Creatively Shanghai

I am literally smiling to myself at the sheer & obvious frag snobbery re these written on Fragrantica; espc here - mostly these are indistinguishable from Jo Malones standard range, (not the "intense,") - you cannot (cannot!) "smell the Zara in those compared to a Jo Malone original perfume" - at all; pull the other one.. 🤭 (& no, these aren't niche, but they weren't meant to be!) but they are, some of the most interesting & relevant new releases, & are definitely better than many mainstream designer releases, whatever some ppl are saying here. Decent, classy (pseudo niche) packaging; although rather more monochrome than most - & the labels on the bottles aren't my favourite, but that's being super picky, tbh, they're v nice - recently I got in the sale, sevl giftsets of WLTD & Vetiver Pamplemousse (a dead ringer for Hermes grapefruit; at a fraction of the price whatever they say) - at £15.99 for a 90 ml + a 15ml.. yay me. I shan't say quite how many bc I may hv been a tad too enthusiastic, really, but surely they won't be wasted - WLTD is so beautiful, I almost prefer it to Guerlain AA Herba Fresca; certainly it smells more "modern" but no less fresh & lovely. The lack of lily of the valley is genius, in WLTD - but its not "too simple" - & ppl love it, I wear it quite often & never without somebody saying "Oh you smell lovely, what is that?!" This too, is v good - a spiced but fresh orange, with a cedar-y base possibly suitable enough for summer, but almost Christmas-y in some ways - pretty but not twee, just good - it's not for me but my friend occasionally wears it - but the cedar, should it exist in any perfume - amps on my skin, so this one is just not for me, personally it's unisex, & maybe leaning masculine - this does hv a significant amount of cedar - but isn't too masculine on most ppl, apparently, so best ppl test for themselves. At least 4 of this range are v much to my taste - London is v good, Tokyo I really like - so pretty, & such a great opening - & am thinking Dubai is surprisingly not too middle Eastern to wear from me though, from the reviews, so that's good. I love Seoul & S Korea so would hv liked to try that one - but mimosa & myself don't get along; Arlene, Delicious Delights, loves that one though, so maybe I will test it if ai have chance to. Re this - well if you hv been looking longingly at Jo Malone Orange Bitters - here we hv a close alternative; made by Jo Loves - & Zara (at a much more reasonable price point + subtle, pretty packaging - & not bad longevity.. ) so hopefully ppl can spray away - not cheap; but a far more realistic price than Jo Malone eponymous range. It must really burn some ppl that some of these are so good - go buy niche everytime & don't bother with these if thats how you feel - but you will be missing out if you don't test these (female) perfume "collabs" Zara are doing; & it doesn't bother me at all bc the less ppl who wear these & therefore the more unique when worn, the better for me - but its helpful to know these are good, if there's no way for ppl to afford niche or Jo Malone 99% of the time, (I'm thinking I've spent way too much this previous year on various perfumes; it got silly - so this is a welcome change - but; I must laugh at the pretentious rubbish being written which is without a doubt thinly disguised frag snobbery - you may need to spray them more often, than niche quality perfumes, (& espc with such as Vetiver Pamplemousse; which is just gorgeous - although the longevity of that one is a bit cheeky - but D&G Light Blue is so watered down now, & has even less lasting power + is far more expensive than this) & many of the other Zara/Jo Loves are quite a bit better, longevity-wise, I find. Many designer releases these previous 2 or more years hv been so rubbish; these are welcome addition to all the new releases. I think these ppl hv issues, & should sort them out, instead of bashing this range - which is definitely a decent effort from this house. Zara - killing it; & the packaging really is an almost niche affair - cards/tissue paper & all - so ppl can get that particular fix, too.

