Vanille-Pineapple

The little ananas seller, originally uploaded by gobou.

Resisting the shortening of days and the decreasing temperatures, there is one thing this season that can help create the illusion of summer: fresh pineapples from Hawaii. Contradictory to most of what I read and thought I know about pineapples, Fall seems to be the best time to get them here, and Vancouver is apparently close enough to Hawaii so that they get here fresh and fragrant. So much so, that the entire fruit store smells like deliciously juicy pineapples throughout the fall. I would buy an entire pineapple and leave it on the table like a vase with flowers, the only thing keeping me from eating it, is the knowledge that the longer I wait – the longer my home will smell like a tropical island. This fragrance is unmatched by any floral bouquet I have ever smelled.

Vanille-Pineapple smells not so much like fresh pineapples as it portrays the idea of pineapples as we know it through the flavoring industry. Nevertheless, I like it. A lot. The beginning is so juicy and sweet, it feels just like sucking the sugary fluids out of a pale-coloured pineapple-flavoured popsicle. And while I am at it – if you ever make it to Israel, you must try this delicacy, which costs less than a quarter and is the best treat on a hot day (my other favourite flavour is lemon – the classic). The fragrance is intensely sugary-sweet, to the point that it feels as if it is underlined by warm melted chocolate, but than it mellows down. The icy sugary syrup than becomes more like chewing on a pina-colada flavoured bubbled gum - a really good one that makes huge bubbles! – and still very sweet and mouthwatering.

Once this sugary pineapple phase cools down, it becomes smoother and less juicy, as milky aspects start soothing their way through – coconut milk, and the slightly chalky, yet comforting oatmeal milk, which than warms up almost to an oatmeal porridge with a hint of cinnamon. This simplistic baby-phase is really fun, and gives an interesting spin on the pineapple theme, as it doesn’t stick to a tropical cliché too much.

The powdery oat milk becomes smoother as the base notes take over, as if boiled down into a caramely, thick sweetness. The caramel is flavored with vanilla and for extra warmth and sweetness; a shot of rum was sneaked into the base. The dry down is more vanillic, with some musk. Sounds like we smelled this before? Yes, but not quite. Some trails of pineapple tartness remain at the base.

Vanille Pineapple is a fun fragrance to wear, the type of scent that adds a smiley sunlight into an otherwise grey day. It might be too sweet for the summer though, so when it’s hot an you crave a pineapple fragrance my recommendation will be the slightly more tart, green and powdery Ananas Fizz by l’Artisan.

Comptoir Sud Pacifique fragrances are becoming more and more avaialble. To my delight, I just found them in none other than Shoppers Drug Mart beauty boutique in Yaletown.

Notes (base on Basenotes; for some reason,): Pineapple, Vanilla Cream, Passion Frit, Cinammon, Frangipani, Vanilla Sgar, Coconut Milk, Musk