Retrospect - 318

No. 318 takes on Merit's Retrospect, a fragrance built around the specific nostalgia of vintage lipstick - that powdery, slightly waxy floral-aldehyde accord that reads as glamorous and a little melancholic at once. The dupe opens with a similar sparkling burst of aldehydes and pear, though the pear is pitched sweeter and more synthetic here than the crisp original. The heart is where the resemblance is strongest: orris and violet do the heavy lifting, giving that same cosmetic, almost powder-compact character, with jasmine and rose adding a soft floral wash rather than distinct facets. The base settles into musk, vanilla, and moss, aiming for the same warm, intimate trail as Retrospect's extrait-strength finish. The gap shows up in performance and depth - Merit's version is a nearly 30% extrait that unfolds in layers over half a day, while No. 318 is a lighter eau de parfum that reads two-dimensional by comparison and taps out within a few hours. Still, for anyone chasing that specific vintage-lipstick mood without the extrait price tag, this gets close enough on the surface.