Silver Blue by Mancera

Smells incredible. On my skin, it notes a sweet tobacco that reminds me of Dolce & Gabbana’s The One, even though it’s not listed. The longevity is top-notch and the projection is brutal; it makes you noticeable and draws attention. It’s masculine, seductive, and full of personality. I love it, although I know it won’t appeal to everyone.

Damn perfume bomb, it’s a contradiction with its bottle, as it smells very spicy in a blue bottle. Silver Blue: An olfactory paradox.

It took me ages to find this 60ml Mancera for the collection; I couldn’t understand how it could be so hard to get, especially being a catalogue classic. Impossible, until I finally found one. Now it’s the best of Mancera, lightyears ahead of Cedrat Boise and any other hype-driven scent. It stands neck and neck with Nishane’s Papilefiko (which costs double) and wins because this Silver Blue is slightly less dry and more ‘fun’, whereas the Nishane one stumbles a bit. I join those wondering why it’s called Silver Blue and why the bottle is blue: it’s antipodal to the product’s design. I also don’t get their official spot, where it looks like a citrus perfume with absinthe and… cinnamon? A branding mystery. But… what a gem. The best Mancera currently and top pick for daily autumn-winter. An alternative to Nishane’s Tero. Buy blind: yes.

The name doesn’t matter to me; what counts is the smell. Do your research before spending: it doesn’t smell like ‘Blue’ beyond the first few seconds. I managed to get the version with the screw cap and it’s a beast: maximum potency and longevity, quality ingredients for the price. It smells of butter, cinnamon, creamy caramel, and a smoked touch, literally butterscotch. Opening: blueberries and amber (a nod to Blue that lasts less than 15 minutes). It evolves massively, leaving a base with an acidic yet very sweet tobacco note. Imagine Wanted by Night Intense with less amber, more wood, and a smoky touch. For now, I like it, but if the base is strange, I’d say it’s more nocturnal than fresh. It has similarity to Bond No. 9 New York Nights but without the banana, a less feminine version. Although it’s unisex, I feel it’s very masculine, ideal for those who like it. *Recommend trying before buying*. After using it more, I noticed an alcoholic note; it’s a cinnamon bomb with light mint touches and lots of caramel and wood. Very wearable, versatile, and pleasant.

A marvel that I discovered while trying another very similar one (Blazing Mr Sam). Personally, it’s elegant, sexy, and imposing. Although it reminds me of Blazing Mr Sam, this one is sweeter and smokier, whereas Silver Blue has a warmer, tobacco touch that I love. To this day, I still think it’s the best perfume I’ve bought (luck in finding the screw cap version). By far, the best in my collection.

Well, the price of Mancera in the local market (Isla de Margarita, Venezuelan Caribbean) is around $130 for a 120ml bottle, which is intermediate compared to the abominations costing over $400 or $500 from brands like Creed, MFK, Serge Lutens, or Clive Christian. Still, it remains expensive for most of our pockets. Considering this, I agree with the previous forum users that it’s not unique or novel enough to justify the cost. But setting that aside, it’s quite pleasant; I even found it ‘fresh’ compared to Versace Man Eau Fraiche. I feel it’s very similar in style to German houses I’ve used (S. Oliver, Jil Sander) or French ones like Etienne Aigner, which play with amber and result in elegance. With a better economy, I would undoubtedly buy it, as it’s my style. The other thing is that I haven’t yet evaluated its performance.

Mancera and Montale are perfumes you never buy blind; they are too peculiar and there is no grey area: you either like them or you don’t. As I try to be more cautious with my buying impulses and have a curiosity about the house, I ordered an official sample set to clear my doubts, as I had been tempted to buy it straight after reading previous reviews. But better not to forget that we are all different in our perceptions and if a proposal doesn’t work, there are many others to choose from. Looking at the bottle, you might imagine something fresh and blue, but it isn’t like that. In this case, Silver Blue doesn’t have good chemistry with my skin; it comes across as metallic, sharply spicy and strangely sweet, with a fairly present burnt synthetic wood, which is annoying in how it composes and develops. It has medium-to-high longevity but it doesn’t excite me at all. That’s why, although I don’t consider it totally bad, I would never pay what they ask.

What a shame they have reformulated it. I had the first batch and it was colossal and uncontrollable, impossible to go unnoticed: it projected with rage for hours and hours, lasting more than a day on skin and clothes. A cloyingly sweet, magical and sexy scent that everyone asked where that sweet, milky smell came from, which overpowered any other aroma (The real beast mode). Then I bought the 2022 batch and I couldn’t believe they had killed the magic: moderate projection for two hours, then skin scent for another five before disappearing. They made it less sweet, more mineral, but the quality also dropped. What a pity; the magic is gone and I didn’t want the new batch near me. I sold it at half price, I just wanted to keep a great memory and a decant of the true Silver Blue from 2019, which will never be made again. Q.E.P.D.

It’s incredible, it has everything. Only when I smelled the cardamom did I make it my favourite. Sweet but not to the extreme, so pleasant and it projects incredibly; you spend hours feeling it chasing you. Its sweet notes are still detectable at 8/10 hours and the base ends very ambered, lasting 15/16 hours on skin. It’s a beast. On clothes it lasts 2-3 days, even if washed the next day you can still smell a hint. Mancera perfumes are oily but this one has much higher concentration. Recommended blind if you like cardamom. In March 2023 I bought my second bottle; I can’t believe they have already reformulated it. I will look for my third with the same batch as I have of the blue beast: 22B048A.

Herbal medicinal opening (like Jägermeister). Sweet woody dry down (like Irish Coffee but without the alcohol sensation, more like sweet roasted, bitter chocolate/coffee, with a touch of oud or cardamom). Resinous woody in the end. It literally smells to cut and dried wood. Dense, thick, potent and long-lasting scent. If you have a beard, combine it with Capt. Fawcett’s ‘Maharajah’ beard balm.

I don’t know about you, but it smells 95% like Aoud Lemon Mint to me, with a less citrusy opening and more sweet fruits. If I had known, I wouldn’t have bought it, as I already have the Aoud Lemon Mint and it is unbeatable. With this I am not saying it is bad; quite the opposite, it lasts a long time and the trail is correct, but having two perfumes in the same line is not justified.

It is the niche sibling of 1 Million Lucky, so to speak, with a more medicinal opening that gradually opens the sweet notes with menthol and herbal air. I like it very much; perhaps it is a bit more explosive, but in longevity they are similar. Ideal for autumn, winter and special night occasions. Although I loved it, Mancera has more original things like Cedrat Boise, Lemon Mint and Black Gold.

It is potent, ambered and caramelised with a very subtle herbal touch; it is Mancera and you expect its great longevity, projection and trail. If you can get it for around $120, it is fine; the hype has raised the price a bit. Not recommended for those looking for something aquatic; don’t be taken in by the bottle colour. Perfumon.

Forget the blue bottle; this is something else entirely: sweet, spiced, with a citrus twist. It’s like a clean, spicy sweet. It has longevity, projection, and sillage from another world, of course, because it’s Mancera.

Upon application, it smells herbal and medicinal with citrus and spice notes reminiscent of a natural face cream, with a sweet touch. Then it balances out, revealing an amber and caramel heart over a base of moss and creamy sandalwood. It’s exquisite, true to Mancera’s mainstream trend. On the skin, it lasts over 10 hours with notable initial projection. The fixatives are above average. It sparks curiosity rather than direct compliments, but it has niche quality. The blue bottle is misleading; the ‘silver’ seems unnecessary and the blue doesn’t connect with the fresh concept or the advertising.