Aoud Vanille Tester

This fragrance is strong, oily, and yet sweet. The opening is slightly rough, and the saffron note is not my favourite, but the dry down on this is great. To me, this fragrance smells like dark sandalwood and marshmallows that add that little bit of sweetness. Longevity is really good. Not to mention the sillage is amazing, I have Dior Sauvage Elixir which is considered very strong, and although the projection is similar, the sillage on this is crazy, like I did a test spray in my room (not spraying it on anything, just in the air) and I can still get whiffs of it a day or two later. My only gripe with this fragrance is its slightly synthetic (which is common with Mancera) and that the saffron opening is somewhat sharp. Overall a warm and inviting winter fragrance, although I would probably avoid wearing this to the office or school.

To me this a a simple but really appealing fragrance, and my favorite Mancera (and I’ve sampled a lot). It’s a synthetic oud which settles down into a smooth vanilla, leaning masculine. The oud is not for everyone, so it’s not a blind buy, but it doesn’t have the weird rubber smell that some cheaper oud fragrances like Oud for Glory have. I thought this might be a bit challenging for people, but it’s turning out to be a compliment monster. Less nuclear than most Manceras, which to me is a very good thing, but still get compliments at 5 feet away early on. Longevity is good. Bought a full bottle from an discounter after sampling.

I honestly love this fragrance but I feel like it has been reformulated, unfortunately. When I first tried it in Selfridges, one spray on my wrist, and I was immediately greeted with a lot of oil and POWER! I could smell it whilst my arms were swinging by my side. The occasional gust of wind would waft this gorgeous dark, woody, vanilla towards my nose. I feel like it's been watered down. I now layer this with Versace Encens Suprême and I get compliments galore. I just wish this was the old batch because it was a pure powerhouse. Still a solid 7.5/10 for me.

This is a very unique scent, its inviting and intoxicating and very appealing. Some Mancera fragrances are hard to wear this isn't one of those, this is right up there with Red Tobacco, Aoud Exclusif and Tonka Cola in that this will turn heads and get you compliments. Performance is off the charts, put this on in the morning and in the late afternoon you can still smell it, 12-14hrs which seems to be a standard for Mancera and Montale frags. Give this a try id be surprised if it didn't make it into your rotation, it did mine!

I’ve had a 5ml sample for a little less then a year, came back around to it and had a complete change of how I perceive this scent. The saffron/spices along with the AOUD give it this plasticky and slight metallic opening that definitely turned me off in the beginning when I first smelt this. After the opening, it settles into this smoky vanilla scent that is rich and creamy. I got a bottle for less than 70 US dollars and I’m definitely going to be using it a lot this fall/winter. 🍦🪵