Nocturnal Life

This is an amazing scent. I bought a large bottle of Nocturnal Life for $16 (plus $5 shipping) at Zara’s holiday sale, after seeing it listed on Fragrantica as a scent with a heavy cinnamon note. I was in the mood for cinnamon and this was the first on the list; completely thrilled with this impulse buy. I believe I have a small sample of Angel’s Share, but don’t recall the fragrance in detail and not enough to do a comparison. All I care about is that NL is an amazing fragrance in its own right. It is a cinnamon-vanilla scent, with an herbal-fruitiness that I suspect is coming from the juniper but to my nose is a pipe tobacco note. There is a booziness, but it is very vanilla to me. I have a bottle of Jack Daniel’s we’ve got some vanilla beans steeping in, making homemade vanilla for baking. The vanilla booziness of NL is very, very similar to that homemade whisky vanilla (I just went into my kitchen to compare my arm to the bottle; can confirm, this is a whisky vanilla note). I know vanilla is not listed, but that is what I smell. I love bergamot but don’t get any here; it may be the herbal note I detect. I also honestly don’t get incense. Maybe the bergamot and incense are contributing to the tobacco I smell? I do find it dries down with a hint of muskiness, as well as a little bit of floral – maybe the drydown of the boozy vanilla becomes a floral note. I am getting a good 6-8+ hours on 1 spray; I sprayed 2 spritzes on Sunday and my (dramatic) husband had a coughing fit, but that was also the day I lounged in the bathtub 10 hours later and could still get a floral-vanilla-cinnamon faintly wafting into the steam of my tub. 1 spritz was enough to enjoy without any spousal drama, and has still lasted down to a lovely skin scent at the end of my workday. I did likely overdue it at a weekend concert, putting on 3 sprays and while I sadly didn’t draw any compliments, I smelled amazing and cinnamon-y to myself all night and felt elegant and cozy. This is rocketing into a favorite spot for me, especially during this cold snap when cuddly, boozy, spicy, vanilla-cinnamon is perfect. I am also inspired to try other Zara scents, although from reviews they seem rather hit or miss...definitely a hit here! Look for it on their Zara site, all the other vendors seemed way overpriced. Edit: I’ve decided this has a golden amber dry down, a la VS Amber Romance, but with a cinnamon drizzle. That realization explains why this felt like a familiar friend from the minute I put it on; AR was my signature for years. It dresses up or down and is very cozy.

Smells like coming home on a crisp Autumn day, crushed juniper berries underfoot, to a spicy drink in a warm kitchen. Maybe someone you love hugged you a few hours ago and their sweet perfume is still sort of lingering on your clothes, because there's a touch of gourmand there but it doesn't overwhelm the scent at all. Maybe there's a simmer pot on the stove, bubbling with orange peel and cinnamon and a pinch of something sweet. I like it more than Angel's Share to be honest. The incense note is great, if you're into that kind of thing. (I am firmly into that kind of thing.) The performance reviews are all over the place but for me and my finicky body chemistry this lasts all day, but settles more sweet than spicy on skin a few hours in. Clothes the next day still have that sugary, cashmere-adjacent drydown DNA that a lot of Zara fragrances have, but with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top. I'm obsessed. Gorgeous.

I love angel share, but the price point is a bit much and I don’t find I can wear it unless it’s really cold because it’s so strong. So when this Zara perfume was advertised as a dupe, I ordered it so I could try it. Even if it didn’t smell like AS, I was still interested in the notes. Verdict- It’s a cinnamon bomb. I really enjoyed it from first sniff. You also pick up the juniper and incense but not the bergamot. I think there are more notes in here than listed but I didn’t smell chocolate as advertised on the box. It’s unisex but not too deep and would be amazing for autumn. It has moderate longevity and I would probably have to respray during the day. Compared to AS, there are similarities with nocturnal life. It could be an EDT flanker of the OG. This perfume isn’t as heady as AS and is less sweet. You don’t get the boozy apple strudel smell that you get from AS, but it still a lovely cinnamon gourmand.

