Cherry Bomb by Zara

In Mexico, there are heart-shaped caramel lollipops with a phrase on them, and this smells like that: caramelised cherry with a baker’s vanilla touch. The roses come through later, without being overpowering. I detect toasted almonds rather than nuts. After an hour, it smells of baby, yes, BABY. It’s very different from Cherry Smoothie, which is more liqueur-like; here it’s juicy sweetness, ideal for cooler climates and any age. Longevity isn’t the best, projecting for about an hour, though it depends on the skin. On my boyfriend it lasted five hours, on me less. Zara isn’t trying to revolutionise; it’s a sweet, safe proposition without pretensions. It’s cheap, so you can spray it until you’re dizzy. I liked it.

Listen, I’m a man and I loved it. The opening is brilliant, reminding me of Tom Ford. Although it’s marketed as feminine here, for me it’s unisex. People complain about the longevity, but I’ve worn it for over four hours and it still smells great; the projection isn’t huge, but the scent is spectacular. They say it loses its cherry note when it dries down, but no, it leaves a subtle, addictive trail. Honestly, this is the one that lives up to its name; the others are sweeter. It’s on sale for €8 and I picked it up, though I’m thinking of buying a backup. If you have any doubts, ask me.

This is my second favourite in the collection and the sweetest of all. The cherry tastes like it’s in syrup, with lots of rose and vanilla. There’s a touch of tangerine at the start that lasts just a few minutes. What I notice most is the rose and vanilla, which reminds me of Zara’s Rose Gourmand (which I adore and lasts longer). It’s pleasant but doesn’t offer anything new, and it falls short on longevity and projection. I’ve reviewed this and other Zara perfumes on my TikTok, Instagram and YouTube @probadoaprobado.

Every time I feel tempted to sell or swap it, I smell it and put it back. It’s intense, like a cherry tart bathed in vanilla cream; the roses are noticeable and a touch of mandarin prevents it from becoming cloying. I don’t wear it much as I have many perfumes and cherry isn’t really my thing, but I keep it to smell at home or wear before bed. It’s a gem I found at a great price.

It brings back memories of the Kojak bubblegum pirouettes I used to eat as a child; it’s a fascinating trip back to my childhood. To me, it smells of cherry with an almond note, sometimes reminiscent of Dior’s Joy but with cherry. The price and longevity are decent. I believe it’s unisex; it would suit a man perfectly. Zara has a good collection of cherry scents.

At first it smells bitter and of kojak chupa-chups, but once it dries down almost everything disappears, leaving just that fresh vanilla and rose scent that I adore. Nothing like that dry rose that doesn’t suit me. It reminds me of the smell of dolls, and honestly, I’ve loved it more than I expected.