Amber Fever

Vanilla Fever has been on my wish list since I tried it almost two months ago when it came out. First, it’s a vanilla perfume, and vanilla perfumes, especially too sweet and slightly cloying ones, are always hard for me to like. Thankfully, at least initially, Amber Fever is only moderately sweet, not too vanilla-y. Some vanillas are very spicy, boozy, or sweet, but this is a soft, seductive iteration that is unexpected and familiar at the same time. Despite the scant list of notes available on the online site, the orchid is not the most prominent note I smell in the opening. It doesn’t offer a delicate floral accord, but what I smell is something more peppery and smoky, with dusty edges and spicy warmth. Instead, Amber Fever unfolds with a burst of peppery spiciness typical of the best traditional Indian dishes, along with a balsamic, resinous smoke. The presence of pepper, black pepper and maybe pink pepper is evident, but not to the point of becoming overpowering, further dampening the sweetness of the vanilla. In the background, there is a carpet of woody and musky threads, probably from cedar chips and fluffy white musk. At least in the opening phase, the amber is not the main accord. The vanilla and woods, courtesy of an overdose of Iso E-Super, follow closely behind. This is not your typical sweet, creamy and dense gourmet vanilla found in puddings and cakes. Instead, this is raw vanilla straight from the pod, a little earthy, a little bitter, a little burnt and spicy. Yes, that is how I perceive it. After a while, the peppers and spices mellow out and the incense takes off, intensifying and fusing with the vanilla to create something so unique that some might like it, but others might not. The vanilla and incense create a dusty and smoky accord, reminiscent of resins, waxes and burning embers. The more it grows, the more it becomes woody, smoky, powdery, sweet and a little floral, but not overly so. Meanwhile, the vanilla becomes dark and smoky, blending with an excellent incense note. Both notes dance around a smooth suede accord that completes the blend; it is a very soft leather note that creates a sort of suede blanket on a pile of ash and coumarins. As it approaches the drydown, the smoke and incense disappear, and the woodiness takes over. This blends with the vanilla and tonka, giving off a warm amber sensation. A “sweet pine” scent opens, dry, camphorated, with some herbal and incense edges. Lots of vanilla and powdery tonka support this unexpected pine nuance, intertwined with resinous amber. To give you an idea, the fragrance at this point reminds me of a vanilla candle, with that hint of smoky and burning vanilla that lingers in the air. The last trail has a musky undertone, but the woody and smoky elements prevail. Leather, musk and smoke are the accords that will survive until the end. Amber Fever is, like many of ZARA’s recent releases, a perfectly unisex scent, ensuring that no one feels left out. It is at its best when it is cold, for the autumn and winter seasons, the colder the better. It is impeccable when worn for a night out with friends or a romantic dinner. The performance is excellent. The projection is moderate, with a trail that lasts a few hours and lingers on the skin for a long time. Similar to its predecessors, "Supreme Vanilla | Zara" or "Bohemian Oud | Zara", the thing to understand about the smell is that it is very polarizing; some might compare the leather and smoky vanilla to a burnt rubber tyre. But you should not let my judgment sway you, and I think you should at least try it. As I wrote in the statement, I would have expected to see this piece as part of the Vanilla series, a caramelized, sugary, salty, amber vanilla. Vanilla Fever would sound better than the first name Amber Fever. I've written my thoughts based on a bottle I've owned since September 2024 (BC 41291, PD 2024-05-08).

The first time I tried this perfume was in the store, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it right away. On the first spray, it hit me with an intense spiciness that was a bit overwhelming at first. But after about 20 minutes, it transformed into this soft, powdery vanilla that completely changed my mind. Three days ago, I decided to purchase a 30ml bottle, even though I still had some doubts after the initial testing. But now, I’m planning to get it again because the scent has really grown on me. This is far from a boring fragrance. There’s something about it that’s so intriguing—maybe it’s the amber note, but I swear I pick up a subtle cherry undertone. It might sound strange, but it reminds me of cherry chocolate. Not the obvious kind, though—more like the chocolate you can’t quite detect but know is there, adding depth in the background. The vanilla note in this perfume works in a similar way. It doesn’t scream “vanilla” like other fragrances, but over time, it develops into a powdery, sensual scent that feels subtle yet captivating. It’s as if the vanilla is a supporting player, quietly enhancing everything else. Honestly, I didn’t expect to love it this much, but it keeps surprising me. With every passing minute, it gets better and better. It’s just so beautiful..