I love this. Instantly loved it, but I waited to smell it one complete day on my skin, before finally going back to purchase it a week later. I do see similarity with the sand desert at sunset - but to my nose this is more feminine. The male version of this scent did not work great in my skin, and also disappeared quickly - this one lasted a whole day and smelled all that time divine. Doesn’t project too loudly, but is actually quite strong closer to me. This version compared to the other Zara scent, pulls sweeter on my skin. I do get chocolate - it is listed in the package, I don’t know why it has dropped off from the notes. Soft incense is present throughout, and while I actually dislike incense (got too much of it while being younger..) in this it works out beautifully, giving a little edge in the middle of the sweetness. Sweet, edible, but not headache inducing in any way, directly to my favorites.

This has become one of my favorite Zara fragrances of all time, I can't believe how amazing it is! I bought this in Florence last October and I basically used it throughout my entire Italy trip, so it holds a very special place in my heart because it takes me right back to sipping wine on a gorgeous Tuscan autumn night. I find this smells very mysterious and sexy on my skin. I can smell this on my clothes days later and I don't find myself going nose blind to this perfume as quickly as other Zara fragrances. Overall, I think this is beautiful and very unique (I haven't smelled angels share so maybe this fragrance isn't as unique as I think), with such a warm, sexy and seductive projection. Easily one of my most worn winter/fall perfumes.

I haven't tried Angel's Share so I can't say how good of a dupe this is. I have Sand Desert at Sunset from the men's collection and yes, they smell identical BUT Nocturnal Life stays on my skin way longer, for some reason.Other than that, I could have sworn this is the same perfume in a different bottle. If you already have Sand Desert I'd say you don't need this but if you have to choose between the two - get Nocturnal life. The scent itself is freaking gorgeous, warm and sweet and it really shines during the cold days, smells way way WAY more expensive than it is and it lasts for at least 7-8 hours on me.

Somewhat similar to zara sand desert but still different more feminine in my opinion and I have both now, there is a leather/ rubber like nuances in the back which is enjoyable, I like this one a bit more than sand desert, very enjoyable yet simple Unfortunately after couple of hours it loses its sweetness and all am left with is some smokey leather nuances 6 hours after applying and its still going on, the silage on this fragrance is amazing, I take back everything I said above this is really nice in the air the silage is intoxicating

I've been obsessed with "Angel's Share" ever since the first time I've seen it on TikTok. As this was supposed to be a dupe i went to the store en bought the perfume. I didn't know if it would smell like Angel's Share, but i loved it nonetheless. yesterday i had the change to try out Angel's Share and to my shock it was basically the same as Nocturnal Life by Zara. At least on my skin. I'm glad i went for the cheaper version, if you even can call it that. It doesn't smell cheap. Angel's Share is just pricier.

On Black Friday I bought Hipster Oud instead of this and now I can't get it out of my mind but it's sold out everywhere 😭 BIG REGRET..... 💔 UPDATE: I got a full bottle second hand, yaaaay! 🤗😍 The projection and longevity are a bit disappointing but I still LOVE it 😊 Note: I had bought Le Male Le Parfum by Jean Paul Gaultier for my son a few months ago and I'm surprised with how similar (not identical obviously, but similar) they smell 😯

I REALLY liked this one! My mom and I were using it like crazy in winter. Unfortunately my brother knocked over, and broke, my bottle ToT. Hope they bring it back, so I can buy a new one. I ́m thinking of getting the ́ ́sand desert at sunset ́ ́ from the mens collection (are they really the same? I LOVED the juniper note in Nocturnal and Sand doesn ́t have it!), I just can ́t wait till they bring it back! (T°T)

I love this fragrance. It was love at first sniff, sweet but not too much, warm and comforting. It is hot weather in my country now but I don't care, I wear this fragrance even thought it is more suitable for colder weather. I smell the cinnamon the most and I love it so much. I am gonna buy a back up bottle because I just know this is gonna be my signature scent this fall and winter. ❤️❤️❤️

INSTANT Zara favourite. I've since learned that there's an exact perfume being sold at the male section too (see Sand Desert at Sunset). I can't stop smelling this. I see it as unisex. It's a boozy cinnamon. But it's sweet too, as if you're eating a pie, but a kind of sweet that doesn't overstay its welcome. Perfect for grey days and autumn in general. I don't smell any incense note.

