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The buzz on Couvent des Minimes‘ Eau des Missions Cologne was loud, excited, and almost uniformly insistent: it was a bargain beauty that was an exact copy of Guerlain‘s very expensive Spiritueuse Double Vanille (“SDV“.) Or so everyone said, from perfume groups to Fragrantica reviews. One major reason for all the excitement was the price. Guerlain’s boozy, smoky, dark vanilla costs $260 for 75 ml. Eau de Missions is $38 for 100 ml, with smaller bottles available for even less on eBay. By the admittedly crazy, skewed standards of the niche world, that made Eau de Missions practically “free.” So, I bought one of the eBay bottles to see what all the fuss was about. And it’s true, there are strong similarities to SDV. However, unlike everyone else, I don’t think the two fragrances are identical.  Continue reading →