Mancera Sand Aoud Bottle and Box, photo by Gail Gross ©

So far, 2019 is smelling like the year of the buoyant, fresh floral. My recent favorites from Esxence 2019 include a host of breathtaking, evanescent beauties.  But even while floating on (and carried away with) the current ethereal trend, I find that I occasionally crave a perfume that is a little more corporeal, focused and almost down to earth.

 Illustration by Maxfield Parrish from “The Arabian Nights, 1909.

Mancera Sand Aoud was created in 2011 by Pierre Montale for Mancera Paris, the house that he founded in 2008 and that is now under the artistic direction of his daughter Amélie.  Sand Aoud features some of my favorite fragrance notes, unapologetically distinct and literal, each presented in vivid contrast and sharp relief with only an occasional slightly blurred edge or fuzzy aura.

 

Illustration by Maxfield Parrish from “The Arabian Nights”, 1909.

I was initially drawn to Mancera Sand Aoud by the name alone, fully expecting a desert romance, complete with djinns, dry desiccated air, incense curling from magical censors and a surfeit of mysterious oudi-ness. I was surprised, but not disappointed, to discover Sand Aoud to be a totally different take on the desert landscape.  Earthy, intense and animalic, Mancera Sand Aoud retains all of the romance and magic that I expected, but the dry, dusty air and the oud are almost lost to an addictive atmosphere of comforting warmth and sweetness.

 Mancera Sand Aoud Bottle with Black Currants and Sand, photo by Gail Gross ©

The magic that is Mancera Sand Aoud immediately satisfies one of my primal olfactory cravings – an obsessive desire for the scent of black currant. The djinn residing in the sleek Mancera perfume bottle grants my wish and satisfies my passion with a palpable, intense opening of deep and darkly sweet black currant liqueur, spiced with nutmeg, cardamom and black pepper. In about fifteen minutes the hot, boozy, ever so slightly medicinal fruit begins to radiate a subtle aura of woody incense that resolves into a heart of dried rose petals and saffron powder, reminiscent of the aroma and taste of a Persian Advieh or a Moroccan Ras el Hanout spice blend.

Mancera Sand Aoud is an exceptionally long-lived fragrance.  The romantic olfactory tale that is Sand Aoud, while not lasting for 1001 nights, remains on my skin for at least 24 hours and for countless days on clothing. Mancera Sand Aoud finishes with a long and satisfying experience of patchouli, dark vanilla and just a hint of the classic oud that Pierre Montale and Mancera Paris do so well.

Notes: Hot spices, black currant liqueur, rose petals, saffron powder, incense, patchouli, oud and vanilla.

Disclaimer:  I would like to thank Europerfumes and Mancera for my treasured bottle of Sand Aoud.  My opinions are my own.

Gail Gross – Senior Editor

Thanks to Europerfumes, the US distributor of Mancera, we have one 120 ml TESTER bottle of Mancera Sand Aoud for one registered CafleureBon reader in the US. (You must register or your entry will be invalid. To register click here.) To be eligible please leave a comment about what you enjoyed about Gail’s review and if you have a favorite Mancera fragrance.  Draw closes 6/29/2019.

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