Zara Exclusive N°01 - Incense Sunset Zara 2021

The new Jo Malone fragrances from Zara had to move in with me as a blind buy (I am a Jo Malone Zara marketing victim and fan). First came Universal Oud as an absolute oud-flatterer of the really good variety. Then the scratchy and biting Leather Jardin (oh dear, it's fierce, let's see) and this one, the mandarin incense. Incense scents I'm always looking for, and I also found it in the metallic-bright L'Orpheline by Serge Lutens (bought at full price and never regretted it).

But this one, I had to write something: Great church incense mixed with tangy grapefruit, not so mandarinig, but rather pink, fruity, sporty. The incense comes through extremely right away, but the fruit competes, and they work great together. The Zara website initially said musk, but the English site said incense. Here, only two notes arrive in my nose: the fruit and the incense. While the smoky note competes strongly at first, the fruit becomes stronger and more bitter (a tangerine would be sweeter somehow, I think). I'm in love with shock and still blown away after hours. Universal Oud I like a lot, Leather Jardin rather not so, UO is rather unisex, LJ already very scratchy for me as a woman. This one, I mean, is sporty unisex. I love it. Great incense note on the skin. As a comparison, I really only have L'Orpheline as a metallic-bright shade. This one I find clear and bright yet with that light incense note that is so extremely present in oriental hammer scents. Lasts a long time on the skin. So beautiful!