Aoud Lemon Mint Mancera 2016

Mancera and Montale - the common DNA of both houses can be found in the name, the flacons and very well also in the fragrance creations. Since not so many perfumeries run the two houses - and in many cases only one of them - I was only familiar with the more prominent Montale for some time. The scents of this house are for me all exactly one: polarizing! Either you love creation or you despise it. Now that I've tested a handful of fragrances from both houses, I come to one conclusion - the label doesn't always live up to its promises and: less is sometimes more! The latter does not apply to the number of fragrances contained, but rather to the variety of creations that both labels throw onto the market.
Characteristic of the creations of both brands are the descriptive names, meaning that the name of the fragrance anticipates which ingredients should dominate the course of the fragrance. As already mentioned above, I cannot always agree with this naming, also in the case of Aoud Lemon Mint. Cool, marketing-optimised fragrance names such as "Viking", "Egoiste" or "Layton" are not to be found at Montale. Many of the fragrances are also categorized as unisex, including the one discussed here.
Now to the fragrance itself, the title focuses on Oud, Lemon (here converted as Mandarin and Lemon) and Mint. In my opinion, the latter can only be found in the title, it can neither be found in the list of ingredients, nor can my nose really identify it in any phase of the fragrance process. I could understand Aoud Lemon even better.
The fragrance also starts off directly with a citric note, reminiscent of green mandarins. The citric is quite spicy at the beginning, but is surrounded by a very strong sweetness, which remains for my nose throughout the entire course of the fragrance. While the sour fruit disappears after a short time, this spicy, slightly musty Oud/Patchouli sweetness remains for well over 10 hours. I applied the scent yesterday evening around 20:00 o'clock and it was still very closely perceptible the next day at lunch. Altogether the very dark ingredients dominate for me in this bright and very briefly freshly starting fragrance after only a few minutes: Oud (low dosage), patchouli, vetiver, which make the fragrance very spicy. Amber and vanilla add sweetness. No trace of mint.
The bottle, which is a feast for the eyes, therefore does not really go well with such a powerful hum, which, unlike the name suggests, is hardly bearable in summer. I see the scent in autumn, winter and on cool spring days. I couldn't stand him in the heat. In general I admire durability and Sillagemonster, but this one was too penetrating, also too stinging and too musty and above all one thing: much too synthetic.
This synthetic is my biggest reservation against Montale and Mancera so far. Nearly all fragrances tested so far stood out due to very prominent fragrances, all of which seemed very synthetic. The large number of releases also makes me a little suspicious. I would prefer some selected, really balanced and rounder fragrances. Besides, Oud - or as Montale and Mancera call it - makes it: Aoud - not every fragrance more exclusive, more complex and therefore justifiably more expensive. It simply doesn't go well with some compositions, especially not with supposedly light and fruity fragrances. Also the abundant patchouli and here animal musk distort the beautiful top note in the course.
Thus, none of the Montales and Manceras purchased so far will probably be allowed to move into the core workforce. This one also leaves me via the souk towards a new owner.
Too bad, because the bottle is a feast for the eyes, the durability of this fragrance is second to none!