Warm Black by Zara

I’m a woman and I’ve been wearing this like crazy since October. I know it’s a masculine scent and I’d love to wear it on a man, but it doesn’t stop me from using it myself in the cold. I adore the spices (saffron, ginger) with a hint of clove, cardamom and cinnamon. The vanilla isn’t pastry-like and the church incense calms the heat. On my skin, it smells like black tea, like a spicy and sweet masala chai in a cosy café. It reminds me of Herod by Parfums de Marly and Spicebomb Infrared, but it’s drier and less invasive. Presentation: 6/10 (it works but is standard). Longevity: 8/10 (over 8 hours). Sillage: 5/10 (intimate, which is better). Originality: 8/10 (good for Zara and the price). Versatility: 4/10 (cold weather only, it’s suffocating in summer). Season: autumn/winter. Taste: 9/10. Would I buy it again?: yes.

Not for everyone, don’t buy blindly as it smells very cloying, but if you like those aromas you’ll love it. It lasts well and the scent is rich; although synthetic, it’s hard to compare it with Spicebomb or Tobacco Vanille in terms of ingredient quality, but it has a similar touch.

In these weeks I tested 25-30 fragrances from Zara and this is the one that projects and lasts the most. At first it put me off, smelling of wet cardboard. When I got home, bursts of a scent I adored would hit me and wouldn’t stop all afternoon. It was this one. Don’t buy blindly; I don’t think it will be pleasant for everyone, but it doesn’t have to be. It smells like a family coat on Christmas, incense in church, heavy and sweet food shop scents in winter, a wooden house with a fireplace, reading an old book in a vintage shop. Ironically, I was looking for incense and warmth, and it’s probably the best value for money. Without seeing the bottle, I’d say it smells three or four times its price.

Something strange happens with this fragrance. If I smell it freshly applied up close on skin or paper, it seems strident and synthetic until it dries down. HOWEVER, once I apply it to my neck and clothes to go out, it smells very pleasant. In short, freshly applied and up close: bad, but from a distance (neck): very good.

The first time I smelled it, I disliked it, but I applied it several more times until I understood it. The opening is strong and sometimes off-putting to those around you, but once it dries down, the same people are full of compliments. It’s rich, sweet and very long-lasting on skin, even more so on clothes; it’s still there the next day, softer but present. One of my favourites for the cold, especially as in Mexico the dates to wear it are approaching.

I tried it on my arm at Zara: strong, spicy, and slightly unpleasant opening. My daughter said it smelled like an old church. After half an hour, it shifts to vanilla with oud, very rich and similar to Benetton’s Colors Man Black. I prefer the Benetton one. I’d use it in fresh weather (10-25 degrees) for the office or semi-formal outings. It’s for personal enjoyment; I don’t think it will garner many compliments.

This is a work of art. Many people dismiss it because it’s from Zara and cheap, but it’s a beast. If you swapped the label for a niche brand, perfumeries would price it at $400. What more could you want? It has brutal sillage and projection. Laughing-stock price and a compliment machine.

IT DOESN’T REMIND ME OF TOM FORD’S TOBACCO VANILLE! Comparing them is like comparing a VW to an Audi just because they both have four wheels: nothing to do with each other. Tobacco Vanille is excellent; Warm Black isn’t. This Zara one is fine on its own and has given me some compliments, though some girls said it smells feminine and would be better as a gift. It’s a unisex scent heavily leaning feminine. Don’t recommend it if you’re looking for a Tobacco Vanille substitute or if you’re a self-proclaimed alpha male.

Just when I wasn’t expecting it, Zara surprised me. I started in this world with their perfumes but stopped buying them due to longevity. After Vibrant Leather disappointed me, I wasn’t buying them anymore, but my girlfriend wanted to gift something economical to a friend. I tried Warm Black and wow, I loved it. I’m into woody, spicy, and sweet perfumes; here, the sweetness feels more present without being cloying. I liked it so much I bought the pack with Navy Black (that one didn’t work for me, will be a gift). Warm Black is worth it and reminds me of Spicenbomb Extreme (though it’s not the same).

Reading the reviews, I saw it was striking and trendy; I didn’t know this and was surprised. It’s not a mainstream scent nor does it win hearts immediately, but it was the one that attracted me most from Zara after trying ten current perfumes. It has a pleasant, sweet, and mysterious aroma. I recognise the ginger and spiciness at the start, then it turns into pipe tobacco, honey, milk, and toasted wood. The warmth stands out. Its weak point is a slight synthetic touch. It has good longevity and sillage. It’s sober and masculine, for those over 25. It suits cold climates better, day or night. It’s noble, versatile, and in my case, a perfume for personal satisfaction and compliments.

At first, I thought it smelled like church incense and found it horrible—nothing youthful, only for very specific tastes. I tried it on people of all ages and nobody liked it. However, revisiting it months later with a more refined sense of smell, I recommend it wholeheartedly: it radiates presence, authority, and masculinity. It is not a generic scent; it is interesting, mysterious, and warm. It is currently Zara’s best offering, as their other perfumes are very mainstream; this one stands out with a rich aroma, excellent longevity, and many compliments, although that is not its strongest point.

It smells of tobacco and vanilla, a blend reminiscent of Zara’s Warm Black. Upon smelling it, I imagine a mature man with a thick beard, well-dressed in a suit, in cool or cold weather. It is for an alpha male; a silverback, thirty years old and up, though I imagine anyone up to 100 could wear it. They say it is unisex, but honestly, I cannot picture a woman wearing this aroma; it would seem as though she has run out of perfumes and simply grabbed her husband’s and sprayed it on. For women, there are many options to smell rich, sexy, and feminine. Regards.

For me, this fragrance has two parts. The first: the initial four or five hours where only incense is perceived, very potent and rather coarse. It smells literally like a candle shop, but much more invasive and sharp. The second: the dry-down is very good, highlighting above all a very sweet vanilla. Conclusion: In my opinion, this is a perfume attempting to imitate Musc Ravageur but with a tenth of the quality. I bought it blindly and must say I do not recommend it at all, as in my view only the final stage is enjoyable. The first hours are quite unpleasant for my nose. The longevity and trail are very good, which in this case is somewhat counterproductive. 3/10.

I bought this fragrance and honestly I have no idea why. I had a clone from Esenzia or something similar, which was much more potent than this; the vanilla dry-down lasted days in the room, because once tested, I never sprayed it again and it remained merely as an air freshener. The first day it arrived, without praise or blame, two sprays and that was it; it was relegated. Until a few days ago when I started spraying it at night when I go to watch a film, and I must say I am starting to enjoy it, because now I do like it and feel comfortable wearing it. And things of life, the other day I had sprayed Ajmal Silver Shade before, which is a clone of Creed, and the two mixed together, I must say I loved the scent that came through after a few hours.