Sand Desert at Sunset is a masculine amber spicy fragrance that launched in 2023 and was created by Benoist Lapouza. It features top notes of orange and incense; middle notes of cinnamon, tonka bean and chocolate; and base notes of iris and cedar. It is an eau de parfum, edp.
ZARA SAND DESERT AT SUNSET REVIEWS
Fragrantica: A gourmand perfume that should be theoretically overwhelming. But no, it's smooth, it's not loud, it's warm, it's a bit intimate yet inviting, lasts longer on clothes and hair. I like it just like that. It could be too much, too sweet, too gourmand but it's a shy cinnamony, boozy, sweet scent that lets itself be smelled only by the people you let get close to you. I simply love it, I'm tired of super loud extra sweet gourmands. This fragrance is an elegant and respectful sweet boozy gourmand.
Fragrantica: Lovely sweet cinnamon scent. Warm and cozy. As for the comparison with Angel's Share, I can see why. And I prefer it to that one. It's more bright, indeed, and airier. You'll have a sweet bubble scent around you all day. I love the whifts I catch everytime I move. It melts delicious on my skin. Smells niche. Perfection.
Fragrantica: Ok, I just picked this up, and WOW, this juice is delicious. Every part of it, from the top notes, to the drydown, is a piece of heaven. It goes from a sweet cinnamon smell, to one of the most amazing dark chocolately smells i have ever smelled. The base notes give you a tiny taste of some iris mixed with the cinnamon again, and is actually addictive to smell. My previous experiences with Zara have not been that great, but this has changed my mind regarding their lineup. Zara has definitely stepped up their fragrance game. Like others have said, backup bottle worthy for sure. Update: Been wearing this around the house for a couple of days, and man oh man, this might be one of my new favorite fragrances in my collection. If you enjoy gourmand fragrances, and are contemplating buying this, please do. You can thank me later.
Fragrantica: The scent opens with orange and boozy notes, the start is quite masculine. It quickly becomes unisex however. If I didn't know any better I would have said ginger is also in here because there is something "spicy zesty" that goes away after just a minute. Rum, (not listed but I can swear on it), fades in to the middle of the fragrance giving space to an intense mix of nuts and sweet notes; I feel bitter almond mixed with smoked crystallised sugar which almost gives to the fragrance a sweet licorice accord, but a gentle one. Those almonds have a bitter quality to them but at the same time they seam toasted and sugared. At this point, to tell the truth, I am reminded so much of Etro Heliotrope and L'Erbolario Mandorla wich I love! The fragrance is now very very warm and addictive. I can not pick up on the chocolate but I will say vanilla is clearly mixed with the rich tonka beans. Cinnamon is here but it's very delicate, it doesn't have the coca-cola effect and it is used in a warm subdued way. I also smell the richness of heliotrope and I can catch a somewhat powdery sensation at this stage (again, this brings to mind, together with the "licorice" aspects, certain stage of Dior Midnight Poison minus the apricot and play doh notes). I wonder now if Tulù/Perù balsam is in here because it can give the effect listed above. Also a resinous quality is easly felt (benzoin in the dry down? Can it be?)...In all the composition I smell so much more then the given notes. Something fruity can be lightly felt too, in the form of the ghost of a candied fruit (like the ones you find in Italian Christmas panettone or like a Christmas gelly candy, or cooked apple if we want to be specific). It wpuld seem a gourmand, alright...but what makes this unisex and wanderfull to my nose is the frankincense note. This note is constantly present through the composition and makes it refined, smoked and deep, gifting to it that "fresh incense/balsam" quality that almost reads as powdery, and it is a gem in my eyes! Infact the powdery effect in here is a smoked powdery one, nothing to do with heliotrope (or flowers and classic iris, which is supposed to be here). The marriage of all this aspects is what makes this niche like in my opinion. Now on to the dry down...what a surprise! And so beautiful...I don't know if flowers are really there but I smell delicate tree flowers (almond flowers maybe?) and a tender iris, they give such a gentle touch...flowers, tonka and frankincese, that is what the dry down is made of...perhaps even a touch of labdanum and surely some dry wood. Something very similar to sweet benzoin gives proper closure. A smoky, purple, witchy concotion comes to mind with this dry down...my imagination is flying to October, to the reassuring atmosphere of Halloween. Ah, so nostalgic! Gorgeous. This is back up worthy for me. Love it! Lasted pretty well, 6/7 hours on me and moderate sillage. EDIT: just wanted to add that this is not a Angel's Share dupe. They share their spirit but the soul is different. Surely similar but different enough to be their own thing. To me this Zara edition is even more special and elevated (with that smoky frankincese, the flower, and the resinous quality). It is BETTER then Angel's Share for my taste! I don't think Killian would give leave to the perfumer to copy paste the composition so even if he wanted to...I think he has done so well in reworking that scent profile. Also worth mentioning is that the boozyness of Sand Desert at Sunset is quite similar to that of Zara Rich Warm Addictive, but more potent. I think they share quite a bit those two perfumes in terms of genre and warm feeling although remaining different! So if you like one chances are you will like the other.
