing shower, I\u2019d do scrub, wash, body butter, and spray in Orchid Bliss, then top it with your favorite perfume if you want extra oomph.<\/p>\n<div><title>DashDividers_1_500x100<\/title><\/div>\n<p>After talking to Paul, I realized it was never really about retiring vanilla. It was about wearing it with intention. It was about keeping the sweetness but adding depth. It\u2019s time to let my inner 13-year-old have her moment, while my grown self makes my scent feel polished. So yes, I\u2019m still a vanilla girl. I\u2019m just a vanilla girl with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.refinery29.com\/en-au\/best-vanilla-perfume\"><em>range<\/em><\/a> now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.refinery29.com\/en-us\/noyz-only-human-fragrance-review?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss_linkback1\">The Only Vanilla Perfume I’m Wearing This Fall<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.refinery29.com\/en-us\/the-7-virtues-vanilla-woods-perfume-fragrance-review?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss_linkback2\">This Vanilla Perfume Is The Next Viral Scent<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.refinery29.com\/en-us\/noyz-detour-vanilla-perfume-review?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss_linkback3\">This New Perfume Will Be The Scent Of The Summer<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s 2010. I\u2019m 13 years old and I\u2019m on my way to what I know will be one of the craziest nights of my life: The Justin Bieber My World 2.0 Tour. As I crank my hair straightener up way too high (RIP to my ends), I pause mid-section and wonder: What am I missing?…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4149"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4149"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4156,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4149\/revisions\/4156"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/baldheadedgirls.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}