Fig Extasy

I needed some time with this one.. after a few months of macerating I’m finally starting to appreciate this. The fig in this has a milky quality, like the white latex the fig tree exudes when you pluck a fig directly from the tree. There’s a smoothness to this scent that took some getting used to, as for some reason it makes me feel almost uncomfortable. It’s not a metallic smoothness, nor is it the smoothness of polished wood.. it’s a strange sort of latex milky resinous type of smoothness.. it’s velvety too, so it has a story of creamy velvet feel to it overall. The scent itself is equally hard to describe. It’s well blended and individual notes don’t clearly stand out, although the fig is clearly there. I’m getting more of the incense note that it has macerated a while. It’s an incense before you burn it, no smokiness. The ginger gives it a hint of freshness at the top, almost minty, but it’s quite subdued. I actually wish the top had something to make it more.. zingy or sparkly.. something to bring it more to life. It has gotten a tiny bit more lively now that it has macerated, but it’s still awfully smooth from start to finish. I think it also doesn’t help that I’m not too crazy about velvety fragrances, they’re just too flawless and smooth and make me want to smash something. There’s a pretty, powdery lavender and the leather has come more forward after a few months too, giving this a lot more depth than it initially had. The vanilla rounds it off, although I can’t help but think that perhaps this scent could’ve been more lively without (or with less of) it as it adds more to that creamy velvet smoothness. All in all it’s a beautiful scent, with good projection and longevity. It’s not as intense and long lasting as some other mancera fragrances, but I find many of them too intense anyway. I do feel mancera and montale fragrances tend to develop less over time than other fragrances, which makes them less sophisticated to my nose than even many cheapies. Fig Extasy is one of the more delicate Mancera fragrances I’ve smelled, but I still feel it could develop more and be more interesting over time. All in all It’s a like, not a love. I think this smells best if you get whiffs of it from another person, rather than smelling the exact same thing constantly on yourself. Still a very pleasant fragrance, that is beautiful, long lasting and inoffensive.

Adam & Eve in sewn fig leaves being thrown out of Eden by the flaming cherubim... This sophisticated beauty is an understated charmer that's a little slow to warm up, but worth the wait. Opens with burst of wood smoke, incense and fig leaf that fades to a lather of soapy sandalwood with a green fig. After an hour or so, in the air I get a green aquatic fig, on the skin I get incense and wood smoke. To my nose, the fig note is not as sweet as you might expect and doesn't lean to sweet or dried fig, but rather a faint, aquatic, slightly under-ripe fresh fig, that leaves you wistfully longing for more. To me this is not what I would expect for a fig named fragrance, but it's beautiful. Overall: Well above average performance, although some have noticed it's not the nuclear Mancera norm. The dry down is worth the wait. It's a love for me. Enjoy! Contrast to Philosykos EDP Diptyque: These are different, but Fig Extasy is definitely inspired by Philosykos with a woody fig & fig leaf. Fig Extasy comes in hot with a more intense smokiness initially, until the bottle has aged, while Philosykos has a more forward lactonic quality. Fig Extasy has a slightly stronger performance. Contrast to Figue Sauvage Laurence Dumont: These are different although both are inspired by the work of Olivia Giacobetti with Philosykos & Premier Figuier L'Aritsan Parfumeur, however Fig Extasy is a more forward smokiness, while Figue Sauvage has a more forward sandalwood. Fig Extasy has a stronger performance. Contrast to Eau Gourmandes Fresh Fig Laura Mercier: These are different, but this scent is also inspired by the work of Olivia Giacobetti. Eau Gourmandes Fresh Fig is more similar to Figue Sauvage Laurence Dumont. Fig Extasy has a stronger performance. Update 04/18/25: This has aged so beautifully. It really smells like a high quality, sophisticated fig fragrance in the air. Much more fig than initially, and the smokiness is less intense and blended in way better (although a direct sniff can still burn a little). The projection is beautiful and longlasting - 1 spray lasted all day yesterday. Love it. 10/10.