Another take on "Sand Desert at Noon", with a noticeably more powdery twist on the cinnamon. Reminds me a lot of 'Kismet Angel' by Maison Alhambra with the smallest hint of boozy. Much more approachable and easier to wear than Angel's Share. Strong projection, tapers down after the 2nd hour. Once this macerates it will last for ages, Zara did an excellent job.

This stopped me in my tracks at Zara. Smell so warm, sexy, comforting. Not a lot of projection, so most people will not find it offensive, but it will not give you a lot of compliment (if it's what you going for). Not so much of a "nocturnal" smell, more like an "I going to drink a spiced tea with a book at home, in my pyjamas" vibe. My husband like it.

simple, it doesn't evolve and stays pretty much close to the skin after 10 minutes. but it's so good and addictive! yeah, i can feel that resemblance with angel's share, but this one's dry and there's infact not fragrant apple notes here, just cinnamon and sugar. could be a flanker of AS, "angel share l'aire". it's one of my faves for fall RN.

To my nose it is an Angle's Share dupe, I would never use this as my base perfume because it performs horribly, but the bottle is a good size to carry around and reapply if the main scent of the day is Angel's Share, so for that I love it.

If you’ve tried golden dallah from xerjoff then this is what it gives on the first spray, cinnamon incense with a lot of it and tobacco then it dries down to a soapy fresh incense, quit similar with angel share and golden dallah by xerjoff

@Victoriama don’t fret! Just buy the men’s version of this they smell exactly alike. I have both AND Killian’s Angel Share. The Zara dupes don’t last nearly as long as AS (due to cost constraints most likely) but you can’t beat the price!

Nocturnal Life is so identical to Sand Desert At Sunset, both from Zara. Both also are very similar to Angels' Share by Kilian. If you’re looking for an expensive scent on a budget then look no further. I bought both Nocturnal and Sand.

When i first smelt this in Zara I knew I had to buy it. I have Angel's Share and is similar to it, I actually like this one more, it's more spicy and feminine, lasts long and is at a very good price.

Angel’s share for a fraction of the price and fantastic performance as long as you spray properly. I could still sniff it on my hands hours after and got a good bubble around me too.

Sensual, spicy, gourmand, cinnamon and apple pie with vanilla sauce, but it's not juvenile at all. I think it's best during colder months. Just got this today.

What I love about this perfume is the insensy base. Precisely what differs most from Angel's Share. So yes, I prefer this one to Angel's Share.

Smells exactly like Sand Desert at Sunset, but tone down the cinnamon and turn up the syrupy cooked apples.

Smells pretty similar to Kilian's Angel's Share and a bit like Initio Side Effect too. Loved it 👌🏾

Great budget friendly gourmand perfume. I adore it. I hope they won't discontinue it.

It's not the first time that Zara has made a strange practice of re-introducing a scent that it already has on offer and practically the same thing appears as a new perfume in a new packaging. Sometimes they are slightly modified because a fragrance that has gained popularity often reappears as a product for a different gender than the one originally released. Just to name a few - Les Heures Passent is the women's equivalent of Sunrise On The Red Sand Dunes, a bit lighter and sweeter. Next, Red Temptation appeared in a men's version in the form of Red Edition - these are almost the same. It's even weirder when an identical scent appears - Zara's latest novelty, Sweet Illusion, is Supreme Vanilla poured into a new bottle. It's more or less the same with Nocturnal Life, which is the women's equivalent of this year's Zara hit from the men's shelf - Sand Desert At Sunset. However, in the case of Nocturnal Life, we generally get the same fragrance not only in a new bottle, but also in a smaller capacity. Therefore, Nocturnal Life is another very successful variation on Angels Share. Nocturnal Life is a very pleasant, enveloping sweet, smelling like warm apple pie with a lot of cinnamon. It's hard to find any differences from Sand Desert At Sunset, perhaps Nocturnal Life is more powdery. Juniper is added and from time to time something coniferous appears in the background of this sweet sauce. You can mainly feel what captivates Sand Desert At Sunset, i.e. freshly baked cinnamon cake with a hint of chocolate. If we are looking for a cheap, good replacement for AS, I recommend Sand Desert At Sunset - it is available in a larger capacity and at the same price, unless the Nocturnal Life bottle is more to your taste. The parameters are good, the projection is quite moderate, but the durability is up to 8 hours. Overall, it is a very good fragrance, but Zara did the same thing earlier, offering it for the same money in a larger capacity. Zara deserves a big minus for the fraud, but Nocturnal Life will be a great offer on sale. 8/10

