Midnight Gold

Wow this is truly a beautiful beautiful oud. #Similarities# One of most unique oud forward scents I've ever smelled - I'm not kidding. I dabble into ouds, artisinal, occidental and in eastern perfume and I have smelled this particular scent profile only twice so far and it was in the perfumes and oils of Rasasi. Rasasi Atheer Cambodia Al Boruzz and Rasasi Sahar come to mind. If you've ever smelled those this will only remind you of them it is closer to the Atheer Cambodia which is very oud heavy and bar-none an imperial scent on its own but this one has its own regality where its oud is toned way down. #About the oud# There is absolutely no bacterial harshness or body odor smell to the oud accord that is used in this rather the oud in this is a foundation for all the other ingredients to support themselves. Where other western niche or artisanal houses continue to do jubilation XXV clones (oud and blackberry), sad, oud rose forward, oud saffron forward, or oud vanilla forward combinations or a mixture of all three - Mancera experiments artfully in the background with other more unique combinations. #some downsides# The fragrance is not that strong at least to my nose or diffusive in the air as other Manceras tend to be. Midnight gold may be fresher than expected for some. #About the scent# On my skin Midnight Gold sustains a dark oriental woody base where sweet neroli, warming cardamom, and juicy, ripe citrus harmonize graceful on top of a tropical oud. The combination is uncanny and confusing yet fascinating and fantastical - like watching a plate spinning balancing act complete with explosive gymnastics and contortionists at a midnight circus show. I can't even properly describe a specific thing or give a simplistic image of how this scent smells like I usually can. It smells almost green like pastel-green in the far dry-down. Off my skin this also smells slightly floral. However the oakmoss gives a fresh mentholated (minty) feel to the composition to keep it unisex-masculine leaning and daytime applicable. This smell is mature, serious and authoritative and maintains this slightly fresh sweetness while the oud stays in the background throughout the entire life of the fragrance. Midnight Gold will smell fresh but it is a dark freshness like a dark herbal freshness not so much a bright citric freshness. The oud is discreet, a nice duality between light and dark elements! #performance# The scent is not very volatile spreading modestly from the application point probably only in your personal space and you will smell it's freshness in small doses ever so often. This is not a sweet or candied fragrance so you will feel confident and put together when wearing it. In my opinion a good interview or office or formal fragrance. It lasts about 6-8 hours off skin but in my opinion this might not be a sillage powerhouse. #Experience# Midnight Gold has transported me to a beach (I'm always on a beach - well whatever, it works) on a pitch black night where there is no moon. It is impossible to see the horizon and the space over the ocean feels like an endless maw of nothing. The water is black like ink and the ocean breeze is blowing strongly as if the darkness is breathing. Please test before buying - but I'm sure you'll be impressed too. 9/10 Edit: The subdued unique, oriental dark sweetness that the oud accord brings to this is almost reminiscent of its cousins - Mancera Gold Prestigium and Gold Aoud - two of which I own. Those who like Gold Prestigium or Gold Aoud may like this. Although this smells totally different from those this specific DNA of an oriental citrus-forward oud accord does feel present.

