Mena by Al Haramain

Pine Tree, Sandalwood, Saffron, Sandalwood, Amber.

Having never smelled this before, I pulled the trigger on this and Maze by Al Haramain due to the minimal, sketchy opinions and the bottle. Mainly, because of the bottle folks and I admit, they are as heavy and as cool as you think they are.

After wearing Mena a few times now, I'm still unsure what to make of it. It's somehow discordant and maintains the ability to keep me sniffing it. I can definitely say I don't love it because there's a combination of note-ratios that bring a sourness to fruition on my skin. The house's rendition of Pine Tree pitted against Saffron is what is causing this I'm sure.

Mena is obviously all about woods, but it's not a heavy, dense interpretation. I assumed incorrectly that this ( and Maze ) would wear with gravity. It doesn't and chooses to be a more versatile and multi-seasonal scent.

After 10 to 15 minutes, Mena wears close and sheds that off-kilter opening accord. The slightly sour and discordant top note has mellowed into a minimal resin and more obvious wood. The volume and presence are already personal space fragrances after 30 minutes has elapsed. While this particular woody does nothing to stand out and differentiate itself from the myriad of others, it's definitely wearable by either gender and the bottle is an eye catcher for sure.

Neutral-Positive rating from Aromi for Al Haramain's Mena. Sillage is average at best with longevity 4-5 hours on my skin before reapplication. As always, a sample wear is highly recommended.