I blind bought this perfume on zara site as it was on sale €12.99 for 100ml bottle. The first spray it gives me cinnamon toast and pumpkin spice latte. The spice and powdery incense are quite notable on my skin. Reminiscent of Angel's share and Dior Addict but not a clone by any means. It's a strong perfume so a spray or two could go a long way. Though I wear it to bed, when I wake up all the scents are gone so the longevity is probably around 3-6 hr. My husband said it smells like bastogne koek (dutch cookies.) Overall a nice and cozy scent to wear during fall and winter.

Yup, it is very close to Angels' Share. However, Angels' Share are more woody and I feel more masculine. This is so yummy apple pie my grandma used to make. Makes me nostalgic and happy. Since I am a gourmand lover: definitely a yes from me to have in my collection. But only for special occasions as those are very strong. Mind: this is very edible gourmand, so if you ever tried apple strudel (with green, a bit more sour apples) with vanilla- you know how you will smell.

I bought this as I saw people were saying it’s reminiscent of Angels Share. I don’t get the comparison at all. As soon as I sprayed it I felt it reminded me of something else and I’m sure it’s Dior Addict. However once it’s settled it takes on a kind of CK Obsession vibe mixed with Britney Spears Fantasy! It’s strong and quite heavy on the cinnamon, spicy, smoky scents. A nice one for Autumn and Winter but don’t overspray!

Might be a matter of batches, but this is Sand Desert At Sunset with a feminine twist indeed (compared wrist to wrist). They are not the same. The dry woodiness or sharp spiciness of Sand Desert At Sunset is toned down and they gave it a quiet floral note instead. I would not wear this as a man and I love Sand Desert At Sunset (both OG and Intense).

Quite strong when you first spray it but becomes less intense really freaking fast, and almost disappears completely after maybe an hour. I really love the dry-down, wish it lasted longer :( but then again it’s really cheap so you can technically respray as much as you want.

It's either the same juice as "Sand Desert at Sunset" or very similar. However, it's quite different from "Angels' Share" (or its Arabian dupes). Both "Nocturnal Life" and "Sand Desert at Sunset" are simple, sweet scents with poor longevity

this has a spiced tonka opening like feve delicieuse, bit then it settles to something more muted. it's nothing like angels share to me. Big plus that this is not full of ambro though. i dont get chocolate.

I blind bought this before ever smelling Angel's Share and it smelled nothing like I expected. I find it masculine and nutty, not the spicy, boozy scent I was expecting at all. I thought I must have gotten a bad batch. However, I got to try Angel's Share today and found them to be about 80% similar and this is MUCH longer lasting. Kilian was gone within 2 hours but this goes on and on. I'm not a huge fan of either, but if you're looking for the Angel's Share vibe with better longevity at a fraction of the price, you might like this.

Very warm, woody but somewhat dusty smell. Incense that either hasn't burned yet or a room where incense was burned a couple of hours ago. I don't get any cinnamon or bergamot, nor anything sweet that many other reviewers mention. To me it smells like an old wooden home, whit buildup of old dry incense. Will store and try again in different season/weather. But if I don't like it then, I will definitely sell

When i first sprayed this on my skin i hated it, i just absolutely didn't like the notes. But then 1 hour later its started developing to some beautiful scent??? So i will try to find some similar as the dry down

Angels Share is my top perfume, wanted to try this to save money. It's very similar, but this one pulls the incense note very, very intense.

used to absolutely love this but after wearing it a few times i've grown to HATE it, the cinnamon gourmand smell turns into a sickengly sweet smell, even if you love gourmand fragrances, it smells dirty and too warm. I regret purchasing a full size bottle that I will never ever finish, I didn't even make a significant dent in it. Not even good as a air freshener.

