Dark Romance

Ce parfum est très intéressant ! C'est un parfum gourmand vanillé avec des facettes ambrées. Il a une bonne projection et laisse un joli sillage. Lorsque je l'ai senti la première fois je l'ai trouvé un peu "fouilli" dans le sens où, je reconnaissais le côté gourmand et sucré, mais je n'arrivais pas à distinguer les notes, surtout qu'il n'y avait pas de testeur en boutique. Alors, je l'ai sprayé sur les manches de mon manteau et je suis sortie du magasin. Je me suis ensuite rendue à Mango et à la caisse j'ai fais un mouvement avec mon bras, pour pouvoir payer et la vendeuse m'a immédiatement complimenté. Sachant que Dark Romance était la seule fragrance que j'avais appliquée, et que même pas 10 minutes après l'avoir mise je recevais déjà une remarque positive, j'ai compris que j'allais observer de près l'évolution de ce parfum sur moi-même et que j'allais vite repasser à Zara pour l'acheter. Maintenant que je me suis procuré le produit et avec un peu de recul, je peux dire que ce parfum est opulent, riche et a un côté sucré presque collant (en anglais on utiliserait les termes 'sticky' ou 'syrupy' ). Les notes que l'on sent les premières heures sont tolérables (elles me rappellent beaucoup la lotion sticky dates de Lush) mais les notes qui m'ont vraiment surprises sont les notes de fond, elles m'ont procuré le même effet que lorsque j'ai senti Bianco Latte. Quel délice ! On se croirait sur un nuage. Je distingue une vanille caramélisée et enveloppante ayant des facettes de 'langues de chat' biscuits beurrés et croustillants que je consommais dans mon enfance avec une boule de glace à la vanille. En définitive, je dirais que ce parfum est trop sucré, gourmand et intense pour que je puisse le porter seul. Je porterai d'autres parfums en base mais j'ajouterai Dark Romance à des endroits stratégiques pour les complimenter et créer une bulle unique. Donc, à vous mes 'vanilla girlies', à vous qui aimez les parfums gourmands 'edible', les odeurs de caramel, foncez ! Mais attention au dosage pour que la fragrance ne devienne pas écoeurante.

This is Zara most elegant and refined gourmand I think! It surely has sweetness and creaminess but it is a more mature and sophisticated take on gourmand scents and on Biancolatte. It opens on me with strong tonka, but the whipped cream note makes everything fluffly, airy and very pleasant, I can't feel the jasmine note per sé but I think it adds to the airy and sophisticated feel of the fragrance. The part I like the most though is the mid because the note of toffe is very strong and extremely well executed, I can smell something wich is a mix between a biscuit, a caramelized buttery sweet, something with just a pinch of coffee and with flour in it, a sort of toasted biscuit in a sense. So I would say that yes, the Toffee note is very good here. The scent at this point resambles to me more Zara's own Sensual Vanilla then Biancolatte or the Lattafa. I think Dark Romance is much more biscuit-y then BIancolatte which results more vannillic and benzoin based on my skin. At this stage I think the fragrance is a delicate and very pleased gourmand, unfortunately in the dry down the vanilla is super, super strong and it is a type that I don't like much because it smells on me as a boozy vanilla, very sweet and boozy (similar to their Rich, Warm, Addictive), this component of the vanilla is also present in Zara's Chapter Vanillas but there it is much more subdued and the vanilla quality more complex. Thankfully in the end the vanilla gives space to something which smells more clean, almost as if the jasmine note was in the base notes, so what is left on skin or clothes as an intimate drydown is something vanillic but also clean and light. All in all I enjoyed the fragrance a lot, which is surprising since I am not a gourmand type (I buy lots of samples and decants of them just to stay updated but I rarely am surprised or wear them). Good longevity of 6 hours on me, decent projection but again, I think this is more a delicate and mature gourmand, in both sillage and composition.

I believe it has to do with skin chemistry, what with some people saying it doesn't last long, because on my skin this is a BEAST. Like, if I want to go somewhere, stay overnight and smell until the next morning (which I don't do often anymore because adulting sucks), this is the scent I'm gonna pick. I've been postponing writing a review for this for so long because I wanted to do it justice, I wanted to write it well, but then I was like, sod it. People need to know about this gem. I was at Zara and I had sprayed on me about ten scents. Needless to say, I got a headache and nothing stood out anymore. Dark Romance was the last one I sprayed on. I haven't smelt Bianco Latte or Eclaire, so I didn't really know what "lactonic" meant. I found my kind of fragrance. Mind me, I'm not normally a vanilla person, but this smells like so much more. I detect the jasmine and toffee, and it's so refined and classy! This was nothing like all the other Zara perfumes I smelt (and loved). I wore it on New Year's Eve layered with Supreme Musk and I felt delicious all night!

