Vanille Fruitée
Eau de Toilette, Molinard (1998)

While the fragrance (now) appears to be marketed as unisex, it slants more towards being a feminine scent. Upon first application, I was nearly overwhelmed by how cloyingly sweet the vanilla is-the sweetness is overwhelming and linear throughout.

The drydown is much better however-notes of raspberry and sugar intertwine with the vanilla to make it a straightforward experience a pleasurable one. It leans more "vanille" than "fruitee"-the vanilla is the star of the show. The projection for this straightforward scent is just where you'd want it-a few feet but nothing more, enough breakfast syrup smell to create a pleasant Proustian recollection but not enough to overwhelm anyone as a walking sugary sweet monster. The longevity is good, 6-7 hours until it mellows down to a complete skin scent.

Like the bottle itself, it offers you nothing more than what it is: a straightforward vanilla scent with added notes of raspberry and a little bergamot with good longevity and appropriate sillage. What more can be said? Worth a purchase, depending on taste.

6/10

EDIT: I decided to go "Neutral" on this scent and lower the rating after several wearing, as it's simply too straightforward and cloying to be worn regularly. It's good at what it does, but what it does is simply not enough to warrant constant usage.

kewart
kewart

Vanilla with a twist! I purchased a small bottle of this scent from the Molinard outlet in Nice, Cote d'Azur. I was actually after their straight up Vanille but they had run out, so I let myself be persuaded into buying the Fruitee version instead.
I applied some straight away and it seemed quite nice with a peachy/caramel/floral vibe.I then forgot about it. Three hours later I went to buy some bread and the guy serving me commented on my scent saying it smelled"formidable" - result!!Bear in mind I am a "femme d'un certain age" and very rarely get complimented on my perfume.
I suspect this scent has the power to make women smell younger than they are...

Somehow, despite my near-rabid adoration of Molinard's basic vanilla, I don't like this one so much. Got to credit the folks at Molinard, though; there's nothing like a traditional Grasse perfumer to know how to play with notes. Unlike a lot of other vanilla-plus-something-else scents that start with the something else and then dry down to plain vanilla (yes, CSP, I'm talking about you - love you and all, but still), this one starts with vanilla as a TOPnote and then progresses into a fairly complex base, one unified by the vanilla yet more involved than the name of the fragrance would indicate. You get a definite tropical floralness from the ylang ylang/orchid/jasmine heart, and a ribbon of grapey wine from the muscat and osmanthus. The only thing I can't pick up on is the lemon, which here serves as an unorthodox basenote. Vanilla as a topnote, lemon as a base - that has got to be a first! It's like Shalimar in reverse. So anyway, what's not to love? I'm not sure, but I think it has something to do with the grape aspect. It's just not a note I enjoy, for whatever reason.