Top Notes 
Bergamot
Mandarin orange
Marine notes
Heart Notes 
Labdanum
Fir balsam
Mint
Base Notes 
Cedar
Moss
Musk
Elysium
896 Reviews
Elysium
5
An Happy Hour in Old Barceloneta
In the spring of 2021, in collaboration with the master perfumer Alberto Morillas, Zara launched three fragrances inspired by a hypothetical trip to Spain, touching three of the major cities: Sevilla, Barcelona, and Madrid. This splendid collection gives us three different fragrances to wear in three distinct moments of the journey.
With Bohemian Sunset in Barcelona, the nose captured the atmosphere that reigns at dusk near the Barceloneta neighborhood. I have been to Barcelona twice, walked around the Ramblas, saw the artworks of Antoni Gaudí, Batllò house, and the still-incomplete Sagrada Familia, and had some tapas for dinner in Barceloneta. So I could appreciate all the sensations captured in this fragrance. Here we find the saltiness of the water, the freshness of the citrus zest and mint leaves that oozes from an iced mojito, and the deep woods and more mossy notes that fill the air close to the seaside. There are contradictory notes such as woody and mossy accords, which clash with aromatic and watery ones, like the salty water of the sea beating against the wood of the boat moored in the marina.
It is fresh, watery, with afternoon reflections, dry and woody. The faint greenish fragrance features these accords. From the very beginning, there is a feeling of dusty and wet violet leaves. It’s noticeable, with effects ranging from sweet floral to tobacco-like or woody, and I bet it’s the marine chord mentioned in the roaster. If you are familiar with Alberto Morillas’ creations, you will recognize the similitude of Acqua di Giò, particularly the most recent Profumo and Profondo. The opening is fresh, similar to the sea breeze that you breathe in the late afternoon at sunset after a lovely day at the beach while having a happy hour in front of the salty Mediterranean sea in the Barceloneta district. I get the bright bergamot and the sweet mandarin, blended with an aquatic accord, fresh maritime as the sea breeze.
It then transforms into a balsamic and aromatic heart of lemony mint like a fresh mojito, with a dewy flowery touch. The core features mint, which I get pretty intense, then a balmy fir, and a sticky cistus. If you have a trained nose, you will catch some mineral accords, a sort o metallic vibe distinctive of dewy violet. In this stage, nearly half an hour after application, the scent is already close to the skin, cozy, with feeble projection.
When the scent reaches to end, it turns dry, warm, a bit mossy. There is a tad of woody pencil shavings, not dominant, blended with clean musk and a few nuances of moss. It is like the smell that exudes from the chiringuito where you are sitting, enjoying those magical moments between sunset and nightfall in Barcelona. Attractive, if you smell the paper strip after a few hours, you will catch a vanillic nuance, creamy, powdery, as if vanilla or tonka pods were part of the concoction.
Ultimately, the overall fragrance is excellent, perhaps not disruptive, but charming and wearable. If I were to complain, I’d say it doesn’t perform like a beast on my skin. Both sillage, projection, and longevity are poor, too poor for an EDP concentration. After a couple of hours, it’s gone and barely very close to the skin. But I don’t want to complain because the perfume is good and it only cost me €12.95, so I can reapply it often without spending a fortune. It’s perfect for summer afternoons and evenings, outdoors or indoors; it’s so intimate it won’t bother anyone.
I based the review on a 100ml bottle I have owned since June 2021.
-Elysium
With Bohemian Sunset in Barcelona, the nose captured the atmosphere that reigns at dusk near the Barceloneta neighborhood. I have been to Barcelona twice, walked around the Ramblas, saw the artworks of Antoni Gaudí, Batllò house, and the still-incomplete Sagrada Familia, and had some tapas for dinner in Barceloneta. So I could appreciate all the sensations captured in this fragrance. Here we find the saltiness of the water, the freshness of the citrus zest and mint leaves that oozes from an iced mojito, and the deep woods and more mossy notes that fill the air close to the seaside. There are contradictory notes such as woody and mossy accords, which clash with aromatic and watery ones, like the salty water of the sea beating against the wood of the boat moored in the marina.
It is fresh, watery, with afternoon reflections, dry and woody. The faint greenish fragrance features these accords. From the very beginning, there is a feeling of dusty and wet violet leaves. It’s noticeable, with effects ranging from sweet floral to tobacco-like or woody, and I bet it’s the marine chord mentioned in the roaster. If you are familiar with Alberto Morillas’ creations, you will recognize the similitude of Acqua di Giò, particularly the most recent Profumo and Profondo. The opening is fresh, similar to the sea breeze that you breathe in the late afternoon at sunset after a lovely day at the beach while having a happy hour in front of the salty Mediterranean sea in the Barceloneta district. I get the bright bergamot and the sweet mandarin, blended with an aquatic accord, fresh maritime as the sea breeze.
It then transforms into a balsamic and aromatic heart of lemony mint like a fresh mojito, with a dewy flowery touch. The core features mint, which I get pretty intense, then a balmy fir, and a sticky cistus. If you have a trained nose, you will catch some mineral accords, a sort o metallic vibe distinctive of dewy violet. In this stage, nearly half an hour after application, the scent is already close to the skin, cozy, with feeble projection.
When the scent reaches to end, it turns dry, warm, a bit mossy. There is a tad of woody pencil shavings, not dominant, blended with clean musk and a few nuances of moss. It is like the smell that exudes from the chiringuito where you are sitting, enjoying those magical moments between sunset and nightfall in Barcelona. Attractive, if you smell the paper strip after a few hours, you will catch a vanillic nuance, creamy, powdery, as if vanilla or tonka pods were part of the concoction.
Ultimately, the overall fragrance is excellent, perhaps not disruptive, but charming and wearable. If I were to complain, I’d say it doesn’t perform like a beast on my skin. Both sillage, projection, and longevity are poor, too poor for an EDP concentration. After a couple of hours, it’s gone and barely very close to the skin. But I don’t want to complain because the perfume is good and it only cost me €12.95, so I can reapply it often without spending a fortune. It’s perfect for summer afternoons and evenings, outdoors or indoors; it’s so intimate it won’t bother anyone.
I based the review on a 100ml bottle I have owned since June 2021.
-Elysium
Elysium
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