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Who is Alex or: Fruity? - No, creamy!
The ones at ZARA publish like savages - mainly dupes and/or mostly well made, the names also chosen in a nice hip way so as not to underload the search function at Parfumo.
Certain basic themes are repeated, so that you often have the feeling that you have smelled one or the other fragrance at Zara before. That's how I feel about "#Tobacco Collection - Rich/Warm/Addictive | Zara" , Warm Black , TOB/03 Tabac-Treasure - not identical but using the same tobacco-warm-fruity framework.
On the other hand, ZARA gives you the opportunity to get a taste of the big brands without having to invest a heap of money - 100ml bottlings, if you will.
You often have to be quick, as the Spaniards rotate their productions faster than the German government rotates its plans to replace the heating system. This happened to me recently with Coastal Salty Forest - yesterday in the watch list, today nowhere to be found.
By the way, the performance of most Zara fragrances is no less fleeting - there has to be a catch somewhere.
Are they really so full of creativity, or is this simply Zara's business model to generate customer panic?
The statements or reviews of Zara fragrances are full of references to the copied originals. From Aventus in countless iterations to Tobacco Vanilla and Imagination to Alexandria II, you can find all kinds of posh stuff in a not-so-bad discount bottle. That's not a sign of inventiveness, is it? As a perfume fanatic, do we even need to test the ZARAs, or do we know one and therefore all of them?
With so many releases, there are always exceptions that make you go "Oh, that's from Zara?". Try TOB/02 Tobacco Tango, for example! And then, of course, there are also original compositions by well-known perfumers such as Jo Malone's Zara Emotions N°01 - Vetiver Pamplemousse Eau de Parfum, so there's not necessarily a lack of class at Zara - not in terms of price/performance anyway.
My latest Zara aha-experience was Somewoody, especially since I didn't know Alex II.
Everyone who has read the statements about Somewoody knows that it smells like Alex. But what does it smell like to someone who doesn't know the former? Like many Zaras, Somewoody starts off synthetic-alcoholic, almost scratchy. But this quickly subsides and it remains a milky-creamy amber fragrance, woody, somewhat sweet, with fresh nuances. This woody freshness remains throughout the entire, very successful drydown, surrounded by white flowers, before fading into a musky aura that is close to the body. Incidentally, the lavender mentioned in the notes is well hidden in the fragrance pyramid. At least I couldn't find it.
The performance is in the upper range of the Zara portfolio: it certainly lasts for 6 hours, even if it never really radiates powerfully, but for me this is more of a reason to buy it than an obstacle, as it can be used in a much more versatile way.
As I said, I can't draw any comparisons with Alex, but I do see parallels with № 02 - L'Air du Désert Marocain Eau de Toilette Intense, although the spicy elements in Somewoody are much more delicate, and with the woody freshness of Imagination, although here it is completely unfruity.
Somewoody is a warm, bright and pleasant daytime fragrance, a classic evergreen, unagitated - almost harmless, but still special, as this DNA is (still) relatively unspent. Somewoody is not "Look what I've got in my pants", but "Come on, let's chat over a cozy coffee".
The only thing that spoils my overall experience is the synthetic quality that I find in almost all Zaras. I sometimes even have the feeling of a sour taste on my tongue - subjective, admittedly, but still present. However, this effect subsides in the drydown and so I can only recommend anyone to invest 16 euros to get to know this DNA and find out whether they can live with it. It is definitely worth it.
Certain basic themes are repeated, so that you often have the feeling that you have smelled one or the other fragrance at Zara before. That's how I feel about "#Tobacco Collection - Rich/Warm/Addictive | Zara" , Warm Black , TOB/03 Tabac-Treasure - not identical but using the same tobacco-warm-fruity framework.
On the other hand, ZARA gives you the opportunity to get a taste of the big brands without having to invest a heap of money - 100ml bottlings, if you will.
You often have to be quick, as the Spaniards rotate their productions faster than the German government rotates its plans to replace the heating system. This happened to me recently with Coastal Salty Forest - yesterday in the watch list, today nowhere to be found.
By the way, the performance of most Zara fragrances is no less fleeting - there has to be a catch somewhere.
Are they really so full of creativity, or is this simply Zara's business model to generate customer panic?
The statements or reviews of Zara fragrances are full of references to the copied originals. From Aventus in countless iterations to Tobacco Vanilla and Imagination to Alexandria II, you can find all kinds of posh stuff in a not-so-bad discount bottle. That's not a sign of inventiveness, is it? As a perfume fanatic, do we even need to test the ZARAs, or do we know one and therefore all of them?
With so many releases, there are always exceptions that make you go "Oh, that's from Zara?". Try TOB/02 Tobacco Tango, for example! And then, of course, there are also original compositions by well-known perfumers such as Jo Malone's Zara Emotions N°01 - Vetiver Pamplemousse Eau de Parfum, so there's not necessarily a lack of class at Zara - not in terms of price/performance anyway.
My latest Zara aha-experience was Somewoody, especially since I didn't know Alex II.
Everyone who has read the statements about Somewoody knows that it smells like Alex. But what does it smell like to someone who doesn't know the former? Like many Zaras, Somewoody starts off synthetic-alcoholic, almost scratchy. But this quickly subsides and it remains a milky-creamy amber fragrance, woody, somewhat sweet, with fresh nuances. This woody freshness remains throughout the entire, very successful drydown, surrounded by white flowers, before fading into a musky aura that is close to the body. Incidentally, the lavender mentioned in the notes is well hidden in the fragrance pyramid. At least I couldn't find it.
The performance is in the upper range of the Zara portfolio: it certainly lasts for 6 hours, even if it never really radiates powerfully, but for me this is more of a reason to buy it than an obstacle, as it can be used in a much more versatile way.
As I said, I can't draw any comparisons with Alex, but I do see parallels with № 02 - L'Air du Désert Marocain Eau de Toilette Intense, although the spicy elements in Somewoody are much more delicate, and with the woody freshness of Imagination, although here it is completely unfruity.
Somewoody is a warm, bright and pleasant daytime fragrance, a classic evergreen, unagitated - almost harmless, but still special, as this DNA is (still) relatively unspent. Somewoody is not "Look what I've got in my pants", but "Come on, let's chat over a cozy coffee".
The only thing that spoils my overall experience is the synthetic quality that I find in almost all Zaras. I sometimes even have the feeling of a sour taste on my tongue - subjective, admittedly, but still present. However, this effect subsides in the drydown and so I can only recommend anyone to invest 16 euros to get to know this DNA and find out whether they can live with it. It is definitely worth it.
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