Mandragola V Canto for women and men

Hadn't I noticed the release dates of this fragrances and that of Thomas Kosmola no.9 Bukhoor I would have assumed that this was a dupe of the latter. Now having put my nose on both, its clear that this is a unique production that Thomas Kosmola had imitated and sadly has more sought after and perhaps costs even more than the OG in the middle east.

Just as TK No.4 took MFK BR540 off the charts by producing something longer lasting I believe the same was done here as well.

This perfumes is an acquired taste due to the heavy Oud note in it. Therefore it will not be everyone's cup of tea.

It is definitely not a blind buy. However, TK No.9 is a scent that is well within the top 10 scent profiles I enjoy and I own a 250ml bottle of... Therefore purchasing this I found to be redundant for myself but for a current sale on at the local perfume boutique it'll make a perfect gift for a loved one.

100% agree with those who say it's sex in a bottle. The opening is 11/10, magical blend of dark rotting woods and saffrony oud. It never turns explicitly floral on me, the rose only gives a velvety depth. It has a mysthical, gothic vibe, the oud is super smooth here, not animalic in itself, but together with the saffron it has bit of a leathery undertone, super sexy.

I appreciate the complexity and development as well, this one takes you on a journey for sure. The fresh aromatic absinth on the top dissipating, the rose arriving then slowly smooting into a sweeter, vanillic, woody base.

What I am not digging as much is the dry dow. I have a really hard time with superamber molecules, and even though I don't agree with those before me who compared Mandragola to an Orto Parisi (those are completely unwearable ambrocenide bombs to me), I do notice the superambers here, and they kind of overpower the dry down with their artificial, extremely dry and grating presence.

An other scent which this has been compared to is Shaghaf Oud, well, let's just say that if they had anyting in common I would have thrown away my Mandragola in a toxic waste bag (Sorry)

Something fruity emanating from a rotting corpse. Just, no.

I got saffron, oud, rose and creamy woody notes, but it has that off-putting note which I could not pinpoint to, it's not animalic note from oud, it smells like when condensed sweet milk goes bad !
Sometimes I layer it with fresh woody fragrances to cover up that smell.

Maybe I've received a bad bottle 🤔

Nice one. The problem here is that after the 2016-2017 so many oud based scents came out with the result that a lot of fragrances are very similar, at least at the first encounter (I am talking about western perfumes, real oud in middle east fragrancies are another thing). When I sprayed this I immediately recognized the scent, I mean I was not sure wich perfume resembled but I was sure that I already had smelled something similar.
Than I realized that this is pretty similar to Shaghaf Oud by Swiss Arabian in some way, even if the notes are not exaclty the same (but they both share Oud, rose and saffron notes).

Don´t get me wrong, I know that they are not the same thing but the feeling that I get wearing them is pretty similar, but with a huge difference: Mandragola is Dry and more ambery/aromatic , Shagaf Oud is very sweet and maybe a bit more feminine. Even if Shagaf Oud is an arabian perfume it is more like a western perfume and the oud is not real but synthetic (it doesn´t mean that it is not good tough, i really like Shagaf even if I don´t consider it as an arabic perfume).

Mandragola is also more complex and refined than Shagaf, the quality here is superior (and the price too).
To me the best way to describe Mandragola is that it is like a dry and darker version of Shagaf Oud (the original version with the arabic name on it, not the reformulated one) with a touch of Santal Carmin by Atelier Cologne.
I also detect Liquorice in Mandragola, but it is not listed so it must be an olfactory illusion.

Pretty sexy and seductive fragrance indeed and an excellent choice during fall and winter nights. Longevity and sillage are also very good, not extraordinary but definetly not weak, I would say maybe around 9 hours. The presentation is amazing.

I like Mandragola but because I already have a lot of Oudy scents in my collection it is a little bit redundant, it is very good but not unique. The price is on the expensive side so if you already have oudy scents consider to try it first and than maybe buy 100 ml of this juice. If you don´t have many oudy scents it is a safe buy, the oud is not skanky at all.

This is Sex in a bottle!!!!

I think this perfume is sexy and mysteriously dark in the best way possible, the oud brings another dimension to the olfactive sense, not animalic yet not shy, people need this different masterpiece in their collection.

Super aromatic with lots of amber and wood, I found this scent more inclined towards being masculine. I bought it for myself but then as I wore it once, I liked it but the way that I believed this would be more lovely on my beloved husband. Though, I got addicted to this amazing scent from the moment I tried it. There is sweetness, depth and seduction in it. Opening is very soft, delicious, citrusy with the lime, saffron, musk and guaiac wood. I even love the dry down which is of sandalwood, amber, oud and vanilla. I found it more suitable for winter, fall and cold nights where the warmth envelops the one wearing it completely. The eternal longevity and enormous silage bring all the romance, booze and depth altogether throughout day and night. When my man wears it, I just feel like cuddling me and having him near me all the time. Totally obsessed with this amazing scent! Love!