This is my favorite among all the Zara vanillas!! It's super sweet and gourmand, but there is something a little bit fresh about it, that balances out the sweetness, so it never becomes cloying. It's just so creamy and perfectly blended. If you were ever tempted by those 45-step, all-vanilla bath routines, honestly, just buy this lol It smells like you scrubbed yourself with a bunch of vanilla products, but your body wash had a bit of jasmine in it. Or like a creamy dessert: vanilla cream, caramel syrup, a cherry on top and a bunch of edible flowers. I have both the normal and the elixir, and they smell the same but the elixir lasts longer. You don't need both, but I bought the 30ml first, then fell in love with the scent so much that I went back for a big bottle and got the elixir. Highly recommend this perfume.

Call me crazy but I absolutely adore this fragrance. I spent quite a bit of time at Zara deciding which perfumes I wanted and this is one I definitely ruminated over the most. At first spray it reminded me of Supreme Vanilla (Zara) but upon comparison it quickly registered to me that they weren't as similar as I thought. Dark Romance has a crisp yet sweet freshness about it that envelopes around a delicious gourmand center; this isn't always achieved so beautifully in fragrance. This is what I would call a Fresh Gourmand but not in a linen & bath salt kind of way. Think more of a gossamer, toffee & lavender flavored cotton candy. This won't be everyone's cup of tea but it's definitely mine. I bought a small bottle but I anticipate I'll be ordering the big bottle soon. Happy smelling!

The notes immediately grabbed my attention, however it is nothing what I have expected. I can’t smell toffee, nor jasmine but despite of this I absolutely love it. To me this is almost identical to one of my all time favourites, Nocturnal Life. I was disappointed it wasn’t brought back this year, but DR is a perfect compensation. Actually it is less spicy, but creamier, softer and more feminine. I am still waiting for NL to be back in stock, but I am super happy with this, one spray is perfect Christmas. Longevity and intensity are also great, but not overpowering.

I recently got both the original Dark Romance and Elixir version. The elixir version is whipped cream overload omggg it’s much sweeter. However there is a cacao note that is a little hard to get through, however after the dry down, it disappears :) The original Dark Romance is sweet but not as well. It’s nothing like Bianco Latte but that coumarin is so present! It takes at least 30 minutes to dry down and remains is a light biscuit scent

Tried this in store and instantly fell in love with it (deeply in love with anything that leaves me smelling like a walking bakery) it's sweet, very gourmand, but with a sightly sharp note that stops it from being too overwhelming through the day. After a few months I wanted to buy Eclaire, tried it and it smelled exactly like this, and the dry down wasn't even as long lasting as dark romance's.

Szczerze to zapach bardzo mnie zaskoczył. Jest czymś całkowicie innym niż dotychczasowe perfumy Zara. Na mnie najbardziej wybija się Toffi. Jest to piękna gra słodyczą, ale nie infantylną. Na mojej skórze po czasie bardzo czuć kremową i puchatą bitą śmietanę przełamaną wanilią, ale nie taką deserową tylko kobiecą i sensualną. Dla mnie świetnie miesza się z 71 od sol de janeiro.

Probably the best gourmand vanilla perfume from ZARA ! Elevated and refined vanilla, with a touch a white florals. This is pretty linear with creaminess coming from the whipped cream. Not a dupe for Bianco Latte nor Vanilla 28 for sure. To give you an idea of the type of vanilla it is, it could have been a flanker of Hypnotic Vanilla from Zara.

This is a warm, sweet vanilla with caramel to it. It’s not the most bombastic, but it’s a nice cosy scent which would be perfect for bedtime. It smells like a more floral Eclaire to me. Not as rich as Bianco Latte. Performance is ok - decent for Zara prices. A lot of perfume for the price!

I blind bought this expecting caramel in a bottle, but I won't lie... it smells IDENTICAL to VS Pink Honey Mist. I have both and couldn't tell them apart! I love love love the honey mist, so this was a win. It's a WAY longer lasting version, so this was a great blind buy!

I'm absolutely obsessed with this perfume. I bought it a few days ago and I'm in love. Does anyone know if this is a limited edition or if it'll be a part of Zara's collection? The thought of this being discontinued makes me cry lol

I wonder if it's the combination of tonka and jasmine that gives me this fruity impression? In any case, this is fantastic and I love it. Very cuddly - I don't get "dark" just cozy and warm and slightly sensual.

