The Swedish collection trilogy from ZARA

Hey there,

I've just seen that ZARA has released three brand new colognes for men, the -MADE IN SWEDEN- collection, allegedly for this fall/winter season. They are available here ZARA Men's Perfumes, and namely they are NORRLANDS, KILSBERGEN, and TIVEDEN. According to Google, those correspond to Sweden's region, mountain, and national park respectively. All of the three scents belong to the woody family, as clearly depicted by the woody-like boxes and caps, though each one is built around a main accord of earthy vetiver, sweet tonka, or animal leather note.

Since ZARA often makes its good fragrances very similar to famous brands, my gut feeling is that this time we will get a clone of Terre d'Hermés, Le Male JPG, and Pour Homme Azzaro... who knows?

Have a scent day,

Gianluca

The Conquering Blend of Citrus, Spicy, and Woody Notes

To start with, I know it might seem weird, yet I adore the smell of fresh cut wood in the morning... although, this time out of Zara's Tiveden and Norrland I choose the latter. It is woodier with a hint of pencil sharpener note, but without having freshly-cut trees smell, like in Tiveden.
Norrland, on the other hand, keeps this foresty-woody spell, it's spicier due to vetiver and peppercorn, earthier, more Viking-land like, it reminds me of Terre d'Hermès, which I find reflective and healing. It's more synthetic than TdH, still very enjoyable and clean, would imagine it is great to wear both for office and for outdoors.
I don't think this is an uncanny TdH clone, rather I think it smells as if it was inspired by it... they both share that dirty citrus vibe, but TdH is brighter and more mineral, that aspect is missing here. If you are anything like me, you would like TdH and you should like this, but don't expect it to be a replacement.

Norrland is allegedly built around three main notes, which are decidedly detectable: the zestiness from grapefruit, the spiciness from peppercorn, and the woodiness from vetiver. The dominant tone is woody, though it's obviously vetiver. Here you get woodiness and not earthiness vibe from vetiver, an accord that is the perfect go-to accord when creating masculine aromas, its long lasting earthy aroma pairs perfectly with leather and wood notes, as in this scent. I must be mistaken, yet I get a hint of cedarwood in the composition, which goes together well with the vetiver.

All the above being said Norrland is a great scent on its own. The few ingredients are nicely blended and it performs way above its price point. Interestingly, I feel it shares the same musky undertones as Tiveden, yet not as pronounced. Longevity is not bad, however, it goes down to a skin scent sooner than what I would expect from an EDP. Instead, the sillage is moderate, which makes the scent suitable for the office. Spring and Autumn are both suitable seasons for showing off the beautifulness of this juice.

As ditto, it is not an accurate clone, yet it smell closely akin and captures the essential good vibes of TdH. ZARA is doing things pretty well!

Undertones of the Leathery and Smoky Notes

I popped into the ZARA shop before dinner one late evening, I saw the newbies from Swedish Collection, and I spritzed some of the Tiveden on just to test it, and for the rest of the night, I could not stop sniffing my wrist. It was masculine. It was tad feminine. It was smoky. It was woody. It was leathery. It was shape-shifting in my nostrils. It was elegant but edgy. It was sophisticated but down-to-earth. It was love, pure love.
Now that I've smelled the smoky-powdery-leathery vibes of ZARA Tiveden, I'm addicted. I'm taking solace that, because no one in my office wears it yet, I'm still kind of a special snowflake.

For one thing, despite the Swedish name, I find this to be a predominantly leather-focused scent, with salty, green cucumbers or better pickles quality that is almost aquatic. It opens with a powerful blast of green cardamom, with its pungent yet elusive flavor, resinous and dark with hints of eucalyptus, sea salt, leather, and that aqueous herbal element. Perhaps, there is a tad of tarragon or drill in the headnotes, not listed on the official site.

What makes a fragrance intriguing is when it evokes a specific time, a certain place or a particular material while remaining elusively vague. ZARA Tiveden is intensely masculine: full of raw, oily leather and balsam, it makes me think of a lifestyle concept store – one of those deep-toned, white empty studio spaces where they place a tangle of parched white driftwood in one corner and a long leather couch in the other. Close your eyes, breath, and let your mind go in there...

Much later on, in the far drydown, there is the aroma of the raw and brusquely woods, and it is only then I see the reference to sandalwood. But, in general, this is dry and woody-leathery, not lactonic or sweet. The more I sniff it the more I get the astonishing smell of genuine leather exuding from a brand new handmade coat, belt, or pair of shoes.
It reminds me of books, too. In particular in the raw, harsh chemical breeze of salt, which ultimately comes off as a combination of freshly-tanned leather and newly-printed paper.

Oh man, no question about it. With superior performance to boot, this is another winning hand from the house of ZARA. Well played! Be sure to give it a chance before damning it after the first sniff – you might eventually enjoy it!

Ultimately, the smell lies on the masculine side and can be worn well in the fall. It's a warm, wood-like smell that I found surprisingly identical to the way the forest smells after it rains. It captures the smell of damp earth, ferns, creek water, cedar, and wet leather. Woodsy like the aroma of the freshly-cut wood you get in a sawmill or lumber mill, where logs are cut into lumber... Ever been to a lumber yard? It's that scent. Wonderful woods being cut. It's terrific and quite wearable.

At this point, it’s weird if someone doesn't smell like Tiveden by ZARA!!!

-Elysium