Voux Zeste

This is what I wished Victoria from Lattafa would be: a gourmand lemon pie. However, Victoria is much more similar to the Devotion perfumes from D&G, which smells quite doughy/cookie/bisquit, which is not my thing. Victoria is also very, very sweet. Victoria has a zest that smells uncooked, while Voux Zeste (anter it dries down fully) smells of baked zest. This is much less doughy, less sweet - it's more caramel, much less straight-up sugar, still slightly zesty lemon and vanilla. It smells just overall more balanced to me - more toned down. At the same time, it's complex, especially in cool weather... and very addictive. Slight minus: can have a slight playdough note up-close at first, but on me, it goes away. Upon maceration that note became creamy, luckily. Also, right before this completely disappears, it smells like D&G Light Blue on me - I used to wear it a lot when I was younger. Considering this smells nothing like Light Blue, it's really surprising how it gets there. As for a comparison to Lira, I don't have Lira, but I don't remember it smelling quite like this - I will have to test it again. Overall: I have no regrets for choosing a full bottle of this over Devotion, Victoria, Empire Victor or Dulzura... might want to test out Symbol Of Love. When it comes to the comparison to Lira, this definitely smells very similar. I can feel that Lira is of a different quality though. Voux Zeste starts out very zesty, while Lira is smooth from the start. There is slightly more caramel in Lira, and the caramel, vanilla and lavender notes project away from the skin, while the doughy, lemony scents sit close to the skin. The projection of Voux Zeste is different - it's pretty even, and overall more intimate unless you apply a lot. I have over 200 fragrances, but already used 5 mL of this in a couple of months. I really like it in cool weather :) Although it's not Lira, it is good dupe! After maceration, Voux Zeste is about 98% similar to Lira, AFTER the initial zesty blast you get upon application. I actually like the zesty blast :P I will definitely finish my bottle of Voux Zeste before thinking about purchasing a bottle of Lira, IF I do.

I cannot believe I finally found a copy of Lira! I have Xerjoff Lira and Akro Bake, I was about to buy Regalien Hazz, but I gave Voux Zeste a chance, and I am so happy I did. It was not a blind buy, I tried it out in a perfumery, and now I have it and was able to compare them all. Lira is definitely creamier and the best out of all citrusy vanilla perfumes, but it doesn’t last more than 30 seconds. Akro Bake is similar - very nice citrusy vanilla, but it also doesn’t last more than a minute. Voux Zeste is a bit more citrusy, but it still has creaminess and lasts longer than both Lira and Bake. The longevity is still not great, but I can smell it after 30 minutes. There is no detergent or plastic smell in Zeste like in other cheap perfumes, so I am very pleasantly surprised. Even if you blind buy this, you cannot go wrong. If you know how Lira smells and like it, I think you will like this perfume. Especially because it is cheap and lasts longer. Edit: I found an even better copy of Lira - Casamorando Royale. I think it is better than Zeste, but very similar. Royale is creamier, and Zeste is a bit more citrusy, but the differences are very subtle.

For years, I thought I hated citrus in gourmand fragrances. But here I am, owning at least 5 citrus gourmands, this being among them. I purchased this second hand and forgot about it...pulled it out during this weird, not warm not cold, shoulder season between frigid cold and asphalt melting hot. And it was perfect. Zesty and tart, this is not. I don't really understand all the descriptions about peeling oranges. This is never a fresh citrus to me, even upon first spray. At most, it is a candied lemon and orange peel. The vanilla caramel is fully incorporated from opening to dry down. Maybe it's the maturity of my bottle. I get sweetness upon first spray, but not cloying syrupy sweetness. It's light and fluffy. I think that's what surprised me the most. I expected a dense cake, but it's much lighter than I expected. The citrus also doesn't smell pine sol fake because it doesn't actually smell like a fresh citrus. It's a dessert citrus.

This is heavy, a thin layer of orange on top of caramel and vanilla. Think of an orange pastry. It's nice, reminds me of Voux Patisserie (though that one reminds me of butterscotch instead of orange). I haven't checked, but I'll bet the notes are similar? Not for the high heat. This is more of a spring/fall fragrance. Not sure that orange fragrances (without spice) lend themselves to winter wear? Maybe it will change as it matures? Some of the previous commenters say it's sweet; I just don't get that. There is sweetness, but not sickly sweet. I like it. Leans feminine, and I will wear this... but see this as not being mass-appealing. Lasts a good eight hours with moderate projection. People definitely notice it in confined spaces, but it's pleasant and by no means offensive. You definitely won't smell like everyone/anyone else when you're wearing this. Give this a go if you like gourmand, orange pastry-esque fragrances.

I have a sample of Lira on one arm, and Voux Zeste on the other. I've tried them like this several times. They are super similar. The biggest difference I think is that the flowery notes in Lira are slightly more prominent at the drydown. Yes, it's lemon cake, but there are also flowers, and they complement the cake smell by making everything more blended. Voux Zeste is more cake. Voux Zeste definitely required some maturation, but after a month or so, it became really good! I don't think I'd purchase Lira unless I wanted to support the brand, as Voux Zeste is just as good...I might actually even like it slightly better, as Lira has a slight note of omega-3 on my skin, so I think Voux Zeste is better up-close. Voux Zeste may also have slightly more caramel, as it dried down to lemon-caramel, while Lira dries down more spicy, almost clove-like.