Gardenia

I really like this fragrance - however, I don't think it's a close dupe to Black Opium as most say. I own both fragrances. The drydown isn't drastically different but BO is slightly sweeter. Gardenia has a very, very long lasting and feminine drydown which I love. If I spray it on my clothes, I'll get whiffs of that DNA until I wash them again - so longevity is phenomenal despite sillage being moderate. It copies the YSL DNA drydown extremely well. The first spray is where you feel the most difference from BO. Gardenia is a bit more alcohol intense, more floral and lighter - less sweet overall despite still having a slight hint of coffee. If you've ever thought: "I wish there was a more daytime-focused version of Black Opium", get Gardenia because it fits that bill. I generally wear Gardenia if i want something like Black Opium during the day and the original Black Opium for nighttime. Gardenia's also office and work appropriate, I'd say. Feminine and youthful, not very jarring or as bold as BO. I'd say it can go all year-around as a signature even: I don't personally wear it in Winter because I tend to prefer more intense gourmand/darker/sweeter perfumes when it's really cold out. All of this being said, it's an amazing perfume for the price point it's at and one of Zara's most well-achieved fragrances.

So I got the shimmering leg oil because I already own Black Opium which I read this is supposed to be a dupe for when I bought this one. This really does smell like Black Opium! A teeny tiny bit of this leg oil goes a very long way for me! It is very moisturizing, and doesn't irritate my skin at all. One slight squeeze of the pump and all sides of my lower legs are very well moisturized with a tiny bit of glitter (you really have to look for it to notice which idm). I dare say I could have spread this oil to the top of my feet/ankles which get very dry and/or my thighs because this is incredibly moisturizing. I haven't been wearing this one long enough to comment on longevity yet, however. For $12.90 for 1.7 Oz of this shimmering leg oil, this is a hell of a steal though in my opinion, wow! This also gives me CH Good Girl vibes as well, but it is a much lighter/less bitter scent than that one is.

I bought one of those tiny 10ml bottles from Zara because I've heard it smells like Black Opium and wanted to see if it is true and compare both scents. It is an exact dupe! The scent is sweet-ish, you can feel the coffee and spices, vanilla too but it is not the main note in my opinion. It is definitely the sexiest perfume I own, I bought the big bottle shortly after. Gardenia is also the first perfume I've received a compliment on and this is something really importat to me as I have a pretty big scent collection at home. It is also very long lasting - I can often feel it on my skin even after a shower. Definitely worth the money, bravo Zara!

Hard grape candy with a yummy coffee caramel center--like chupa chups. (So why oh why is it called Gardenia?) The grape part is like a punch in the nose by an obnoxious tween, and the topnotes smell really cheap. I loathed it so much the first day, it was relegated to toilet spritzer. But then, the lush coffee, caramel vanilla scent comes through, and it's amazing. The WC has never smelled so good (too good--it's weirding me out). I'm tempted to give the bottle a good scrub and rescue the poor cinderella. Or look around for a gourmand that doesn't start out so offensively. I just want half of this perfume--the second half.

Gardenia, or the fake twin of Black Opium. If you do a blind test, the two fragrances are fraternal twins. They are very similar, but there are some subtle differences if you dig just a little deeper. While Black Opium is the more serious, deep and dark twin, Gardenia is the lighter, floral, and brighter one. I must admit, though, that Gardenia has the DNA of the Zara fragrances; a bit of a screechy note, but overall, Gardenia is a well-made floral coffee fragrance. Wonderful dupe and even a perfume that can stand on its own. Hats off Zara!