9.0 Zara

A masterpiece on its own, regardless of how many people compare it to Valentino or Dior! So, I wanted to make a complete review of this fragrance, which I consider to be my favourite winter fragrance so far in my collection. Sorry for the long post, please enjoy ^_^ SCENT: The notes pretty much sum it up when it comes to the break-down, so no need for any extras here SENSATION/FEELING: "Orgasm in a bottle"! Honestly, my brain sometimes "turns off" when I smell this! It is so amazing, makes me so confident every time I wear it and in just a few months since purchasing it, not only I used like 2/3 of the bottle, but it brings back so many amazing memories! COMPLIMENTS: Arguably the most important thing about a fragrance. IT.IS.A.BEAST. I am honestly going to make another post with some stories of wearing this fragrance, but it is by far the most complimented fragrance I have ever owned so far! I got compliment from over 20 different girls(and I mean different people, not onlyt the same ones re-complimenting it) and a few guys in just two month of moderately wearing it, and 3 of my female friends are absolutely crazy about it every single time I wear it! PERFORMANCE: A strong one indeed. I (over)sprayed it on my tie for the NYE and t filled my room with the scent for the next 4 days. On my skin, it lasts for up to 7h, with 3-4h of great projection, another 2h of moderate projection and the rest of its life it stays softly, but can sometimes give a slight breeze of iris even after 8,9 hours of wear. The furthermost compliment I got from it was after about 6 and a half hours of wear WHAT TO WEAR WITH:I can totally say that I've tried any possible outfit with this one, from hoodies and jeans, lether jackest and boots, suits, sweaters, everything, and it works great with them all! Honestly, the bottle of the fragrance is quite represantative of the scent! Deep, dark colours will match the best. When wearing outdoors, I prefer having a turtleneck with this one, as the texture of it and the heat around your necjk area will make it smell more like iris and peppers, but indoors it's a whole new sotory! When wearing it with a shirt, it smells lighter, a little bit fresh maybe, giving a "tic-tack" vibe somenone mentioned in a review below. That's why I prefer it with some casual, striped shirts, or maybe the classics, as the all-white office shirts, as they are going to match the classiness of this fragrance better than a t-shirt or a simple polo. Overall, so far, it is my "10/10" fragrance. There's nothing I dislike about it, and for a 20y.o. college guy (like me), I could call this "a must" Sorry for the long review! If interested, I'll come back with another post, telling you a kittle story!

A DUPE THAT'S WELL WORTH BUYING [short review] Yes, "9.0" by Zara does remember "Dior Homme Original" (EDT from 2011) and "Valentino Uomo" (EDT from 2014). It opens up as Valentino Uomo and dries down like Dior Homme. I don't like to publicise "look-alikes" solely for that reason. However, I think the use of this Zara fragrance is much more than that. The "9.0" is certainly a very high-quality fragrance. This can be easily concluded by looking at the rating given to it by Fragrantica - 4.25 out of 5 for the first edition and 4.39 out of 5 for the second edition. It's quite easy to recommend that you test it out in a Zara shop or even blind buy a cheap bottle of "9.0"... and then enjoy it to the last drop. I have a full bottle of Dior Homme Intense and I'm in no hurry to buy a new bottle of Dior EDT, even though mine is almost finished. The same thought occurs to me about a bottle of Valentino Uomo. I have two half-used Valentinos, the original Uomo and the flanker Uomo Intense. A good justification for this reasoning is that I have 2 bottles of Zara 9.0... I'm quite happy with the Zara and don't feel the need to buy backups or replacements of the Dior and Valentino mentioned. Zara 9.0 actually has a little less sillage and longevity than Dior Homme EDT, probably 1/3 less in my opinion. I don't mind increasing the spray a little, considering that Zara perfume costs 9~10 times less than the equivalent Dior Homme and 7~8 times less than Valentino Uomo. The note of Zara Iris is quite pleasant and not cloying like many other similar blends that use Iris, sometimes in much more expensive fragrances than this cheapie from Zara. This fragrance is even a little more versatile than its more expensive soul mates, as it's quite wearable on colder days. The reason for this is that the juniper and vetiver notes seem to be a little stronger in the Zara perfume. Last but not least, the Zara bottle has a pleasant and practical presentation. It's not at the level of the Dior or Valentino bottles, but it's more than acceptable. Congratulations to Zara. I hope they develop many more quality scents than this 9.0. I would rate it 8.0~8.5/10.0 overall, which means it's a fragrance I can recommend without hesitation. My opinion: The low price (€9.0~€12.0 for 100ml) plays an important role in my overall assessment. I prefer to wear Valentino Uomo Intense or Dior Homme Intense. But I see no reason not to have a pair of Zara 9.0 as a backup or for travelling. I recommend it to any lover of Iris men's fragrances. At its price, you can buy it blindly without any regret. Music: Michael Bublé - "Nice 'N' Easy"