Highly addictive, deep, sweet and seductive scent with amber woody accords at its best. Mandragola opens up with citrusy lime, soothening saffron and absinthe that settles into woody accords of musk, guaiac wood along with rose and jasmine creating aura mixed with floral feel. Dry down is all about sandal wood , oud, amber and lots of vanilla. To me, it seems fit for fall and winter, mostly for nights. The longevity is eternal and silage is enormous. This reminds me of Kilian's Black Phantom, orto parisi. Overall vibe is boozy, dark and romantic. Sweet and nutty feel of this scent makes it unique and nice.
Bold yet elegant scent in an amazing package and presentation makes is worth buy. Truly obsessed with this mysterious, dark, gothic yet beautiful fragrance. P.S. you are going to get many compliments as you wear it. Highly recommended this sexy one!

Mandragola by V canto is woody, aromatic, ambery yet fresh scent for men and women. Opening notes in this one is saffron, Absinthe, Bergamot and Lime giving it a well balanced citrusy, fresh opening. Heart of this beautiful scent is made up of musk, Bulgarian rose, jasmine, guaiac wood and petitgrain. The dry down is mostly amber, oud, sandalwood, vetiver and vanilla. I got more inclination towards masculine side in this scent but the women out there loving citrusy, amber, woody scents may also certainly go for this one. This is highly versatile fragrance that could be worn well in winter, autumn due to its warm notes and in the summer, spring due to its fresh citrusy notes. This is all season wearable one that is ideal for any and every occasion. Silage and projection for this beautiful one is strong enough while the longevity is long lasting, as this lasted on my skin for 12 hours almost. The dark, mysterious yet obsessive vibes from this one smell beautiful and gothic making it a pleasure to sniff this beauty. Could be a good blind buy as it fits both gender and all seasons. Must grab this scent. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is very much Kilian's Black Phantom waif of a sister. It doesn't have that deep, boozy, sweet, enveloping feel, but it is somehow very similar and dark; not midnight dark like Black Phantom, but twilight. The only shared note the two have is sandal wood, but there is something similar between them. If Black Phantom scared you off, but you keep looking back over your shoulder at it, Mandragola might be the gateway scent you need. Mandragola is not heavy at all, but neither is it light, although it has a lightness to it. It is intriguing, definitely intriguing. I didn't get any of the opening notes like lime or absinthe individually. I am going to have to play with this and see where it goes. If you want something very different without being heavy or sweet, this is worth a try. I think I might like it a bit sweeter, might layer with a touch of vanilla to really kick it all the way up.

It's a bright, transparent, buttoned-up version of Orto Parisi. Not sure which one exactly, perhaps Seminalis. It has a nice sillage, sweet and nutty. And there is something sour, almost citrusy in it too, but almost undetectable under a thick layer of oud. Not unique, but nice.

In the opening It reminds me of something rotten or worse. Then on the skin it becomes quite pleasant. Very daring, pretty sexy indeed.

This perfume is a true love for me. At first I really didn’t like it. I had a tester that I found too sharp and grating. After several days of arm stiffing I became obsessed with it and bought the full bottle. This perfume has a dark mysterious vibe. It smells dark, gothic and beautiful. You won’t smell like everyone else on the street. Total recommend!

Nice rose note, but it sits above one of those grating, ultra dry woody amber bases.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
To my nose, Lime, Bergamot briefly appears, with Saffron a bit prominent in the opening. Within 30-45mins, I get this floral facet (perhaps the Bulgarian Rose and Jasmine), then Amber and Oud notes steady unrelentingly at the base for hours. In my humble "expert" opinion, Mandragola swings more on the masculine side my girl (now wife) confirmed this too. But it could be adjudged a "unisex" fragrance. So if you're a lady who loves frags with citrusy top, floral heart and a potent Ambery-Oudy base with woody facets, then Mandragola IS FOR YOU. It's an all-season frag which is ideal for the office (sans jacket, just pristine white shirt and tie with nice brogues or monkstraps)!
Projection is well above par. Same with the silage. Longevity is 10hrs + on my skin.
Still understudying this impressive esoteric olfactory masterpiece...

UPDATE:
This frag has slight olfactory vibes with Black Phantom ByKilian. I'll call this frag "Black Phantom Lite" in tech terms or "Black Phantom 2016 Edition"

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