Apart from its popular current association with Dior's Homme Parfum (which I personally can't confirm), this has got to be one of the best fragrances that Zara has ever released. In fact, if you lined up 10-20 seasoned fragrance professionals/critics in a row and had them sniff this fragrance blindly, I would be willing to bet that NOT A SINGLE ONE would guess that it came from the popular Spanish designer.
Years ago, before the country exclusives line or brilliant collaboration with Jo Malone, Zara was known to take "inspiration" from popular designer fragrances and turn them into bargain alternatives for the common consumer. However, in recent years, I've been noticing that more and more of their releases were starting to smell eerily similar to more expensive, niche scents ala Tom Ford, Kilian Paris, Parfums de Marly and Mancera. Heartened by this turn of events, I've been keeping a vigilant eye out for another fantastic release that would renew my hope in the brand's unpredictably revolving repetoire. And lo and behold, I found one.
From the first spray, it's absolutely a trip to the Jo Malone section of the niche boutique. No designer vibe here. Not a trace of bergamot despite the name, but a heady, almost powdery, liquid amber and perfumey iris opening. Very quickly though, the iris disappears and the oud comes out to play - and it's oh so slightly medicinal. Ditto with a bare-bones leather accord that's clearly made from labdanum, but blends so well with the oud that it's magical. And here's the kicker - nothing about this scent is heavy, dense, exceedingly rich or cloying, making it great for just about any season of the year.
But without a doubt, my favourite part is how the accords meld into a single waft of what can only be described as a sticky and salty honey dribbling over the outside of a leather purse. Nothing too animalic or overtly leathery like Tom Ford's Tuscan Leather, but certainly rougher than a suede jacket. If you've ever smelled Kilian's Back to Black, it's a very similar honey accord, albeit significantly and deliciously diluted. What a great balance, and absolutely, 100% unisex. The down side - if you were looking for an iris-dominant fragrance ala DH/DHI, this ain't it. Best go with the original 9.0.
The only thing that perplexes me a bit about B&LS, is the non-uniform projection. At 2 inches, it's poetry. Salty honeyed leather with an indistinct floral somewhere in the background. At a foot, the leather is signifcantly less prominent and the honey becomes a very thin sweet amber. At an arm's length and beyond, the leather is nowhere to be found, and the amber is about all that I can detect. I suppose this is characteristic of the materials used? I dunno. All I know is that I friggin' enjoy the stuff. And yeah, I've gotten more than one comment about its potency from across the room (it'll blast for about an hour), but I wouldn't classify it as beastmode. On the contrary, after the first hour, the bulk of the scent stays within a good bubble and lasts on me for 9 hours plus. Good luck washing it off after 5 hours. Nuh-uh. Excellent performance for Zara fragrance.
All that's left to say is that I'm terribly disappointed that it's going to get axed and will likely never come back. But if it, or something similar DOES manage to make a triumphant comeback (I'm looking at you Zara ಠ_ಠ ), please please please fix the crappy atomizer. Reminds me of the one on Proraso's Wood and Spice that gives out a dismal little puff with no control over the amount. Everything else is fine - the bottle, the cap, the packaging, the price and most of all, the scent.
As a loyal supporter of great budget fragrances, it would be a shame if burgeoning enthusiasts were bereft of an opportunity to experience something of this caliber at this price point. Stunning value. And with the general designer market tanking day by day, I'm very much hoping that the trend of higher quality releases from Zara continues. Because it's stuff like THIS that gives me hope. Well done.
