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Into the Gourmand - Number 1: Velvet Shadow 2023

7.8 / 10 107 Ratings
A popular perfume by Zara for women, released in 2023. The scent is sweet-gourmand. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Sweet
Gourmand
Floral
Fruity
Creamy

Fragrance Notes

Mandarin orangeMandarin orange MarshmallowMarshmallow JasmineJasmine BergamotBergamot
Ratings
Scent
7.8107 Ratings
Longevity
6.994 Ratings
Sillage
6.892 Ratings
Bottle
6.991 Ratings
Value for money
8.982 Ratings
Submitted by ExUser · last update on 12/16/2025.
Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Oriana by Parfums de Marly
Oriana
Ansaam Gold by Lattafa Pride
Ansaam Gold
Love Don't Be Shy (Perfume) by Kilian
Love Don't Be Shy Perfume
Reyna by Maison Alhambra
Reyna
№ 3 Intense by Asabi
№ 3 Intense
Ruby Infusion by Zara
Ruby Infusion

Reviews

11 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Nathygravert

4 Reviews
Nathygravert
Nathygravert
1  
Feminine energy
I see this as the perfect scent for brunch, coffee date or drinks with your girlfriends, date night, summer dinner al fresco, a picnic at the park and a self-care afternoon. This is one’s for the girly girls, the flirty women, you get the vibe ^-^

After spraying this only once on top of my hand, I kept smelling it throughout the afternoon, even after washing my hands at least 5 times. On me, it lingered for around 5 hours with good Silliage & about 3 more closer to the skin.

I tried my Oriana sample & this one side by side and I Personally cannot smell a difference between the two in the dry down, only the openings are a bit different but that only lasts about a minute or two.

I Had been considering buying Oriana by PDM since I first smelled it last year but then yesterday I tried this absolute gem at my local Zara & my need for this scent has been fixed at a fraction of the price! The resemblance is astonishing and on my skin, this one performs even better!

As for the Love by Killian comparison, I’d say that very much like Oriana, they are sisters but not twins. Love is a bit softer and more marshmallowy, whereas Oriana and Velvet Shadow are a bit more orange blossom prominent, in a good way.

The bottle's cap is a bit too tight but that is the only con i can find in this.

For the price, you truly can't go wrong with it. I recommend you at least try it!
Updated on 09/29/2023
0 Comments
EmberFloofs

7 Reviews
EmberFloofs
EmberFloofs
1  
80% dupe of PDM Oriana, but smells cheaper, rougher, and lacks the bright citrus opening
As much as I really wanted to love this scent as a cheaper alternative to Oriana, I have to agree with a lot of other reviewers here—Velvet Shadow just smells noticeably cheaper. It was hard to pick up in-store, but in a side-by-side comparison between the two scents, there is a certain synthetic almost-plasticky scent in Velvet Shadow which isn't present in Oriana. Obviously, the difference in price will get you better quality, but with so many other Oriana dupes on the market, it just isn't worth it to pick Velvet Shadow in 2024.

While Oriana has a sweet, fluffy, marshmallowy base with bright citruses in the opening, Velvet Shadow loses its citruses within the first 5 minutes and dries down into a very sweet orange blossom perfume. While the quality and scent of Velvet Shadow isn't bad by any means, I'm having a hard time believing this is the best deal for the money with so many middle eastern brands putting out other dupes (Ansaam Gold, Destino, and Reyna being a few). The lack of complexity in Velvet Shadow unfortunately turns this candied floral scent into something bordering on cloying while the fresh citruses in the real Oriana help brighten up a very indolic and sweet base.

