FRAGRANCE | 5 Days of Zara with the Zara Weekly Mood Collection

As a behemoth in the fast fashion industry, it's no surprise that Zara has been steadily churning out clothes and accessories at such a rapid pace. Not to be content with fashion alone, though, it has also been producing fragrances at an equally impressive speed. And I'm not just talking about bottles but collections, the latest being the Zara Weekly Mood Collection. 

This is a five-piece eaux de parfum capsule collection to go with the five workdays of the week. I don't know why they didn't include the weekend, though, when they're the most important. The house also made a curious choice for packaging. Instead of the usual box, each bottle is encased in white cardboard that mimics its shape. It's sealed and flips open vertically from the bottom. The bottles are nice. Each one is characterized by a flat front and a slightly curved backside. But what I'm really loving are the glass labels, which give off an elegant sheen when hit by light. The typeface is also very apt for the overall aesthetic.

I won't dwell on whether or not each frag is a dupe of something else. I'll simply give a rundown of each scent based on my experience. 

Monday | No Drama Allowed

If you hate Mondays (seriously, who doesn't?), No Drama Allowed tries to brighten up your mood with a fresh, spicy rose. There's also an indistinct fruitiness that lends the scent a mild sweetness. The spices, however, warm up almost immediately while retaining that prickly quality on top. The rose, on the other hand, morphs from fresh and dewy to near-jammy.

Later, the warmth of the spices dissipate, leaving behind their peppery sharpness, which has since grown a little stronger. A mild muskiness slowly appears. It's a clean and pleasant type of musk, the kind usually employed in other rose-centric compositions like Bastide Aix en Provence Rose Olivier and Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Ginger Piccante, among many others.

After some time, the sharpness eventually softens. The rose remains dominant, which paradoxically is both fresh and jammy at the same time, continuously supported by the mild musk up until the scent fades hours later. Because of the rose and the fruity sweetness, this leans stereotypically feminine although I don't have any problem at all wearing it. It's relative lightness, on the other hand, makes Monday – No Drama Allowed wearable in practically any weather and occasion.

 

Tuesday | Totally Terrific

This one opens fresh with spiced-up citruses. There's a woody undertone but it diffuses in no time. In a few minutes, the spiciness from the cardamom warms up, projecting its inherent bitterness and sharpness. A particular sweetness develops, adding a bit more warmth and tempering the sharpness in the process.

I soon realized that the woodiness is still around, only sitting quietly in the background but noticeable when smelled up close. A certain creaminess slowly emerges, then blends seamlessly into the composition. Eventually, the sharpness lifts off and the scent is now a warm, spiced wood with a deep-seated, bitter smokiness and a mild, creamy sweetness. It could just be me but the smokiness is a bit like cigarette smoke, but only when I sniff deep into where I sprayed. Although still unisex, Tuesday – Totally Terrific is the most masculine in this collection, one that would fit in most conditions.

 

Wednesday | I'm Most Grateful 

It's a bouquet of nectary sweet florals for hump day. It gets a bit heady, yes, but never to the point of becoming totally overwhelming. Somehow, it manages to remain relatively fresh and clean all throughout. Compared to other floral fragrances along the lines of Amouage Figment Woman or even Clive Christian Crab Apple Blossom, Wednesday – I'm Most Grateful is bereft of any creamy or indolic properties.

That there's a hint of spice and juicy pear probably help in balancing the overall scent structure. That hint of spice is a simple but effectively nice touch in achieving a generally light and airy olfactory experience despite the barrage of sweet florals. The flowers later part, as if by a soft breeze, slowly revealing a mild, still mostly unnoticeable, woody base. There really is little to no development in the scent—and that's okay. Obviously, this leans feminine, even more so than Monday. An apparent versatile wear, it smells contemporary, something the younger crowd can perhaps easily appreciate.

Thursday | No Valentines but Flowers 

I don't know about the name but there are basically no flowers in this fragrance. Instead, Thursday – No Valentines but Flowers is marked by an almost-toothachingly fruity sweetness. There's a fleeting citrus in the opening but it does nothing to balance the sugar off. Lychee is most identifiable and later, raspberry, too. However, they soon lose their respective identities and blend together to form some sweet, fruity compound that's characteristically feminine-leaning. 

There are flecks of peppery sharpness but they come and go and don't really make much of an impression, especially when compared to Monday and Wednesday that make much better use of spices as contrasting notes. Still, the sweetness is tolerable and the scent remains very approachable. Later, No Valentines but Flowers develops a quality that's a cross between candy and shampoo—and in a good way—with its core fruity sweetness persistent unto the end. Although this is my least liked of the bunch, I'm sure it will have its fans. 

 

Friday | Freaking Gorgeous

It's a happy Friday with creamy almonds accompanied by a citric sharpness that exits in no time. Almonds, for me, are always a welcome note in fragrances. Top of mind right now are Xerjoff Casamorati Italica and Givenchy Pi but there are of course many more. Some vanilla-tonka sweetness soon emerges, which, together with the lactonic almonds, make for something really delectable. There's also a mild woodiness rising, just enough to keep the whole scent grounded. 

Friday – Freaking Gorgeous doesn't offer much in terms of development; everything just swirls together until each individual note is indecipherable. Nevertheless, I love the scent. It's one of my favorites in this collection, a toss-up actually between Tuesday. For a gourmand (it is, right?), it defies the heaviness normally associated with this fragrance family and remains fairly light and clean, making it a suitable wear for anyone and for perhaps any weather. 

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With regard to performance, all five do quite well. They all project moderately for a few hours before gradually retreating as skin scents. For the price, definitely not bad. All said, I'm happy with the Zara Weekly Mood Collection. Go try them!