VIP III

VIP III opens on the same mouthwatering accord that made Kayali's Invite Only Amber 23 a favourite, succulent sour cherry laced with honey, chocolate hazelnut and a curl of tobacco leaf, instantly warm and gourmand. The heart turns slightly floral and spicy with damask and May rose threaded through Ceylon cinnamon, before settling into a cosy amber base of benzoin, vanilla, sandalwood and patchouli with a whisper of oud and nagarmotha. Set beside the original, Perfume Parlour's version pushes the sweet cherry-honey facet harder and renders the precious oud-amber resins flatter and less expensive-smelling, losing some of the original's polished sophistication. Performance also steps down, projecting strongly for the first hour or two before sitting closer to the skin and fading sooner than the original's long wear. For a few pounds it delivers that cosy, sensual amber-cherry warmth convincingly enough for cold-weather evenings.