Smelled this the other day, I've never smelled angel's share so I cannot rate this dupe, I can however say that this smells exquisite. It smells like a warm glass of milk with cinammon and a lot of honey. This is very sweet, almost too sweet. I really like this fragrance but the longetivity and performance are both awful, which is sad.

I went to my local Zara to try/test this one, it's nice but not my vibe - sweet but not gourmand enough I 🤔 I've tried Sand Desert from the men's collection - too boozy - I was not expecting to find the new Vanilla collection, - Supreme, Starlight, Hypnotic and Vibration - instantly got my full attention 🤭 Hypnotic Vanilla is definitely a dupe for Scandal le Parfum by Jean Paul Gaultier (I'm gonna buy Zara's) And if I recall correctly, Starlight Vanilla gives me Vanilla 28 vibes, but Supreme lasted the longest on my skin - 8+ hours I believe Vibrant leans green, but all smell good to me. Edit: it's the Supreme Vanilla that's more gourmand

Sweet cinnamon amber scent that is somehow not too dense or cloying. I do get an apple/pear note but more sparkly than juicy. Def apple pie vibes similar to Angel’s Share. I don’t find this one very boozy but there is something that sharpens it up. I’m starting to wonder if Zara might put ISO or the like in all their fragrances. This is a powerhouse for the first few hours. Undeniable presence not needing more than 2 sprays. Certainly unisex, but for masculine folk- you gotta love gourmands. It is linear but not too simple. Price is unbeatable, even buying second hand now that it’s out of stock/potentially discontinued.

This is a gorgeous cheapie!! It’s light, airy, sweet but not too sweet. It’s a light gourmand that still smells perfume.y. It’s feminine and a perfect scent good year round. It’s not a dupe to Angel Share. This is not at all boozy or heavy smelling. The apple is light and fresh. It’s not very obvious. Overall, it’s a pretty, fresh and girly scent. I love it so much that I just got a back up bottle. Zara discontinues scents like crazy and I want this in my collection. It’s on sale now, so it’s in its way out. Go smell it and buy it!

Please do not fall for the lies saying this is any different from sand desert at sunset. It is the same fragrance. They are THE SAME in different packaging and now I'm stuck with two of the same fragrances because yall said this has more cinnamon which it 100% does not have more cinnamon. They smell identical. I have tested both many times now together and separately. They are the same. Same scent, same lasting, same strength. I swear people just come on here making up lies so they can sell their declutters

Wow. Zara really did their thing with this fragrance. It has a bright citrusy opening and quickly follows a beautiful warm, ambery and spicy scent with the cinnamon being prominent and is perfect for the colder months. It most definitely reminds me of angels' share, just lacking the rum "alcohol" undertone and replacing it with incense. In the air it could be mistaken for angels' share. Worth trying out!!!

Dry, dark chocolatey, cold green (from the juniper I suppose). Interesting and unisex. I dont get much cinnamon at all, and none of the sweetness that others mention. Edit: I tried this again at another store and it’s a completely different fragrance. Now I get a warm sweet cinnamon bomb. Wonder what was in the other bottle I tried...

I feel like I'm a walking Chai Tea Latte when I wear this, and I'm held by very corporate people in the middle of the afternoon. Not a bad scent but come on, if incense and juniper is listed I would very much like to smell them. It's nothing "nocturnal" and definitely not junipery -totally misleading.

Very good and close to AS but of course weaker: wish Zara read out reviews and did one stronger scent may be £10 more expensive but longest lasting. Anyway I'd definitely wear this in the colder months for snuggle time or layered with a vanilla ( Kayali 28) or Zara's Perpetual oud for a bomb combo !!

Sadly it just smells like smoke to me. Gave it to my sister and she seems to like it but does say it has something "manly" about it. She's almost used up de whole bottle so she doesn't mind the unisex vibes it has

I also agree that this is a clone of Sand dessert at Sunset. It’s nice scent even for warmer sunny days. I prefer Sand dessert at Sunset due to bottle design, but you won’t go wrong with this one either.