FeroxEagle

I find the bottle quite pleasant, simple, and therefore not intrusive, quite nice. At least visually, the quality of the cap is unnecessarily cheap and the spray head is anything but the best, but the price here is also very low. It’s sufficient in every way. Moreover, the bottle is fortunately very accessible again and the increased prices due to the hype at the beginning have decreased again. The design is normal for me, it’s just very basic. How is the scent?

This one is very linear for me, it has its own twist compared to the original. You can clearly recognize the Imagination, but there is some note that is so strong that it stands out and somewhat obscures the rest of the nicer DNA. Is it the tea? Something slightly spicy, synthetic-sweet. It is also a bit fruitier, slightly sweeter, and more playful than the original, yet still nice enough. For me, there is particularly this one strong note that stands out and unfortunately seems a bit overpowering compared to the rest. Over time and towards the end, it doesn’t change much for me; it simply becomes weaker, less playful, less fruity, less sweet, and rather more serious, normally citrusy, slightly spicy. Fortunately, the comparison to the Imagination is recognizable from beginning to end on the skin. The longevity doesn’t come close to the original; here it lasts only a few hours. The original lasts significantly longer. We don’t even need to compare the bottles. ^^'

This scent is great as a long-term test bottle for anyone who wants to get the original at some point. Until then, the "coarser" DNA can be tested quite decently with this. The original is currently too expensive for me, but I want to and will buy it at some point in the future as a small reward for some milestone. Until then, this very affordable and easily accessible bottle keeps me engaged. I also made a comparison to "Art of Arabia I | Lattafa / لطافة"; if you’re interested, you can find a longer description and a comparison of the 3 scents as a review under my AoA I. Please keep in mind that everyone perceives scents and notes slightly differently. This is just > my < honest opinion. :) Thank you

Hello, I own an original sample of Imagination, a decant of Sunrise on the Red Sand Dunes Eau de Parfum, and a decant of "Art of Arabia I | Lattafa / لطافة". Let the games begin.

I would rather not copy-paste the same text for all three fragrances, but I had the highest hopes for this one, so here comes the "long version" so you have another, different opinion that may confuse you. :P

Imagination
Unfortunately, the original remains unbeaten; none of these two dupes surpass it in terms of scent or bottle, only the price/performance ratio seems to win for both. LV is expensive, though...
For me, this fragrance is quite linear and surprisingly long-lasting for a fresh scent. During one test, I sprayed it on in the evening and still smelled it on my arm the next day at work. Not in the air, but still quite noticeable on my arm. I don’t think I need to describe it much. The differences between the two dupes are more relevant. But I still want to and will keep it as short as possible. x)
Imagination is a strikingly interesting freshie; it is fresh, aquatic, but has its own spiciness that I don’t know from any other freshie. It is absolutely not comparable to a typical designer blue fragrance; there is nothing blue, shower gel-like, or classically masculine about it. This is a beautiful, pure, clean water with a few fine, high-quality ingredients in it. A few herbs, a few subtle summer fruits. Comparatively, it somehow reminds me of something like Sprite; it has a delicious, refreshing citrus note, is very fresh, slightly herbal and minty. For me, it also somewhat goes in the direction of the Acqua di Giò pour Homme Eau de Toilette line. There are enough descriptions of the scent; it is truly beautiful, it fits!

"Art of Arabia I | Lattafa / لطافة"
I don’t own the bottle, but the pictures are enough for an impression. It’s okay; I would prefer it if the lower part of the tower didn’t stand out so much, but visually it’s still acceptable. I find the cap just terrible; I prefer the classic design from Zara or the very cool design from LV. Here, the closure looks like a car key if you squint a bit. A terribly unsatisfying drop up there. But in the end, the bottle doesn’t matter; due to the price of the original, the scent just has to be right. Does it?
When the decant arrived and I smelled between the cap and the spray head, I was overjoyed that I liked this scent so much and that it was personally close enough to the original. The first sprays on my arm and the scent in the air confirmed it. Such a delicious, fruity water. Not very sweet-fruity; this one isn’t really very sweet. But fresh-fruity, at the level of a Volvic iced tea water? Do you know that? Ginger, citrus, tea, a bit of mint. That’s what I smell the most. Tasty, refreshing, really good and a bit stronger in the ginger/citrus area than the original, I would say. Here, the slightly herbal note from LV is missing for me. And the citrus from LV smelled of higher quality, as if there were high-quality citrus in LV and here they cheated with syrup. That makes it a bit sweeter and fruitier here. This whole thing stayed like that for 30 minutes to an hour, then the slightly sweet, fruity note disappeared and a more serious citrus note remained. Boring, less playful, less fun, yet still absolutely fine and good-smelling. You can’t go wrong with it. But it is already getting weaker. After waiting a bit longer, I unfortunately smell notes in the drydown that I can’t find listed or described anywhere. Is it just me?
Between the remnants of the citrus, I smell, not in the air, when I sniff my arm, oriental notes. Something in the direction of rose-oud but very light? Something from Arabians Tonka (I absolutely do not like it) immediately popped into my head. No one will smell that in the air; it really only came very close to my nose, but I don’t like this direction of oriental fragrances at all. So rose-oud, that always smells musty and stinky to my nose. Is that due to the manufacturer? The longevity of Art of Arabia I is not very long; I would attribute the lowest longevity to this one among all three fragrances. Combined with the strange intermediate notes in the drydown, it unfortunately does not make it a worthy alternative for me. As a fun intermediate scent in the collection, especially for the top note, it has its merits. Price-wise, I would wait for now; due to the hype, it has unfortunately shot up too high. It’s not worth it to me. ^^

