As I review this fragrance, I am slightly stumped with the name and the fragrance. The fragrance in focus today is Gardenia from the house of Zara and today we are going to dissect (read look at all aspects of) this fragrance to know this Eau de Parfum a bit better. So, let’s start. Packaging Like all Zara perfumes, this one also comes in a cardboard box and has the color scheme of white and dirty purple going on. Pretty standard packaging for Zara fragrance and it came sealed on the top, which leaves a chance for the perfume bottle to slip down through the bottom. Just saying, this part can be slightly improved. However, with my recent experience with Zara’s delivery, I can say this is better. It is improving. To know about my previous experience with Zara’s online delivery. Check out my video on YouTube or check below. Anyway, coming back to the fragrance; this belongs to the Leather Collection and so the packaging has it mentioned in text and the purple is textured to give it a leather-like appearance. The cap is purple in color and quite sturdy, and the bottle is transparent. This is how the 30ml bottle that I own, looks like. The 100ml is a stunning bottle which comes in its own leather case. Absolutely gorgeous and definitely looks great on the vanity. Overall, a good packaging and I can give 90 out of 100 for the packaging. Keeping 10 only for the delivery not being 100% safe as the seal was not there at the bottom. Scent Coming to the actual scent. One word. Great. As a fragrance, just like any other Zara fragrance, this one is a keeper. I have also read somewhere on the internet that it is the closest dupe of YSL’s Black Opium. I had a small tester of Black Opium so when I smelled Zara’s Gardenia, I remembered that smell. So, yes it is kind of a more affordable alternative for Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium and one of the must try ones for me. However, I cannot fathom why is it called Gardenia? You know what notes have gone into this perfume? It is orange blossom, coffee, and vanilla. So, why is it called Gardenia? There is no element of the gardenia flower in this perfume and I have other gardenia fragrances as well. So I know quite well how Gardenia smells like and it is in no way similar to this. This is rather a cozy, intense, feminine, and to some extent sensual fragrance. However, this is definitely not floral. It is fruity and gourmandish. I don’t know why even Fragrantica mentions it as floral oriental. I can’t get a hint of either. It is neither floral nor oriental, especially from the point of view that this doesn’t have any amber in it. Anyway as a perfume, it is absolutely beautiful, strong, and modern fragrance. Quite similar to the kind I like and am absolutely loving it. So, the scent gets around 90 again, 10 gone due to the confusion in the name. Longevity and Silage The silage is not good. I mean you can smell it on you for quite a decent time, but when it comes to others, they won’t be able to smell this on you for long. However, on my skin and pulse points, this lasts decently long. I can sniff it on me for a good 4-5 hrs. after which the perfume needs to be reapplied. This is kind of a bummer in all Zara fragrances, I guess. I thought this might last a bit longer as this is an EDP, but alas that is not the case much. This category secures only 60 out of 100 as there is definitely a lot of scope for improvement here. Quantity and Price Point There are 3 sizes in which this fragrance is available. 1st is a 10ml bottle, which retails for Rs. 390 and comes in a roller ball packaging. This is followed by the 30ml, which is the one I own, and this retails for Rs. 590. This one is also good for carrying around as slips into the purse without any hassle. The biggest size is 100ml and that one retails at Rs. 1290. So, you can choose which size seems convenient for you to try and go for it. This is definitely a great fragrance and every fragrance lover must try this. I would recommend the 30ml over the roller ball as I personally don’t like roll-ons much. If you do, then great, you can try this at much lower price. You can also save some more money, if you keep an eye out for the clearance section in the ZARA app, that way you can grab amazing fragrance at great prices as well. From the price point, this gets a 70 maybe. It is not extremely cheap but yes when thinking about this being YSL’s dupe, this is quite affordable. Final Thoughts Yes, so overall definitely I would recommend this a 1000 times over. However, the name is what irks me here a bit. There is no element of gardenia in it and so why is it called so? Still wondering what is the response to this question. |
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