My absolute favorite scent! Let's get the cons out of the way. This takes at least 2 weeks to macerate. There is an overwhelming bitterness that makes maceration necessary. Also, this fragrance comes alive with heat; skin chemistry is the main reason someone would like or dislike this fragrance. Some might say the fragrance is versatile, but I don't necessarily agree. This is a casual daytime fragrance (I wouldn't wear this on date night or the office). This fragrance starts out green and slightly figgy, with an underlying semi sweetness. If you spray heavier, the opening is more defined. The sweetness gets your attention but it doesn't satisfy you when you take a bigger whiff. Mancera released a marketing video for FE, where someone is inhaling deeply, in slow motion. That is the exact feeling of spraying this initially; you want to take a deep breath searching for the sweetness. After 15 to 20 minutes the the fragrance turns more into the green, bitter fig leaf smell. The green bitterness is complemented perfectly by the herbs and woods and leather, but more importantly it's complemented by the resinous, earthy dry vanilla coming out from the base. One thing I wanted to mention that I don't see on other reviews is that this fragrance also has an underlying "fresh linen" clean smell. You don't truly understand this fragrance until you experience the dry down a couple of hours in. The earthy, semi sweet, vanilla smell thats been in the background the whole time is now front and center. Some of the bitter green fig smell remains (depending on how much you sprayed) but the vanilla is the main star. The dry down makes me want to reapply and take the whole ride again. Recommended for outdoors people. The best experiences I've had with this fragrance were when I got slightly sweaty. Spring and fall beast; prob not the best in extreme cold or heat.

Fig Extasy has a really nice cedar note. I’m picky with my cedar, but, when well done, it’s one of my favorite notes. I got this for a great price from a rack store. This was the first time I’ve seen a Mancera at a brick and mortar discounter. I had no expectations for FE and it hadn’t been much on my radar prior, but as a fan of the brand I couldn’t pass up the price/opportunity. It was thoroughly worth the price. Fig Extasy is harmonious, the transitions are well-choreographed and make its wearing a more pleasant and interactive experience. The opening fig is sweet, smells jammy and scrumptious, the first spray is its most traditionally feminine moment, and I would say it is unisex throughout but leans masculine, becoming more masculine over time. The opening is rather fleeting and minutes later, it's on to its next phase. It transitions to greens and woods rather shortly after applying, where it remains for some time. I really enjoy the green notes and woods in this. Later the greens begin to fade and transition to woods and leather. The leather is more of a support at the beginning, but transitions to become more prominent as it progresses. At some stages of its life cycle, it is almost reminiscent of an unidentifiable Memo Paris fragrance. You could tell me it was a Memo flanker, and I would believe you. FE is well done and smooth. Great for spring and fall, good enough in summer and I think can easily be worn winter. This could be a contender for anyone’s signature scent, male or female. I wasn’t expecting to like this nearly as much as I do, but it’s very well done. The real star of the show is longevity, with easily over 12 hours on skin. Durable, and inoffensive, smooth, and pleasant. Perhaps not a huge wow factor, but reliable and easy to wear. 8/10

Wow! It smells just as good as I had hoped it would despite subverting my expectations. It is not the same as the similar scents list would lead you to believe, but If you like Fucking Fabulous from Tom Ford, you'll like this. It's lacking that signature Mancera harshness in the opening, it's very smooth. Never tried a fig fragrance? No problem, the fig is ephemeral and quickly sinks into the back of the fragrance anywhere from 10 seconds to 3 minutes after drying. It's mostly just Tonka Bean + Ginger + Woody Vanilla + a fairly unique "green" note (fig leaf?) + undertones of black pepper so light that it's almost not there + an ethereal leatheriness encompassing the entire scent profile, not really a leather note though. The vanilla is very dry, and warm, just as it is in Angel's Share. The black pepper is really masked by the ginger. It just ends up pushing the ginger harder than ginger would push itself alone. You really can't smell it, it's only a helper to push the ginger. Everything is drowned in like 80% Tonka Beans, and that seems to be where all of the sweetness comes from. Much like any Mancera, it doesn't even TRY to be 1% natural. As mentioned earlier, unlike most Manceras, there's nothing harsh in the opening, it's weirdly smooth, and not just by Mancera's standards. It's less strong than the average Mancera, on par with if not a little less strong than tonka cola, that said, it still performs VERY well when compared to fragrances in general. At about $90 for a 4oz bottle, it's definitely worth it. Don't buy it for any more than a hundred bucks. It's probably one of the safer blind buys from Mancera, provided that you have prior experience with the house. That said, I can't recommend blind buying anything from Mancera, save Cedrat Boise.