In summary: To me this smells citric and floral with only an implication of oud which weighs the brightness of the scent down slightly and creates a darkness, a mature character to the scent. The scent will smell unique, heavy but clean like a bar of orange blossom soap. It lasts once again 6-8 hours. But I go back on what I said, it has decent sillage so far even in cold weather in my opinion. right now the scent proves to have potential to be very potent in the warmer seasons of summer, spring, and fall. It is a small bubble around my personal space in cold indoor spaces or cold outdoor environments. But so far in the cold no one else has noticed it off me. The DNA shares very slight similarities to cousin fragrances Gold Aoud and Gold Prestigium both of which feature an oriental citric-oud accord so far in the background that those not familiar with eastern perfumes, or manceras may not detect. Dior Homme Parfum has an oud accord in it that for the most part is undetectable because it enhances the leather and chocolate-like qualities. In the air Midnight Gold is floral and soapy in character rather than citric thanks to the oakmoss. It almost wants to be a Chypre without the scary old-fashioned leathery, amber, or sour resinous facets of a Chypre almost a semi-Chypre which might throw some people off but grants this scent a more unisex appeal leaning masculine. I agree with ToddProjects that this might smell feminine to some men. If you prefer typical Chypres - like Aramis Aramis 900, Geurlain Mistouko, or Chanel Antaeus you might scoff at this one because of its floral, soapy skeleton without the animal. I recommend this one to those who like their Chypres less dry and more diluted and soapy like Terre d'Hermes, Chanel no.19 eau de Parfum or Chanel Cristalle. This is an incredibly unique offering one of the most unique I've come across this year in terms of new releases especially involving an oud from Mancera. People are going to be pleasantly surprised if not love this when the get a chance to smell it for themselves Edit: This scent filled out a room at warm room temperature and people were asking what I was wearing. I guess that proves my point this will be potent as hell in warm weather!

Midnight Gold (MG) is a wonderfully pleasant, easy to like and impossibly to hate, perfume that suffers from label misidentity - for lack of a better term. First, MG is one of the more well-behaved perfumes in Mancera's lineup of heavy-hitters in that is has both moderate longevity and projection; it's lasts around 6-7 hours with a personal scent bubble for most of it's journey on my skin. I found it to be an attractive and pleasant scent that leans just a tad bit on the feminine side, but certainly with a strong unisex vibe that can easily be rocked by all. My biggest problem with MG is not the perfume--it's very pleasant and likeable as mentioned--but it's labeled "Midnight" Gold and classified as being an amber woody? Okay, I get the amber and woody elements in the dry-down but, to my nose, these notes and accords are not prominent and are merely backing players. I'm leaning citrus-aromatic-woody. I get the "Gold" part of the name (it actually smells like the color gold), but this is daytime scent IMO so I'm clueless as to the Midnight label. To me, "Golden Rays of Warm Sunshine" would be far more accurate label than Midnight Gold. She's girl next door attractive, but not a Midnight Seductress to my nose. Overall, I very much enjoyed this perfume...but it's better suited as a daytime office or casual scent. Finally, if you're looking for an oud fragrance...well, you find it here. But if you like a fresh-spiced, citrus-aromatic and cedar in the Gold colored backdrop, then you'll enjoy this one and it's worth a sniff.

My newest mancera acquisition and from first spray I wasn't sure if I liked it as it was a blind buy. But after the initial opening it became quite pleasant. Not a huge fan of the opening but luckily it settles pretty quickly around the 5-10 min mark into something pleasant. I've heard "reviewers" call this a freshie or summer fragrance and I disagree completely. This more of an early spring or fall, day or night fragrance. Is there citrus yes, but it's blended in and doesn't feel like a main player here. Instead I get a ambery (not sweet), semi spicy, and woody experience similar to burberry hero EDT and Dior homme 2020, but with the clear star of rose. Rose is by far the dominant note to my nose at least. As far as performance I would say it's around average, I get around 6 - 7 hours with last two hours being a light skin scent. For a house known for longevity and projection this might seem underwhelming but when you consider the two fragrances I mentioned (Hero and Homme) which are closer to the 4-6 hour mark, this does ok. Overall I am glad to have this in my collection even though I own those other two, so there's a bit of redundancy, however it does it's own thing enough to be satisfied with a purchase. Is it the best from the house? No not even close, but is it a solid addition, yep.

SUMMARY: 9/10 Well made unisex floral/rose fragrance. Fresh and easy to wear. More floral/rose than citrus, but the citrus is present and really helps balance it out. Great performance for a light/fresh fragrance. RAMBLING THOUGHTS: I love rose fragrances, but many are quite overwhelming and can be perceived as feminine if the rose is too dominate (at least where I live). Midnight Gold addresses both these problems, by balancing the florals with citrus and woods, in a way that leaves the fragrance clearly being a rose based scent, without letting the rose run too wild. The citrus and woods are also well balanced, as are the spices, amber, and oud. Everything in this fragrance is just well balanced and easy to wear (the opening can be a little herby/spicy, but only briefly). If I am being honest, I can't say this is a "special" fragrance, beyond how well made and how well balanced it is. There is nothing inherently unique about the fragrance and it isn't challenging in anyway. It is just a really well made, truly unisex, lovely and easy to wear rose fragrance. Performance is really good for a light and fresh fragrance. Projects well initially, and then stays on the skin (and clothes) for hours and hours. You will still catch it on the air as well even after hours, though only in close.

