Immortal Vanilla

As soon as I saw Immortal Vanilla on the shelf of the ZARA store, it immediately caught my attention. It was next to Blue Temptation and Dark Romance, but this prevailed. For me, it is a unisex perfume that combines the decadent note of black vanilla with the sacred note of incense, and the creamier note of blond cedarwood. This fragrance perfectly balances sweetness and depth, creating an enveloping and sophisticated sensory experience. The dark richness of vanilla blends with an explosion of powdery white musk, with mineral and salty nuances, creating a contemporary and luminous perfume. It is a fragrance that invites you to an immortal olfactory journey. Being a new chapter in the Zara Vanilla collection, this ingredient is dominant. It opens with a boozy and aldehydic note, which carries in the air an aroma of coconut powder, dry, dehydrated, chalky, slightly salty, and very distant from coconut sunscreens or pastry desserts. It is the scent of coconut flour, buttery coconut cookies, and Ferrero Raffaello pralines covered in coconut flakes, and overall the scent is amber and musky. In addition to vanilla, this scent is dominated by coconut, which is strong throughout the perfume. Not surprisingly, a woody and musky accord emerges from the base. These are the sides of the super matte and dry iso-e and galaxolide, a sweet and sharp white musk. Therefore, dark vanilla and blond wood are the protagonists of this perfume, making the overall aroma not too sweet, but soft and elegant. In the heart, the fragrance becomes seductive and exotic, revealing a light talc, powdery but without a trace of makeup. The coconut fades into the background, maintaining its milky aspect that recalls a bit of the dry and mineral notes of the fig. The white of the coconut pulp and indolic jasmine flowers mix with salty notes. The sugary, buttery, burnt notes of caramel and the smoky, resinous notes of incense start to emerge, bringing warmth to the scent. It's sweet, but the resinous, waxy, and smoky ingredients keep it from becoming cloying. This powdery accord on my skin reminds me of old book paper and cardboard boxes. The vanilla, tonka bean, amber, and cashmere wood leave an unmistakable trail. The scent is quite linear, not changing much over time, except becoming slightly sweeter and creamier on the dry down. There is a saltiness to this scent. The vanilla here is unlike any other vanilla fragrance I've tried, so salty, mineral, and mossy. But if you imagine a warm, gourmand, edible, golden vanilla scent, well, Immortal Vanilla is the opposite of that. This is a fresh, unique scent. The vanilla is rich and prominent, spicy, but not in an edible, dessert-like way, which is my favourite. I'm not a big fan of warm, thick, cloying vanilla, so this is definitely my type. In summary, Immortal Vanilla is a woody, sweet, creamy, smooth, clean vanilla that is on the edge of being edible but doesn't quite get there because of the woods and musk. On the dry-down, the musk is strong, and strident, similar to the musky base of modern perfumes. Overall, I praise it for its artistry and distinctiveness, making it a timeless addition to any perfume collection. The performance is great, both in projection and longevity, although the scent seems to sit on the skin almost immediately. Very easy to become anosmic to this scent. I think it is more suited to cool weather, fall and winter seasons, based on the heart and dry down. Perfect for events that require a fragrance that is not aggressive or invasive, but discreet and intimate. This review is based on a bottle that I have owned since December 2024 (BC 43030, PD 2024-10-29).

