10 Corso Como

*****EDIT: I got my hands on a vintage bottle and it is MUCH more potent! There is a sharp oud note in the beginning which I personally don't care for as much, and then it dries down to a pretty linear sandalwood and stays that way. The vintage wins for longevity and sandalwood strength, and the newer version wins for being a more soft and wearable (no season or time limitations) skin scent although it fades way too fast. 10 CC is my new perfume love, sadly though it disappears on my skin with 2 hours. With how much it costs and how hard it is to find, I have to reserve it for special occasions or I'd blow through the whole bottle in a month. There is a green note to this (geranium?) balanced with the creamy sandalwood that makes it so fresh and addictive, and the final dry down is a clean musk that leaves me wanting more. I really can't get enough of this beauty. It reminds me of walking through the cedar forest in Glacier National Park when the sun comes out after it has just rained. I can imagine the sun warming the damp wood and the freshly washed buds and leaves of all the other plants in the forest lending their smell as well.

I received my sample of this today and immediately fell in love. I ordered it based on the fact that it is recommended on a lot of different sites when searching for sandalwood scents. But when I read the reviews here, I am dumbfounded and confused. At first I thought, maybe I received the wrong fragrance? Maybe my sniffer is broken? I don't get it because I love this scent so much. The only other explanation has to be that this is a chemistry thing because I think it smells divine on me. I don't smell anything close to what the other reviews have noted and I can't really pick up the notes listed either. I wouldn't say that I think the sandalwood is really prevalent but it is there. All I smell is a light, fresh, clean, soft, and dreamy blend. I will agree that it was not at all what I expected based on the notes listed. Maybe I did receive the wrong sample? Edit: After applying more, I definitely get the incense in this and the woods. But it's also fresh and clean which speaks to me. I still love it but for the price, I find the longevity poor. That's the only thing I don't like about this.

This is like a warm, glowing halo of rosy sandalwood musk. Very clean, and sits so close to the skin that you feel less like you’re wearing a fragrance and more like you just washed your whole body with a deliciously creamy soap. I didn’t notice the incense at first but it creeps out with the dry down, and it’s quite subtle, neither smoky nor too sweet. Eventually you start to pick up the vetiver but it’s very smoothly blended. I’m not sure I detect any of the listed oud, though. Overall, it’s like a more subtle, nuanced Santal 33 with a hint of soapy rose. It’s billed as “for women” but I suspect that’s just because it came out in 1999–by today’s standards, this is 100% unisex. Sophisticated and unpretentious at the same time: smells really good in a simple, unassuming way. Lovely bottle, too, and pretty affordable, which is good because you’ll want to douse yourself in it in order to get a lasting effect. A great fragrance to wear for an occasion where you expect someone to smell your skin close-up.

I received a bonus sample of this while placing a larger sample order. The obvious notes are sandalwood, incense, and resins, all of which are easily identifiable and really lovely. The rest of it is a huge mystery to my nose. I know what the other notes are (musk, rose, geranium, etc) but none of them jump out at me as such, they just make up this other nice *thing* that makes an appearance every now and then before retreating into the background. I never buy full bottles without sampling multiple times and then having a good long think about it, but this was one of the ones I had to get. Sillage is close which makes it great to wear to work or out to dinner. Good longevity too.

Intense. This is a misterious, dark, obscure, sexy fragrance. The oud and the incense combine wonderfully and give this amazing fragrance its unforgettable note. I detect berries which give it a sweet freshness. It's a very elegant, dry fragrance, and it lasts for ages. I bought my bottle about 2 years ago, so I don't know if this is the original or the new formulation, I can only say that it has captured my imagination. It is not for all occasions, I put it on when I know that I want to fix in my memory a special event: I wore it for a dark Gary Numan concert a few months ago, and now every time I put it on I recall that evening. I simply love it.