Maasai Mara is a unisex aromatic fragrance that launched in 2017. Created by Philippe Romano, it is a spicy blend with subtly honeyed notes that will take you on a journey to the heart of the untamed lands of the Maasai Mara of Africa. It features top notes of bitter orange and chamomile; middle notes of dried fruits, plum, artemisia and rose; and base notes of cinnamon, benzoin, Spanish labdanum, vanilla, patchouli and buchu or agathosma. Maasai Mara is an eau de parfum, edp.
BERDOUES COLLECTION GRAND CRUS MAASAI MARA REVIEWS
Parfumo: I was very surprised when I entered the scent that I found honey, amber and peach sprinkled with oriental spices here. How our fantasies play with us when we first smell the fragrances without having looked at the notes beforehand. A very warm, oriental fragrance that takes me back to Asia. To my nose, the fragrance is in the same vein as Tyger Tyger by Francesca Bianchi. I can imagine it opening even more beautifully and fuller in warm seasons. Of course, you have to be very careful with the dosage, but it can be said for all oriental fragrances.
Parfumo: Maasai Mara is a wonderful fragrance that is best suited for the colder days of the year. It works perfectly here. The scent opens right up nice and wintry. Great Christmas spices, a great sweetness, and even a great impression of cherry. Yes, there is no cherry listed, but it definitely brings up those vibes. There are generally no specific spices listed, but there are definitely impressions of cinnamon. However, the labdanum used can also definitely provide this overall wintery impression. Labdanum is one of the best accords ever for me anyway.
Parfumo: I'm absolutely flabbergasted that this doesn't have a tonka note. It smells like your typical tonka scent with all the different facets of the bean: Cherry-like sweetness, dry marzipan and cookie dough, powdery facets, even a hay-like undertone... But if we believe the notes list, it all comes from other things. Parfumo has a very minimal list for this anyways, but other sites have more notes listed: vanilla, cinnamon, benzoin, patch, plum, dried fruits, bitter orange, rose, artemisia and angelica. And some of these are very noticeable. I can definitely sense lots of vanilla and cinnamon here, this is a warm, sweet, autumnal/wintery kind of scent. The balsamic notes like labdanum (and benzoin I saw listed on another site) also make sense. I guess the chamomile is what I perceive as hay-like, like a bag of chamomile tea. Or maybe it's the buchu, a note I'm not familiar with at all? Or the angelica? There is something undeniably herbal about this. The dried fruits might be the culprit for the cherry note, after all cherries can be dried, too, and this is not the juiciest cherry anyways. Maasaï Mara is very enjoyable, smooth, warm and cozy, but it doesn't stand out to me among all the other spicy tonka/cherry winter scents like Khaltat Night, Brecourt Farah or even Fève Délicieuse. They have the same effect on me, but with more depth and individuality.
Fragrantica: This is beautiful! It smells natural, classy, expensive, sensual, mysterious and exotic. I imagine African royalty wearing it. It reminded me of Tobacco Vanille from Tom Ford, but Massai Mara is more wearable. I get mostly dried fruits and spices. It’s perfect for fall and winter and could definitely be someone’s signature scent, but it’s not a safe blind buy. Try it if you like very spicy scents. Final note: 10/10
Fragrantica: Great scent profile, I have several in this genre so had to get my nose on it. Fruity, spicy Christmas, lots of cinnamon, gourmand festive fruitcake. What's not to love? Don't get tobacco, some have mentioned it. Very jammy with dried fruits really prominent as opposed to it's comparisons. Not quite as beast mode as some others I own, but definitely a good one.
Fragrantica: Maasaï Mara smells absolutely gorgeous and its ingredients are smoothly blended. To me, honeyed cinnamon and the camphoric aura of buchu are the most prominent notes. In between, I also believe to smell traces of apple cider. However, the fact that this perfume becomes an instant skin scent on me keeps me from loving it. When outdoors, I do not even get an occasional waft and when indoors, I have to smell myself from up close. This is such a shame because the scent itself is so smooth and sophisticated.
Fragrantica: This one isn’t talked about much, but is certainly deserving of attention. I decided to sit with this tonight & allow myself to appreciate the wearing. It opens up with a dose of cinnamon & dried fruits. I get Plum, Apricot & Date. It’s spicy & sweet, but not cloyingly so. The tartness of the Plum, balances the sweetness, well. As the spice subsides a bit, Chamomile & an herbal facet, present itself. Lending a warm & slight green, element, to the fragrance. Adding depth & a calming, contemplative, aspect, that is very cozy. As it dries down further and really settles onto the skin, the Labdanum, Vanilla & Patchouli begin to shine. It’s smooth & warm, with the texture of a fine suede or leather. As if you were enjoying a cup of Chamomile tea, in a leather lined pavilion, overlooking the Savanna, while the aroma of dried fruit & vanilla shisha smoke, linger throughout. You step outside to catch a glimpse of the setting sun and bask in its dwindling rays. As the Sun begins to fade, the Earth, and the surrounding grasses, give off earthy tones, to ground your scent palate. Maasaï Mara wears light, but doesn’t lack character. I love scents like this. Deep, Exotic, Unique and luxurious, without being dense, cloying, or overly synthetic. The blend is beautiful, the ingredients feel quality and overall, it’s just a very pleasant wear.