It’s a zesty slightly spiced orange! So simple. And of course this is gone from Zara. This and ebony wood were my fav from the Jo Malone collection and course ebony wood? They messed it and it’s not the same! Shame they actually layered well together. CS I would layer to give some brightness to my overly spicy perfumes. (The cardamom and wood in CS are blended so well you can’t tell they’re there really they just play a great supporting role) and EW I would layer with my perfumes that needed some spicy wood facets. I don’t usually like roller scents, but a few yrs ago when these were popular I bought a few of these each for such a great price on sale like $7 for my layering. And now goner... When I went back this past winter to get them both? Couldn’t find CS and there were like two different versions ofEbony wood?? Why!? wtf.and why did they add grapefruit and florals etc ??? EW was popular the way it was by using just wood and clove which is why it layered so well with CS and my spicy scents! Ugh. Waterlily Tea Dress was actually a full bottle buy for summer. But I’m really bummed try that Zara messed with the original collection of these! They got greedy and decided to make 100 diff flankers, and too many collections at once it was a cluster F! Oh well ...both men and women could easily rock these

I am in love with this scent! It smells like a proper luxury perfume and it is also packaged like one. Creatively Shanghai is a stunning mixture of authentic mandarin 🍊 (citrus/orange notes), a bit of wood 🪵, plus warm, spicy cardamom and it is not too sweet. Longevity absolutely acceptable for its price (£20 for 75ml). Much better than many Jo Malone brand fragrances and great value for money!!! If you like me a lover of citrus, green, and slightly woody smells you will like this as well. I used Jo Malone Orange Blossom as a signature fragrance for a while, and this scent is a totally different one. I would say it is even better one! If Jo Malone was making this perfume I would still buy it even at much higher price. Amazing job Zara!!!

Creatively Shanghai is mandarin orange. It's fun and happy; juicy citrus sunshine in a bottle. At first I thought, where's the cardamom? It's definitely a realistic juicy mandarin orange, but it took me some time with this perfume to appreciate the light cardamom and wood base that the mandarin citrus rests upon. Creatively Shanghai is a gorgeous uplifting mandarin that blends so beautifully with other scents - I've paired it with Boldly Seoul, Magnificently Dubai and Gracefully Madrid. But even on it's own, it's a gorgeous citrus bomb full of flavour and happiness. Longevity is about 4 hours, projection and silage about arms length. Bottle is classy and gorgeous.

Woah. I’ve had poor experiences with other Zara scents but this one hit it out of the park. This isn’t a cara cara or Sunkist Orange, but true Chinese mandarin. The type my mother would buy off street vendors for us to eat, and later save the peels to dry and cook with. I love how literal it is - I can smell leaves twigs and all, no sugar sweetness that doesn’t come from the actual fruit itself. It is a bit of a one note exercise, and it turns my nose blind after about an hour of wear. I’ll get compliments long after I think it’s worn off because of it. I’d love to layer this with something more transformative during the day and see if that helps.

I was blown away by how classy Creatively Shanghai smells. It's a powdery/leathery citrus that can be an excellent alternative to Midnight in Paris by Van Cleef & Arpels. OK projection/longevity and a compliment getter for sure. Update: I finally got a chance to smell all 9 of the Olfactive collection and this is how I rate them based on my personal taste: 1. Creatively Shanghai. 2. Energetically New York. 3. Stunningly Venice. 4. Fashionably London. 5. Gracefully Madrid. 6. Magnificently Dubai. 7. Captivatingly Paris. 8. Elegantly Tokyo. 9. Boldly Seoul.

I just bought the mini version of this from Zara today and immediately fell in love. This smells like spiced vine. Exactly like it. Warm, spicy, with some dried orange slices and cardamom. If you ever drank some quality spiced vine on a cold snowy day, you know just how cosy it feels. Reminds me of that one extremely cold winter me and my family visited Prague, constantly going around famous tourist spots, narrow stone streets, vising small gift shops. And the smell of hot spiced vine in the air. This will forever be a winter scent for me.

