Allegra Magnifying Sandalwood

I smelled this at Saks today and OMG-this one, so, so good. I had no idea straight sandalwood could smell so good. Obviously Bulgari is getting some high end sandalwood oil because this smelled nothing like some of the screechy, hay like sandalwood I've smelled in the past. This one was so smooth and creamy. I thought it might have some vanilla in it because it was also slightly sweet. This is definitely FB worthy for me. Probably my favorite thing I smelled today and I smelled TF, PDM, MFK, Guerlain, and Jo Malone today. This must be some expensive sandalwood oil because the bottle was pretty small (40 mL) and it was $190. Cute bottle, it looked like a big, wrapped hard candy and it was solid white. Very simple bottle, very simple fragrance, but still divine. This would be fantastic for layering if you wanted to add the creamiest woody note to other fragrances. Saks had a deal today that if you spent $250 you got a $50 GC. Not a bad deal if I needed to re-up on my PDM, then I could have gotten this for $140 and that would have been worth it then. It's just not worth $200 in my book, though. I mean, $180 per oz. is VERY expensive for straight sandalwood. Then again, this kind of sandalwood is pretty much an endangered specie. BTW, Sandalwood from Urban Outfitters does NOT smell like this. I tried it and was super disappointed.

Another good sandalwood scent. Similar to Santal33 only so much as the fact that they both smell of sandalwood. This is not pickle-like. (ie. not sourish) This is creamy yet extremely airy. Comparing lightness of scent, this is stronger than Another13, but will still probably be overpowered by normal everyday ambient scents. The main usage of this is to accentuate sandalwood in other sandalwood perfumes, or to add sandalwood to other non-sandalwood perfumes. Also you can use this solo if you’re going into a secluded area and want sandalwood scent for relaxation or meditation purposes. Let me edit this a bit. On clothing, after 24 hrs, this got an even stronger projection power as compared to when first sprayed and, drum roll..., it got even closer to Santal 33.

Found a good deal and added it to my collection! So happy to have this little known gem in my perfumes. Sandalwood of this type is a rare endangered specie and the newest type of sandalwood is a bit screechy and more like a cedar than a smooth, almost balsamic woody note. It really is so creamy, slightly sweet and beautiful-reminiscent of a lovely smooth vanilla. Not at all like the cedar-like Santal 33. IDK what others are talking about-this has EXCELLENT longevity of me. I can smell this 7-8 hours later on me. It's not a huge projector but it projects enough to where others can smell you and its appropriate to wear to work, school. This works as a great layering fragrance to add a woody boost to anything.

Smells like Sunny Side Up, Milky Musk, and Parisian Musc. This is just more woody with slight cedar nuances. Parisian Musc by Matiere Premier and Milky Musk smell very similar to me and this is in that same category, just this has stronger woody aspects and is not a skin scent. It's Almost 1:1 for Parisian Musc. Not sure which one is a better deal, I got lucky and got this brand new on Mercari for $60. I think this retails for $190 for 40mL. If it's the woody note you're after than this is the one to go for as this one performs much better for me.

Creamiest and smoothest sandalwood around. It reminds me Santal Royal Guerlain but more natural, pure and rounded. I was thinking to buy something else from this collection Allegra (that I love) but ended up with this one this time.Highly recommended.

The perfect true sandalwood, creamy, luscious, milkly.... I need it and will pay whatever they charge to get it I don't care if it's overpriced I don't care if it's a single note it's exactly what I've been searching for. Would wear year round.

Beautiful sandalwood fragrance; great for layering

Very simple and linear sandalwood scent, as other users have noted, it was some smooth and milky qualities making it quite versatile for most weathers and times of day. Quite disappointed with the performance for what you pay for, however great as a layering scent with other Bvlgari scents.

A beautiful, airy sandalwood. There’s not much more to it than that but it is very good.

makes me smile from the first spray :)

What an incredible fragrance; evokes instant vibes of importance and confidence. I first encountered Bvlgari's Magnifying Sandalwood at Dillard’s when a sales associate sprayed it, without any expectations on my part. I was actually interested in Tygar's Extrait. The SA couldn’t stop praising it. Saying, "I recommend Allegra's Bvlgari' Sandalwood to lots of men and people frequently ask about it because it’s so intriguing." At the time, I wasn’t completely convinced and probably gave her the impression that I thought it was just meh. She also mentioned that it was an oil, so perhaps something that would last longer for that reason. I received a carded sample and preceded to be on my way. Once I got into my car, the fragrance truly came alive. I was amazed by how phenomenal it smelled, so much so that I wanted some. This sandalwood is sweet, with some cedar vibes, calming and airy at the same time. Immediately, I was reminded of two fragrances, Tom Ford's Metallique and Atelier's Santal Carmin; To my nose, both Metallique and Allegra Bvlgari Sandalwood have a bit more sweetness, and while Santal Carmin has some sweetness, it leans more into the vanilla. All of them are fantastic fragrances, in my opinion. After spending a little more time with this one, I couldn't stop thinking about getting a bottle for myself, just not at the $200 retail price. Fortunately, I came across an authentic bottle for around $100 and picked it up. A few weeks later, I found another full bottle at about the same price, and I couldn't pass it up. Now I have two bottles for the price of one! Performance has been excellent on my skin. The longevity is outstanding, easily lasting through a full workday. While it doesn't project as aggressively as some fragrances, it leaves a pleasant scent trail and continues to linger throughout the day. This fragrance does something to you when you wear it; it gives me a high, a significant boost of confidence, a vibe that’s hard to describe. In my opinion, it’s unisex, although some fragrance sites classify it as feminine. It smells good on me; a phenomenal no matter who wears it. In the meantime, while some try to figure out who it was marketed for, I AM GOING TO ROCK THE ABSOLUTE STUFFIN' out of it! 😂😂😂 Projection: 8/10 Longevity: 8/10 Sillage: 7/10 Performance: 9/10 Overall: 8/10 (By the way, I haven’t repurchased Santal Carmin. As reformulations happen, bottles change and evolve over time, for me, the quality of certain scents can drift from their original character. With that in mind, I ended up purchasing something that I think comes very close to Santal Carmin instead. Also, I’m not sure I agree with the comparisons others have made to Le Labo’s Santal 33...)

I actually quite like the fragrance itself. Sandalwood is one of my top 10 notes BUT..... the lasting power is non existent. Even when layered with a sandalwood oil. The oil just outshines the actual perfume. Such a shame as I was rooting for this one.

It's a soft, milky sandalwood. It's quite soft, performance-wise; otherwise, it wouldn't fit right. I think the beauty of it comes from its softness. If you look for that kind of creamy, soft sandalwood, you should definitely check this out.

Very creamy, milky, soft sandalwood. No pickles here. It's beautiful and cozy but it's definitely not complex. Not great sillage or lasting power. The price point is high for what it is.

Turned into pickles on my skin :( Make sure to test before buying!