In my opinion, just choose a better dupe from a middle eastern house. It might cost you a couple months of maceration, but it will be worth the wait and will give you better quality for your money. The linear scent profile and lack of complexity in Velvet Shadow unfortunately turns this fragrance from a "love" to a "like" at best.
0 Comments
JunoB

1 Review
JunoB
JunoB
1  
Fresh mandarines pillowed on sweet marshmallow surrounded by jasmine flowers
A mesmerising fragrance, fresh and sweet with a pillowy softness that envelops the person in a long lasting cloud. The marshmallow brings this sparkling fluffiness but the mandarin orange is what brings this perfume to great heights, bringing a wonderful tart-sweet flavour to the otherwise powdery marshmallow. The bergamot makes the opening fresh and aromatic but fades quickly to mingle with the mandarin orange, the marshmallow and jasmine is undercutting the whole fragrance and remain while the citrus gets more muted the longer it is on the skin. Velvet shadow lasts all day on me and doesn't change much in the drydown beside the citrus sinking down into a sweet marshmallow jasmine pillow, which is why I like to respray at around the 5 hour mark but other than to get the stronger citrus back it's more than acceptable much longer than that. All in all a greatly comforting everyday fragrance with great sillage that is neither overpowering nor subtle and stays for hours.
0 Comments
LoveParfumo

2 Reviews
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LoveParfumo
LoveParfumo
Helpful Review 8  
I'm in love
I like to smell like a little marshmallow with a fresh-sweet fruit glaze.
A slightly floral note comes by briefly, but then it fades away.
After that, it's just pleasantly sweet.
My roommate liked it so much that she immediately ordered a bottle too.

Since I'm a fan of LDBS and Oriana, I can recommend Velvet Shadow. It is a softer, less complex composition - but has an unbeatable price.
Sillage is good, of course there are better ones. For me, it's sufficient and suitable for everyday wear.
Updated on 08/25/2023
1 Comment
Parfumelli

82 Reviews
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Parfumelli
Parfumelli
Very helpful Review 4  
Little Surprise
I ordered the fragrance online without knowing how it smells beforehand.
But it was on sale for €10 and the scent pyramid sounded very tempting.
When it arrived, I tested it and thought to myself, “Oh, you know this one.”
It has very clear vibes of Oriana.
Zara seems to have taken their inspiration from there.
Love Don't Be Shy Perfume also comes through a bit, but over time it leans more towards Oriana.

Of course, the performance isn't as good as the big sister's, but at this price, you really can't complain and can just reapply.

The development is very straightforward.
You can smell a marshmallow note, which has a bit of zest from the mandarin and bergamot.
I don't really smell any jasmine, which I appreciate since I'm not a fan of strong jasmine notes.
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Statements

32 short views on the fragrance
1
Very very similar to Oriana but way cheaper, I love it! It makes you feel pretty and put together and it uplifts your mood.
0 Comments
10
2
For me, this is Oriana as a summer scent, not too sweet and without the annoying synthetic note. Great affordable fragrance!
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2 Comments
2 years ago
10
Marshmallow cloud with citrus sprinkles of bergamot and mandarin, plus jasmine flowers. A dupe for Oriana but lighter with fewer citrus notes.
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0 Comments
8
2
Who would have thought that Zara would almost bring me to tears? Something about the scent reminds me of my childhood. Sweet, fluffy, innocent.
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2 Comments
7
I'm not really a fan of this scent direction, but this one has won me over. Fluffy marshmallows with a hint of citrus, really well done.
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0 Comments
6
Cotton candy sprinkled with bitter, glazed orange blossoms, a smoky note balances the sweetness nicely, my new date night favorite.
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0 Comments
6
1
Squeaky sweet but a really great scent for little money.
The sillage is really good for a Zara fragrance.
Recommended for sweet tooth lovers ;)
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1 Comment
6
4
No marshmallow! A mix of bergamot, mandarin, a bit of jasmine + some not sweet fragrance notes! Fresh, modern, a little dupe of LDBS (Kilian). Feminine.
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4 Comments
1 year ago
5
1
Hm yes, this is the little Oriana. I'm not sure where others get the Love don’t be shy vibe from. But it's a pretty good dupe!
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1 Comment
5
Slightly diluted Oriana. Less creamy, but fresher. Marshmallow not too dense, powdery like in LDBS. Very nice.
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