Beautiful delicious perfect. A sweet sugary vanilla that has depth and complexity from the amber, which also gives it a cool minty facet, kinda like the gold Eilish perfume. Love this and I tend to layer it with pretty much anything to sweeten things up. It's light and airy and so easy to wear for me. Not the greatest longevity and the sillage is quite weak, so more of a self satisfaction type of scent. But I love it. This and cherry smoothie from zara are two sweet scents I would recommend to anyone.

I love this one a lot. You can detect delicate spices as well as amber throughout the longevity of this perfume. The longevity and sillage are good, and so is the projection. I get compliments on my perfume daily whenever I wear it. Overall, it is a great fragrance at an even greater price.

I am not sure why I always have this mouth watering choco caramel whenever I wear this fragrance. There is nothing listed w cacao accord but I just adore this scent so much. I am going to need backups! It’s such a good scent for wearing alone or layering w other scents!

I can't understand why nobody tells that in base it smells close to skin literally like Armani Stronger with you Intensily. Love this perfume so much!

Babycat dupe. Amber Fever is softer, easier to wear and a fraction of the price. I have both & I reach for Amber Fever more often.

It's much more wearable than vanille antique. If only it lasted a bit longer.

This is good...if you like pencil shavings. I do.

Okay, wow, Zara, I’m thoroughly impressed with this one. I bought the discovery set of the amber collection, because I usually buy the bigger bottles of the scents I want, but in this case I liked to have something small to take with me, especially with the upcoming travels I have planned. There were other fragrances in the amber collection that intrigued me more, based on the notes, but wow, this one really did blow me away upon first use – which that is impressive in and on its own because usually, these Zara fragrances perform better over time. As far as notes come, the vanilla is the one I can pinpoint the most, but it’s a very delicious, intriguing, smooth and kind of dark gourmand smell, to me. And it performs great! It carried me through the work day and longer, and I could smell it projecting on me all throughout the day. I might have to pick up a big bottle of this one.

I think it's a very pretty perfume: vanilla with a hint of spice however the vanilla is too sweet for my personal taste and I ended up giving this bottle to a friend. I think it might be a hit if you like very sweet vanillas and want to add a hint of spice to your collection.

Creamy, incensy, vanilla amber. I've already said that TF Metallique is a fantastic dupe for Babycat, and this is an amazing dupe for both of those. I am truly on my ass

There’s definitely spiciness at first. It may come off as sweet incense. It gives a nice edge. I think it’s alluring. I like it. My favorite from the amber line.

Once again, this has that familiar Zara artificial amber note, pretty unisex, rather aromatic, could be paired nicely with other spicy unisex vanilla scents.

It’s a beautiful scent, but it just doesn’t last long enough to consider rebuying. Smells quite like Babycat, but softer and quieter.

This is lovely; at first it felt like a 1:1 dupe of Antique Vanille, until I tried them side by side. Amber Fever is sweeter - so they've ramped up the vanilla, and it's less "skanky" and antique-y than the O.G, which makes it more mass-appealing. I also get a coconutty note in here, which they don't list, and I love it. As an Original Babycat hater (I love the newer vanilla bourbon one), I don't think this smells like that. This is way more Ambery than Babycat. While I LOVE the scent profile, the performance is trash - and I'm not someone who expects 8 hrs of wear, I'm happy with like 4. This however, is gone in an hour and I doesn't project either vs Vanille Antique which was a helluva compliment getteer because of the scent bubble it created. I will however be trying to overspray and see what happens because it's a literal 20th!!! of the price of Vanille Antique. It's a love, and would be a 10/10 if only the performance was better.

It was a blind buy for me. Reminds me a lot of drydown of Olympea Legend which i have. I will be declutering Amber Fever as Olympea lasts much longer But this is really nice perfume, very heavy on amber, perfect for winter.. doesnt last very long on me, i can only smell it for about 2hrs

A bit heavy, a bit sweet leather, more masculine in my opinion. Not sure how I feel about this one. Maybe I like it, but it's not for me. Never smelled Babycat but when I look at notes this does smell like it.

This is actually quite pleasant, after few minutes and once it has time to sit on your skin. Sweet vanilla and amber, comforting and smooth. For little over 20 bucks really impressed.

This is the first perfume that I bought another bottle from Zara. It smells very niche and gives luxury vibes. Also I like the sillage and longevity. You must try once