I know I promised @Henry Clay and @Thomas Chavez that I'd get on board with their posts about Mancera Red Tobacco (which I love), but I'm just not up for anything involving tobacco or incense or anything too heavy tonight. TBH, I got things on my mind, and it's not going to be cooler than 60 tonight, and I need something refreshing, and easy, and a little mindless. French Riviera checks all those boxes for me. I CAN'T be the only one who feels like this is a vacation in a bottle. Yeah, I know... People accuse it of having a sun tan lotion smell to it and I get it... In fact, I get it and kinda like it. The only thing I'm missing is the sand and the ocean. You can't GET any easier than that. Is it appropriate for night?? Um, uhh... No, but who's in charge here? It's MY bottle and I want to spray it tonight! In fact, if I wake up in the middle of the night and the scent is gone, I'll douse myself in it just for fun. It may piss my wife off, but what the hell... Her birthday celebration is over. (I'll regret that one...) Just a quick summary of the notes: The opening is a sharp, photorealistic (smells like the real deal) burst of tangerine, orange, and lemon along with some ginger. The mid is where the "Riviera" vibe truly comes in. I get a salty, sea-spray accord. The florals aren't feminine and it gives me that "luxury suntan lotion" vibe. The dry down is a clean, sea salt, with maybe a little amber. It smells like a day at the beach. For a freshie, its performance is exceptional, and I'm expecting 7 to 9 hours. Mancera does it once again. They make some of the best values in the niche market out there. I give it a: 7.5 / 10.0

Well. There goes my decant. The next time i get to wear this would be after comparing it to intense. There’s some time for that so probably my last time before 2026. I hope intense is worth the wait. Also would it be redundant to own both?