I really like this fragrance. I have read reviews where people say it has mild projection and the longevity is not that good and I will say this. I took 5 Mancera fragrances with me on a 2 week vacation to Dominican Republic to see how they would perform in the heat and be received by the locals there. I took Sicily, Jardin Exclusive, Instant Crush, Aoud Lemon Mint, and Midnight Gold. The big winners were by far were Midnight Gold and Jardin Exclusive. As far as longevity, I was getting complements on this after 8 hours. One day I wore it and because of the amount of walking I had been doing, I was very sweaty and my shirt had changed colors. I actually had two ladies walk up to me to ask what I was wearing and I was completely nose blind to it since I had been wearing for 7 hours outside and sweating. For me, this performs great. All of my complements came when I was outside. For me this is a great fragrance.

When I read rosemary among the notes I wasn't sure I would like this scent as I have a very low tollerance for that smell (both in perfumery and cuisine). Fortunately Midnight Gold is a well balance and very pleasant composition and I like it a lot. Many have pointed out how its longevity and projection are not on par with your typical Mancera, and they're right. Almost as many have accused MG to be a misnomer, or at least the Midnight part of the name. For me the name is appropriate, especially because this particular scent lends itself for summer time use and personally, living in a country where even nights are very hot and humid in the summer, this is as nocturnal as I feel comfortable to get as far as warm notes in a summer fragrance. Also, being on the lighter side, it allows you to dose how much denser an experience you want to have.

This starts off HEAVY on the rosemary and the mandarin, and almost smells like eucalyptus. After 10-15 mins it dries down to a heavenly blend of Turkish rose and cedarwokd, but still keeps the rosemary in the background. As a man I personally love this scent, as it has some masculine undertones such as the amber (which is not insanely strong). This is one of my favourite summer scents and is perfect for a nice date I'm the afternoon or to hang out with friends. It needs 4-6 sprays, but after that it projects an insane amount and smells sooooo good from afar. It lasts around 6 hours on skin, which is really good for such a delicate scent. I literally put it on at 6 one morning and could still smell it after racing motocross for over 6 hours. 9/10 would buy again as soon as kine runs out.

This is lovely. Smells like the floral/musky aromachemicals in a generic lotion (coconuty musk), which makes it approachable and unisex. A calming type freshie instead of a invigorating freshie. If I had to define it, I'd say creamy white musk plus generic citrus & florals (rose?). Very approachable, opens strong but not the best longevity. Perfectly office safe even if over sprayed and good for warmer weather. And really nothing like Aoud Lemon Mint, except that it's creamy. If you want fresh watery citrus, get Soleil d'Italie. If you want creamy citrus, get this one. And in both cases, the rose note will be dominant, so be aware they may lean too fem for some guys.

This is great its fresh sweet and floral. Rose is the most prominent note in this fragrance i get som citrusy lime in the opening and real juicy mandarin orange with a hint of neroli. you can only smell the pepper and cardamom when you smell directly on skin. On skin it is a fresh blue spicy rose whilst in air it is a sweet rose with citrus and a honey Melon note to it aswell atleast i get that. Great longevity 12 hours on skin and it projects above average for the first 6 or 7 hours but after that it mostly a skin scent but you can still catch whiffs of it. Its a great everyday scent 8/10 also perfectly unisex

Gods! I knew I might like this one. I didn't expect myself to fall this hard! I sprayed it around my pillow and now I'm burying my face in it. It's is madly good! I don't like buying blind full bottles but now I regret buying only the smallest. I will get the big one for sure though. It's grapefruit and lime, maybe a touch of orange. The herbs, flowers and pepper are blended smoothly to a glorious background, like a Tiffany frame around a simple, but likable painting of a fruit bowl. Fresh like straight from the shower. What am I still doing here, I'm buying this right now.

