Sarah Baker Va Va Vanilla

Sarah Baker Va Va Vanilla image courtesy of the brand

The velvet curtain rises. The lights dim. On the screen, a new adventure is about to begin. Flickering somewhere between twilight and midnight, in that delicious liminal hour when the respectable gents loosen their ties and the good girls think of slipping into something a little bit more… dangerous, there is a whisper of some new girl in town. And good thing I am sitting down, because each time I enter Sarah Baker’s cinematic universe, the ground has this tendency of falling off from under my feet…

If Velvet Vendetta was the gun-slinging outlaw dancing only to the beat of her drum through the Nevada desert, then Sarah Baker Va Va Vanilla is her younger, yet slightly more well-traveled sister. She has left behind her country life and traded the dusty saloons for velvet booths, the straight bourbon for espresso martinis, and nonchalantly watching high-noon showdowns for being the one having all eyes on her. She slides her way through the low-lit intrigue of Manhattan’s after-hours jazz clubs, where danger comes in less rugged forms, and temptation comes in broad daylight. There’s no need for sheep’s clothing here, she’s a smokin’ wolf in a tailored silhouette, she knows the moon is always on her side, and she isn’t the one howling. The camera pans over to her, her hips swaying in perfect harmony to the jazz tune that has just started. She slips off her fur coat with slow, practiced gestures, revealing the stunning beige dress that hugs her in all the right places. She takes a seat at the bar, and her perfectly rouged pout smirks defiantly when the bartender asks if she wants a coffee. “Oh, no, please, you are such a bore, I want something more… va-va-voom?” The bartender wipes the counter with a knowing look, leans in, “Got you, babe” and starts to prepare the drink. She smiles, a flash of white teeth touching the cocktail glass, as she sighs: “Oh, just perfect, Va-va-vanilla.”

Margaux Le Paih-Guérin and Sarah Baker in NYC, photo via the brand

Once again, Flair Paris perfumer Margaux Le Paih-Guérin teams up with Sarah Baker, and they know what we’re craving, so they serve it to us, in full technicolor, in a perfume full of texture, contrast, and that ineffable something that keeps you coming back for another shot. Va-Va-Vanilla opens up with a gloriously picture-perfect Espresso Martini, extra shot of caffeine, please – and, oh boy, she certainly did not skimp on the foam.

Sarah Baker Va Va Vanilla, image via the brand

After the first spritz, I am left feeling properly caffeinated, dangerously confident, and oh-so chic. There’s the jolt of dark roasted coffee, bitter and awakening, immediately softened by the creamy Kahlua, that adds all its decadent, buttery, roasted chestnut goodness, melting into a pool of dark vanilla sweetness. It feels like my olfactive camera lens has finally found its focus, and the blur of the night can finally sharpen into a high-definition close-up. But just as I have figured out the gourmand plot, the scene changes. The adrenalized and caffeinated frothy deliciousness gives way to something even more subversive.

Cut to: the jazz trio in the corner strikes up something slow and smoky. Someone’s ordered Manhattans all around, and the air grows thick with the scent of sweet vermouth and whiskey-soaked cherries. The black cherries bob in the glass in little tornadoes, their maraschino sweetness dusted with warming cinnamon that prickles at the edges, adding a spicy bite that makes everything even more mouthwatering. A gorgeous saffron note emerges, all golden, wrapped in vanilla, honeyed and sweet. There’s a boozy warmth here that’s utterly addictive, with the woody dark smoke and velvety woods pulsing softly beneath the sweetness, grounding it, deepening it, pulling the whole composition closer to the body.

Sarah Baker Va Va Vanilla, image via the brand

And we meet again with the oh-not-so-innocent vanilla. The forbidden vanilla is back, and it’s the kind that’s been aged properly, kissed by smoke, inebriated with all the good liquors, and put in her place by hands that know exactly what they’re doing. It’s creamy, round, and voluptuous, yes, but there’s a dark undercurrent running through it: some woody smoke, a few fangs-bared growls, a soft whisper of leather against warm skin, the grounding sensuality of sandalwood and silky woods that make everything feel touchable.

If Velvet Vendetta is an action-adventure-spaghetti-western, all dust and danger and sexy redemption, then Sarah Baker Va Va Vanilla is film noir meets romantic drama, with a little bit of X-rated fun thrown in for good measure.

image via the brand

“Let us leave beautiful women to men with no imagination,” said Marcel Proust. Ahem, our Va Va Vanilla, however, begs to differ. She is all that and more – call her too much, too pretty, too intense, and bursting at the seams, she will not care. A slow-burning vanilla that turns to flame, nutty and creamy, leathery and sexy, spicy and boozy, complex without being difficult, seductive without being obvious, and utterly, completely, devastatingly be-au-ti-ful. With a cherry on top.

Warning: May cause sudden urges to order espresso martinis at absurdly inappropriate hours, speak in double entendres in teams meetings.

Top: Espresso Martini, Cinnamon, Black cherry; Heart:Saffron, Coffee, Crushed nuts, Rum, Manhattan cocktail; Base: Forbidden vanilla, Guaiac wood, Leather, Hot skin, Sandalwood, Silky woods

Disclosure: A 15 ml bottle was offered by the brand; opinions are always my own.

Nicoleta Tomsa, Senior Editor

AI collage by Nicoleta with the 15ml bottle of Va Va Vanilla

Thanks to the generosity of Sarah Baker we have a 15 ml bottle of Va Va Vanilla for one registered reader from the US, EU & UK. You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest based on Nicoleta’s review and where you live. Draw closes

Also, check out the reviews for Velvet Vendetta Pastel Rumors, Peach’s Revenge. Read the entire interview with Margaux Le Paih-Guérin in our ÇaFleureBon Young Perfumer Series here; Margaux is Michelyn’s perfumer of 2025

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