Zara Discovery Set Vibrant Cities review

Jo Malone has again partnered with Zara and released 8 new fragrances: the “Vibrant Cities”. Here’s my review of all of them: the Zara Vibrant Cities Discovery Set review.

“Fast” Fragrance?!

In 2019, the first collab of Jo Malone (the person, not the brand which belongs to Estee Lauder’s portfolio nowadays) was exciting news. The first release, called “Emotions” was like a “greatest hits” of Jo Malone fragrances, simplified for the mass market (my reviews here and here). Since then, four other collections have been released, making the “Vibrant Cities” the 6^th. Can we already speak of “fast fragrance”?

I don’t know, but I can tell you that I’ve become progressively more bored with each release. Jo Malone, for me, isn’t the most exciting perfumer anyways and excels (again, in my opinion) when she does those slightly weird, diffused fragrances in which she takes her associations and let them run wild (case in point: Wood Sage & Sea Salt and Poppy & Barley). When she does soliflores or fragrances that centre around the one (or two) eponymous ingredients, she usually bores me to death.

These are meant to “consumed”. You don’t need time to test them, you can basically do that in one day (I didn’t). You don’t need time for them to develop and for you to build an opinion. No: you can spray them and immediately know if you like that or not. Which certainly has an appeal, but doesn’t make for the most exciting fragrances. (Turin & Sanchez claimed recently that the base note is dead in perfumery, and looking at this sampler, I rather think the middle note has died.)

What’s in a name?

Also, the person coming up with the names needs a new job, desperately, because I imagine naming perfumes as a lot of fun, and these names have been created by throwing darts at a Thesaurus. Absolutely NOT fun. In fact, pretty awful. REALLY awful and really off-putting.

Also awful: the Zara website. Is there ANY way to easily figure out which scent comes in which iteration?! You’ll scroll and scroll and scroll just to figure out if Waterlily Teadress comes as a body lotion or a candle. Annoying.

Energetically New York

cardamom, jasmine, and sandalwood

A very short burst of a green, clean jasmine and then sandalwood. Oodles of sandalwood. I mean I like sandalwood, so to my nose that isn’t a bad thing, but if I wanted to smell solely of sandalwood, I’d get a bottle of sandalwood oil.

Boldly Seoul

violet, mimosa, and musk

This opens with a bouquet of Violets: the stuff you know from your grandma’s pastilles and potpourri, progresses to being a flower shop where they mainly offer violets and some green leaves, and then it’s the most boring, sweet, SWEET sugary musk. The base offends my soul (pun!!1): this could’ve been so much better if it’d turn into a sweet, cosy drydown, but offers cotton candy instead.

Fashionably London

bergamot, rose, and musk

I mean, sure: if London for you smells like a pretentious rose that rich fur-wearing tourists would buy… I had high hopes when London opened with an unexpected burst of fresh bergamot. Then comes a really screechy rose accord: this isn’t a rose fresh from the garden, or a jammy, ripe rose. This, for me, has a distinct oud note that makes it prickly and edgy. (Not edgy cool, but edgy “not round”.) And yes, this gets on my nerves. Also: what musk?

Creatively Shanghai

mandarin, cardamom, and cedar

A mandarin orange, and cardamon: great for the holiday season. I like it a lot, but this also has echoes of candle scents and room sprays. It’s a crowd pleaser for sure. Astonishing: for a citrus scent, this has great longevity.

Stunningly Venice

bergamot, red fruits, and myrrh

Phew, this opens with a generic red fruits jam and then turns into a well-behaved Myrrh that also could have been any wood or a very faint tobacco. I’ve smelled real Myrrh in Jerusalem and let me tell you, this ain’t it. It’s instead a very generic aromatic drydown. (I was really, really baffled by this Venice association: where’s the sea and the canals?!?!??! If there was ever the opportunity to tweak the Sea Salt fragrance – wouldn’t that’ve been it?!)

Elegantly Tokyo

lily, Arabian jasmine, and Akigalawood

So, this opens with Lily of the Valley and an atomic blast of Jasmine. This one is a very clean Jasmine (Jasmine soap?!), but a) I hate Jasmine and b) I got a headache from it. So, I’ve no idea if the drydown is any good. If you’re a big Jasmine lover, this one is for you. (Don’t come near me when you’re wearing it, please?)

Gracefully Madrid

orange, geranium, and musk

Come on, Jo, now you’re really phoning it in, because Madrid is a white, floral bar soap. That’s it. I’m irrationally annoyed about everything when I smell this: the barest hint of orange rind, the weird herbal flowery-ness and the absolute generic musky drydown. NO.

Magnificently Dubai

saffron, nutmeg, and leather accords

Oh yes: spices that remind me of speculoos in the absolutely best way, and a boozy, warm, soft, hint of leather (all animal traces removed). This reminds me of Dries van Noten par Fréderic Malle (review). I like it a lot and would absolutely wear it.

Conclusion: should you buy?

Generally, I was astonished about the longevity of all fragrances. Even the citrus fragrances could offer about 6 to 8 hours, which is really good and was lacking in earlier releases. Sillage (aka “projection”) is decent, too. (This won’t project into the next room, and people won’t have to have their noses on your skin to smell them, either.)

My main critique is this: nearly all of them, to my nose, lack something to make them interesting and being something I want to wear. This is mainly a decent base, but also a certain kind of dimension. They progress through their notes: bam! Bam! Bam! And that’s it. Instead of a symphony, you’ll get “Für Elise” played by your niece on a 20-year-old piano. There’s a time and place for that, sure. But I can’t help but wonder: less releases, but better ones – maybe that would’ve made them interesting?

The Discovery Set comes in a 8 x 4ml (0,14 fl.oz) packaging and retails for 15,95€/ $25.90. (German site/ US site)

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