Skip to main content

Black Line by Mancera

Spices, Rose, Patchouli, Amber, Leather, White Musk, Sandalwood, Guaiac.

Indeed, the Rose-Oud-Sandal combinations have pretty much run their course.......or have they? When you sample numerous ones in this genre, there's a commonality to be expected and the whole category can make you indifferent.

Some, however, have that little something-something that's hard to put your finger on, but it's just loud enough, comfortable enough and blended well enough to make you take notice in spite of all the other contenders. This is how I interpret my wearings of Black Line. Personally, I find the category of "niche" rose releases to be somewhat overloaded and because of this, it doesn't seem special to me anymore. I suppose it's run of the mill these days, but that doesn't mean there aren't standouts.

Black Line, on my skin, doesn't come across as either feminine or masculine. It just is. Rose is featured here with complimentary appearances and contributions from others. Subtle spice, some earthy tones, hints of leather and musk, and a touch of woody resin are restrained but evident. The rose manages to stay a step ahead for the life of the scent and the volume never gets raucous. This is a very nice wear if you want these attributes while desiring your scent to remain polite.

It took me a few wearings to fully appreciate Black Line. No, it doesn't raise the bar for Rose fragrances. We are all too different with our perceptions and there are simply to many to choose from. However, this "wears" like I want a rose-centric fragrance to.

Sillage is average with longevity approximately 5 hours on me with moderate sprays. I don't experience mega projection, but the aroma is full nonetheless. These days, I can do without the room clearers. Thumbs up from Aromi for Mancera's Black Line. As always, a sample wear is recommended.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Oriental Lounge by The Different Company

Bergamot, Curry Leaf, Pepper, Red Rose, Tonka Bean, Labdanum, Satinwood. I suppose the first thing I noticed about Oriental Lounge is that as a man, this is a bit of a stretch to pull off. Since the core of Oriental Lounge is a powdery tonka and amber duo, it really does lean a bit too far feminine for me to wear. However, it would smell just as lovely on a woman and more appropriate as well. I bring this up simply because it's marketed as shared. I was wondering about the curry leaf. Actually, this "note" brought nothing to the table with the exception of possibly enhancing the pepper note just a bit. Even so, the pepper note itself was low key ( at least on me ) and both blended nicely with the citrus opening. From the onset of Oriental Lounge, it's unmistakable that this fragrance is.......well.....an oriental. From other opinions, I read some gripes about longevity, but it lasts on me quite awhile. This fragrance is uncomplicated and without much movemen...

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

Paco Rabanne Pour Homme

I am reviewing the original Paco Rabanne Pour Homme ( circa 1973 ) thanks to a generous basenoter who sent it to me recently in a swap. He also sent me the current formulation in order for me to do a side by side comparison. The side by side resulted in what I had already imagined would be the case. Not that the newer formula is terrible by any means. The original version simply is better by being deeper and a bit more masculine. No......you shouldn't go to ebay searching for the vintage formula and paying stupid prices. It's simply a notch or two better than the current and noticeable by comparing the two in real time. Rabanne Pour Homme opens with a slight shimmer in conjunction with lavender, spices and a subtle woodiness. It's an old school introduction, however a good one. The lavender takes about 5 minutes to raise its volume and evolve into a soapy rendition. I dislike when a boatload of soapy lavender takes over a composition, but here it doesn't go over t...