Fashionably London

When I first started my perfume journey and my collection wasn’t anything to brag about, this was one of the first perfumes I bought. I liked it but I wasn’t sure if I loved it, so I sold it and continued my hunt for a signature scent. Now years have past and I have tried thousands of perfumes and as my collection grew, I have found myself going back to where I started but with a lot more experience. At first I didn’t realize how much of a gem this perfume actually is... For the price, this is simply spectacular. You get a fantastic silage and the longevity is amazing. Considering this is a Jo Malone collab, it’s actually funny how good the longevity is, because even though I love Jo Malone, her perfumes are lacking in performance. This does not. Scent wise, this is not a dupe of Delina in my opinion. It stands on its own and just such a beautiful clean rose scent. To sum this up, I went from a like to a love. I just needed the experience to really appreciate what a beauty this is.

This is my most worn perfume nowadays. Great longevity, my entire wardrobe is smelling of Fashionably London for days since I put there my hoodie that was “introduced” to this fragrance. I saw few reviews with that statement, but for me this perfume is sweet. More sweet than rosy. I was testing and dancing around it a few weeks in Zara store before finally deciding on buying it. The first spray at home really disappointed me, I sprayed it on a cushion and got a terrible headache for the rest of the evening, the scent filled the whole bedroom and felt cloying and too musky which I don’t like. I didn’t touch the bottle for a couple of days after that but... miracle happens or maybe I was really not in the mood the other day, when I sprayed it for the second time I was satisfied with everything. It felt a bit rosy, acceptably musky and sweet. I heard people saying FL is fruity for their nose but wasn’t expecting the sweetness.

Fashionably London by Zara performs like an absolute beast on me honestly, one of the most powerful perfumes I’ve ever worn. And at this price point, it feels like pure magic. I wore it for the first time recently and received more compliments in a single day than I ever have with any fragrance, including niche ones. One woman even stopped me to ask if I was wearing Prada Paradoxe Intense! I haven’t smelled that version myself, so I couldn’t confirm, but it gives you an idea of this scent’s impact. This fragrance has strong projection and a noticeable presence it’s fresh, slightly sharp, and definitely not for everyone, but if it works for you, it really works. I’d say it leans more toward spring and summer wear, but it’s versatile enough for year-round use. I can easily imagine this becoming someone’s signature scent. All in all, for what it costs, it’s an incredible value.

People keep mentioning how this is not a dupe for Delina. No it is not - It smells like Delina Exclusif*** If you love Delina Exclusif, chances are you will love this too. It is similar to Zara's Rose Gourmand too (that one is a little sweeter though). It has that same kind of DNA though. I love it. It does smell Niche, in that it resembles some Montale/Mancera fragrances & Delina EXCLUSIF (Not the original Delina*). It does project pretty strong too. People will smell you in the room. Only need 2 sprays. It lasts a decent amount of time too for me - 8-9 hours. Lovely fragrance, but I am learning that it isn't that unique. Still though, the price is pretty good considering. I only hope that Zara stops raising their prices or I'm going to stop buying from them altogether (when there are amazing fragrances I can get at online discounters if shopping for lower priced gems).

I didn’t find testers for the perfumes I was searching in the Zara stores near me so I decided to blind buy some of them based on notes and reviews. Ebony wood was a miss (really bad on my skin) but this one is a hit. A gorgeous musky-rose fragrance! To me it’s not a dupe for Delina Exclusif. Yes, they’re both “rose” perfumes, but not the same. So I will not compare. I’ll just say this is a very strong and mature rose scent. It’s intense, round, superb! Like you enter a dark red rose garden in full bloom. Also, FL seems an unisex scent, but I definitely see it on more mature people. Though I wouldn’t place rose on top of my favorite perfume notes, in FL I really like it. It’s blended really well with the citrus (that I don’t get) and the musk into an autumn-winter wonderful scent. It’s powerfull and also surprisingly long lasting. But I would’t recommend blind buying.