Lemon Line
Mancera (2014)

A constant wrist-sniffer. I am totally in love with Lemon Line. Think Monsieur Balmain but with staying power and a less linear dry down. The amber and oakmoss basenotes are sublime.

This was one of the first Mancera fragrances I tried, besides Cedrat Boise, which I loved. Citrus fragrances usually remind me of something light and airy from Hermes or Atelier Cologne, but Lemon Line feels completely different because the lemon note is very concentrated and dense. It projects really well because of its potent base.

I feel hesitant to wear this during the summer, so I usually reach for Pomelo Paradis. Lemon Line feels more appropriate for the fall or winter. Sillage isn't massive, but I still feel a bit self-conscious when I wear it.

Some people have mentioned that Lemon Line smells like cleaning product or dishwasher liquid. While the scent is pleasant, it can be a bit synthetic and lemony for me to use it as a fragrance. I think I need something to round off the citrus, as this can become a citrus lemon bomb with a bit of sweetness.

I prefer Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche for some depth and roundness or an offering from Atelier Cologne, but this is a matter of personal preference. If I had to choose from Mancera, I would just go with Cedrat Boise since I favour its fruitiness and mellow sweetness. The sweetness of Lemon Line feels like candy.

Update: After smelling Aoud Lemon Mint, I would much prefer Lemon Line for its natural scent. Aoud Lemon Mint makes Lemon Line smell exclusive. However, I cannot stand the synthetic harshness of Aoud Lemon Mint.

A zesty, vibrant, bitter and kind of exotic creation from Pierre Montale for Mancera. A virile and neo-classic accord of citrus, geranium, lavender and piquant spices over a musky woodsy base "from the forest" (cool and kind of cedary). I see olfactory connections with vintage Dior Eau Sauvage, Hermès Eau d'Orange Verte, Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet and Moschino Uomo. The standing out lime-aroma (the main olfactory element alongside bitter green orange and geranium) smells bracing, dry, classy, piquant and kind of "windy". Lavender provides a stout aromatic green vibe while synth ambergris imprints a sort of virile "dry-peppery" appeal. A tad of oregano in the mix? Lemon Line is perfect for sultry climates, exotic and mediterranean ambiences. A great choice for summer resorts, yacht tours and caribbean cruisings, overall in line with a classic glorious hesperidic tradition.

Spending $10 on a sample saved me $100 on a bottle.

I am very interested in the Mancera brand. Having 2 of their fragrances, both being quite good, I thought I'd try out a 3rd one. After much deliberating, I decided not to blind buy a bottle and buy a sample off Ebay. I'm so glad I did!

So right off the initial spray, I get a lemon cleaning product, very Pledge like sort of smell. That dies off within 20 seconds and I get the heart of the top notes, a zesty fresh squeezed, fresh cut open Meyer lemon. Meyer lemon have more of an orange citrusy quality about them, and that's what I get here. It turns more into a candied lemon shortly after, but still is quite nice. Fast forward 45 minutes, the lemon finally takes a back seat to a boatload of lavender. Now.. here is where I start to dislike the fragrance. Lavender can be done 2 ways.. clean or dirty. Here it is done dirty, and not only does the note smell like a dirty diaper, but it just doesn't blend well at all with the top notes. Had this been less citrusy, and more herbaceous, it would have worked, but not here, not for me.

I'll have to go against the grain on this one. With a dry down that ultimately ruins a pretty nice opening. My quest for a good lemon niche fragrance, with good performance will continue. This does not hold a candle to Monsieur Balmain, which can be had for much less too.

were it not for a particular note in this stuff that I cant name or figure out, I wouldnt touch this perfume..even tho' I happen to love longlasting citrus scents. Ive read posts with the expectation that someone would articulate what it is about this scent, that I cant articulate..espcially with "that note". And they havent. And even tho' I dont own a bottle of PR/1 Million, there is something in that fragrance that I smell here with Lemon Line. And its VERY barbershoppe-ish. This Mancera juice hasnt been on the shelves long at all...but it carries a underrated classiness about it that I believe reviewers take forgranted or dismiss altogether, because for whatever reason, citrus fragrances tend to get more criticism that most other perfume-types. And it starts with a usual lack of longevity. Any lack of longevity on any fragrance deemed to be very longlasting, will bring 'haters' from every corner of the World, LOL

Lemon Line is NOT one of them, fortunately. Wear it up or down...formal or casual. A very solid niche fragrance.

I'd give the disclaimer that Lemon Line runs quite contrary to my tastes, especially these days. I don't find the concentrated citrus genre particularly appealing; I prefer my citrus frags to be classic and fleeting eau de colognes (Imperial, Cologne Sologne), or updated modern versions that are still rarefied but add noticeable legs (Mugler Cologne, Allure Homme Sport Cologne), or other citrus classics where the base is heavier and distinct and there are interesting transitions (from the lighter Eau Sauvage and Acqua di Parma Colonias to heavier citrus leathers such as Davidoff and Versace L'Homme).

Lemon Line doesn't really fit in with the aforementioned; instead, it is closer to the modern 'concentrated citrus' canon of Neroli Portofino, Cologne Indelebile or Aqua Viva (and is closest to the latter in terms of scent profile). I feel one would also get some parallels with Chanel's Allure Homme Sport Edition Blanche.

Returning to Lemon Line, here are the pros: it does quite well what it's supposed to do - being a long lasting lemon perfume with adequate presence and sillage. Here are the cons: the overall vibe is somewhat synthetic, it isn't really fresh but is scaled towards the candied lemon territory (but it isn't sweet as such, thankfully), and can occasionally be reminiscent of lemon pledge. Lemon pledge isn't that bad; one can smell and smell of things far worse. Heck, it can even hint at lemon pies at times. I find it to be largely linear with notes of lemon (nothing fresh or natural, but rather dried and somewhat artificial) and something that vaguely hints at dried florals and musks and amber. The 'lemony' aspect gradually tones down over several hours as the dry down is largely shaped by a white musk, that's actually handled deftly: it gives a lot of body to the composition without being in-your-face synthetic or bordering close to laundry musk associations. To be blunt, the dry down is more pleasant than the initial few hours.

All in all, Lemon Line is a composition that you would probably like or not based on two broad criteria: a) whether you like this type of concentrated modern "dense" citrus compositions, and b) your tolerance level for perfumes that smell somewhat synthetic: in other words, are you generally okay with Montales and Manceras? If you're in for a), but not okay with b), be prepared to shell out twice as much for Aqua Viva. The key difference is that the Profumum is much more natural smelling, richer, sparkling; also, the Profumum has a woody base unlike the musks I smell in Lemon Line. If you can live with b), Lemon Line is definitely a very sound proposition.

In terms of strength and duration, I find Lemon Line to be better than Neroli Portofino, in the ballpark of Cologne Indelebile, and maybe just marginally below the Profumum. Please note that I'm referencing Neroli Portofino and Cologne Indelebile only for purposes of benchmarking; in terms of scent profile they are different (they are neroli driven compositions, while Lemon Line is about "Lemon Line"). Sillage is moderate to close (it's primarily a citrus frag), persistent, and duration is excellent at over six hours when worn in moderate weather.



2.5/5

(Note that the rating is largely reflective of personal preference, as explained above. This can be a 'home run' for the right target audience: which I am not.)