FRAGRANCE | Vial trial: A bunch of different Manceras

I only have two Mancera full bottles to date: the oud and rose nuclear bomb that is Black to Black and the citrus and floral joy that is Sicily. What a pity, I know. Anyway, a colleague got a bunch of different samples and shared them with me to try. As with anything Mancera, they're all EDP. Here are my thoughts on them.

Gold Intensitive Aoud
This is another rose and oud combo but is less loud than Black to Black. It's sweet but with a bit of sharpness in the beginning. It's a little heavy but it has this overarching brightness, probably because of the rose's fresh treatment and perhaps the medicinal oud, too. Meanwhile, the heavy sweetness pulls the whole scent in the opposite direction, keeping Gold Intensitive Aoud from becoming truly fresh.

The scent is quieter in its late drydown, with the rose and the sharpness starting to settle with its woody and musky base. That base, however, is far from dominant. I also get that sharpness back, which stays unto the end. This being a Mancera, projection and longevity are guaranteed.

Black Intensitive Aoud
Just like Gold Intensitive Aoud, this one is also a rose and oud combo. But they're still different from each other, this having a more pronounced oud and woodiness. There's also a spicy sharpness although it's effectively a rounded scent. It must be the effect of the fruity notes. The rose, while prominent, is not as dominant as in its Gold cousin.

Later the sharpness lessens a bit, the sugary sweetness increases, and then it all melts into a slightly sweet, slightly sharp, and slightly spicy blend with and oud and wood backbone. It's strong but pleasant, even if it's a little heavy. Black Intensitive Aoud dries down into something rather "quiet" for a Mancera. Whatever sharpness was there at the start is now gone. It's sweet with a light spice, some fruit, and a light woody backbone.

Black Prestigium
Black Prestigium features a sweet leather and oud opening, followed by a light powdery and makeup-y accord a few minutes later. I also get some rose in the blend, along with patchouli in the background. Eventually they all come together to form a warm and rich blend, rounded but with an occasional sharpness from the oud peeking through.

The sharpness grows stronger after 1 to 2 hours but it's not enough to totally overpower the leather, sweetness, and rose. After that the patch comes to the fore, flaunting its polished and sweetened persona instead of the dirty patchouli character that features in other fragrances. Needless to say, you can count on both projection and longevity with this one.

Roses Vanille
I get a sweet rose opening with a faint citrus accord here. However, it comes off as sharp and very synthetic-smelling, much like Montale fragrances (which also produces Mancera). The sharpness relaxes a bit after several minutes but unfortunately the synthetic vibe remains. The vanilla is thin and the overall scent is rather cold. I'm used to vanilla as warm and comforting but Roses Vanille takes on a different approach to the ingredient. It isn't necessarily a bad thing but I just can't shake the synthetic vibe off.

Later on the sharpness relaxes further and comes forward a rose and oud-like vibe. About 2 hours since spraying, the entire scent mellows even further and there's now a little less of that synthetic feel—finally! Still not my favorite.

Lemon Line
Consistent with its name, lemon does figure prominently in Lemon Line. A citrus mix top-billed by lemon, and with lavender as a supporting act, open the show. I like that the lemon here is only mildly sweetened, with its inherent bitterness still noticeable. It's a little sharp but tolerable. The lavender and other florals must be doing a good job in softening the acidity by a few notches.

There's a certain green accord in the background, like something grassy, but not as overt as in 212 Men by Carolina Herrera. All these result in a lemony-floral-green scent profile that's fresh and uplifting. A light creaminess develops later in the background. Lemon Line has that typical Mancera power in terms of both projection and longevity, and it eventually settles nicely on my skin sans the sharpness in the opening.

Cedrat Boise
It seems that everybody already owns this creation. But for all its popularity, I have never tried Cedrat Boise until now. It has that typical, sharp citrus opening but the sharpness relaxes almost immediately. It's fruity, pleasant, and with a very light sweetness. But then all this doesn't stay very long, as a woody-leathery character starts taking over about 15 minutes in.

The fruitiness is gone within an hour, and the wood and leather combo is now dominating the scent. There's just a hint of smokiness to it and which doesn't weigh the scent down. Cedrat Boise welcomes vanilla later in the drydown while retaining that smokiness and woodiness. It definitely is a crowd pleaser and I understand why everybody seems to love it.

So Blue
The opening features a mixed fruit tray served with some citruses on the side. I get sweetness and a fleeting sharpness as a result. Rose, a bit jammy, comes in soon after. So Blue isn't really a fresh aquatic because of the sweetness, which is a tad syrupy. It's basically a sweet fruity-floral blend that's quite strong, if I may add.

Within 30 minutes, some aquatic sharpness joins in but stays a few steps behind the fruits and rose. Somehow So Blue reminds me of why aquatic fragrances are my least liked type of fragrance. I don't hate them but as a matter of preference, they're probably the last that I would pick from a shelf. The scent goes linear from hereon, with the fruity-floral and aquatic combo mellowing a bit after about 2 hours. Some may definitely like it but it's just not my cup of tea.

*****************
I know I don't practice what I preach but always try before you buy.