ÉCLAT 970 VIP

To Buy or Not to Buy?

If this scent were a character in a movie, it would be a stage magician who relies on smoke and mirrors but ultimately fails to completely convince the audience.

Olfactory Experience

ÉCLAT 970 VIP opens with a bracing lavender that, while present, lacks the nuanced herbal quality of its inspiration. The bergamot is dialed back, rendering the citrus accord slightly muted and giving way too quickly to the syrupy heart. This honey note leans synthetic; think more artificial sweetener than golden nectar. The cinnamon is present, but subdued, lacking the fiery intensity one expects. The cashmere wood attempts to soften the composition, but instead adds a slightly dusty, cardboard-like facet. The base displays a rudimentary tobacco accord, smelling more like unlit pipe tobacco in a pouch, rather than a cured leaf. The vanilla is a simple, ethyl vanilla, contributing to a somewhat cloying sweetness. The tonka bean provides a coumarin-like depth, but the overall effect is slightly muddled, lacking the clarity and refined smoothness of Naxos. The drydown reveals a noticeable plasticky undercurrent.

Longevity & Projection

On my skin, ÉCLAT 970 VIP lasted approximately 5-6 hours. Projection extended to about one arm's length for the first two hours, then settled into a skin scent. I tested this in a climate-controlled office environment.