SARAH BAKER VELVET VENDETTA​

Sarah Baker Velvet Vendetta is coming straight from the oven and is officially launched today on the October 20th. The inspiration nehing the scent comes from the wild-wild West. The lawless landscape of US where rules were merely a suggestions and population survival meant being tougher than your circumstances. It’s a daring vanilla with ton of smoke and resins, laced with gentle funk and lots of booze. Certainly reimagined and unique, which is a challenge in current rapidly expanding vanilla-dominant releases landscape.

The opening announces itself with gunsmoke, an accord that immediately sets the tone of danger for everything that follows. This smoky introduction isn’t subtle or decorative but rather front and center “shoot first, talk later” ordeal. Sulphuric burning matches vibe at the very first seconds of the opening is creating an atmosphere thick with mystery and danger. Pink pepper is a faint ghost on my skin placed there to add sparks and elevate the spiciness that follows. Smoke and salt clearly dominate the scene on my skin for first minutes. They steer my attention away from something earthy and dark-boozy that is cooking underneath.

First time that I wore it in Cannes I got a lot of plum liqueur and aged whiskey-soaked oakbarrels. So gloomy and pleasant, like entering the restricted area of Hennessey  cellars. The posh dried fruits dance is adding unexpected juiciness that cuts through the smoke and spice. It most certainly provides relief from what could otherwise be an overwhelmingly dark opening, creating balance while maintaining the fragrance’s outlaw character.

The heart reveals itself later, that’s my fave part, where Sarah Baker Velvet Vendetta truly earns its name: vanilla, which is anything but “another silly gourmand”. It’s not the clean, sweet vanilla of baking or ice cream, but rather something darker and more complex, carrying hints of fermentation and earthiness that make it feel alive and highly addictive. This vanilla has seen things, done things she ain’t proud of, and doesn’t care what you think about it. If you ask me, this is a perfect match to the range and endless creativity upon which the entire brand is built. Intoxicating is another word that perfectly describes Velvet Vendetta.

And of course, it would not be Sarah Baker scent if there wasn’t a quirky note in the mix. To me, this time it is olive. Salty, dark, gooey olive with the texture of motor oil. Surreal compound to use in a scent, but it pairs with vanilla so well! Its briny quality complements and transforms vanilla. This savory (read salty) twist keeps the fragrance from sliding into pure gourmand territory, adding the oily umami character that makes you stop and question what you’re smelling. Vanilla-olive combo creates the tension that separates Velvet Vendetta from being “yet another vanilla”.

The base drops into what can only be described as a dusty sunset, all warm tones and fading light captured in tobacco, benzoin, burnt sugar and you guessed it – vanilla. Tobacco adds dry, slightly bitter hay-like earthiness with hints of sweetness, evoking hand-rolled cigarettes and weathered leather vibe. I can swear there is birch tar in there too, hiding from the naked eye. Sarah Baker Velvet Vendetta has the opulent sticky texture, like sugar ended up being cooked past caramelization into something deeper and borderline burnt. The overall vibe of the fragrance is something simultaneously sweet and sharp, comforting yet challenging. Instead of soft and safe, it’s dangerous and seductive.

Which leads me to a conclusion that Velvet Vendetta isn’t for everyone, and it knows it. It’s made for the user who wants their vanilla with attitude, who isn’t afraid of fragrances that push boundaries and  pose a challenge. Definitely for people who see vanilla as a starting point rather than a destination, who understand that the most interesting interpretations of classic notes come from taking risks and breaking rules while at it.

Big thumbs up for the trick and the treat!