Vanilla Pancake Claudio Zucca 2024

I had a sample of this which ive worn twice now, and it just not for me. The opening is so strong, quite synthetic to my nose. Once it starts to settle, I get chocolate/cocoa note, its not super sweet thankfully. However I just find the caramel too strong and too sweet in this perfume is have other gourmands where the caramel is better balanced. In the dry down the vanilla softens it a bit, but i still dont enjoy it, i wonder if im not a fan of chocolate or cocoa in fragrance. Its definitely gourmand, just not the one for me unfortunately

Personal: 5/10 - It's a great, super strong caramel, vanilla gourmand, but... it's ultra synthetic.
Mass appeal: 5/10 - This one is just TOO sweet for most to appreciate.
Performance: 8/10 - She projects alright. A lot.
Value: 4/10 - It's definitely unique and strong, but it's too expensive for a synthetic gourmand.
Uniqueness: 8/10 - I've never smelled something that captures the smell of youth so well.
SCORE: 60/100

Full bottle buy? NO, I could barely ever wear this. More art than perfume.
Blind buy? NO, sweetness is so loud that the neighbors can hear it.
Recommend? YES, it's definitely unique and a fun fragrance to sample at least once.
Date night? YES, but only in very cold weather, and with a couple sprays max. Too sweet.
Office safe? NO, it would be far too cloying.

Pros: Unique, artistic, and special. Super high quality gourmand.
Cons: Too sweet to be wearable. Expensive, and too synthetic.

I actually really appreciate what this fragrance is, but I don't think I can wear it and enjoy it in the same capacity. It's perfumery art that brilliantly captures the sweetness we associate with desserts and unhealthy treats of our youth, and that feeling is communicated brilliantly through Vanilla Pancake. However, its intense gourmand sweetness makes it difficult to wear, and hard to enjoy on skin. But in small, measured amounts on tester strips, I think it's a really fun experience.

Hard to wear, but very easy to appreciate.

*Review #20 in my fragrance journey - this fragrance I own as a decant*

Vanilla Pancake is a step backwards, a jump towards a cloud of memories made of tenderness and beautiful things, the aroma of sweet aroma in the air, the excitement in your eyes when you are going to taste something good.
It may be something purely personal, but my childhood, among other things, is also bound up with food, mainly with sweets, which always represented a moment of joy and conviviality: the last is the key word representing this fragrance.
A tender and fluffy Gourmand, which smells, with its very realistic overtones, of a warm pancake topped with the aroma of hazelnuts and chocolate, which was never enough.
It is not too sweet, nor cloying, it is very well balanced and on my skin a slightly bitter chocolate note is enhanced, which, with the sugary part creates a very pleasant contrast.
A joyful moment with the dearest persons.
"The Happy Family" painted by Jan Steen