Blue Santal

Absolutely phenomenal for me. My first-ever blind buy was CdG Artek Standard, another wood-focused fragrance from the house. I was (and still sort of am) a bit iffy on it; while I'd hoped for a strong and unpretentious wood scent, I got more of a dry citrus and rusted metal followed by a very, very gentle wood/tea. This, on the other hand, is exactly what I was trying to get with that initial bottle. One of the main reasons I initially ordered a decant of this was because one of the other reviews on here mentioned it smelling like the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Growing up, my aunt had a cabin that she and her husband built in the 80s up there that she would let my family use, often right in late summer when you were dreaming of fall but not quite there yet (also the time of year I am writing this review). One of my favorite parts of going up there was the smell; the massive pine trees made the air incredibly fresh, but the cabin itself smelled of well-loved and ancient wood (with a small fresh/earthy touch, not quite mildew or dust but more like a clean set of spare sheets that have been sitting in a wood closet for 6 months). CdG Blue Santal smells EXACTLY like this cabin, or at least my memory of this cabin. It is an overwhelming wood with a hint of fresh sweetness and slight earthiness; it is very much recognizable as a cologne/perfume (unlike some of CdG's other offerings) but it is amazingly inviting and comforting to me. I appreciate the general lack of citrus that a lot of woodier fragrances have, but I do recognize the freshness or "blue" people have mentioned in the reviews. I do not get much of the pepper note save for immediately after spraying it. Performance is far better than any other CdG I have tried (though Amazingreen is almost able to compete with it); despite my skin usually swallowing CdG's products pretty quickly, this stuff lasts all day and can still be found as I go to bed. I feel like I'm probably a bad judge of unisex vs. masc/fem, but I would compare it to a flannel. It's definitely not overtly feminine and is maybe traditionally a masculine look, but I can't imagine a flannel feeling out of place on anyone who is already interested in buying a flannel. Despite the coziness it evokes, I don't think it'd have trouble in most seasons (though it might not quite be fresh enough for spring). This review is way overly sentimental and might not mean anything to anyone, but I am elated that I have finally found something that I have always wanted to find in fragrances. It feels completely in line with my personality and the aura I want to project. I wore it for the first time yesterday and bought a full bottle today.

Blue Santal immediately reminded me of Wonderoud by Comme des Garçons, blended with the cool incense character of Blue Encens from the same brand. There’s that familiar Comme des Garçons signature: woody depth paired with a slightly smoky, mineral incense tone. But Blue Santal feels like a more restrained, lighter interpretation of that idea. In many ways it comes across as a stripped-down version of Blue Encens. The composition feels cleaner and more transparent, focusing more directly on the sandalwood note while letting the incense sit quietly in the background rather than dominate. Even visually, the bottle hints at this idea. The blue “stain” on the bottle only covers about one sixth of the front surface, almost like a subtle brushstroke rather than a full block of color. It mirrors the fragrance itself: present, noticeable, but intentionally minimal. On skin, the scent opens with a cool, slightly metallic incense impression that quickly blends into smooth sandalwood. The wood feels polished and modern rather than creamy or milky. Compared to Wonderoud, which is dense and resinous, Blue Santal feels much more airy and contemporary. The drydown is calm and understated: soft sandalwood, a touch of dry spice, and a lingering smoky transparency that keeps it from becoming too warm or heavy. Overall, Blue Santal is a quiet, minimalist woody incense fragrance. If Wonderoud is deep and dramatic and Blue Encens is sharper and more atmospheric, Blue Santal sits comfortably in between—cleaner, simpler, and easier to wear while still carrying that unmistakable Comme des Garçons character.

Sharp green/piney/incensy/peppery opening, that shortly after dries down into a linear dry but still creamy cedar-y sandalwood note, still supported by a (soft) blackpepper note. That's pretty much it. It's basically Wonderoud with a strong incensy/peppery opening, and the drydown a bit dryer, and with blackpepper still presnet (but toned down compared to the opening). And I guess the same reasoning would apply to Wonderwood, given the strong similarties that it shares with WO (that I 've read on reviews). Not really a surprise, since CdG uses Pashminol (a substitute of sandalwood) generously in most of its woody compositions. Like WO, it's a very simple, linear, synthetic smelling, but very addictive fragrance (the magic of pashminol, probably...). I don't get the cold/blue feeling, tbh. It's just (a tiny bit) drier than the drydwon of WO, but they are very similar. Like WO - again - the projection is on the soft side on my skin, an issue if I had to pay full retail for that. No remorse for me, since I wanted a backup bottle of WO, and this is going to be it (with a twist). But who already owns WW or WO and doesn't want a backup bottle clearly don't need Blue Santal, given the strong redundancy (aside of the early opening, that is: just the first 10min). In a nutshell: recommended if you can get with a good discount, assuming you don't already own Wonderoud or Wonderwood. At full retail price, there are better options around, imho, but for the $40 I've spent on a large bottle, it's a love for me! Fall days, 20+

I've trialed this 'blue' collection extensively now and I held off from reviewing them in the autumn until I got my second set of samples to reserve judgement. I have to say I love them! Blue Santal is a knockout! It's a super fresh but very spicy, peppery opening. The freshness is being supplied by a definite juniper note in there and it combines with the pine to lift a scent that could be too peppery and spicy for some...but do be assured it dries down very softly to a beautiful clean skin scent. The sandalwood is more to the woody/spicy end of the santal spectrum than the sweet creamy end, although that is still there and develops more as it dries down and the pepper moves into the background. I honestly used to love sandalwood but recently I've gone off it a bit, maybe it's due to a lack of interesting combinations of notes to accompany it who knows? Anyway this has restored my faith as it truly has that alpine fresh coolness with a warming familiar woodiness and it is WOODY...Blue Santal is awesome!!! I'm wearing it today and I feel that I smell great. These Comme des garcons have excellent longevity too I got about 8-10 hours yesterday from Blue encens(okay with a very liberal application but still!) and this looks to be performing just as well.

My favourite of the CdG Blue series and definitely one of my favourite sandalwood scents. This is mainly due to how different it is. For the most part we find sandalwood blended with some citrus, petitgrain, some other woods, some vetiver. or maybe some cacao or vanilla. They often tend to steer towards the warmer side of the spectrum. Blue Santal ditches that idea and gives you a very sharp, pointy Australian sandalwood, not at all the creamy variety, which with the spicy pepper note, would still be a somewhat comfortably warm presence, until the juniper and pine are taken into account. This juxtaposition freezes the whole concoction and an almost camphorous accord is borne into the fray. It is quite linear, projects well and has very tenacious staying power, especially on clothes. Being that the smell is fairly linear, a bit on one's clothes actually doesn't hurt either! If you wear this very clever sandalwood, I can guarantee you'll stand out in a crowd and also in a crowd of sandalwood wearers! It's a freezing, camphorous, angular, shimmering take on the genre which pretty much stands alone among its peers. I love it and wear it regularly, in any weather and for most occasions. Not for everyone, but definitely for me. Love it!