Vibrant Leather Oud Elixir

Absolutely love this. I didn't like it initially, but after coming back to my bottle after a month it was much better. The citrusy top notes really brighten up this scent and they last a long time as well. The projection and longevity are also genuinely impressive. For £29, it's well worth it.

The most interesting of the three new elixirs, and in my opinion, the only one worth considering. It's a more intense and darker version of the classic Vibrant Leather Oud. Elixir smells almost identical, except that it's darker and has better performance. If you already have the basic VL Oud, you can skip Elixir as they're too similar, but if you don't have either, it's better to choose this one. 7/10

The original Vibrant Leather i still have most of my bottle since it was mildly pleasant, but quite disappointingly performing scent, but it was hailed as one of the better cheap Aventus clones. It was so successful that they released like 50 different flankers into that line, but none have being interesting to me even on paper, even the Oud Vibrant Leather one because i was like "Oud? ZARA? Lmao!" but other scents did demonstrate to me that some of the ZARA perfumers are quite capable of creating a realistic Oud scent within a ZARA budget, so i decided to check again. Now, i haven't smelled the original Oud Vibrant Leather, and jumped directly into the Elixir so i can't say if this one is "same but stronger" or a very different scent, but what i can say is, that adding Oud type note into the original Vibrant Leather DNA does not work whatsoever for me. Its not complimenting it, its fighting the other notes, and the resulting smell is quite reminiscent of dill pickle juice in the opening, and the citrus bitterness continues to work against it in the drydown. Another lesson that you can't just add Oud into everything and make it work, it needs synergies that are just not there for the Vibrant Leather DNA. The drydown settles into something more acceptable, like a bit sweeter and denser Vibrant Leather, but at the same time less "pleasing" to the nose, while not being dark and challenging Oud whatsoever. Out of all the "Oud" marked ZARA scents, this line would be among the last i would pick.

A well-crafted composition where deep oud meets refined leather. The scent opens bold, then settles into a smooth warm dry down with excellent longevity. Sophisticated, masculine, and very wearable for an oud-based fragrance. Recommend