It seems to me that Zara ́s citrus scents are similar to Athelier Colone ́s but for a fraction of the price and with a good lasting power. This is a beautiful mandarin orange-cardamon aromatic freshie. The orange smells natural. I love cardamon, and it ́s quite prominent here. Nothing sexy, nothing ground-breaking, nothing breathtaking. But should every perfume be like that? What do you guys wear the most on an everyday basis? For me, this is a perfect hot weather grocery shopping perfume. Nice, pleasant, and refreshing. Love it.

This is really lovely! A quite authentic mandarin, not too sweet. Sillage is surprisingly good, longevity absolutely acceptable. It is not a powerhouse but much better than most other Zara fragrances which are usually very fleeting. Much better than many Jo Malone brand fragrances and great value for money. If you like Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basil you will like this as well. At this price point safe blind buy for all mandarine lovers.

Everyone saying this is a hot weather fragrance, but I think it works better in 20+ degree celcius than 30+ deg celcius temps. Yes, it’s a citrus frag, but has a “weight” that doesn’t work in the hottest of temperatures. I think you’re better off with the Madrid and New York fragrances for those. That said, this is my favourite from the Vibrant Cities collection. Lasts longer than some more expensive citrus fragrances I’ve owned.

I just ordered another 40 ml bottle of this because I am going through the first one so quickly. I'm not normally a fan of citrus in fragrances, but this one is very smooth and well made. Very realistic orange with some interest added by the cardamom and woody notes, and the longevity is fantastic (granted, I spray a lot!). This whole line from Zara has really impressed me.

Creatively Shanghai is a beautiful, juicy, sweet orange citrus + warm, spicy cardamom. It's lovely and quite long-lasting, radiating softly for 5+ hours. It's really in the same basic family to me as 4711 Acqua Colonia Blood Orange & Basil and Guerlain Mandarine Basilic. It's a very lovely scent, sunny but elegant. Definitely full bottle worthy.

I LOVE this so so much! it reminds me of oranges that you stick cloves in as a christmas decoration. The orange is so incredibly juicy, I always thirst for orange juice while wearing this. And the clove that lingers in the background is so gorgeous and works so well with the orange. This is one of the best from this line!

This is my favourite of the Vibrant Cities collection - I don't feel like writing about the rest, as they are pretty uneventful. But Shanghai is pure love. It's a rather linear scent on my skin, with lots of fresh zingy citrus. Uplifting is the word to describe it. It definitely makes a cloudy day better!

When I spray this on my skin I detect the same mandarin orange and spicy notes everyone has commented on. BUT, call me crazy, when sprayed on clothes I predominantly get a syrupy calamansi lime note. Takes me back to the sweet lime juice my grandma used to make. Love.

A lot of men don't even care to try those unisex fragrances which can be only found in women's section. I would classify it as "more male" but it's almost entirely women's opinion here and that's why it shows feminine-leaning unisex here, change my mind 😅

I STRONGLY feel that this is almost the exact dupe for Voyage d'Hermes & im NOT mad 😝 I think the sillage & longevity is not too bad. Creatively Shanghai gets loads of compliments on me than my other high end designer or niche fragrances that I own!

This entire line has impressed me so far. I find Creatively Shanghai to be very simple, but a very natural-smelling citrus with a slightly woody background. For the price I think it's fantastic. Look forward to wearing it this summer.

the initial spray is like peeling a juicy sweet orange. as it sits on my skin, the cedar shows up more than the cardamom. my skin usually picks up woody notes in fragrances, which is pretty nice. i am quite impressed.

Creatively Shanghai is simply one of the best citrus perfumes ever. It's a pity it doesn't have a decent longevity and sillage. Otherwise it would be a literal PERFECTION! 🍊💚

Beautifully crafted citrus fragrance with Mandarin Orange. Smells great with such an affordable price and equally as good as those pricey versions from Prada and Jo Malone.

Nice Mandarine. Odin - 02 Owari in a much stronger and zesty Art. Love it for warm days. Unisex. The better Tom Ford - Mandarino de Amalfi imo. Nice deal.

