Black Prestigium

So this one was a blind-buy for me, when I had to decide between this and Black Aoud from Montale. And even if people said that these two are similar, if you smell them long enough you'll see that these two are quite different. (Just my humble opinion after I tried both.) Back to this fragrance, first time when I took a sniff I had barely liked it. Yes, it have that powdery, lipstick smell at the very beginning but after it dries down ths will be tames by the rose and the oud. In the first day when this one arrived I wasn't sure if I will keep it or return it. But I'm patient and this can be a really good thing. After a time, I gave it another try and then I really felt that this is a very complex fragrance, that can be a little trick for the noses that are at the beginning of the journey in this fantastic world of fragrances. A few months later, I'm sniffing the cap of the bottle almost every day to be impressed by this beauty. Sure, it's not a very masculine smell in occidental culture, but you can definetely feel that this is a very rich, elegant and refined fragrance that suits a gentleman, which I like to consider myself. (Not saying this with pride, just my natural kind of being) Moreover, this is a very potent piece of art, lasting very, very long time on skin, due to it's oily concentration, splendid to wear on formal events or closed meetings with your besties or lover. See for yourself after you apply it on your skin. Finnaly, even if it's not the cup of tea of everybody, you should really try this one, because Mancera is offering you a beautiful, very potent, not really expensive perfume of high ingredients, that it's above a lot of other niche houses, for me at least. Just be patient. But hey, this is just my humble opinion. Peace for everyone !

Extremely similar to Montale's Red and Black Aouds, but I find it a tad bit better than both. You also get a solid glass bottle with nice design and 20ml more juice in it. Dark, unisex leaning masculine, more fitting to mature and experienced noses, as orris root note isn't for everyone. First 5-10 minutes can be a little bit harsh to some noses, but after that it evolves into a glorious scent. In colder weather is where it shines, and man oh man it shines brightly! Performance is excellent, but that's to be expected with most Mancera products. Bottle worthy for sure, probably my next Mancera purchase (it'll be number 18th). Update: After allowing myself more time to get to know the parfume sample I must say that its similarities with Montale Black & Red Aoud end after the first hour or so. After that Black Prestigium develops into much richer and luscious scent, so potent yet gentle to the nose. The perfume covers you like a scented blanket in a cozy long-lasting hug, without being suffocating. It's an extremely well blended creation, actually I could go as far as to say it's the perfume with the most refined and luxurious drydown that Mancera has in their catalog. I would definitely encourage people to try it and actually do multiple wearings before making a decision, as it's the type of scent that grows on you with time. It's a journey, an experience, a "getting to know you" in a way. Needless to say a full bottle is already on its way to me.

Here’s my update; yes this thing absolutely still stands as a masterpiece. Legitimately. Amouage is my favorite house by far, and this perfume FITS in an amouage bottle. If the oud was real/higher quality, it would fit in the library collection. This has some very earthy and chocolatey patchouli and a gorgeous rose jam/sweet woody oud. If this had Amouage’s Assam Oud from the silver oud/king blue bottles, I think this would be the greatest perfume ever made. Performance is scary... 1 spray and even then you’re pushing it. You have to seriously be careful with how strong this perfume is. It’s delectable in the air. Rose-like and powdery, sweet and woody, chocolately and earthy, a touch earthy and addictive. This is GORGEOUS. It’s stronger than red tobacco, better blended than most niche perfumes, and insanely well priced although it’s a bit hard to find. I haven’t touched my manceras in months because I think so may of the are so poorly blended and synthetic. (I’ve sold 8 already) but black prestigium is one that deserves to stand with the Amouage’s and the Zoologists in my collection. 9.9/10. I’m gonna layer it with silver oud and write a review soon. The only drawback is that the materials used to perfume this are the tiniest bit synthetic but only in the initial opening. Besides that, it’s very high quality

Just received a 2ml sample. Sprayed twice on my arm. Two minutes later I finished ordering a full bottle. 80$ for 120ml of this ?! So far it gives a churchy vibe (in a good way), maybe due to the oud and rose combo. Will come back with a full review. LE : ok, coming back to this after a few full wears at ~ 18-20 degrees Celsius. it's a bit linear, in comparison to Red Tobacco. It's a bit less powerful, longevity & projection wise , but is still a beast. it passed my 3 hour bike ride test, it was still projecting in my face afterwards, and kept feeling it throughout the night. I still maintain the "churchy" vibe opinion. the rose-oud combination is masterfully blended. the leather is best coming out towards the end of its lifespan, when it starts becoming a "skin" scent. it does become very slowly and constant. as a skin scent, reaches 24h easily, from the time of use. this is the most elegant and suit-worthy fragrance I ever smelled. it's sublime, dark, alluring yet not a mass pleaser. scent : omg/10 longevity : 6 hours with good projection, then it SLOWLY eases | 1-2 days on clothes with noticeable projection projection : ~ 6 feet people that are comparing this to a mere creation of Dior might need more time with this fragrance. it's an insult. easy on the atomizer, btw :D

Holy shit. This is my signature scent I think. It’s my first real signature, and I have 200 bottles already. Zoologist camel had come close, and I thought that montales red aoud was it, until I found this. I just blind bought it based on the supposed similarity between red aoud and oh my gosh. Take red aoud’s gourmand funnel cake and sweet jammy rose. Keep that same sweet and woody western-style oud, and keep the same chalky orris (black prestigium has more rose and orris than red aoud, but the same kind in both) and then add the most beautiful, earthy and dark patchouli. The leather gives this a more masculine touch, and it’s that red aoud scent DNA perfected. (I still think red aoud is a 10/10, don’t worry) but black prestigium is the epitome of a sweet and seductive POWERHOUSE. Strongggg. 16 hours longevity, large large projection, smooth, jammy, sweet, orris heavy, woody, perfect. This will not be for everyone though and you have to understand that. So don’t overspray (1-3 sprays for a full wearing and I’m not kidding) and make sure that the people around you won’t mind some powder. In the air, this can come across baby powdery (but not to me). 10/10 smell, 10/10 performance, 4/10 versatility.