04 Violet Blossom

One of my favourite Zara fragrances! Finally Fragantica added this one to the site, since the other bottle hasn't been available in two years or so. At least not in EU. And I wanted to add my review to the correct bottle. As said, this is one of my Zara favourites, but honestly a favourite in general. Particularly for springtime. I always get compliments when wearing this and have that tendency to sniff my arm or think - when a sudden cloud envelops me - YUM, that smells good! I always need to overspray regardless of brand/price, because I have very dry, perfume eating skin. But...where other perfumes still pull a Houdini on me within 3hrs time, despite 30+ spritzes, and barely acknowledge me projection wise, Violet Blossom is one of the few Zara juices (or one of the few perfumes, period ) that keeps me locked in a luscious scent bubble for 4 to 5 hours - which is enormous for my skin. And... in the first hour it definitely radiates beyond arm length (I know because my help rang my doorbell 10min after spraying myself and said - with the door still closed and the only slight opening coming from my mail in the door slot - "Damn girl, you smell amazing! What IS that?!" ). But, as we all know: skin chemistry & type are key here, so I can't promise the same - or logically: better, will happen to you. Now on to the scent of this "purple fragrance". Is it, though? Purple? Neh... Like most Zara perfumes this one is apptly named; as in NOT at all. Violet Blossom isn't a particularly dark fragrance, nor is it a dupe for that very popular other purple bottle (alas, I might say. BUT: I do think Alien fans might like this one). There's no Violet in it either AND nothing powdery. So, what is it, then? On my skin I smell a whole lot of notes that aren't mentioned in the pyramid. And while I'm used to Fragantica making mistakes on that point, in this case Zara gives the same ones: Magnolia, Apple, Lily, Vanilla and Almond. The apple makes itself known in an opening burst, but it's long gone by the time you get a feel of what Violet Blossom actually has to offer. That fresh green apple, like a Granny Smith but slightly sweeter due to a hint of floral, is what initially makes this a typical summer fragrance, but heart and dry down changed my mind. The apple+ is quickly accompanied by a strong Orangeblossom. Huh? That's not mentioned! Yeah, it's not, but my nose swears it's in there and not a little bit, either. It could be in the opening that the Magnolia makes a move, as a flower that can have a fresh-sweet citrusy effect in a perfume, but I can't pick her out for sure. That Orangeblossom, to my nose, remains the dominant note in the fast transition to the middle of the pyramid. It seems as if I'm also getting a tiny whiff of cherry blossom 🌸 - a floral note in the original Violet Blossom - in that heart, but it's gone quite quickly. After that I'm left with the dry down. The orange blossom has calmed down tremendously by then and gotten company from a soft Almond note and relatively demure, but nice (no playdoh - plastic doll head) vanilla. They do both sweeten up the white floral accord, which might be the reason why some see a link to the strong Jasmine in Alien. (In response to the other 2 reviews below: I agree with the clothing comment. This goes for more Zara perfumes. They don't perform on fabric. But I don't get tonka, to me it's truly separate Almond and Vanilla. As to the first review: pencil shavings? That must be a sucky case of skin chemistry-clash if some maceration & chill didn't solve the issue). The dry down of this Zara fragrance is a nicely balanced mixture of all the previous notes, where only a constant nose-to-skin action (and some note knowledge) can pick them out easily. One thing will be clear to all though: any typical fresh fruitiness from the beginning is no longer there, nor is the dominant Orangeblossom feel. Instead, Violet Blossom is sweet. Not gourmand sweet or teenage juice sweet, but definitely white floral-sweet. In other words: summer is most likely not going to be the season of choice for this fragrance, unless it's at a beach club at night, with your toes in the cool downed sand, while trying to flirt up a storm. Because in my eyes the only 'purple' connotation I do have, is that she's decently sexy. I could see her being worn on a summery night out. During sun up Violet Blossom will most likely be a bit too much for most in true summer. I prefer to wear Violet Blossom in Winter, Fall and Spring, with the last two my favourites (in winter I often tend to grab heavier stuff, like Club de Nuit Intense Woman, MFK Grand Soir, Angel's Share or Raghba. Plus VB performs better in Spring and Fall). While I'd normally write "recommended!" with a fragrance that has a steady place in my collection (1 of 5 Zara's*), I've noticed that when it comes to Zara fragrances there's too much polarity concerning quality, longevity and even what they seem to smell like (and I fear part of the negativity comes from the fact they're cheapies/ often dupes and YouTube faves). So, this is why I'll recommend to *definitely check them out*, but through a test in store or a 10ml roll-on, if available. (*My 5 fave Zara fragrances in case that helps you decide: 1. Violet Blossom 2. Sublime Epoque 3. Golden Decade 4. Applejuice 5. Saffron & Orangeblossom I also have Clear Honeysuckle, Peony, Hibiscus, Femme, Femme Winter, Gardenia, Tuberose Winter, Oriental and Wonder Rose Obsession in 90ml, and then a whole lot of 10ml roll ons + Rich/ Warm/Addictive. I've not decided yet if any of the 90ml's will remain indefinitely - probably Femme, Hibiscus and Gardenia will, as well as RWA- since Zara has several new lines I've yet to test, like the Orchid line, the current 30ml bottles and the Jo Malone Memories, as well as a few from the Men's section. From now on "likes" aren't going to make the cut anymore).

