02/16/2019
N471v3
98 Reviews
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N471v3
2
Camouflage and deceive!!!
This Zara perfume department has really clever employees in the perfume department. But even more resourceful guys they have in the marketing and ideas department!!
They released this Leather series in 2016, called Gourmand, Unique and Rich Leather. Recognizable by the pseudo-leathery flacons. Whereby it is a pseudoleder softtouch, as in cars that act as if they were real leather.
Short more about the design:
As already mentioned in my "Gourmand Leather" Kommi, I really like the bottles, although they don't only differ in colour. Unique Leather, which I now own, has softer honeycomb leather, with a seam on the top to make it look even more authentic. But it's imitation. (I'm not sure if I should be happy about it, with real leather the animal would have suffered, with artificial leather it'll swim around in the ocean in 50 years, until it's eaten by a poor sperm whale... or so.
But haptics fits, and design is also really cool, you have to give them that.
Now to the perfume itself.
As already mentioned, Zara clearly decided that you can have a nice life if you don't reinvent the wheel, and why, - the top designer labels give every year in chord time what's currently in, and hip!
And where I wasn't sure if Gourmand Leather was a pirated copy on purpose, I'm very sure since Unique Leather that both was a calculation.
It shot in my head as soon as I sprayed it on, "I know that."
I was looking for fragrance twins here, and on other perfume forums... nowhere what was in my head. What doesn't surprise me is that the original is based on the UL, but has never become as popular as it was hoped.
It's Abercrombie & Fitch - First Instinct.
To prove it, I further compared the scents of this fragrance with those of the offender.
Both have violets, (wild)leather, musk, amber, and something citric/fruity in their heads.
A/B test on left and right hand then clear any doubt: Unique Leather is a clone of First Instinct!
As luck would have it, I prefer the clone to the original. Because the original looks so youthful by its Kiwano top note, it has such a tropical touch with which I can not identify, - although well done!
Since Unique Leather is a bit more trivial, with only bergamot as freshness donor, I like it somehow better.
Paradoxically, UL taught me what FI is all about, so I can now appreciate it a little more than before. If you think of the, admittedly tame, suede chord in it while "tasting" it, I find it there in a slightly better light.
That's why I think Unique Leather didn't experience so much love here, because if you just test it without getting involved, it just looks sweet-fruity, and maybe you'd turn it off quickly. You don't get behind it like that, which countergame is going on here.
I let myself be seduced by the dream of the pseudo-leather, and waited comfortably until the drydown, sprayed it, and must say I find Unique Leather really cool to wear, if you want something leathery with freshness in spring / summer. And not only the usual citric-woody counterplay, as is the case in most fresh fragrances.
With "real" leather fragrances á la Tom Ford & Co this has little in common, it is rather a hint of leather to avoid creating false expectations. Hold very well woven and just enough that you notice it, but rather when you know it. But it is also easily portable and will not open anyone.
It may well be that my evaluation of this fragrance will fluctuate a little over the next few days / weeks, but I think it is definitely quite good. As I said, I like that it looks less youthful than the A&F, but still stays quite dynamic and young.
Really beautiful for spring.
And for the price of 28€ (including shipping) for 100ml, there is really nothing to complain about. :)
With that in mind, stay fresh! (And leathery) ;P
They released this Leather series in 2016, called Gourmand, Unique and Rich Leather. Recognizable by the pseudo-leathery flacons. Whereby it is a pseudoleder softtouch, as in cars that act as if they were real leather.
Short more about the design:
As already mentioned in my "Gourmand Leather" Kommi, I really like the bottles, although they don't only differ in colour. Unique Leather, which I now own, has softer honeycomb leather, with a seam on the top to make it look even more authentic. But it's imitation. (I'm not sure if I should be happy about it, with real leather the animal would have suffered, with artificial leather it'll swim around in the ocean in 50 years, until it's eaten by a poor sperm whale... or so.
But haptics fits, and design is also really cool, you have to give them that.
Now to the perfume itself.
As already mentioned, Zara clearly decided that you can have a nice life if you don't reinvent the wheel, and why, - the top designer labels give every year in chord time what's currently in, and hip!
And where I wasn't sure if Gourmand Leather was a pirated copy on purpose, I'm very sure since Unique Leather that both was a calculation.
It shot in my head as soon as I sprayed it on, "I know that."
I was looking for fragrance twins here, and on other perfume forums... nowhere what was in my head. What doesn't surprise me is that the original is based on the UL, but has never become as popular as it was hoped.
It's Abercrombie & Fitch - First Instinct.
To prove it, I further compared the scents of this fragrance with those of the offender.
Both have violets, (wild)leather, musk, amber, and something citric/fruity in their heads.
A/B test on left and right hand then clear any doubt: Unique Leather is a clone of First Instinct!
As luck would have it, I prefer the clone to the original. Because the original looks so youthful by its Kiwano top note, it has such a tropical touch with which I can not identify, - although well done!
Since Unique Leather is a bit more trivial, with only bergamot as freshness donor, I like it somehow better.
Paradoxically, UL taught me what FI is all about, so I can now appreciate it a little more than before. If you think of the, admittedly tame, suede chord in it while "tasting" it, I find it there in a slightly better light.
That's why I think Unique Leather didn't experience so much love here, because if you just test it without getting involved, it just looks sweet-fruity, and maybe you'd turn it off quickly. You don't get behind it like that, which countergame is going on here.
I let myself be seduced by the dream of the pseudo-leather, and waited comfortably until the drydown, sprayed it, and must say I find Unique Leather really cool to wear, if you want something leathery with freshness in spring / summer. And not only the usual citric-woody counterplay, as is the case in most fresh fragrances.
With "real" leather fragrances á la Tom Ford & Co this has little in common, it is rather a hint of leather to avoid creating false expectations. Hold very well woven and just enough that you notice it, but rather when you know it. But it is also easily portable and will not open anyone.
It may well be that my evaluation of this fragrance will fluctuate a little over the next few days / weeks, but I think it is definitely quite good. As I said, I like that it looks less youthful than the A&F, but still stays quite dynamic and young.
Really beautiful for spring.
And for the price of 28€ (including shipping) for 100ml, there is really nothing to complain about. :)
With that in mind, stay fresh! (And leathery) ;P
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