ÉCLAT 903 VIP

Olfactory Experience

ÉCLAT 903 VIP launches with a blast of something resembling pipe tobacco, more like sweetened cherry pipe tobacco than raw leaf. There's a synthetic cinnamon edge fighting for dominance against what smells distinctly like play-doh. The heart attempts to smooth things out with a vanilla accord, but it's not a rich, bourbon vanilla; imagine vanilla extract from a supermarket. It leans into a tonka bean that's far more medicinal than gourmand, almost cherry cough syrup-like. The drydown is where things fall apart: A flat, woody base emerges alongside a prune-like fruitiness. This is where it deviates substantially from the source, revealing a plasticky, one-dimensional character.

Wear time & Sillage

I get about 5 hours of noticeable projection, maybe half an arm's length. It fades rapidly after the third hour, becoming a skin scent until it disappears completely. Tested indoors in a temperature-controlled environment. Outdoors, the performance diminishes even further.

Bottom Line

This is strictly a fall/winter fragrance, suitable for casual evenings indoors. I would not recommend this for formal occasions or close encounters. The synthetic aspects become amplified in warmer settings, rendering it cloying and unpleasant. Best suited for quiet nights in, perhaps paired with a mediocre book.