Saharian Wind

Saharian Wind is Brilliant - I love, love, love, how adaptable the brand of Mancera is. Notes: With the heavy oud based fragrance trend losing the spotlight with mainstream western perfumery we see oud loyalty being reduced to die-hard oud connoisseurs and small but adept oud fragrance interest communities, notably because of the outrageous premium price points of oud fragrances and their debatable wearability. In this case owning an artisanal oud maybe more of a novelty or a brag than a practicality which is completely fine I have some myself - will I buy more? Mmm... Maybe if I had the disposable income to pay for a pet groomer or hire a maid. But admirably even though Mancera prides itself on the use of oud accords and rose in a majority of its compositions which could be polarizing, it manages to use these ingredients in the quantities that aren't polarizing and instead enhance the depth of the scent. But here with Saharian Wind, Mancera proves again that it can manage to produce bangers with or without those ingredients - you gotta respect the hustle. Fragrance: Saharian wind - "boy oh boy..." - its a good one... A Spicy Oriental barbershop fougère - I instantly smell that classic fresh masculine fragrance DNA with some modern herbaceous spiciness something near or in between a Guerlain Habit Rouge and Dior Eau Sauvage Parfum. I would be the first to mention in my opinion the name Saharian Wind feels somewhat amiss of what the scent actually conveys to me. Wind has freshness and this is fresh. But the green citric and herbal spiciness does not remind me of the Magreb or the Sahara and I have lived briefly in Niger. It actually reminds me of the green and aromatic alps. However I would love to smell like this in a hot climate area like the Sahara. I imagine if coriander, cardamom and ginger were added to the composition it would give it the fuzzy, dustiness it needs to resemble sand. Saharian Wind is that, - “Wanna go bowling after the game at Bdubs?” - “Yeah sure lemme just freshen up” Kind of scent. A warm spicy fougère that smells peppery with a leathery depth at the top. From there it dries down to a zesty, citric and spicy, tobacco base that smells soapy, clean and sweet. Ideal for cold seasons but tame and fresh enough for warm seasons as well. And for a scent that smells like this I'm glad to say that even though the profile of Saharian Wind is lighter because it contains no oud there's still that Mancera performance that doesn't disappoint. Definitely masculine although even a female can wear this if she likes spicy herbal scents. Thrilled and eagerly awaiting the new Mancera line-up. 9/10

Okay, so. This is CRAZY good. Love, love, love. I got an official sample at a perfumery last summer, and when I tried it, the fragrance was nothing at all like I expected from the listed notes here. I had expected some leathery/tobacco heavy deep scent, but instead it was this really fresh and uplifting, oriental style barbershoppy, gentlemanly scent. However, I did like it. Loads of fresh cypress, some lavender, and that subtle amber/vanilla that sweetens everything, just the right tiny amount. This scent is so fresh, and it does so almost without any citrus. I bet you can easily wear this in high heat. In fact I'm pretty damn sure it's great four seasons per year. In the deep drydown I get a hint of tobacco. Leather? I'm not sure. For me it's all about that ambery cypress. I finished the sample with a few wearings, but I felt longevity wasn't all that, so I decided to forget about it, despite the fact I liked it. Fast forward some 6 months or so, and it's spring. I found myself thinking of Saharian Wind ALL the time. I had a vivid memory of the way it smelled and it became sort of an obsession in my head. I had grown to LOVE the memory of that scent. I was thinking maybe I was remembering it way better than it actually was, but I couldn't help craving it. I kept telling myself I shouldn't get a full bottle because it didn't seem to last on me, but then I went and got me a full bottle anyway. The fragrance was exactly as I remembered it, only I was crazy in love with it now, instead of just liking it. I was excited to give it a full proper wearing to the office! It actually performed much better on me than when I was testing the sample. But the thing is, it actually performs really well, it's just that I get anosmic to it when I spray the wrong places. I had sprayed some on the front of my shirt because I wanted to be able to smell it all the time. A classic mistake! I get olfactory fatigue with most fragrances when I do that. So halfway through the day I couldn't smell it at all anymore, but I was getting compliments from colleagues left and right! Apparently it was still performing like nobody's business, but I just couldn't smell it anymore. The evidence is sitting right next to me here. It's the shirt I wore to work three days ago, and it still smells strongly of Saharian Wind. It lasts ages on clothes. From now on I will just spray the back of my shirt, so it won't be going up my nose constantly, but that way I keep getting wafts. This catapulted itself to the very top of my favourites list. Just like that. What a fantastic fragrance! ★★★★★