Zara 9.0 is really good. Borderline great even. It is different from the more Dior Homme smelling Zara For Him (there has been a newer juice that is much different), so you don't have to worry about an overlap between the two. Zara For Him is more on Euphoria Gold Men side than Zara 9.0 is. I actually find that Zara 9.0 is more Valentino Uomo than Armaf's Futura La Homme. Armaf Futura La Homme is a GREAT Dior Homme alternative. I got 9.0 after my bottle of Futura La Homme broke at the neck during a fall. And even that is only due to iris gourmand overlap. Valentino Uomo has a similarness to Zara 9.0, minus the hazelnut and the iris instead of being a background accord is full gear on 9.0. Zara 9.0 is really interesting as it does not have overt gourmand notes. The closest is the amber note which can be sweet. That said, the star of 9.0 is the orris/iris, like many Dior Homme fragrances. The iris permeates throughout. There is some bergamot and coriander in the open, some pepper and cardamom in the mid and a base with a heavy amber. No coffee, leather or hazelnut notes like the others. Zara 9.0 works pretty well though I don't think the juice works in summer and high heat. If you want an iris to work in summer, Armaf Futura La Homme could and Dior Homme Eau would work. That said Zara 9.0 can work in many different settings. Zara 9.0 performs really good. It projects moderately for about 2 hours but lasts 8 hours on skin. I wore it this night and my father who was around after I wore it, he picked it up. That said he did not give a positive reaction like with many fragrances. Zara 9.0 is somewhat unique in the iris gourmand/kind of gourmand fragrances. Zara 9.0 is an 8.7 to me. I love it and it is a suitable replacement for my smashed Futura La Homme bottle (even if it doesn't have the coffee vibe) and an alternative to wearing the potentially discontinued Valentino Uomo as often, but I still think Uomo and Futura la Homme are both better, with Uomo being more unique due to the hazelnut.

I recently bought a new bottle of this after my first one, from 2016 or early 2017 if I remember correctly, was finally used up. I compared the last couple of squirts of the old to the new bottle though and it seems to me the newer version is weaker and it seems by much. Could be a fluctuation in quality due to the cheapness of the liquid, but there have been several comments on this fact already (My batch code is 00490). There is no real difference in the general type of smell though, it is just weaker. It is still a decent clone of Dior Homme (2011) and less so Dior Homme Intense (even less Intense now, with the weaker batch). It is coming close, but of course it cannot really compete with the original. I use it frequently though, because I love Dior Homme Intense and I do not want to waste the more expensive Dior as a casual fragrance. It is so much better, that I keep it for the more special occasions. Here is a comparison of my 2016/17 batch to the newer 2019 (2020 bought) batch: Value of 9.0 (2020) compared to 9.0 (2016) in brackets: Smell: both 8/10 Longevity: 7-8h (10-11h) Sillage: moderate (between moderate to heavy) Projection: weak to moderate (between moderate to heavy) These values are still pretty good considering the low price tag! Conclusion: 9.0 was really good at its initial release as a Dior Homme DNA replacement and now has been dialled back. But I would still consider it a good replacement, so you do not have to waste the expensive juice, in case you just want to smell the Dior Homme DNA on yourself. Especially with Dior Homme 2020 being a completely different scent to the original Dior Homme, this becomes an interesting potential buy.

for me is very close to dior homme, zara 9.0 doesnt have the nutty-cacao note of valentino uomo, at least to my nose. for me this is a slightly fresher version of dior homme. 9.0 is a bit more fruity and younger, very pleasant and it doesent smell cheap at all. yes u can feel that 9.0 has not the same quality of the famous competitors, but for 12 euros u can be only happy for what it gives! on my skin dior homme has a better performance, but 9.0 is bit more versatile and u can overspray without care. in my opinion is an all-year frgrance, maybe is not enough potent for the winter. for 20 and up, any occasion is good for 9.0 expept from the gym or sport activities. price/quality ratio damn good! un profumo simile a dior homme, sembra migliore rispetto al costo, certo non ha la stessa qualità del suo rivale ma per il prezzo è un affare. scent-8,5 long-7 sillage-7 versatility-8,5 uniqueness-6 bottle-6 compliment factor-7,5 my vote-8 in one word- bargain alternative- dior homme