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.

i blind bought this and i don't regret it. smells heavenly.

First what I smell. Yes there is an initial apple fruitiness, with a strong sweet almondy, nuttiness, but the apple disappears almost immediately, and is replaced by the floral magnolia and lily of the valley, while the vanilla and almond lingers. After a few minutes though, for me the overwhelming scent is licorice, which I'm surprised isn't listed as a note, or hasn't been mentioned in other reviews. I like it, I like licorice, and it's what makes this perfume so different from other perfumes I own. That licorice scent does make the florals more violet in scent, and also brings out a deeper blackcurrant fruitiness. This was a blind buy with a bunch of other Zara perfumes I wanted to try, and luckily I like them all as I generally know what notes I like. But this was the most surprising one. It's summer as I write this, but I think this perfume will really shine in winter. It's not overly sweet and has a strange mix of both cool and warm smells. It has a mysteriousness to it, without being heady. I'm currently wearing a lot of applejuice and twilight mauve by Zara as they are much more spring/summer fruity fresh apple scents, but I look forward to wearing this in the colder months. I like Zara perfumes because they have a weaker sillage, which for many would be a negative, but I sometimes find with high end perfumes they are too overwhelming when I first put them on. I prefer a more subtle scent, and because they are so cheap, you can pop some in an atomiser and keep it on you and top up throughout the day, but I don't get that super strong initial perfume hit I often find a bit too overwhelming. It's not my favourite Zara perfume, but a pleasant surprise

A burst of tonka, with sweet vanilla and refreshed with a lily giving slightly aquatic vibes. I would have called it Tonka Blossom personally. Not exactly a purple or velvet scent, it's really a tonka bean treat to me, just a bit fresh. A sort of cross between Alien, Good Girl, Hypnotic Poison and Wonder Rose. It doesn't last very long on my skin unless I overspray af (which is ok because it is quite affordable), better on clothes, has the Zara DNA and I see it more as a night or cold weather scent. Performance is really depending on how you spray: for me and my skin I need to be really generous if I want it to last. I dont see myself using it in daytime hot weather it can be a bit of a turn off, too much. Cute, and personally, it's nice to have in the bag to refresh during the day if you wear one of the perfumes mentioned above, and you don't want to carry the pricey FB. Could be a winter sign scent if it works with your body chemistry.

I used to wear it during evening time. Today it was cloudy and casually I took it and used it before leaving for office. I layered it today with bbw Japanese cherry blossoms body cream and bbw into the night body mist. After 15 mins while I was driving I realised that it has developed as a sweet beast. Got complement. While entering in the office. But I am sure that it turned into a wow because of the cloudy dry weather. Regarding the perfume, magnolia and vanilla are the most prominent notes that develop on my skin. Almond I never got. And the top note of cherry blossom is very mild that’s why I made it promo at by layering the BBW Japanese cherry blossoms. Longevity is about 4 to 5 hours, then you need to reapply. Project is good enough for 3 hours with the layering. 2 hours without layering.

Okay so... This is really good, but I hoped it would perform better, since it doesn't last for long. When I tested it at the store there were no violet notes at all, and from the name I would have imagined some violet, heliotrope or iris notes maybe. Now that said, this smell amazing. As some people have pointed out, the apple disappears quickly, then it's a sweet floral scent. The almond... Idk if it's just my skin, but it doesn't stand out on me. I wish they would make a more intense version of this, now including violet, heliotrope and iris notes. It would be so good.

Simple and inoffensive, a scent to wear whenever you just want to smell nice, but not attention grabbing. I like violet, floral perfumes, but often times when they are cheap they just smell like laundry conditioner in the worst way - synthetic and plasticky. This however manages to escape the artificiality, but never reaches to become distinct and unique. It’s just ordinary even a bit boring, yet nice enough to finish the bottle. On my skin it sits pretty close and last around 3 to 4 hours.

Tried it for the first time at the store and first impression it’s very similar to my favorite , Ellie Saab GON. It’s not as almond forward as Girl of now. Longevity is a miss at 2 hours tops. I saw an intense version on the zara website , hopefully that smells the same but with better performance. For people who like Girl of Now but don’t mind a dupe that lacks performance , this is a great buy.

I have no idea why this smells lot like Alien to me. The top note is so gorgeous and sweet almondy in such strange way. But later it starts to really remind me of Alien and it gets geavy and cloying. I love the gorgeous bottle and price. I would never purchase Alien, Id buy this. I love the design and the scent of this more.

at first i disliked it as it felt too soapy. now i've grown to love it! i don't use it as a perfume tho, it's longevity is non-existent but i spray my room with it sometimes. very calming scent of the sweet violet with some almond undertones.

was pretty disappointed with it. has a strong soapy vibe. the almond is there and so are the flowers but it all comes down to a dark, but definitely soapy fragrance. it has some berry-like scent, kind of like a very, very mild raspberry.

I bought this Dresstime version of Violet Blossom and I don't get any apple, magnolia, lily, vanilla or almond notes. I get a lipstick note very similar to H&M's fragrance Lipstick. It's not bad but it's not special either

Smells like warm grapes, it's very sweet and don't get anything else from the notes sadly.

I recently tested this fragrance to get a sense of the famous Mugler Alien as dupe, which I have never actually smelled before. To my nose, this scent comes across as a sharp, metallic,clean jasmine. the 'indolic' quality in floral perfumes often reminds me of decay or rotting flowers,very off-putting. The good news is that this fragrance is definitely free from that 'decaying' note!!! it feels clear . However, the sharpness is still quite intense for my taste. Even though it is noticeably lighter and more wearable than I imagine Alien to be, the metallic edge is still a bit too piercing and bothersome for me. If you enjoy sharp and clean jasmine scents, you might like it

Lovely mix of cherry blossom and candied apple with slight almond hint that brings warmth and coziness. Decent budget fragrance and a good keep for the handbag. There's something in the florals here that evokes the feeling of Alien; it isn't a dupe, not even a sister, more like a distant cousin. I dislike Alien, but I like this. Lasting power is quite bad though, not as long lasting as some other Zara fragrances.

Initially apple fresh and floral but with a deeper dry-down of almond, vanilla, powdery tonka and richer florals. Had it not been for the violet I would've enjoyed this - there is a clear violet, even though not listed. Perfect for autumn, it's purple, deep and a bit sultry. Moderate sillage/longevity.