My initial experience with this fragrance was based on a 1ml decant and so I didn't have much of an opportunity to live with it, but that sample was enough to make me realise that I wanted more and so just a few days after first trying it I ordered a full 100ml bottle. Since then, I've worn it a few times in the hope of fully formulating an opinion of it. And yet, I'm still struggling to put my experience into words. Perhaps its name has subconsciously swayed me because I do detect the smell of sun-baked sand. There's a dry, mellow sweetness to it, mixed with warm spices. I've read reviews that say it's a "barbershop" fragrance and I can see that. Mint isn't listed as a note, but I do get a hint of dusty mint from it, like that in TF's BDJ, but warmer and not so fresh to my nose. Looking at the notes listed for this fragrance, I suspect that it's actually the spices and pink pepper that I'm perceiving as mint. There is also something else there that I'm finding difficult to pinpoint ... I want to say that there is a very slight ashy smell to it, like fully burnt wood, after the smell of burning has gone completely. "Ashy" has somewhat negative connotations in my mind, but that is definitely not the case here. On my skin, I found it took 10+ hours for the initial stages to transition, so it's certainly linear. Later, I find lavender, suede and white musk coming through, but not enough to overpower that dusty, desert sand smell that I got from the start. With many of the more unusual fragrances I try, I find a difficulty in picturing an occasion when I might wear them, but not so with this. I can see it being perfect for evenings in late summer, when the sun hangs low in the sky and the day's heat is starting to cool. I think it is fine for both relaxed and formal settings. That my wife says that it "smells lovely" is a bonus. And I think the same. My photo: https://www.fragrantica.com/fragram/fp/311230 My photo: https://www.fragrantica.com/fragram/fp/313613 Tested: 100ml full bottle Seasons / Occasions: Spring through to late summer. Good for relaxed and formal wear. Key thoughts: Highly linear, dusty desert sand, with a mellow sweetness. Overall rating: 9/10 Buy full bottle again: Yes

If you’ve smelled mancera before - it doesn’t matter. This doesn’t smell like a mancera. I really appreciate the opening of this. It’s a pungent blast of spice, wood and a kick of sour citrus and dry leather. I’m not sure if anyone has made the connection to Gucci guilty absolute, but it could be a cousin. Using Gucci guilty absolute as a placeholder, I find this to be a less aggressive leather - and I also find the noticeable citrus note to be quite enjoyable. This is certainly a complex scent - in that the notes come together to make a unique smell. I’d heard this was challenging - but I don’t find it to be as challenging as guilty absolute - or say, red tobacco. Don’t kid yourself - if this were a designer scent, it’d be marketed towards men. No question. During the mid and dry down, I find that the lavender comes out a bit stronger, and in turn, softens the sour/dry leather I made reference to in the beginning. It also strays further from guilty absolute during the dry down - as this seems to smooth out, while guilty seems to double down on stank. Out of the mancera’s I’ve tried, I find this to be the most original composition - the least “mancera like” and probably one of the most enjoyable scents from the brand. Don’t be concerned by my comparison to guilty absolute. This is a very different scent - it just shares some similar qualities. Ultimately, this is lighter and much more wearable and enjoyable. Truly one of the best scents I’ve come across in quite some time. The last time I was wowed like this was Ganymede. Kudos to mancera for doing something very different and very enjoyable. Must try.

Looking at the reviews so far, it seems experiences are varied. Smelling it on the back of my hand for some time now, I don't really recognize what others are writing. Maybe I'm just anosmic to some aspect of this fragrance, I don't know. I also don't feel like this is typical Mancera beast mode. Mysterious? Nah. Dark? Neh. It's very fresh! Dense? Nope. It's light! Club scent? Wut. If I had to describe the type of scent, I'd say it's an oriental style barbershop fragrance. To me it's light and airy, not heavy at all. Smells inoffensive and professional, perfect for the office or meetings. It's gentlemanly. Seems appropriate for almost any occasion really, and pretty much any season except for summer maybe. It's a breath of fresh air with all the cypress and lavender. I might get some leather, I suppose, but I have to focus to smell it, and it's a very different type of leather than what I'm used to in fragrances. I do get lavender, and definitely a lot of cypress. Yes, cypress is the dominant note to me. There's some citrus, yes. I don't get tobacco. I'm getting a bit of a honey effect somehow. The deep dry-down smells a bit medicinal, on skin. One could easily layer Encre Noire á l'Extrème with this and give it a bit of an oriental vibe. It would be a cypress bomb! Man, this pretty nice. Projection and longevity might not be what you'd expect from a Mancera. This is not a beast mode fragrance, but it's not very weak either. Maybe I'm just partly anosmic or something, that's always a possibility. Bottom line: Go smell this yourself, as it seems YMMV, as they say.