It's a beautiful smell Vanilla, tonka, caramel, very sweet and delicious I will say unique i couldn't compare to other perfume as a dupe.

This is the most beautiful parfume from Zara, this is masterpiece, I can’t describe how much I love this 😍 This and hypnotic vanilla ❤️

Absolutely love this, great for a sexy evening out smell

This smells so expensive and incredible

For under 10 euros for 30ml, you may as well give it a whirl! I bought this because it seemed like a gourmand that I could work with - the burnt sugar, candy floss sweetie sweetie DNA that is ubiquitous these days is just not my vibe. Dark Romance on the other hand is a floral, fruity amber, slightly tart with a hint of spice. Here ́s my thing; I am too old to be wearing a lot of these sweeeeet scents, but I don ́t want to smell "old lady" either. I have plenty of sophisticated, more subtle fragrances, but also have some others that I don ́t wear much anymore because they are highly powdery, oriental florals that are strong but kind of dated. So I have been looking for layering options that can update them into more contempory hard hitters (in contrast to my subtle, more sophisticated scents) Also, I want to use them up, to make room for new things! Dark Romance layered with L'heure Bleue (Guerlain) is my latest combo - they really complement each other; together they smell like couture and late nights; smoky florals, powder and anise. You ́ll be noticed! These older scents (I have an old bottle) were commanding and could not be ignored!

Ok, if you are lost between buying Eclair or Dark Romance? Go for Dark Romance😊, let me explain my experience with Bianco latte dupes: I have Eclair and despite trying to loving it, I failed, it starts with parsley and stale tomato with creamy vanilla, and dries down to celery vanilla ice cream, and then the next day, all I can smell is just parsley 😭 With that being said, I didn’t lose hope, and I thought let me give Dark romance, and upon the initial spray, I was like, it smells like Eclair again but I was so wrong, DR is smoother, creamier and more refined, no stale tomatoes, just yummy creamy vanilla ice cream, and the more it dry down, the creamier it gets! And guess what, it lasted on clothes for 5 days!!! By the 5th day all I can smell is the creamiest vanilla dessert. Massive quality difference between Eclair and DR😊 Dark Romance is the one

This is my all time favourite offering from Zara. Hell yeah, Zara! Its a hefty dose of coumarin and vanillin vanilla. It's got the iso-e super that adds to the vanilla vibes, so if you're sensitive to any of that, you may not like this. To my nose, this is a chantilly creme with some gentle muskiness in the iso-e area. Dries down to a nice toffeeish chantilly cream with a warm almost-amber musky base. The florals are in the very back row, maybe adding a kind of pepper to the cream, but wouldnt disturb someone who is not into flowers. I dont think it smells like eclair or bianco latte, it doesn't have that dense milk but also kind of atherial lightness to it. This is more toffee'd and sticky. It's more ambery. But light amber, not estee lauder amber.

I received this perfume as a gift recently, and I was absolutely thrilled. From the first spray, it felt warm, sweet, and incredibly seductive, the kind of scent that instantly creates a cozy yet confident vibe. Many people compare it to Lattafa Eclaire, but personally, I don’t really agree. Eclaire has that burnt rubber note that completely puts me off, while Dark Romance feels like its more mature, refined sister. It has the same sweet and gourmand DNA, but in a smoother, more elegant way. And most importantly, it doesn’t have that burnt note at all. Considering this is a Zara perfume, the longevity is actually really good. A great choice if you love warm, feminine, and slightly mysterious fragrances.

Oh my I just realized that it reminds me of Devotion Intense in the dry down. It's decadent and a little bit nutty and sweet. The opening is very different, this does have something fruity reminiscent of cherry or some sort of berry. I don't find it too synthetic, it's not a natural berry scent more of a cherry dessert or syrup. I don't get any florals from this but I imagine it lifts up the scent a little bit. It is very sweet overall but the texture is not super syrupy more of a creamy one. I am going to pick up a bottle I find it really comforting and it's simple enough for layering.

As for the level of sweetness, my memory tells me that the least sweet is Hypnotic Vanilla, the most sweet is Supreme Vanilla and Sensual Vanilla comes in between. Immortal Vanilla fills the gap between Hypnotic and Sensual, while Dark Romance falls between Sensual and Supreme. Starlight and Vibration have their own personality. Also, I found Immortal Vanilla (not on fragra yet) pretty similar to Vanilla 02 from mens section, however less deep (probably not enough time for proper maceration?), less fruity but a dash boozy instead (like with a hint of Jack with Coke in the beginning).