Summer Heat update: this performs extremely well in 35 Celsius in the concrete jungle. A superb summer scent. Long lasting,

Creatively Shanghai is the final Zara Olfactive "city" for me to try, and it is one of the better ones. An aromatic green citrus scent, it is orange-dominant with a slightly herbal green undertone and peppery spice. Gracefully Madrid from this line is also a simple, orange-focused freshie, but it is disappointingly harsh and synthetic. This scent is an improvement on GM, with cardamom an inspired addition here. It is a slightly unusual choice of note that complements the orange note nicely - its greenness gives the impression of a herbal accord, and the peppery spice adds a lovely aromatic edge without veering towards potpourri territory, as can be the danger with perfumes centred on a spicy-orange accord. CS opens with a bright, zesty orange note. It isn't the best quality orange I've smelled in a cologne, but it is an improvement on Gracefully Madrid - it isn't as harsh or synthetic. The cardamom follows, green and spicy. Despite being an orange-spice scent, it is a fresh, aromatic hot weather scent rather than a warm Christmas scent. It becomes woody and slightly musky as it dries down, aromatic and fresh until final fade. Sillage and longevity are moderate. A simple but pleasant unisex cologne, this is an easy-to-wear aromatic citrus scent for hot weather. Buy this instead of Gracefully Madrid. Like the better offerings from this line, it is great for its price. 3.5/5.

Received this bottle as a gift as I used to live in Shanghai. Speaking of the bottle itself, it's gorgeous. Expensive looking and heavy, and housed in a lovely presentation box. Well done, Zara! As for the scent, it changes on my skin quite dramatically over a thirty minute period. Initially I get a blast of juicy, realistic citrus orange mixed with the cardamon note others have singled out. However, the citrus quickly fades into a very fresh, clean scent. I don't dislike it whatsoever - it smells like I've just leaped out the shower after using expensive soap, and I don't own anything else quite like it. As others have mentioned, this smells more expensive than it retails for, and is a good solid fresh unisex scent. That being said I do wish the string citrus note lasted longer, and I don't find myself reaching for this all too often.

I have had Creatively Shanghai for more than a year now and thought it was just cute and pleasant, but today I decided to wear it in Texas heat in 100 F (38 C) temperature and 80% humidity and this is undeniably when the perfume shines. It beat the heat, the sweat, the mugginess and felt like drinking a glass of lemon lime ginger soda - refreshing, energizing, cooling and effervescent. While it doesn't cover any new ground, it is fantastic value for the money and does the job very well. I went from just ok to halfway from like to love.

Managed to get hold of a rollerball of this discontinued scent recently. This is orangey but not sharp, there's a bitterness to it more like orange peel than flesh. It's warm and the woodiness really grounds it and stops the orange overpowering. This is a lovely scent, I feel like it might be nice for layering to bring some warmth to overly fresh scents. Projection isn't great, longevity is OK but it sits close to skin. It doesn't feel particularly masculine or feminine, I'd say it's solidly unisex, which I love.

I wore this for almost three months straight, this past winter, when I was on assignment working very closely with others. I chose it because it's light and doesn't scream, "perfume." But also because it's complex. Obviously, you have the citrus note, but then the cardamom and cedar do develop softly, which add a warmth. To me, this is a different sort of citrus fragrance. The longevity is decent. It projects a bit more than a skin scent.

This smells EXACTLY like Celestial Seasonings mandarin orange spice tea (therefore the name “creatively shanghai” is super fitting if you’ve seen the design on the box). Usually not a fan of warm spicy scents but this one is nice mixed with the orange, it’s warm and comforting. I’m surprised there’s not more spice notes listed here because I swear there’s some cinnamon and clove in this.

This is a lovely perfume. A bright sour citrus. It's all for me. It will never cloy nor offensive; will always linger like a lovely fresh mandarin around you. I personally love this one and now I'm eyeing Energetically New York from this line: for it is so similar with Santal 33. This one is a fresh breath of air. I find myself often grab this when I don't really know what to wear.

