It was beautiful, that mandarin-fresh summer scent from Clinique! Happy for Men was optimistic, fresh, and delicious - it expressed the spirit of the new millennium like hardly any other - before September 11, 2001, and especially the bursting of the internet euphoria at the Neuer Markt blocked the happiness hormones again.
A whole decade went well, but then someone got involved. Happy for Men was reformulated so cheaply and horrifically that it can no longer be recommended today. The need is great, and finding a replacement is difficult. What about Mandarina Duck Men?
Contrary to the name, it is not supposed to be a mandarin at all, but rather a cocktail of blood orange, grapefruit, and peach that greets us first. Be that as it may, there are these moments in summer when we stand in line at the ice cream parlor. And every year there are new, great flavors - not just classics like vanilla and chocolate, but also fruity ice cream varieties for hot weather: raspberry, forest fruit, apricot, lemon, melon, and more. For inexplicable reasons, we occasionally choose such a brightly colored something - mandarin, passion fruit, or even a flavor called "Exotic." Thanks to the aroma-producing industry - such a fruit ice cream tastes more intense than what could ever be achieved with real fruit juices.
It is similar with Mandarina Duck Man. After an initial citrus note has graciously completed its work, this strange orange fruit mix reveals itself in the most artificial way. The fact that spices, along with musk and vetiver, underlie the whole thing with a certain breadth and roughness does not improve the situation. This is probably meant to justify its classification as a men's fragrance.
At least the brightly colored note has been used subtly enough to potentially dazzle the customer. I highly recommend comparing it with a truly noble mandarin note, such as the very successful Boisé from Frapin. The gap is large: noble Grand Marnier versus children's ice cream!
Okay, the comparison is a bit unfair: Frapin's Boisé is more expensive. And with its emphasis on light woods, it also does not meet the desire for a simple, fresh mandarin scent in the style of Happy for Men. However, Mandarina Duck is really not an equally worthy substitute for Happy for Men.
For those looking for a simply structured, fresh mandarin scent for spring and summer, I recommend "Mandarin" by Royall Lyme of Bermuda for the time being. It is available at a moderate price at Ausliebezumduft.
I think the name doesn't come from the fruit mandarin, but from the Chinese language Mandarin. So more like Peking duck. Probably not their best shot with this scent on the market. The Black, however, isn't too bad.
Mandarina Duck was unbeatable TOP until they started making nylon stuff too. My MD handbag is beautiful, 15 years old, and there's no comparison (!!!) to the new collections. Apparently, with the mainstream idea came the fragrance idea. Makes sense.
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