Armani Mania (2002)
by Giorgio Armani

The first time I tried this on a card I wasn't impressed at all. But I've noticed that after being initially put off by a fragrance the first time I smell it, I can sometimes come back a short while later and get a completely different experience. I guess my nose just takes a little longer to warm up to some scents. With that in mind I dug out the sample vial I had been given and I decided to try it again - this time on my skin. I was actually pleasantly surprised.

On second take Mania is nice light, woody fragrence. It almost almost reminds me of pencil shavings (in a good way) on first spray. Dries down into a soft, warm, almost mellow scent with just a hint of sweetness; not at all unpleasant. It won't knock anyone's socks off, but a good daytime fragrance for when you just want to smell like something or want people to notice you're wearing a scent. Perfect for around the office or lounging at home.

After trying Attitude, Code and now Mania, I can definitely say Mania is the one I most prefer.

Awesome fragrance one of my favorites! The opening is a bit synthetic but completely bearable and then drifts into a smooth musky drydown. A little boring and nothing really special but never fails to get compliments when i wear it! Armani's best!

PUAJJJ!! I HATE THIS FRAG, IT SMELLS LIKE GUM SOMETHING SINTHETIC, REALLY DISSAPOINTED! YES, LIJE SWEAT TOES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

I think it's trying to be sophisticated but fails spectacularly, so I guess you could call it the chav of perfumes. It's linear, non-descript and seemingly worn by a billion people regardless of whether it suits them or not.

I wouldn't call it completely hideous, but I think it's desceptively difficult to wear. It does smell quite nice on a very few people, but I got very little out of it other than a desire to wash it off as soon as possible.

I like this stuff. It's well balanced and not too complicated, and the saffron lifts it above the glut of "blah" designer frags. Having said that, there's not enough to back up the saffron opening. By the time you get to the drydown, it does become somewhat formulaic. Still a thumbs up for definitely my favourite Armani frag.

This is a very peppery herbal musk. NO sweetness from the amber at all. I get a lot of the cedar and the musk in the drydown. Fairly straightforward. At first I was wondering why this was called "mania" other than a clever pun/almost-anagramed-palindrome of "Armani". I suppose it synth-mania. Sits lightly on my skin. Reaction to this is: "yyeeeeahhh....um nooooo...blah"