Extreme 5.0

I have the complete Zara Heritage collection (Classic, Sport and Extreme) and I will review them all here on Fragrantica. This one surprised me. The smell is nice. Only thing that its a really bad performer. It is fruity and fresh. For a young guy in spring and fall. Inoffensive and in general just a oke scent. Overall i give this a 6,5 out of 10.

I bought a complete Extreme line-up for men sampler from Zara and I will review them all as I test one / day at home. I highly suggest you buy a sampler box too (they are quite cheap), so you can test these not only in a quick sniff in the store but at least on a one-day basis spraying them on your skin. This will give you a far better idea if Zara fragrances are a good deal for your buck. Zare Extreme 5.0 opens up quite fresh (makes me think more of a typical run-of-the-mill citrus fragrance than apple and geranium in the top notes), but the top notes only last for about five to ten minutes and then you get this first and foremost woody-patchouli, soapy safe 'generic' base note that sits quite close to the skin. Not an unpleasant smell, but there's no depth or much sillage to it. The base accord makes me think of pencil shavings. After only two hours also this starts to faint. Although Zara fragrances are quite cheap, in this case, the longevity and sillage are terrible. If you're only interested in a cheap quickie to use at home or in the office this will do if you would spray after each 2 hours. From an economic point of view: although Zare Extreme 5.0 is quite cheap, you'd be better of to invest double ($ 25) and buy for instance Bentley Intense for men if you're looking for a fragrance with much more depth and longevity to it. And if you like pencil shavings, go for Lalique Encre Noire which, although more expensive gives you far more quality and better performance for your buck. Fragrance: 6 / 10 (far from original or distinctive, not unpleasant but boring and no depth) Longevity: 4 / 10 (at most two hours unless you hold your nose a couple of inches from your skin) Bang for your buck: 5 / 10 (yes, it's cheap but the quality reflects it and because you will be spraying more your bottle will not last that long).

After the hyper fresh citrus open that lasts just about as long as a sneeze, it moves toward a greener, aromatic aquatic. Here is where the geranium's green note starts to introduce itself more prominently than in its Classic 5.0 cousin. I'm also picking up some nutmeg, and a squeeze of lemon/bergamot. Probably from the Geranium note as well. After drying down a bit and breathing for about half an hour, a little bit of Mont Blanc's Starwalker comes peeking around the corner. Which gets more pronounced the longer we wait. And so Extreme 5.0 gets more powdery and soft. Fresher than Classic 5.0, without being sporty fresh. More like opening a window on a sunny day in spring. Sadly the sillage and performance are again disappointing so don't expect to enjoy the dry down too much. Final verdict: If you like Zara Extreme 5.0, give Starwalker a try! The latter is more linear, so it lacks the squeeze of lemon, but it's a bit brighter and has way better performance.

Smells like Boss Bottled but without the cinnamon. Good smell though.