Zara
Zara
95 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Mandarin's bright citrus tangles immediately with saffron's dusty, almost metallic character, whilst cardamom adds a peppery snap that prevents any juvenile sweetness. Artemisia's herbal thread keeps everything grounded, creating an unexpectedly savoury top that feels both fresh and subtly complex.
Orange blossom softens the composition considerably, its waxy, honeyed character merging with ylang ylang's creamy indolity, whilst mahonial introduces a quiet woodiness that anchors the florals. The tonka bean emerges now, bringing a gentle custard-like warmth that rounds every edge without dulling the remaining citrus.
The solar note and musky base notes crystallise into a soft, skin-like drydown where benzoin's incense-tinged warmth dominates, accompanied by a creamy, almost powdery presence. The fragrance becomes a second skin—intimate and understated, with only faint traces of orange blossom lingering alongside the gentle hum of tonka and musk.
Surfing Puerto Escondido arrives as a sun-drenched reverie rather than a conventional fragrance—a creamy floral that refuses the usual tropical clichés. The opening's mandarin and saffron create an almost savoury brightness, grounded immediately by cardamom's peppery warmth and artemisia's faintly herbal whisper, preventing any descent into fruity sweetness. As the composition settles into its heart, orange blossom and ylang ylang emerge with genuine elegance, their indolic sensuality tempered by the creamy tonka bean that shadows every development. There's an unusual transparency here: the aquatic accord (at 52%) suggests salt spray and ozone without ever becoming ozonic, instead functioning as a counterweight to prevent the florals from becoming cloying.
The fragrance possesses a distinctly creamy character (100% accord strength) that derives not from vanilla-heavy gourmands but from benzoin's resinous softness and mahonial's subtle woody creaminess. It's a scent that suggests someone lounging on a coastal terrace at dusk—not the frantic energy of daytime beach culture, but that suspended moment when the sun melts toward the horizon and sea breeze carries traces of bloom and salt.
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3.6/5 (672)