Zara has come out with good fragrances, especially recently, and you really cannot beat the price for much of what they come out with. I’m a big lover of cherry fragrances so of course I didn’t hesitate to blind buy Cherry Smoothie. But, much as it has a few good points to it, overall it is a pass for me.
First the good points: It’s affordable, the performance is amazing, the cherry is discernable, and some say (not me) it actually has a boozy cherry note similar to Tom Ford’s Lost Cherry. Some also say (not me) it is realistic, and has an appealing smokiness. I do agree with the smokiness, and I like that. I have less than a third of the bottle left, so obviously I don’t hate it, but I have to admit a lot of the time I’ve been using it to freshen up clothes that I’ve forgotten to take out of the drier. It’s damp where I live. I’ve also used it liberally to freshen up my bed linens.
- cherry, almond, plum,
- Peru balsam, heliotrope, hawthorne
- vanilla, tonka bean
Personally, much as I love cherry in fragrance, ultimately this one is more of a cough syrup cherry infused with eau de bug spray. Again, that doesn’t mean I hate it, but I do find it saccharine and girly as well as medicinal and overwhelming – overpowering, probably nauseating for some people if they overspray, which is easy to do. And then you might find yourself in a situation where you’re trying to scrub it off!
To me, this is far from sophisticated. It’s pretty and juicy, but not beautiful. There is also, strangely, a plastic playdough vibe in here, but to me, that is one facet of this that is interesting. Anyway, it doesn’t smell natural, if a natural cherry is what you’re craving. I don’t see how you can compare this to Lost Cherry – which is disappointing, because I really want to find a cherry fragrance that is as good as Tom Ford’s, or similar to Rouge Smoking by BDK or to Room 1015’s Cherry Punk. I dedicated a post to cherry fragrances some time ago, so do check that out if you love the note of cherry in fragrance. I hear Kayali has a cherry fragrance out called Lovefest Burning Cherry that I’ve yet to try, but like Huda Cosmetics, run by the brand owner’s sister, that line is not cheap.
Zara’s Cherry Smoothie is a zesty, very artificial cherry lolly, and that might not be a bad thing for many. For me, sadly, it has amounted to cheap room spray.