No 3 Citrus Meze

All About Greek Meze A Google search brings up something that belongs to Greek and Turkish Mediterranean cuisine: several small dishes served as an appetizer with alcoholic drinks or as a light meal. A kind of tapas, if I am not wrong. But I also found a more accurate definition: A meze is not a meal course like an appetizer (although meze dishes can be served as appetizers), but rather a dish, hot or cold, spicy or savoury, often salty, that is served alone or with other mezes as a separate eating experience. It’s a word rooted in antiquity; the word and usage came to Greece from Turkey. In Greek: μεζέ, plural μεζέδες (mezethes, pronounced meh-ZEH-thes). Therefore, I assume that Citrus Meze means a mix of citrus and anything that tastes like citrus. I was kidding, and Citrus Meze is everything but a Greek Meze! Let’s find out what is hidden behind this fragrance with a mysterious name. Meanwhile, it is a creation by Jo Malone, which belongs to the ZARA Rain series, together with Zara Rain N°01 - Rose Petal Drops, Zara Rain N°02 - Bergamot & Leather Spritz, and Zara Rain N°04 - Amber & Fig Cashmere. This should equate to a watery, rainy scent that smells fresh, wet, and rainy. The opening is a bomb that explodes in a thousand splinters made of citrus peel. It is very, very sour, so much so that it can look like a barbershop. I imagine a mixture of freshly grated citrus peel, like the ones used in cooking, made of lemons, bergamot, grapefruit, sweet and bitter oranges, limes, tangerines, and kumquats. It's like showering with citrus juice. These fruits’ tart, acidic, and juicy aspects are amplified, bright, and uplifting. There is almost nothing, indeed nothing, that is synthetic. The citrus aromas are natural and vivid. Instinctively, it could resemble other creations by Jo Malone herself, who loves citrus scents, for example, #Fleur d’oranger, Zara Emotions N°04 - Amalfi Sunray EAU DE PARFUM, or even Zara Emotions N°01 - Vetiver Pamplemousse EAU DE PARFUM. But a few minutes are enough to dispel doubts and discover that Citrus Meze takes its identity along its path. The acidic and airy notes disperse as the perfume settles on the skin and loses some initial intensity. But they remain in the background, making room for a floral, sweet, gooey, and clean accord. Now, I perceive the flowers of citrus plants, both neroli from bigarade oranges and lovely orange blossoms. It is like a wave that alternates its slow coming and going between extreme sweetness and a trace of intense bitterness. All this fantastic citric and flowery interplay is bathed in fresh water, like raindrops and dewdrops. I like how it slowly opens and transforms; every note is controlled, there is no jarring, and the citrus and floral are well balanced. In my heart, I am in a citrus grove in the first light of dawn when the flowers are soaked in dew. Both the opening and the heart are mainly citrus and airy. This sensation of moist citrus flowers accompanies me in the dry-down, which remains clean and fresh. There is a hint of powderiness, probably due to the akigalawood. Instead, the musky aspect is dominant. It’s not that musk that smells of detergent or wild blackberries, but a greenish and vegetal musk, penetrating, almost sensual and virile. I keep hearing a watery background; it’s like pure, cold water flowing from a spring and along mossy stones. Citrus Mese is not feminine at all, on the contrary. It belongs to that kind of fragrance like Dior Homme Cologne (2013), without wanting to be a clone, but just catalogued in the same group. You can’t go wrong wearing this fragrance, which is so fresh and clean, which gives the sensation of a white linen shirt just worn after a shower, with the skin still damp. It is perfect for the office, leisure time, and the hot and torrid summer days, but also in the evenings outdoors when I don’t feel like heavy and opulent perfumes. Both the projection and the duration are around moderate. The citrus genre turns into a leather scent after the first few hours. I’m basing my feelings on a bottle I’ve owned since August 2021.

As a lover of citrus and orange blossom notes in perfume, I was happy that Zara brought it back in 2025. So far, I’m happy with my purchase. It is a nice perfume! It is very citrus, but not the wrong kind of citrus (no resemblance to the cleaning products type of lemon scent). It is a very good mix of different citrus 🍊 notes. It feels like a good citrus salad of oranges, grapefruits, and pomelos with middle notes of orange blossom. I don’t think that this perfume is male-oriented. It’s more a unisex type for orange lovers. It is a very light and neutral scent. It doesn’t resemble any perfume too closely. It’s more similar to Orange Sanguine by Atelier Cologne than Neroli Portofino by Tom Ford. If you are after Tom Ford duplicates, then chances are you will be disappointed. I also would not call it a duplicate of Zara Fleur de Oranger scent. It is similar but not the same. I like Zara and Jo Malone collaborations and find them great as independent perfumes and not duplicates of other fashion brands - especially when it feels like the main players have completely forgotten how to innovate and retain their brand identity. So if you want a good, inoffensive orange scent from Zara, then this one can be for you. The only downside is that it seems to be quite fleeting in terms of longevity on my skin. It lasts a bit longer on clothing but also not for long. It may work differently in summer.

Citrus Meze is an uplifting citrus cologne, ideal for summertime. It is quite linear and has limited longevity, but it smells very natural, and is clearly made of good quality ingredients. Jo Malone is famous for her colognes, and while this is simple and nothing unusual, it is what I'd expect from Jo at a Zara price point. CM opens with a juicy burst of lemon and lime notes, very fresh and mood-enhancing. It smells exactly like freshly-squeezed pulp from the citrus fruits concerned. It does not smell like grapefruit as listed in the notes, or darker tart bergamot; just straight-up radiant lemon-and-lime. After the initial opening fades, soft neroli emerges, complemeting the citrus accords beautifully. CM becomes much softer at this stage, and fades to a predictable musky-woody skin scent after about two hours. With intimate sillage after the initial opening and weak longevity, the performance of CM is not impressive, but is forgivable at this price point. To be sprayed liberally during hot summer days. Nothing special, but uplifting in an aromatherapy way. Simple but effective, it delivers. 3/5.

It absolutely is masculine one. After dry-down, It becomes white floral musky perfume with a pinch of smoky taste. When you spray this one underlayering for some fruity perfumes, you will see a new world. Very simple and cheap perfume, but synergetic. Personally I'm using Fico di amalfi over Citrus meze, BOOM. Try it. Never regret.

Lemon and neroli are the main ingredients. It is bright and uplifting. Looks pretty similar to Jo Malone Basil Neroli, orange flower centered creation. Unfortunately, also migrane inducing for me....