Sunrise on the Red Sand Dunes Eau de Parfum
Honestly, I find the bottle pleasant, simple, thus not intrusive, quite nice. The cap is unnecessarily cheap, but the price here is also very low. The design is normal; it’s just very basic. This bottle is much more accessible than the AoA. How is the scent?
For me, it is again more linear; at least it doesn’t take a negative turn like the AoA I. But this one also has its own twist. You can clearly recognize the Imagination, but there is some note that is so strong that it stands out and somewhat covers the rest of the nicer DNA. Is it the tea? Something spicy, synthetically slightly sweet. This one is also a bit fruitier, slightly sweeter, and more playful than the original, yet still nice enough. The rest of the DNA goes in the direction of AoA top note or Imagination in general; here, it’s really just this one strong note that stands out and unfortunately seems a bit overpowering. Over time and towards the end, it doesn’t change much for me; it just becomes weaker, less playful, fruity, sweet, and rather serious, normally citrusy, slightly spicy. The longevity doesn’t match the original; it’s probably only a few hours here. But it lasts longer for me than the AoA. At least more Imagination DNA; with the AoA, only the bothersome remains if I find anything at the end.

So, the Art of Arabia I is the hated, evil stepbrother inside, but at least he smiles nicely.
The Sunrise on the Red Sand Dunes is the neutral cousin, thus not directly the brother. You can relate less to him, but you can have a conversation; he doesn’t annoy.
And the Imagination is the beloved, perfect child. Only there’s no child benefit for this one, and children can really be expensive...
You can’t go wrong with any of them; with one, you’re just doing a bit more right than with the other. If you don’t smell the drydown of the AoA like I do, go for it. But it will likely be unnecessarily more expensive and harder to access than the Zara, so always test it beforehand. The original is clearly the best; it doesn’t bother anywhere, smells the best, and the bottle is the best.
Considering the entire scent progression and the price, I will probably buy a bottle from Zara; the AoA is currently overpriced, significantly harder to access, and I don’t like its drydown. I will then buy the Imagination as a personal reward for some milestone in my future. :)

Why is the character limit for statements so low...

When I smell the freshly sprayed fragrance up close, it smells like rose, it has a slightly peppery, slightly leathery, woody, masculine, elegant, and slightly fresh scent; a suit or similar stylish clothing really goes perfectly with it. It has a slightly old-school or life-affirming vibe.
Towards the drydown, it becomes sweeter, rounder, creamier, the rose fades more and more, and it naturally becomes a bit weaker.
What I can really relate to in everyday life, at least what the scent reminds me of !in the air!, is something like a lemon iced tea, specifically Lipton somehow comes to mind. I actually never drink it, but everyone knows it. This description certainly doesn't do justice to the fragrance ^^' but that's just what pops into my head.

The bottle is great, the cap clicks in satisfyingly, both the bottle and the cap are heavy and well-made, and visually it's also a nice piece. The price is very satisfactory, the price/performance ratio is unbeatable here for lovers of the DNA. Additionally, I find the spray head very well done; it's not the finest, slow-gliding mist, but it comes out so confidently and strongly. It creates a nice, strong cloud.

Personally, I don't find the scent suitable enough for everyday wear; I never wear it, as there are too few weddings or similar occasions. And outside of that, I simply don't choose it. But I absolutely don't think it's bad. A souk partner would be happy about a bargain.

I’ll first try to gather what I can mention positively:

- It comes in a nice, useful packaging, which didn’t have to be. I always appreciate when something like this is included. They could have certainly offered it at a lower price. This tin has served me well as a container for accessories, like test strips.
- The bottle is exceptionally shaped, striking, not too quirky, I like it.
(The cap didn’t necessarily have to look so cheap, it seemed 3D-printed)
- It has a nice color, a nice, fitting name, and it lasts quite well for a freshie.
- Jeremy says you get a good, reputable brand for a low price.
"For 20$ you are getting a premium brand like Versace, so you feel cool wearing it. POOOWEEER"
- The price is low, availability is great, price/quantity is pretty cool and so on. Yeah, but the scent...

