Mdln0320

A short BR540 review to start with:
For me, BR540 is one of those fragrances to which my body inevitably reacts with a nose wrinkle. Musty vibes from a splash of barbecue sauce in synthetic cough syrup, somewhere in a hospital operating room where a cotton candy vendor from the fair has strayed. Interesting, but that doesn't make it great. Most dupes are simply poor imitations and only make my dislike of the scent worse. In my opinion, there are people for whom the fragrance really suits and for whom it harmonizes perfectly with the overall image, becoming a blessing. But these are very, very few, and yet half the world sprays itself with it, and not exactly hesitantly, which further leads to any "magic" being lost. (Regardless of my opinion, everyone should of course spray what they like - tastes are different, and that's a good thing).

Now to the fragrance:
There I was a few months ago in my favorite drugstore. A new fragrance from Câline? I could already guess what it was from the label, but I was still curious and sprayed it on my wrist.

Contrary to my expectations - no flight instinct.

Fascinating... it's extremely close to the original, but the little nuances are somehow more beautifully balanced... it almost smells more premium to me. An olfactory aberration?

I have to keep sniffing my wrist. I still wouldn't really wear it, it's too close to the original. And yet it does the little details better for me. The candy floss seller is no longer standing around lost in the operating room. This time he sells his candy floss at the open-air fair, outside an operating room, together with candied strawberries, whose sugar crust looks so beautifully shiny. The medicinal notes are a little less intense and constricting, the woody and spicy notes are no longer so synthetic and no longer reminiscent of barbecue sauce, but ensure that it is not a pure fairground scent. It is softer and rounder, a little sweeter, but with a nicer sweetness than the original. And yet clearly BR540, confusingly similar.

A cloud of the fragrance keeps rising to my nose, even hours later. And somehow I like it. Even the next day, it is still perceptible on my hand. A 6€ fragrance. Simply amazing. I went to the drugstore a few more times in the following weeks, each time I couldn't help but apply another spray and be amazed. I decided to buy it after all, somehow I had taken a liking to it... just to wear a spray at home from time to time, a fragrance for 6€, why not.

Too late, it was already sold out everywhere, the hype had begun.

In the meantime, it was also allowed to move in with me. For the money, it's simply amazing. Although the bottle is pretty to look at, it is cheaply made for the price, and unfortunately the spray heads can often be faulty, as is so often the case with Câline in this price segment. Nevertheless - I give my good rating in spite of my dislike of the original, and although I still think that the fragrance does not suit everyone, not even this dupe, and that "too much of a good thing" can very quickly be achieved here. Simply because it's incredibly well done as a clone, especially at the price. I absolutely cannot confirm the reviews that write about poor longevity and sillage - perhaps there was a faulty batch in between? I have easily sprayed it on 10 times from different testers, and each time it lasted 6-8 hours with good sillage, even until the next day, with only 1-2 sprays. It certainly doesn't suit me, and at most I spray it on my wrist at home - but then I enjoy it.

For the price, the fragrance is really incredibly beautiful, and definitely worth a try. Unfortunately I'm always torn, I tend to have a toxic relationship with this fragrance. I love smelling it, with its cinnamony-sweet powderiness, almonds and a creaminess like milk with honey that wraps you up like a warm blanket, rounded off with spicy notes, cozy-soft and cuddly, with a hint of floral powder... and yet it overwhelms me after a while. When I wear it, it smells kind of musty after a short time, it becomes unbearable in one fell swoop, so I have to get rid of it, it suddenly really annoys me. It's absolutely not that the fragrance changes in a negative way, it's just my perception, it becomes too much for me in one fell swoop.

And yet I can't get away from it, I want to smell it again and again. I can only stand it for a short time, but during that time I enjoy it. For the price, such a love-hate relationship is manageable, especially as you can expect above-average longevity and sillage and just one spray is enough, and I would still recommend it to anyone looking for sweet and powdery cheapies. Not everyone has to be as quickly annoyed by it as I am. And if someone really likes having the fragrance around, the "Byzantium | Tesori d'Oriente" convinces with an extremely good longevity of several hours. I will probably stick to the shower gel, because showering becomes a pleasure with the fragrance, and it is also one of the few shower gels where the fragrance is still present for quite a while after showering, just long enough to satisfy my longing without annoying me :) However, the bottle still has a place in my collection - just in case.

It's autumn, but on my skin is summer. The fragrance brings me associations of a breeze of sea air and warm sun rays. Freshly creamed, I lie in a hammock, on the beach of a tropical island, surrounded by palm trees and shrubs with colorful and white flowers, whose creamy, well-groomed scent I perceive discreetly, but still very present. However, my focus is on something else - in front of me it lies, the golden-yellow shiny, juicy mango, perfectly ripe and simply to bite into, so it enchants everything around it with the scent of its natural sweetness. Musk gives the fragrance a creaminess, with which a touch of sandalwood unites. Simply beautiful, to enjoy, to dream.... The sky outside is gray, the weather wet and cold, but I continue to dream a little more.... hach... Fernweh.


I'm usually not a fan of fruity scents, and liked eg the mango in some other fragrances absolutely not at all. But this one has really done it to me. He smells not synthetic, but soft, coherent, creamy, and sweet, but not obtrusively sweet. Very nice and quality made, starting from the bottle to the fragrance itself. For the price incredibly good.
Durability could be better for a perfume oil, but is still good with about 5 hours (and considered for the price).

O queen of fragrances,
you most beautiful of all vanillas,
in the elegance of your bottle
you present your radiant glow,
Noble-looking and yet discreet.

You don't have to prove anything to anyone,
You have no need to show off.
With all the beautiful scents in the world
You just smile, unimpressed
You know it well
No one can reach you
The throne is yours, that's for sure

You cast a spell over me
Your perfection gives me strength
Embrace me with powdery elegance
Lovingly and tenderly,
You envelop me
in pure security
Once in your intimate embrace
There is no escape.

Who wants to get away from you?
I don't want to miss you anymore
You are more than a scent
You are a home

Familiar, safe and warm
Like rays of sunshine on the skin
Pleasantly soft and velvety-soft
Like a cozy bed
Soothing and sensual
Like a tender touch
Magnificent like a sunset,
Endless like the starry sky that follows
This is how my soul wants to smell
This is how love smells.

Zara has once again hidden a treasure in its fragrance collection. Admittedly, I'm not a fan of "Baccarat Rouge 540 (Eau de Parfum) | Maison Francis Kurkdjian", it reminds me too much of a hospital, dentist's surgery and somehow also of barbecue sauce. That's why I steer clear of BR540 dupes and never thought I'd like a fragrance inspired by BR540 after all.

And yet the "Red Temptation Winter | Zara" was allowed to move in with me. Although this fragrance shares the BR540 DNA, it is by no means a fragrance twin, but rather a wintry, gourmand reinterpretation that I personally like better than the original. The BR540 DNA has been dipped in liquid golden caramel with earthy patchouli and a pinch of speculoos spices and served with roasted almonds and candied fruits.

Immediately after spraying it on, you can still smell a lot of saffron and patchouli, which then gradually transforms into a heavy yet fluffy sweetness that becomes fluffier and softer as it progresses, and which is not overloaded, even if the description may sound like it at first.

However, a low dosage is definitely advisable, too much of a good thing could lead to a sugar shock with saffron overload - the fragrance would probably be really unpleasantly intrusive and too intensely sticky-sweet for frequent sprayers. With the right dosage, however, it is a warm, very beautiful and above all remarkable fragrance with extremely good sillage and longevity with just 1-2 sprays. Hats off to Zara, especially in this price range.