Tonka Wood

I am in love with this one! Around Christmas, I came across Byredo's Bal d'Afrique in Paris. While I loved it at the time, €150 for an impulse buy was a bit steep. When I read on fragrantica this is basically the cheaper copy, I went ahead blind bought one of Zara's website. I wasn't sure what to expect, as I've had some hits and misses with Zara perfumes in the past, but the Home collection was new to me. Tonka Wood smells like a summer morning, when you're wrapped in warm sheets, and a ray of sunlight hits the bed. There is a very slight men's perfume scent to it, but it is not too masculine for a woman to wear. It reminds me of the faint mix of aftershave and deodorant on your boyfriend's shirt he wore yesterday. The praline and vetiver definitely come through, but in a zingy, non-sweet way. As I am typing this, I definitely get a hint of warm mandarines or tangerines, but maybe that is the lily-of-the-valley? Tonka Wood smells warm and deep, and would be most suited for the evenings or colder seasons. I get a very vintage vibe from it, it wouldn't be out of place in a library, a living room with leather club seats. It is elegant and refined, and smells far more expensive than it actually is. If you are hesitating or curious I can highly recommend buying Tonka Wood.

GOD BLESS whoever posted on here that this is the exact copy of Bal D'Afrique by Byredo. If it wasn't for all these experts saying there is a slight difference, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart. Honestly this is just divine and to me it smell exactly like my beloved Bal D'Afrique by Byredo but the price was 25.90$ Canadian dollars, free shipping and it was delivered in 2 days. Bal D'Afrique by Byredo is over 300$ Canadian dollars. My new signature. I don't even care to smell like anything else in my life. edit: literally the day I received it it got discontinued. I am asking everyone I know around the world to stock up for me in Italy Russia and France. edit2: just got another 4 bottles and currently selling the rest of my perfumes. I am simply obsessed with this. edit 3: it is not discontinued, it was on sale for the holidays. Anyways, I already have a lot of bottles, enough for a few years until I get rich and start buying Byredo.

It had been said already and I am here to confirm it: I had the chance to test Bal D'Afrique yesterday for the first time and I have to admit that it is absolutely identical to Tonka Wood. The differences are close to zero and the funny thing is that Tonka Wood performs even better. Longevity is close to 6-7 hours, while projection stays strong for 3-4 hours before turning to a skin scent. I was always sceptical about Zara perfumes but this one seems to be an exception - even the perfumer is the same! So lucky I got this gem for just 7,99 euro. No idea why Zara Home decided to discontinue this one. Follow my scent journey on instagram instagram.com/scentsexual *This review was written after several full wearings of the perfume and not just after smelling this on paper or on wrist.

Gahhhh I’m so bummed that this was discontinued. I bought a decant just because I was so curious about a possible Bal d’Afrique dupe, which is one of my all time favorites. I knew I was in for disappointment either way but I couldn’t help myself! Turns out I find this to be a great dupe...I did a side by side comparison and found BDA to be a little more light and delicate. Tonka Wood is just a bit deeper and more intense, with more staying power. But the two are basically identical apart from that! Absolutely delicious, addictive and mood-lifting. Wish I’d known about it before it went out of production....

This is a seriously beautiful perfume and it is EVEN better than the Byredo. I smell tart fruits softened by a pastille like soapy violet, dry vetiver and smoothness from the tonka. I don't really smell any praline, but hey, it probably melds well with the tonka. It is not easy to make perfumes that are both really fresh and smooth and warm at the same time, but here they managed. It also lasts and stays the same after the freshness in the beginning. Opening more "male" if you wish and later it gets more feminine. I keep on getting whiffs all day long from this! Compliment getter for sure.