I love it but at the same time i hate it. There's something gourmand but fresh in it. It's like it's trying to be a vanilla gourmand perfume but maybe the jasmine makes it smell minty or something fresh. I have mixed opinions. Not bad. I only like it when fully dried down, after that it's really vanilla - gourmand -- still a little minty undertone but so faint. Longevity: 8/10 - Stays the whole day on my wrist didn't try on clothing. Sillage: 8/10 - i get a whiff everytime i do something and other people too. Overall: 6/10 - as i say again idk if i like it or nah.

Powdery Tonka Bean and whipped cream cloud. It's comforting and sweet, in a powdery sugary way. Does not project too much, almost a skin scent only, and it has a decent longevity, could be your everyday sweet cloud floating around you. However when I asked my friends they preferred Immortal Vanilla, which was lighter according to them. Well I prefer Dark Romance.

Tried it on store and it didn't even last an hour on my skin. Very pleasant fragrance but terrible longevity. Not worth it imo 🥺

This is essentially Eclaire, maybe it’s slightly better (I’m not a fan of Eclaire). Very sweet and synthetic.

This has that familiar Zara plastic-y vanilla note, pretty okay for the pricepoint, definitely a dupe to BL

Love this - fruity but also spicy with a lovely creamy vanilla dry down.

I tried this with one spray in the store. I sprayed it on my wrist because there were no tester strips in stores. If I tell you the longevity is lethal, I mean it. That literal one spray haunted my skin for like 20 hours plus, and that includes showering and washing my hands. The day after I was wearing Zara’s Amber Satin and Dark Romance had gotten into my scarf and coat (I was on vacation and only brought one scarf with me) and that one Dark Romance spray that I sprayed the day before was totally overtaking the Amber Satin. I like gourmands, but I can kind of say that this one is definitely too much for me. It’s literal toffee, very realistic. In the drydown, it also kind of leans soupy to me... To me, it smells nothing like the Zara vanilla perfumes that some reviews are bringing up. I don’t like it myself, but if you do like the idea of a toffee fragrance, this would be great for the price!

I was really excited to buy this perfume because it’s said to be a dupe for Bianco Latte. I like the scent profile of Bianco Latte dupes, but I wouldn’t buy a 100 ml bottle, so I decided to order this one. When I sprayed it on my skin, it smelled like baby wipes and powder, and it reminded me a lot of Oriflame Volare, the perfume my mother used when I was a child. It was so strange how similar it smelled. Then my friend sprayed it on her skin, and it developed completely differently. On her, it was airy, sweet, warm, and caramel-like, with powdery notes, yet still very feminine. In my opinion, if you have the chance, definitely try it on your own skin before buying it. Other than that, it’s fairly long-lasting.

These comparisons and notes have me absolutely baffled. I’ve just tested this in Zara, and I had to check the bottle 3 times to make sure it was the right one. I get minimal toffee and vanilla, nothing even remotely resembling caramel. It’s very floral to me. Eclaire is one of my all time favourites (in fact I was wearing it at the time to compare), and this was just worlds away? It’s a sweet floral shampoo type smell? Is my nose broken?! Either way I’m gutted because I had high hopes for this one. Edit: I kept the tester strip and by the end of the day it had morphed into something resembling v&r bonbon, so there is some caramel there

I have both Eclaire and Dark Romance and I can honestly say that Dark Romance is a much weaker, much more synthetic smelling version of Eclaire. It has that powdery note too but not as overbearing as Eclaire can be. Upon spraying it smells literally of nothing and then develops into a sweet vanilla but still rubber-like smell on skin. Since it's fairly weak it doesn't cause headaches but I did expect more from what the reviews were saying Edit: It's been ten minutes and it developed into a soapy scent on my skin. Don't blind buy this, try and test it in store first, or go for Eclaire if you're trying to decide between these two.

Tried this in the store and I am surprised everyone has different perfume in mind when sniff this. On my skin I try one spray and it gives me viva la juicy + bianco latte + dash of dyptique do son. Very chaotic but dry down linear airy toffee which is not bad tbh but to get to the dry down kinda annoying. Not gonna buy it but it is an experience.

Loved this scent in the store, but when I got home and sprayed it there was a really heavy plasticky smell. I think it's the jasmine, it comes out on top. Very screechy and cloying. I'll let it macerate and see if it gets better.

A quick take. It reminded me of Lattafa Eclaire. I need to wear it a couple of more times to form a more concrete opinion.

There is something minty about this, similarly to Nebras.. I almost blind bought it but I am so happy I didn't.

