New Frag: Aoud Lemon Mint
You’d assume a fragrance called Aoud Lemon Mint would smell like aoud, lemon, and mint. This smells like almond, vanilla, and baby powder with a touch of oud and lemon but no mint to be found. There are also hints of vinyl (recall the smell of blowing up a pool inflatable) and sunscreen. These notes are good. I think.
The idea of a lemony minty men’s Summer fragrance was really attractive to me, so I was a bit let down by Aoud Lemon Mint’s first impressions. It initially smelled a little too feminine and a bit tacky for me. Aoud Lemon Mint’s bottle and packaging didn’t help either; it comes with a shiny gold label and within a shiny gold pouch that’s within a shiny gold box, all branded with Mancera’s logo in a repeating pattern that evokes the Gucci pattern in kind of a tasteless peacocky way. However, the quality of the bottle was undeniable: heavy glass bottle, solid magnetic cap, and incredibly smooth atomizer. This is also how I feel about the fragrance itself: unsubtle and bordering on obnoxious but undeniable in its quality. As it dries down, the lemon becomes about as perceptible as the mint, but the scent also becomes richer, nuttier, and oud-ier. It smells truly wonderful at this stage, but I can see this one becoming cloying in high heat despite its presentation as a “Summer fragrance.” It’s currently Winter in the Pacific Northwest, so I haven’t had a chance to really test Aoud Lemon Mint in heat, but it is potent enough indoors that I can imagine it getting unpleasant under too much sun. This may be best as a Springtime fragrance. Spray this frag no more than twice and at least an hour before you step out the door, and you’ll smell like gold too.
I got Aoud Lemon Mint as a Christmas gift, but you can find a 4 oz bottle on discount stores like Jomashop for as low as $75. This is definitely a fragrance to sample before buying a full bottle, both due to the designer price tag and divisive scent profile. For more authentic citrus mint Summer frags, I want to look into Guerlain Homme, You Or Someone Like You by Etat Libre d'Orange, or Micallef Gntonic.