Fragrantica: What you should know about Sand Desert At Sunset? This is very cozy and seductive fragrance with focus on the notes of Cherry, Tonka, Coca Cola, Caramel, Amber, Cinnamon, Oak, Benzoin, Iris and Honey. On my skin the most prominent and powerful note is the Cherry and it's absolute divine! So sexy, so inviting and playful, still natural. If you love cherry - please, go for it! Sand Desert At Sunset is marvelous! Later, when the tonka comes, the party is getting hot! I can sense the Coca Cola vibe, the good mood and definitely gives you positive vibe. At that point it's not sweet and thick. But...later when the amber and the caramel join the party, wow! Just wow! Sand Desert At Sunset becomes richer, denser and lot deeper! At this second part of the scent life, the boozy aspect is getting stronger. It's like a nice glass of aged Rum or Cognac with beautiful notes of creamy amber, sweet cinnamon and royal oak! Just stunning! And the curious moment here is - despite many powerful notes are mixed extremely well, the cherry is still in charge! Which is awesome! Going to the deep drydown, we have even deeper vibes with kind of sweet and smoky oak, benzoin and modern type of iris. The iris here is modern and sexy, inviting. Nothing old, dusty, dry or hard to wear. Just beautiful Iris, similar to the iris in many modern scents like Gentleman Eau de Parfum, Valentino Uomo Intense, Armani Code Parfum and so on. At the end of the scent life I can detect the note of honey - it gives more body to the scent and it makes it more rounded, warm and cozy. Performance is excellent on my skin - great projection, great longevity. By the way, this performance is typical for all 4 black and 4 white Zara new scents. Final words - Benoist Lapouza did an exceptional work here! Sand Desert At Sunset will be a wonderful new addition to all of you, who love cozy, creamy and rich cherry-tonka scents! Amazing addictive and deep at the same time fragrance. Love it.
Fragrantica: Angel’s Share without the booze. Simple as that.
Fragrantica: I thought it’s sold out, but then I spotted one last bottle without testing it. I was motivated by comparison to Anglel’s share here. I haven’t tried Angel’s share, but I see that both are created by the same perfumer. Back to Zara - this is heavenly. Spicy cinnamon, but without gourmand (Apple pie) note. And rich whiskey without alcohol note. Heavenly, even though I’m more marine/chypre/rose kind of girl, I truly Enjoy My blind buy. Addition: It smells more than 12 hours, i can feel it perfectly. The most impressive is the final drydown - the same as My, due to smell, favourite Dove Silk body Cream. Absolutely gorgeous.
Fragrantica: If I had the ability, I would pen a poem for this perfume. Cinnamon apple strudel. The apples and cinnamon have marinated, intermingled, the sauce is sweet but not sickly, viscous but not cloying. Perhaps there are more spices there, perhaps a splash of brandy, but neither of these are prominent enough to be sure. Unisex. Makes a great scent bubble. Lasts for hours. If you wear this, you will become deliciousness itself. I would reccommend this to gourmand lovers. Previously I found spices to be challenging in perfume, but I think this is a great accessible step into that territory, given its sweet cooked apple gourmand profile. And if you decide you would prefer to go no further, I think you would still be happy. For me, this opened my mind up to spices. The only perfume I have wanted to buy a backup bottle of, factoring in Zara's penchant for discontinuing the greats. Currently out of stock, but they seem to be restocking the other 3 in the line. Excuse me Zara, please bring this one back too! (Tin foil hat time: Is that a typo of the perfumer's name on the bottle? Perhaps they are sorting out reprints... then surely it will be back... right?) Edit: I’ll say it, I think this is the best fragrance Zara has released.
