FRAGRANCE | Manly Extrait de Parfum by Areej Le Doré: Is it man enough?

Finally, I've gotten around to properly wearing and "observing" Areej Le Doré's Manly. I'm not a fan of the name but I do have a fondness for the perfumer Russian Adam's creations. As usual, he puts a premium on presentation. While I adore the box covered and lined with suede, I still wish the brand used a better typeface for the inside text. As for the bottle, it's quite the departure from ALD's more ornate, Middle Eastern-inspired designs of late but is nonetheless a handsome one albeit in a sleek and more contemporary way.

Manly barges in strong. It's boozy, woody, dark, and bitter all at once, with a minute trace of sweetness buried under. It smells really deep, if that makes sense. The boozy accord is like some dark liquor infused with a faint, fruity sweetness that I find absolutely wonderful. Meanwhile, the patchouli, which is primarily responsible for the fragrance's woody smell, is splendid in its dark earthiness. Further adding depth to the scent are spicy nuances, none of which are presented as a showcase note. Instead, they collectively lend a certain flavor to the overall composition.

While I'm loving this dark beauty of an opening, it feels rather familiar, perhaps at least to those who own other ALD frags. Chinese Oud? Agar de Noir? I don't know. I mean, it doesn't smell exactly like anything else I have from the house but more like recognizing it as an Areej Le Dore frag as you would something from Lush or Guerlain.

Anyhow, there's a bitter, dried tobacco coming through after several minutes while the boozy accord gradually evaporates. The tobacco looms large despite being relentlessly challenged by all the earthiness and woodiness, resulting in a captivating interplay of notes. Later as the projection starts to wane, a deep, smoky leather joins in to support the scent, as if making sure its dark beauty carries on. 

Further down the road, the vanilla finally decides on flexing its sweet character. However, it faces an uphill battle because the tobacco is still very much prevalent and the overall scent remains largely dark, bitter, and to an extent, dry. The late drydown ultimately sees more of the vanilla's sweet flavor, soaking all the leather and smokiness, and coating over all of the remaining bitterness. The end state is a semi-sweet, softened leather with muted traces of tobacco and wood. So is it as masculine as the name suggests? Yes, but not earth-shatteringly so.

As with any Areej Le Doré frag, Manly is not for everyone although it arguably is on the more affable side of things, more wearable than many of his other outré creations. It's still an impressively layered composition, though, a paradox in that it carries both a sophisticated elegance and a devilish roughness to it. It's a heavy scent best reserved for cold weather and temperature-controlled environments. Except for the opening, it's not really a beastly frag but it does have some serious legs. All in all, I'm pretty happy with this one.