When I sniffed this in Zara, I didn't give this a chance on my skin, which I strongly regret. After giving this some time and wear, It's safe to say this is just another cheap, overly sweet perfume. No, thank you. It gives off scented plastic toy vibes. I had been pairing this with Lush's Sticky Dates body spray, which hid this fragrance's bad parts. If you need a yummy, true caramelly toffee fragrance, then try Lush's sticky dates.

This perfume has a screechy and awful sharp scent and it is NOT a dupe for BL or Eclair. Bianco latte is soft, creamy and lactonic where this is opposite. It smells very cheap. Not a safe blind buy! The vanilla is stingyyy in my nose :(

Zaras Dark Romance is a caramel toffee perfume. I don’t think it’s a dupe for Bianco Latte. Bianco Lattes appeal is its lactonic vanillic creaminess. It’s very rich and dense - a sugary vanilla scent. Dark romance is not creamy or lactonic whatsoever. I wouldn’t even liken the vanilla in the dry down to Bianco lattes either, as the vanilla in BL is noticeably waxy and candle like. On its own, Dark Romance smells like Zara’s Supreme Vanilla minus the ink, but with extra toffee. Dark Romance also somewhat reminds me of the faded dry down of Lush’s Sticky dates. The longevity and sillage are good. If you’re looking for a dupe for Bianco Latte - stick to Eclaire. For ME - to MY nose it’s not a dupe at all.

thought that i will enjoy this fragrance because im an avid vanilla lover but something in this makes me genuinely sick. smells nothing like the notes for me... massively regret blind buying it.

smells like an overly sweet synthetic toffee with a nauseating note of cat pee. i feel sick each time i smell it. as much as i like gourmand scents, this is a huge no from me

idk what it is, but this smells like McDonald's to me, BIG NO

U got this 2-3 days ago & i literally am half way finished with it the dent I made is wild lol but im also conflicted . The opening is a tad bit “fresher” or floral like then other dupes or original BL that opens up creamy at first sniff. Then it begins to dry down to the most lush addictive creamy scent ever BUT I feel like it evaporates like water. Maybe that’s cus most days I ant my fragrances to announce my entrance & linger when I leave so I could be bias . I believe Zara has some of the most gorgeous scents and the only issue I’ve had was wanting them to pack a stronger punch and have way better silage. Although when I wore it to bed thru the night I’d wake and get whiffs of it cus i literally drenched my shirt in it lol. It’s very addicting I need them to make a stronger louder version of their fragrances or up the quality cus they definitely would have a viral fragrance in their hands ! If ur sensitive to strong perfumes tho but still wanna get ate up ona random Tuesday afternoon then this is def for you . It smells so good I’d actually repurchase it regardless of the sillage it gives it lack there of. Maybe I’m trippin and get nose blind cus I got compliments on how I smell when I wore this ..ehhhh 😭

If you want a Bianco latte dupe, I’ve tried better, you can definitely tell there is “inspiration” however. As a stand alone perfume with no comparisons to anything else, I think it’s really lovely. For an affordable price, it’s a sweet caramel vanilla, with something a little earthy. There’s something in here reminiscent of an ink note. I’d describe this as a funky take on the BL dna. Longevity and projection is slightly better than you’d expect for the price, but don’t expect to smell it at the end of the day.

One must be naive to think that it can compare to BL. If you want to be remonded of what you could biy with one hundred more euros, sure, ir is a great purchase. It is not sickly sweet, it does not last long on skin, but everybody knows I am in the office with just three sprays one hour before. Is this your chance to smell like BL? No Do I prefer this to Eclaire? yes Is ithis a safe purchase for people who want to spend 10 euros on a vanilla caramel fragrance which is inoffensive? Sure

I agree with Jolene83's review. I always felt like Eclaire smelled like a coconut caramel cookie. I sprayed Dark Romance on my hand and I found it felt similar to something. Then I remembered, it was Eclaire. The same coconut note lingered on and on. Dark Romance may be a bit softer and a bit less sticky, sickly sweet than Eclaire, it's like a softer, airier version of it. I already own Eclaire so I have no need for this one, but I'd pick this one over Eclaire if I had the choice.

this is definitely not a dupe for bianco latte. Although the fragrance has laconic notes I also get a synthetic cherry air freshener vibe from it. Unlike bianco latte, I hated this fragrance and had to give it away. On a side note it is very overpowering and lasts quite long if you’d like a perfume with longevity!

As soon as I smelt this in store, I had to have a bottle. To me this smells like a boozier Vanilla 28 by Kayali and is a nice affordable option if you enjoy that scent profile.This is by far the best gourmand Zara has made and smells less synthetic than Hypnotic Vanilla. It’s a sweet and sexy dark vanilla/toffee.