Mana

First off, don’t care about the ones writing crap about it comparing it to Montale or whatever. They have either not tried this, are clueless about what to expect from different notes or, like someone said - are paid by competitors to bash other perfumes. Below is my take. I’m by no means an expert on perfume but rather a amateur with a big interest in perfumes. My only credits in this field is the books by Luca Turin (Secret of scent for example) and a few sitting with actual pros who’ve answered my questions. So don’t take anything I write as “truth”. 1st question: is this similar to Ombre Nomade? Yes. I really like a few of the Louis Vuitton offerings and Ombre Nomade is one of them. This is 90% similar. 2nd question: Is the oud in this a clear synthetic accord? No, I really don’t think so. I have Ensar, Bortnikoff, pure oud flakes and a bunch of other very authentic aged ouds. I also have a few Amorouds and Tom Ford for example that has synthetic accords. This is not the latter. If anything, this leans slightly barnyard in the opening. 3rd: Is it worth having this if you have ON or over ON? Subjective of course but no. I have this instead of ON but more out of accident (a blind trade) than anything else. But I won’t change it for ON or buy the latter. There’s a few differences between this and ON. ON is IMHO heavier on the ambery aspects of the scent. Mainly due to the use a certain Symrise component. But more on that soon. This also does not have the fruitiness of ON (raspberry mainly). The wood in this is guaiac (and a bit of sandalwood) where as in ON its birch accompanied by a heady dose of amberwood or ethoxymethoxy cyclododecane for those who prefer the chemical term. This is the ambery part of ON. And I’m guessing it’s used extensively in ON. I don’t get that in Mana. The dose of rose is similar between the two (even though I’m not sure it’s the exact same type of rose). However, a rose accord has about 50 parts so it can be the same but slightly altered. Guaiac wood in Mana adds to the leathery, smokey aspects of the perfume and paired with the (synthetic) castoreum you get a slightly more animalic feel of the perfume overall. I like that. I find Mana a tad more spicy (although not in a gourmand sense of the meaning of the word). I do, however don’t experience Mana as much smoother or well rounded that ON. They are about the same in this aspect. I like ’em both! I have about 10 oud/rose fragrances and this is a take I really like!

Blind bought ut even I had ombre nomade from louis vuitton which is similar. And after the first sprays .. yes it is similar its the same family, but what if I told you there are tons of perfumes in the same family around the middle east? So let's skip that and let's talk about mana. It opens quit beautiful with that saffron and beneath immediately a beautiful animalistic smokey accord. I assume it's real Oud because it's holding the opening the mid and drydown together like it sticks on the whole skin and doesn't evaporate the whole thing haha. That being said it does project crazy and leaves an gorgeous silage. The drydown is bit more airy, bit more animalic musky touches but it does not change much from the open and mid. I don't think that was the goal of the perfumer anyway. I think what makes this one special in this family is that it holds that strong oriental vibe along the journey. So back to comparison.. yes o have ombre nomade which is also beautiful, but this doesn't have sharp edges on that animalistic smoky touch from the oud and leather accord. It contains real Oud, it smells smoother more refined and keeps everything together. Unfortunately with ombre nomade that I like the opening, quick fades in to the leather fruity with some rose touches. The oud accord dissappear to quick for me where this fixes that and also contains pure oud and you can feel smell and understand that... real oud can make you calm somehow at least it feels very spiritual to me.. don't forget it was a real trea so a lots of energy anyways! 9/10 I love this line since I've them all now. This one is second after nefs for me, and not a 10 because of the fact that I miss something. Yes it's profile is familiar but this is perfect, but just because of that I expected nishane to be a tiny bitt different but still great artistic perfumery. Def. Try it out even if you dislike this kind of perfume

Since I started collecting fragrances, I have been looking for the “one” to be a statement maker... This is that fragrance. Two sprays is plenty. 3 will fill a room. Lasts for days on clothing. I bought this for 194 dollars on jomashop and am delighted. You get what you pay for. When I first smelled it, my reaction was... this will take me a minute to wrap my nose around. I still smell new subtleties occasionally. It’s so complex and interesting, while simultaneously being the basic Arab oud, rose, saffron combo (with a leathery tinge from the castoreum/suede/oud). Let me elaborate. When you first spray it, you get a spicy opening that doesn’t last very long. You may also notice some base notes pop up here or there early on, like the olibanum/labdanum/sandalwood. The Black pepper sings on my skin, and the cardamom and ginger provide support along with a slight citrus and which I can only contribute to the labdanum. The castoreum is the first note to pop its head out of the mid, followed quickly by the rose and saffron. The castoreum lingers throughout the scent leaving behind leathery scent trails. By the time the mid notes present themselves, the spicy opening is no longer detectable. The rose here is masterfully presented. It’s clean and creamy - which I can attribute to hints of sandalwood. The oud here is leathery and not horribly challenging, animalistic, or barnyard-y. I’ve worn this to work in winter and gotten compliments- it won’t be an every day wear but it’s top tier perfumery whenever I bust it out. Works best for events or places you want to be noticed.

Most people in the comments are new in the fragrance game that hear what Tiktok has to say about perfumes so they tried out Nefs.. Most of them are allured by Nefs and naturally want to try some other creations from the Prestige line.. The problem is.. Nefs is a truly likeable and mass appealing scent that you don't need to have a "matured nose" to appreciate; however Mana in the other hand.. is not as likeable and as smooth and as linear as Nefs. I consider Mana Nishane's masterpiece. Most people that call out "synthetic" notes in the reviews below have no idea how a perfume is made.. and there is nothing wrong with that at all.. but please get informed, every perfume niche or not has synthetic notes to it that completes the perfume.. Most perfumers when that exact question gets dropped in an interview they all say that chemistry and synthetic notes are essential and absolutely necessary, think of it like an alphabet without A, C, and F, or Do-Re-Mi without Do, Fa, and So. In my opinion the oud in this is not synthetic you can pretty much smell how good the raw material is in this. This is a luxury product, you either have the means for it to be intended for you, or you don't, and there's nothing wrong with that. And as I said in an older review below.. this is real niche perfumery. I don't know how sad you can be as a person to just press "hate" on a perfume just because it's expensive. People are reviewing scents here, not prices.

Mana – A Nightbound Masterpiece Mana is unapologetically powerful—an electrifying blend that announces itself with commanding sillage and projection that fill the room. What truly fascinates me is how castoreum dances with leather, suede, and rose, weaving unexpected threads of creamy vanilla-like sweetness into the rugged core. It’s as if the wildness of the castoreum softens the animalic edges, drawing the warmth of vanilla into the leathery embrace. This fragrance feels made for the night or the depths of winter—bold, enigmatic, and unapologetically intense. Longevity is impressive, often lingering 10–12 hours on skin And both projection and trail are equally beastly, ensuring Mana commands attention. Despite its grandeur, Mana remains underrated. It transcends typical rose-oud tropes by layering spices, suede, and resinous woods into a tapestry that feels both familiar and distinctly original. Its complexity reveals nuance hour after hour—smoky, sweet, spicy, then dry and leathery. In my view, it’s a perfect 10/10. A fragrance that doesn’t just wear—it performs. It’s artistic, memorable, and unapologetically powerful—a true expression of meaning, just as its name suggests.