Mandragore Pourpre
Goutal (2009)

Aromatic, calming, serene. Cool spices. A Pan plays his flute somewhere in the bushes. Humming greenery somewhere below. A certain quiet liveliness. Quirky - in an understated way.

Bergamot, a whiff of sweet lemon, and a minty flavour - that is the starting point of this composition. It is fresh, but not really refreshing, and the star anise that soon joins in it partly to blame for this. Still, a pleasant start.

The drydown turns spicy, and the black pepper that is at the core of this turn gradually replaces the initial olfactory atmosphere. Sone floral contributions, mainly geranium and whiffs of oleander, and a herbal touch, rosemary, whiffs of basil and some myrtle, come and go, but they are fairly weak compared with the peppery core.

The base contributes and incense that blends well with the spicy side; it is a simple frankincense that is neither heavy nor ceremonial. A soft and rather nonspecific patchouli round of this journey of note.

I get moderate sillage, very good projection and nine hours of longevity on my skin, with the last few hours it being a close skin scent.

This creation for warmer spring or autumn days or evenings is quite complex but not super-original. It is crafted well, though, and the performance is good. It is a close shave, but a - just - positive score. 3/5.

Mandragore Pourpre, compared to the original Mandragore, opens much darker, earthier and spicier. The bergamot and the mint are still present throughout the development. But it's no longer as green and crisp as Mandragore. The anise and the pepper turn the whole composition into another deeper colour.

In the drydown, Mandragore Pourpre has a sweeter facet than the original edition. The amber and the myrhh give an oriental vibe. If sniffed closely, the heliotrope and the incense are also distinguishable.

Although Mandragore Pourpre has quite a different character from the orginal Mandragore, their connection is evident: the same elements they share are embodied in the same way. Interestingly, Mandragore Pourpre has the same ethereal texture as the origianl edition even it's significantly spicer, which makes it inoffensive while keeping it stand out. The fact that it's spicer and darker, also helps to keep its strength and its vivacity, contrary to the original Mandragore which tends to fall bland in the drydown.

The sillage is relatively close even sprayed liberally. The longevity is around 6 hours, which is ok for an EDT. I'd definitely recommend giving it a try. An interesting olfactory experience it shall be.

It's very beautiful fragrance, i love it. It's similar M7 without oud !

I like this less than Mandragore. Here, the anise note is more pronounced but to my taste it is rather soapy and has a vaguely unpleasant quality. The citrus is less evident. Just doesn't work for me.

I am happy I waited a long time (throughout the day) to review this one! A few hours make a whole lot of difference! Mandragore Pourpre grew on me, it really did...especially when my husband returned home several hours after I applied it and said "VIOLETS...I smell flowers and violets." Who would have thunk?

Someone on another perfume review website summed this fragrance up with "Dies before it gets started!" And YES...that was my INITIAL impression. But oh no...surprise surprise. So, I waited with eager anticipation for this one to arrive in the mail. Happily spritzed on a generous application from a large-ish 2 ml sample. And then I waited some more.

Opening notes of STRONG anise and BLACK pepper...not pink peppercorns...black pepper immediately emerged upon application! Strong anise, black licorice & black peppercorn definitely dominate the opening. Okay. But wait I did...and within 10-15 minutes, the perfume seemed to settle down onto my skin as I anticipated the emerging mid-notes, base notes and dry-down.

This IS a pretty fragrance and yes, it IS hard to describe...perhaps because while there SEEMS to be a whole lot of nothing going on, there IS a lot of subtlety occurring.

Unfortunately, I found the mid-notes to be somewhat harsh & unpleasant...not my favorite part of the application. The mid-notes struck me as dirty, earthy and nearly animalic...dirt & moss...little green and lots of dirt. Is this perhaps the much referred to and nondescript aroma (smell) of the elusive Mandrake Root (mandragore)?

The dry-down, which takes at least 30-60 minutes is where this fragrance literally blossoms. Ditto to what others have stated. Not at all perfumy or "BIG," Mandragore Pourpre landed as a soft, powdery, peppery, slightly dirty anise fragrance with faded floral notes. Definitely subtle, the fragrance wears very close to the skin. As "happyscent" stated, I did detect wafts of this 'n that throughout the morning; however not one single not ever seems to dominate this fragrance (after the opening).

Unfortunate for me, I never detected base notes of patchouli, nor did I ever note frankincense or incense or smoke of any kind. Still undecided about this one. More WITCH than GOTHIC, this is a pleasant, very unique interesting fragrance. I can definitely see how this might become someone's "signature" scent.