I’ve been on the coconut hunt lately and this really impressed me and I mean like it REALLY impressed IMPRESSSED meeeeyuhhwww It is coconutty for most of its wear. It’s the perfect mix of beachy, creamy-sweet, and has some “savory” warmth from the incense. Note breakdown looks gourmand-leaning but they knew what they were doing—they balanced it really well !! It can be mildly sunscreeny, tho it’s mostly oily. (Which is exactly what I was looking for) Despite loving and enjoying it soooo much, it’s not really in my priority list for a full bottle because I found it similar to Swiss Arabian Incense 01’s figgy-coconut nuances and most especially its musky far dry down. Literally after a long hour of wear? Super similar, soooo yuh, I don’t find it practical to get a scent that smells like a stripped version of what I already enjoy using; however, if ur after a simpler coconut composition, i totally recommend getting this. Keep in mind, no, it’s not a dupe of Incense 01 because that’s a coca-cola frankincense bomb but it sure is a dupe of a well-known niche vanilla !! If ur after a super affordable and extremely similar dupe to Matiere Premiere’s Vanilla Powder? RUNNNNNNN AND GRAB ONE RIGHT NEOWWWW. This is more pleasant for ur usual “i wanna smell good” audience because VP has a challenging palo santo note for beginners that can smell quite sour, dill-like, and peppery, or worse !! Haha allow me to explain There’s something in Vanilla Powder that smells like Kenny Rogers’ Corn Muffins and Mac and Cheese. Zara is such a great shop for affordable but QUALITY fragrances (tho that may vary per fragrance). Immortal Coconut was a beast !! I’ll pass for now but I will surely get a full bottle when I’ll finish my incense 01 because immortal vanilla is mostly composed of incense 01’s doughy vanilla that i adore. + I’ve decided on getting Mancera Holidays for my staple coconut fragrance.

Hear me out, I actually prefer this to the og Vanilla powder. The few times I tried out vanilla powder I liked it a lot at first but afterwards it became way too musky for my taste, to the point where it was almost pure musk. I don't mind musk as long as it's something (fruits/florals/vanilla etc) at the forefront and musk in the background, but in this and Erba Pura the musk in the dry down is too much for me. Immortal vanilla on the other hand has everything I liked about the og - the somehow 'dry' coconuty vanilla that's almost unisex, without the overwhelming musk at the end. And although it isn't in the notes, not sure if I'm crazy or something, but I do feel it has some noticeable musk and wood, just not to the point it overwhelms the rest. Also I feel it may be a bit sweeter compared to the og, which I don't mind. Quickly became one of my favourite Zaras, got the 30 ml bottle and when I use it up I'll probably upgrade to the 100ml one or get another 30ml, we'll see. It's probably best in autumn, winter and spring, but honestly I tried wearing it on a cooler summer evening and it was fine, didn't feel too cloying. Personally I wouldn't wear it when it's super hot in the day though. Finally, the longevity slaps with this, in my experience definitely one of Zara's longer-lasting ones.

I was pleasantly surprised when I tried the Matiere Premiere Vanilla Powder on one wrist at David Jones and the Zara Immortal Vanilla on the other. Amazingly, after 10 minutes, they smelled identical. It took some time for the Zara fragrance to resemble the original VP, but initial impressions of VP were lovely. In terms of longevity, both fragrances lasted about the same time—around 5 hours. I found that IV was not overpowering; rather, it had a soft sillage that felt more like a skin scent. I even sprayed five times on my pyjamas, and I could still smell it the next day. The fragrance projects well in warm conditions, especially while in bed. To me, it evokes the scent of vanilla ice cream with soft notes of incense, coconut, caramel, jasmine, amber, and a hint of salt. I did not detect much musk with VP, but both dry-downs were identical on my skin. Given that I have an excellent IV dupe, I won’t be purchasing the original VP. In my opinion, the Zara fragrance offers great value for money and smells remarkably similar to VP. Zara did an excellent job with this perfume, and I will definitely repurchase it.

This perfume is very delicious. Sweet, gourmand, vanilla-like, with a spectacular coconut note. It starts off with a very present, sweet, and striking coconut. As the fragrance settles, the mixture of caramel and vanilla emerges, a warm and ambery vanilla. The mixture of coconut, salt, caramel, and vanilla gave this perfume a perfect balance of striking sweetness with a touch of sensuality. You can't go unnoticed with it; wherever you go, it leaves a trail... It was one of the perfumes that I received the most compliments on in a single day. It's not cloyingly sweet, but it's a respectable gourmand, with all the notes in perfect balance. I don't know Vanilla Powder to comment on the similarity, but if it's as delicious as this one from Zara, it deserves praise. A strong perfume, suitable for mild temperatures, and can also be used on colder and rainy days if you adjust the sprays. Monstrous projection and longevity. A perfume to make a statement. The name was perfectly fitting; it is truly immortal, it lasts forever.