The scent... well, what should I do. ^^' Unfortunately, I can’t report positively about it and want to represent my honest view on the fragrance. Maybe I’m saving one or another younger interested party from it or convincing them to try a sample first. Even though it’s so cheap.
Maybe I’m too young for it and I’ll try again in 10 years around 35/40. But so far, I’ve only been disappointed; it has never really convinced me even once. I was promised a nice, fresh, adult, mass-appealing (beach) scent. However, for me, adult here somehow got confused with outdated. To me, it really smells old. Yes, blue/green, "fresh," but never refreshing, aquatic, yet always with a negative undertone. It never came across as really clean, tidy, nicely fresh, current, or fun. It can’t shake off its negative undertones throughout.

Visually, I would describe it as an Italian old town. Summer, warmth, an old restaurant, but you go to the even older men’s restroom in the basement and wash your hands with an old soap that has always been there. You smell this soap, you smell the room, you smell aquatic, you smell sewage. The shop owner, who has been doing this for 50 years, smells like that too.

Or like an old towel that has been used in the household for 20 years. The towel is freshly washed, it’s clean, but it will never smell completely clean again. That ship has sailed; it has soaked up too much dirty water. It’s not soft anymore, rather rough, you can see the threads through the last remnants of "fluff."

The scent is not atrociously bad; it’s not a 1/10, I’ve smelled worse. I could wear this, but I would never voluntarily reach for it. There are too many ingredients listed here, and my nose is too untrained to pinpoint exactly what bothers me. I can imagine it smelled different back in the day and was really fitting at that time; I’m happy for those contemporaries. :) In my era, I find it out of place. Older scents can still convince today, see "Cool Water (Eau de Toilette) | Davidoff," great piece! This one doesn’t work for me. At least someone else enjoyed it in the souk.

At the beginning of my still small perfume journey, I didn't like this scent. It seemed boring, old, outdated. Generally, fresh fragrances weren't my thing, as everything started for me with a sweet gourmand. I was surprised that one could smell so "delicious" on purpose, so I initially wanted to explore more of that area, and all the fresh scents were boring to me.

At some point, however, you have enough sweet stuff, and you long for something light. Especially in summer, with mostly sweet fragrances, it sometimes happens that you prefer not to wear anything rather than a very sweet scent. So I was looking for something that could accompany me even in high temperatures. Something that you can just spray on without thinking about it. It won't bother anyone, it won't become too much for me at some point, it's always and everywhere applicable. The true value of "freshies" only became clear to me after over a year in this "hobby." Today, I am lucky to have filled my small collection with a few fresh scents, so even though the decision is already a bit difficult now, I can find something suitable to wear for every occasion and situation.

Among them is also "Cool Water (Eau de Toilette) | Davidoff," which is by far the most aquatic scent of all the fragrances I have tested so far. The name is really well chosen for that, as it smells like I imagine water in my mind. Or how I imagine those advertising images of it might smell. In reality, it's a bit different because no sea, lake, or river will smell like Cool Water. Nevertheless, it has become a very great scent for me. It is not a purely "blue" scent, as all the well-known "blue" fragrances (designer area) smell different in my opinion. As listed in the notes here, there are also green tones that you perceive. Water is not just blue. Here, I personally find, unlike well-known designer "blue fragrances," no sweet, spicy, or familiar shower gel notes that you usually know from YSL Y, Versace Pour Homme, Dylan Blue, Sauvage, Legend Spirit, etc. This is pure, aquatic, adult, not playful, serious freshness. This one really refreshes in hot temperatures. I certainly don't have as much fun wearing this scent as I do with a well-known "blue fragrance," but this one finds its place in my life, especially on very hot days, on more serious, quieter days or evenings. It really doesn't project strongly, but it absolutely doesn't have to. I mainly wear this scent for myself; it calms me. It gives me a feeling of more control and overview. It is serious, adult, refreshing, calming, sovereign, clean, not playful. Dark blue and dark green. :)

I am very glad that after 1-2 years of only sweet fragrances, I dared to venture into fresh scents again and was honestly surprised that I like Cool Water so much after this time. My opinion about it used to be much shorter, more thoughtless, and dismissive. This scent has aged really well for its age and still feels timely today. I can't say that about many fragrances that are so "old." *Cough* Blue Jeans *Cough* Besides the scent, the bottle is also really beautiful and elegant, even though it is so simple. I really like the shape and the edges. It sprays absolutely fine. It's not the best atomizer, but there are definitely worse ones. The price/performance ratio here is very satisfying. Top. We like it.