Mandara

Inspired by Mandarino Di Amalfi is Luxe Fragrances' reading of Tom Ford's Mandarino di Amalfi, part of the Neroli Portofino private blend collection and known for a vivid citrus opening (lemon, grapefruit, mint, basil, tarragon, black currant) over an orange blossom-jasmine-coriander heart and a civet-vetiver-labdanum base. Mandara opens with a lemon-grapefruit-mint burst that is a fair, brighter echo of the original's celebrated citrus rush, moving into an orange blossom and basil heart with a touch of black pepper. The citrus-herbal top is where the resemblance is strongest, and it is genuinely the part of the real Mandarino di Amalfi most wearers remember. Where the dupe falls short is the base - Tom Ford's version uses civet and labdanum for a subtly animalic, resinous depth under the citrus, while Mandara settles for a simpler musk-vetiver-amber finish that reads clean rather than complex. Given that even the designer original is famous for fading fast, a budget dupe unsurprisingly performs modestly too - two to four hours of bright citrus before it thins to almost nothing. A fun, affordable way to enjoy a mandarin-citrus splash for warm weather, without the herbal-animalic nuance that makes the original a cult favourite among citrus lovers.