Crazy For Oud

#652 in my "Tour de Fragrance" Got this as a decant. After a while Mancera scents do tend to all run together. This is maybe two degrees different from Amber Fever, which I already have, and one degree different from Mancera Precious Oud. This has no whiskey note, and that's about all the distinction you can make between this scent, Amber Fever and Precious Oud. It's otherwise same-same. I'm a teetotaler myself. And while I can appreciate the boozy notes in more than one fragrance, I think that notes like rose (though the Damascus rose here isn't prominent), and booze appeals to and reminds others of an older demographic. Either way, if you like one, you'll like the others, but if you have one don't bother to own the other two as no one who isn't there for the first ten minutes of the opening will detect the difference. All that said it doesn't get much better than this scent profile. It's solidly unisex, performance is middling with passable longevity that makes it to lunch and decent projection for about an hour, so not beastly at all, and completely inoffensive. More for date night than the office (a fougeres-only zone for me). Can't imagine anyone being unhappy they bought this, though there are longer and stronger options from Mancera.

A gorgeous fragrance that’s a beast in sillage and projection. There are a few differences between crazy for oud and precious oud they don’t smell 100% alike. The florals are more pronounced in Crazy for oud than in precious oud. Also, crazy for oud the sweetness of the tiramisu accord is amped up more. I like both fragrances however I say this one is more leaning feminine and I would like to smell crazy for oud on females than precious oud which has a whiskey note and it kind of stings your nose in the opening. Another thing is the oud in crazy for oud smells clean and works well with the florals and the oud accord that’s in precious oud has a slight kick that’s a bit skanky but not anything terrible. I truly believe women will love crazy for oud more than precious oud. None the less you cant go wrong with either purchase but I feel woman will appreciate crazy for oud more. Mancera’s Crazy for oud has more of a cakey tiramisu sweetness over precious oud which I think women will adore more and it is not nauseating or cloying because the florals and oud help balances it out.

More masculine than Aoud Exclusif, less masculine than Precious Oud. More mainstream/western than Aoud Exclusif, but less mainstream/western than Precious Oud. This is done SO well! It smells SO classy! Rose-oud? Yes, but topped with a bitter tiramisu note that helps tie in a dry woodiness, with a hint of leather. I can't say that it will be some magic people-pleasing hit in the USA, but for a fragrance enthusiast, this is a phenomenal, balanced, unisex rose-oud. One of the best rose-ouds I've tried (and I've tried a LOT OF THEM!) Although, I will say, this is a bit on the bitter side and less sweet, so be prepared for that. For my tastes, I prefer Precious Oud's even more bitter, pungent, woody scent over this, but when I'm in the mood for a rose-oud, it's either this (when I'm in the mood for a bitter scent) or Muhammad Ali Legacy Oud Round 6 (when I'm in the mood for sweet). The Legacy Round 6 is a more typical, sweet rose-oud, topped with Bvlgari Pour Homme Soir's papyrus note. Both give me a rose-oud that's easy to wear as a man, although they are nothing alike.

This was such a pleasant surprise. I ordered the following samples: Sand Aoud Aoud Exclusif Sicily Cosmic Pepper Crazy For Oud To my surprise, Crazy For Oud ended up being my favourite. I love a good oud fragrance, and this one did not disappoint. I’m not usually drawn to sweeter, gourmand scents, but this is a clear exception. It has a dessert-like tiramisu and chocolate vibe, layered with woody, slightly musky notes, rose, and a touch of dark, slightly dirty oud to balance it all out. Projection and performance are solid, as expected from Mancera. Definitely suited for winter, autumn, and early spring. It’s office-safe and perfect for date nights. It comes across as unisex for me. A blind-buy sample that’s now turned into a full bottle purchase. 9/10 overall, especially considering it can be found heavily discounted online.

I prefer this to Precious Oud because I prefer my fragrance to lean gourmand. The boozy accord in PO is fine but I just prefer the composition without it. It's nice to have choices! I've heard Mancera criticized for having both offerings because they're virtually identical (PO with a boozy accord and CFO without it), but I really think theres room for both. The oud in CFO is smooth and wearable and it stays around for hours but takes a backseat to the sweet accords. The florals are light and blended so well as to make them difficult to distinguish. The overall composition is VERY nicely balanced. The sillage for the first four hours is pretty strong and the longevity is above average. Well done Mancera!