Gold Absolute

A beautiful little cheapie gem perfect for fall Season ( 18 € 100 ml) . The lemon in the opening is much sweeter than in the regular version. A more unisex counterpart of Devotion by Dolce &Gabbana. I layer it with Sunrise on the Red Sand Dunes also from Zara and it's a comforting but not too sweet scent. And I dont care about longevity, I make a decant for my day out so I can have each time the burst of sweet lemon, and the woodiness and the chestnut in the dry down.

While I like the 2025 version's opening more (different bottle, with a metalic gradient) due to its increased powderiness and stronger palo santo note, it does have a play-dohish drydown and is not as deep as the 2024 version with the more fruity opening. I wonder if maceration makes the 2025 reissue better.

Drydown smelling like playdough. If you enjoy those doughy scents, this is for you. I couldn't quite pinpoint which perfume it resembles, but the dry down's doughy vibe reminds me of Parfums de Marly Oajan

I was so displeased, thinking this will be a more nuanced version of Zara Man Gold which I adored as a teenager and I would buy it today only for the sentimental value of spraying it on myself to remember the high-school parties and my indie fringe. I thought maybe this scent would be a bridge between my simple adolscent tastes and somewhat more confident palette I have nowadays. Nope. This is SO DISPLEASING, though the notes seemed so promising. I thought I would love it and I blind bought the last bottle in a far-away Zara (adding a train ride only for the sake of buying this bottle). It smells like a toilet refresher in a commercial centre, nothing nuanced, very lingering and powdery. No Mandarin, no pepper, no palo santo.

Zara"s web description : Eau de parfum. Woody and ambery fragrance with vibrant lemon and mandarin, a spicy touch of pink pepper and the warmth of cinnamon. Its base reveals cedarwood, palo santo, roasted chestnut, guaiac wood and vanilla, creating a seductive and enigmatic richness. Very comforting scent