I'm pleasantly surprised by this citrus scent. It's a very mild citrus that isn't asking to be noticed. Slightly stronger than a skin scent if you spray liberally. The longevity is about 8 hours, and it radiates nicely if the skin is warm. Right now, it's 1 degree outside so it's hard to tell how this will perform in hot weather. For sure this is a summer scent, in my opinion.

Smells like fresh mandarine juice with slight spicyness added. Mandarine note becomes more synthetic in a drydown. Refreshing, moderatly elegant. In cold weather may appear too colony for some women. Tested from a rollerball has rather weak longevity as citrus fragrances tend to have. If you don't mind the longevity, this is good modern fragrance for its price.

A beautiful, juicy fresh citrus! The mandarin is mouthwatering here and really lasts, which is unusual for a citrus scent, in my experience. The cardamom plays a lovely supporting base, adding depth to the citrus. This is surprisingly lovely and unique.

I like this. I think it's happy and energetic. I mainly feel juicy mandarin orange and the cedarwood base. I don't get any of the cardamom. My husband however thought the scent was a bit like an air refreshener.

Like it a lot but it weak and doesn't last am thinking I will be layering it with zara vitiver pamplemousse also from jo malone collection they will go nicely together

Great summer fragrance. It smells just like Rituals of Happy Buddha, or Rituals of Mehr how the range is called nowadays. Decent longevity for a Zara summer fragrance.

a bright and slightly spicy mandarin. very spring, very summer, very easy to wear. just makes me feel happy!

Fragrance of concentrated reduced orange juice with spices. It only lasts for 1-2 hours on my skin.

It’s good. It smells like the orange soda “sunkist”

Smells like oranges. A decent citrus fragrance.

I want to like this based on the notes but I just... don’t. To me it smells really artificial and plasticky. It’s weird because Gracefully Madrid also has a prominent orange note and I really like it in that one - it’s very zesty and juicy. But here it just smells like cleaning products.

very fresh at the start, but then settles into cleaning supplies smell. after a few hours, the cardamom is prevalent and i found out today that i do not like how cardamom smells.

On me this fragrance is pure Coca Cola! Smells like that almost 100%. When fragrance vanishes, stays cardamon spicy note. I find it interesting, fresh and waking up scent!

lasts only like 10 minutes very fresh and clean and feels like summer, but requires constant touchup

What an interesting scent! Refreshing citrusy cardamom. It’s unique, aromatic.

The cardamom is fleeting and barely perceptible. An orange bomb.

I liked the first half hour or so of this. The orange was nice and the cardamom not as nice as in several other scents, but certainly respectable to add spice. And then I "checked back in" with my skin. Something really gross was happening... It turns out Lsim1108 is exactly right--wet dog was happening on my arm. Yikes. Glad I only have a sample. I'll either keep applying all day so I only get the opening goodness, or I'll toss it. If you want nice citrus and spice, I recommend: Rosendo Mateu—No 2 (citrus--there are 2 no 2's--very confusing. get the right one...) Galleria—By the Yuzu Grove 4160 Tuesdays The Orange Tree

It smelled like a lovely citrusy spritz from the bottle. Unfortunately, on the skin it became a scrubber within 10 minutes for me. It had a smell that brought me back to a plant nursery my mom liked to go to when I was a kid. The nursery had two macaws and a grey parrot. I loved to admire them, but the scent I was reminded of was the wood and feathers of their cages surrounded by spilled orange soda, blooming citrus trees, fertilizer and dirt.

Opens with a strong blast of Citronella candle, then after about half an hour cardamom peeks around the edge of the curtains but then disappears again, to be replaced by the smell of Johnson's baby powder. This lasted until the next day. Not an offensive smell by any stretch, and projects reasonably well, but alas I didn't get cedar at any point.

Very orangey, but so sharp all I get is citrus floor cleaner. Or bathroom freshener. Lots of fake orange, zesty yeah, but oh so synthetic. For me this is the worst of this zara-malone batch. Madrid is also citrus and a bit cleaner leaning but so much wearable because of the underlying geranium, still not great.