Blackberry Oud

When I noticed this fragrance line and I saw that they had the perfumers name attached to it, I was very curious, because usually these collaborations that Zara has like that are very successful. All of them appealed to me, except for the Musk au Lait – I was put off by the label that it was designed to be layered. I blind bought the other three, and all three of them were honestly intriguing when I saw the notes. When they arrived and I sampled them, this one stuck out to me and I wanted this one on my skin as soon as possible. The blackberry is definitely an interesting fruity note, and it matches well with the oud. It’s not that much of a middle eastern type of oud to me, honestly. While not listed, I mostly get a leather note that reminds me of other leather fragrances of Zara. I wish they released more notes, and I’m kind of confused why some of these fragrances have their notes broken down in top, heart and base, and others aren’t. But I guess in my case, it’s definitely a successful blind buy. As I’ve become more interested in leather fragrances, I’ve been more into the leather-floral combinations. This one has me intrigued to have more leather-fruity fragrance experiences. I really love the packaging of these bottles too: while the cylindrical bottles are typical for a lot of Zara’s fragrances, the marble/stone look of the lids push it to a much higher end looking style to me. The boxes too are unlike anything that I’ve ever seen a Zara fragrance coming in: cylindrical black boxes with that marble effect look on the top of it, each box matching the lid and color scheme of the bottle itself. Honestly, I was tempted to keep the boxes, and I rarely keep them, but I just couldn’t justify it because of space saving reasons.

This is a gem, well done Zara! I usually lean towards gourmand scents, and oud isn't really my thing. But this is pure magic. Upon spraying, it's fruity, and the blackberry is absolutely noticeable. It changes very quickly, and the leather note completely takes over (which is strange because it's not listed in the notes—and I see others have pointed this out too :D). This is what makes it dark and pushes it in a more masculine direction. It feels weird to write this, but it totally reminds me of a car interior scent. Then, during the dry-down, the fruit dominates again, but in a beautiful, elegant, sweet and feminine way. That’s my favorite part. It’s beast mode all the way through, only quieting down at the very end, but it can still be felt on the skin even after more than 12 hours. It's not a boring or linear scent at all—I think it’s a masterpiece. On the flip side, it can be very polarizing. It’s the kind of scent that you either love or hate, so it’s worth testing cautiously around people.

Not a safe blind buy, but a very good fragrance. A big step up from mostly floral and soft gourmand perfumes they usually put out. Not a fan of leather but this one is very good. A fruity, leather, very dark and seductive. I noticed that the ladies are a bit surprised by this line, because as I said most Zara perfumes are crowd pleasers (not a bad thing) but this line actually has a concept and it’s done greatly. Also the presentation and packaging are really good. I am impressed. It has been a long time since Zara did something so cool.

On my skin, this comes across as really leathery (which I loove), so I'm a bit shocked leather isn't listed in the notes! Personally, I don't pick up much blueberry. I'd like to add that on my skin it lasted well over 12 hours —to say I was shocked by its longevity is an understatement. It's a great fragrance, but definitely polarizing: some of my friends love it on me, while others aren't fans. Also in a way it reminds me a bit of tom ford ombre leather, i get the same vibe from both of them.

Fruity oud with a soft, feminine touch. If you have Oud Maracujá, this feels like its small, girly sister. They belong to the same fruity-oud family, but this one is smoother and less harsh, without the slightly masculine edge of OM. Zara Blackberry Oud is actually well above the average Zara fragrance in quality. The blackberry adds a sweet fruity softness while the oud stays gentle and wearable. Overall, a very pleasant and easy fruity-oud option that I would definitely recommend.