Mansa

I'd fist like to mention that the notes listed on their site are: Top: Blackberry, Pink Pepper, Orris Heart: Oud, Rose, Amber, Cassis, Saffron, Base: Patchouly, Heliotrope, Moss and Musk which to me personally seems more accurate than what's listed here Fragrance has aromatic oud opening with hints of berry As it's drying it's becoming sweeter, the berry note becoming more prominent along with cassis giving the fragrance candy qualities As it dries down it becomes very complex It keeps the sweet fruity qualities but it is also accompanied by florals like rose on a bed of soft plush musks, amber and wood Also want to mention that i am usually not liking the cassis note in perfumes as it often comes off very harsh and synthetic but here it's so beautiful and perfect Reminds me a bit of Ishq by anfas when it's fully dried as it's creamy, ambery and slightly fruity

I love this beast 😍 Dirty leather and barn. Wonderful. Not wish it didn’t go more soapy and sweet at the end. Not for everyone for sure... Longevity 10/10 Projection 8/10 Love 8/10t

A fruitier version of Ombre nomad with minimal oud. At least to my nose. It's nice!

This one is not for me. It took a while to get to a place I enjoyed. The opening felt slightly like cough syrup. Artificial, slightly medicinal, and distracting. As it evolved, it did soften beautifully and began to settle into the skin, and that's when my brain finally connected. The dry down feels like a bedroom at golden hour. Open windows, white freshly cleaned sheets, sheer curtains rippling in a warm breeze. Soft, clean skin against clean fabric. The bed envelops you while the air carries in a hint of the garden outside, nature's calling, but you're held in comfort. Warm, soft, cushy. The dry down is genuinely lovely, but it takes too long to get there. I had to fight to reach the image, and for me that makes it not the right fit.

I really wanted to love this guys, but they play very safe for a niche/indie brand. This one smells very synthetic, to my nose it's a rosy powdery detergent with fruity nuances, cleaning product vibe, quite playful and youthful. Smells very cheap for a 200$ fragrance, it's just outrageously overpriced. You should check Vitias, Masar, Naki and Amoral, those are worth checking, this one's a hard pass.

Sadly very much not my thing. The opening is very sharp and medicinal with a burnt rubber quality to it. After that settles it’s very strong and heavily blackberry and rose forward. For me it leans more masculine, but could also be unisex. The biggest problem is that it doesn’t really stand out or have anything unique about it like you would expect from a niche house. I feel like you could get something similar at a Sephora which is disappointing for the price

It smells way too medicinal to me

I really wanted to like this fragrance as it speaks to my personal heritage given that I’m a Senegalese muslim and the inspiration resonates with me, however, for me this just misses the mark. I get an oud, leather fragrance with a mix of pungent fruits and rose. I get zero powderiness even though orris and heliotrope are both listed as notes. The rose and oud are reminiscent of santal royal and the fruitiness is very similar to hibiscus mahajad. Doesn’t smell horrible but doesn’t smell great to me. If you like hibiscus mahajad there’s a good chance you will like this, this is like the leathery oud version.

As soon as I smelled Mansa I immediately "knew" there was leather or suede notes in this one. I was sure of it. Come to find out leather nor suede is listed in the notes. All that to say is that this one gives off strong leather vibes. Must be the oud and orris combination? The dry down changes things up and it gets a bit softer and even nicer. The florals come out to play when the leather goes away.