#648 in my "Tour de Fragrance" Another freshie winner from Mancera. If you like Silver Blue, Aoud Blue Notes, Lemon Mint, this one is right up there. Absolutely nothing to not like here. Safe for any use any time. Powdery, musky, citrusy, woody, all the good stuff in one place. I was looking for something close to Soleil D'Italie, which I gave to a girlfriend as the bergamot got me sneezing then nose blind as it sometimes does. This is still as citrusy as Soleil, but no bergamot, maybe a little bit less aquatic, but still a great Summer scent.

Fresh easy to wear everyday unisex fragrance. It's not ground breaking but it has a place in my collection, esp that I found a tester for a good deal. I heard comparisons to Soleil d'Italie, which I also have, but I don't really get that much similarity. There's a bit of a throwback feel in the mid, which really reminded me of the blue Givenchy pour Homme. It also reminds me of Wild Fruits and the musk in the base is reminiscent of Artisan Pure. Average performance that's expected from this type of scent profile.

This is underrated gem. I get the sweetness of the Mandarin Orange, the florals of the Neroli but the star of the show is the Turkish Rose 🌹 the Turkish Rose in here reminds me of the Rose in MFK L'Homme A l'a Rose not saying it's the same scent profile but the way the Rose is composed in Midnight Gold it's like smelling a bouquet of roses. This is perfect for the spring time and don't worry about the name because this a fresh-citrusy fragrance and even perfect for the summer. Get your nose on this one.

This is one of my absolute favorite Manceras! It’s right up there with Intense Cedrat Boise, wave musk, and Silver Blue. This one is a super masculine fresh musky chypre and perfect for spring/summer months or even just as a signature. I really do get ADG EDT vibes mixed with Oud and slightly sweet Amber and Musk. It’s ADG PH as a niche fragrance.. This one is a home run by Mancera for me. I’m thinking about a backup bottle or two 🤔 Update: I ordered a backup bottle.

most mancera scents are excellent, this is one of them, i can not add much too what has already been posting, i will say i did a blind buy on it based on its notes and i am highly pleased with what i got. the notes all ring true except i do not get the black pepper. would i buy it again ? yes it is a relaxing scent that will draw complements on its unique scent

After wearing this for a couple days I can confidently say I LOVE this fragrance for me it is the perfect freshie I am a rose lover and this fragrance had the perfect amount of rose it's blended really well and has great performance for a freshie this is one of if not the best summer fragrance ever in my opinion perfect 10/10

Smells like Acqua di gio but on land and very proudly unisex. For a dude that digs floral this hits the money pretty good. Fairly different from the citrus freshies out there right now all trying to dupe aventus.

Spring time in a bottle. Watery and floral. The rose is delicate and balanced very well with the surrounding notes. This one is growing on me big time. Edit: I’m officially obsessed lol

This perfume is so well blended that I cannot smell any clear note in it. It’s like gold prestigium experience. If you ever smelled that one you know what I mean. It’s well done, smooth and pleasant scent that is again : hard to hate. A crowd pleaser and zero offensive. Projection is moderate I would say. Longevity about 3 hours on my skin. On clothes definitely longer. Would I buy a bottle? No. Why ; I like perfumes with strong projection that rock my world and bring me some nostalgia. This one doesn’t, and also gold prestigium doesn’t because the notes are too well blended and I cannot get a clear note. I like Mancera because the most perfumes have head note that plays a great part in the whole bottle. These are notes like roses, oud, vanilla or figs and they’re damn good at zooming in on them. That’s what I love about that brand and will skip this one. I think many people will like this. Personally to me it is a pleasant but empty perfume. Just like hot dudes or chicks without brain if you know what I mean 🤪 7/10