The Violet Blossom Night version is very similar to the Violet Blossom Candy, both being fruity and sweet. It's very candy-like as well, but it's not fresh, it has more depth to it so I like it more, even tho both are great scents. The Night one is more sultry justifying its name, while being playful too, it's almost earthy in the background. I also smell a play doh accord in the Night collection's version, more intensely, so it's predominantly a nutty scent with deeper fruity and sweet floral nuances. The notes of the night version are obscure tho. On Zara they picture a cherry (fragrantica lists cherry blossom in the notes), a white flower - magnolia maybe? - and one almond while the text description on Zara lists different notes so idk what's the deal, but I still get a deeper stronger almond scent from that one similar to the play doh scent in Hypnotic Poison, Police Forbidden and Sweet Hope La Rive, but of course it's a lot more fruity and sweeter in Violet Blossom Night as opposed to the Hypnotic Poison and its clones. So these are the notes listed for the Night version: "iris and red peony, juicy mandarin, raspberry, creamy vanilla accord". Raspberry is a sweet candy-like note - might explain the candy effect in it, slightly deeper than in the Violet Blossom Candy. The mandarin obviously adds to the fruity element. Fragrantica's pyramid features almond, cherry blossom, heliotrope, magnolia and almond. I don't smell cherry blossom tbh, it's a heady floral note that makes me nauseous. I do smell heliotrope because there's the play doh effect amplified, betraying that the almond doesn't stand alone, and the magnolia may be the reason why the Candy version smells similar to the Night one. The iris note listed by Zara, has my beloved cupcake doll type of scent and here it evokes a hint of violet justifying the name of the perfume and making it slightly darker and earthy. It's not powdery tho. So the verdict is I'd buy both versions regardless of the notes. Longevity isn't the best. I find them very unique too. I work at McArthur Glen in the luxury brands of the 2nd floor, and I discovered them during my break which is funny to me cuz I'd rather test Zara perfume than the high end brands that have become repetitive and uninspired lately.

This is in my top 3 perfumes of all time, and I've owned more than 300 perfumes from dirty cheap (dupes, clones and what not) to expensive ones in the last decade. I agree with someone who mentioned that it smells like grape. Has that "dark purple fruit" vibe but in a dark, slightly boozy, semi-sweet way. It's not heavy/smoky by any means but I always choose it when I go out in the evening/ or at night. I'm pleasantly surprised it doesn't end up smelling like vanilla after a while since that's been a problem for me with all vanilla based perfumes. Skin chemistry is definately a thing because I have that type of dry skin which drinks perfumes like its life depends on it. I can heavily overspray perfumes that are considered beasts (last more than 24h on most people) and they'll disappear within 3 hours on me. Btw I always ask others just in case I've become unosmic.. This is one of my most long lasting perfumes by far, has one of the best projections too, it won't leave a trail, but then again no perfume I've tried on me does. It's my most complimented perfume. I've had compliments after about 7 hours of wearing it. I really hope they didn't change the formula along with their bottles. In case it helps: My loves: coffee, chocolate, praline, boozy notes (rum, liquor etc), pear, orange, grape, black currant, almond, powdery, soapy, fresh-clean, aquatic, ozonic. My strong dislikes: grassy, bitter, smoky, leather, incense, animalic, yellow flowers, vanilla (90% of the time, I usualy like it when it's mixed with boozy, chocolate, aquatic notes), heavily sweet/sugary perfumes.

This one is one of my favorite fragrances! I wear it daily and somehow never get bored of it - and let me tell you i have one sensitive nose! It’s the perfect balance between fresh and sweet. Its projection is moderate - i barely feel it on me anymore but i suspect it’s mostly because of scent blindness. This fragrance becomes a closer to the skin scent after around 2 to 3 hours max - not very lasting. Perfect for autumn, it smells like violets, deep and a bit sultry with a hint of tonka. It doesn’t have the strongest longevity really but it’s still great for the price! Definitely worth a try if you’re into sweet and fresh kinda floral scents. It has its richness and depth without being too overwhelming - that’s what’s best about this perfume.

i know this is a dupe for alien, but i really liked this one. i'm beginning to love violet themed fragrances, even though this fragrance has no violet in it. it's fresh, floral and really easy for day to day wear. doesn't last very long which is probably the only downside, but it's cheap enough to repurchase often enough if you really like it.