Red Vanilla

Oh, the smell of my college days. This used to be my go-to and signature scent since I carried a 30 ml EDT in my purse most of the time. Sure this reminds me of LVEB (tried it once on skin and paper strip, never purchased it due to its popularity. Smelling just the same with the crowd was not my choice), but this felt more like LVEB's slightly edgier sister. She doesn't look cheap, she's sweet, but you could see her darker, more mysterious facets sometimes. The most prominent notes would be black currant and praline. It's up front and everpresent, accompanied with vanilla and patchouli in the background. The vanilla is quite subdued, thus the name "Red Vanilla" feels pretty misleading at least to me. What differs this from LVEB to me is the warmer, murkier drydown where the vanilla-patchouli (or tonka?) combo almost mimics a woodier, somewhat leathery nuance. I do enjoy this phase the most. I always apply this scent VERY generously (I'm talking 10-12 sprays) since I knew this won't last and project if I only apply it at 3 sprays max. Being heavy on the spray actually helps to elongate this scent's lifespan with moderate projection at 4-5 hour mark. It's an EDT after all, I didn't expect too much on its performance. Considering it's price point, you'll pretty much get what you pay for.

i'd say this is heavy on the patchouli and the black currant, it opens with quite a fruity/citrus note so if you like it you won't be disappointed. i can't detect much of tonka beans or vanilla, only a little bit in the drydown it does get sweeter and lighter. i'm afraid i've turned anosmic to this though as i wear it every day, i'd say though on clothes it lasts obviously longer than on skin and particularly on wool sweaters, scarfs and whatnot it projects and stays for a long time, on synthetic fibers not so much but i guess it has more to do with the quality of the clothing than with the perfume itself. also i've smelled la vie est belle and i understand the similarity but it's definitely not the same. but i like red vanilla more despite being a gourmand/sweet/vanillic fragrance lover. it's a nice fragrance to put on if you worry about choking others out with your perfume (which i do worry about, i hate that feeling) and if you don't care for projection or compliments, which this one got me a few times anyway. if you wear your perfume for You, get this. i also like to put this on at night after a shower since it makes me feel fresh and it's unnoticeable so no one will judge me for having perfume on.

This used to be my favourite perfume but I got the new 2022 bottle and would say that ITS SMELL DEFINITELY HAS CHANGED. It no longer smells so feminine and smells more like citrus now, as if they've changed the formula completely. It no longer lasts even 15 minutes. I'm so disappointed. I regret buying the new red vanilla perfume. I have the old bottle too. the new and the old one smells utterly different. Edit: Omg guys I cannot believe that. They even changed the description. Old red vanilla description from zara website (2020 or 2021): Asian-inspired eau de toilette. The fragrance pyramid reveals notes of blackcurrant, iris and vanilla. It’s a warm, elegant fragrance designed to be worn at night. New description: A sophisticated, warm and spicy fragrance with floral and sweet notes. A bright bouquet of elegant iris and red peony flowers combined with juicy notes of tangerine and a sweet and delicate hint of raspberry, fused with a note of vanilla. I’m incredibly disappointed They changed the perfume and kept the same name. Unbelievable

This was the first Zara fragrance I bought and a fragrance I loved from first spray. The blackcurrant, the vanilla and praline in this scent wow. Definitely a LVEB dupe but LVEB obviously smells better and is blended better as well. A nice cheap alternative if you’re not willing to part with that much money. Unlike most Zara scents, I found that this stayed on quite well given the price point, about 6-8 hours on me before it becomes a skin scent. Not sure about the recent formulation and its lasting power. Wore this a lot around the years 2020/21 around the time LVEB became a favourite for a lot of girlies and you just knew it when you smelt it. Always got compliments when wearing it. I never repurchased this when it finished, as I got other fragrances in my collection but something I’d revisit if I started my collection from scratch.

So this is one of the best perfumes ever released by Zara in my book. Very strong in the beginning, and projects for about an hour. EDT so obviously longevity and sillage are nothing to write home about. But it is amazing!!! I got it in the 30ml and i'm on the hunt for a bigger bottle. What kills this is the longevity but the 30ml is compact enough to carry around and spray when the juice disappears. I don't detect the alcohol opening mentioned in some comments and it was love at first spray. Out of all the Zara offerings I have so far, this is by far the best, followed by Gardenia, Tuberose, Golden decade and then disappointingly, fields of nightfall takes last place. Spot on dupe for La vie est belle.