H&M Santalum

Blindly bought the oil version of this, based on the reviews here and elsewhere and this review is for the oil, not the edp. First, I don’t know how I got so lucky to find a seller who let go of a batch of thirteen (!!!) 10mL roller bottles of the oil, for the paltry sum of about $20 - no, not a typo - but I’m glad I have enough of this to last a lifetime. The packaging describes the scent as mellow and creamy and I’d say that’s pretty accurate. It’s not a big scent but its persistent hum reminds me of freshly polished wood, is lightly sweet and very comforting. Ignoring the list of notes here, what I get mostly is a soft blur of white florals, cedar (no pencil shavings, thankfully), sandalwood and a skin-like musk accord. It’s the sort of thing where you can’t tell where the perfume ends and your skin begins - it just becomes a part of you. H&M claims it’s responsibly -sourced Australian sandalwood they’ve used, and I can’t say how true that is, because every encounter I’ve had with that material has been thin, high-pitched and screechy. Not the case here. Considering what I paid for it, that’s rather impressive. Worth noting: It lingers beautifully on fabric for days. Nice work H&M.

Reviewing the oil here. Must be the one of the best bargains I ever got, what a shame H&M fragrance line is discontinued in my country of residence now. Simple yet lovely! Deliciously creamy sandalwood, musk and a hint of cedar. Yum. This smells both comforting and sexy. Ugh, I wish I picked up more bottles! It's relatively linear, but come on, we've got this lovely buttery sandalwood thing going on here and it's good, I'm fine with it staying like this. It sits close to one's skin but the longevity itself is actually great. Actually you know what made me write this review today? When I was about to leave my house in the morning, I hurriedly picked out one of my scarves to wear on this windy day and I couldn't stop wondering where this freaking delicious scent was coming from, as I wasn't wearing anything remotely close to it... It was so soft yet so clean, I was puzzled! And then I realized it was Santalum that I wore about a week ago while also wearing this scarf lol. It's a crowd pleaser and a safe frag overall. I'd say absolutely give it a try if you come across it.

On me/to me this is quite linear sandalwood, sweet, nutty & milky. No timber-wood or forest-wood, pine or cypress, just some fleeting red cedar at first. A *soft* heady-floral heart note. Nice. A bit boring. Ok skin longevity, low-decent sillage. Can be a good buy on sale. -------------------------------- Update after a few months: nowadays I find the cedar and sandalwood really really well balanced. And I get hints of cypress and the other notes, still wouldn't say pine. This has actually become my daily go-to scent all winter. Btw I have the spray and rollerball and don't perceive a great difference. Rollerball just stays closer to skin. ----------------------------------------------- Added: sniffing a Timbersilk "perfume" I got from Etsy, and can say that that's really dominant in Santalum.

The fragrances of H&M keep on surprising me. What a stunning and very affordable line of perfumes. This Santalum (10 ml oil based stick), is very good. This is outstanding perfumery by Oliver Pescheux who is the perfumer of almost the entire line. The Makassar Patchouli, one of my favorites from the line, is excellent but Santalum is rising even a bit above that one. It’s one of the best sandalwood perfumes I know with almost niche quality. The eau de parfum is maybe a bit more piney and smokey, this oily one is sweet, soft, tender and creamy. Yes, very sensual indeed. There is vanilla, jasmin, musk, a light cedar and a sweet peach that compleets this wonderfull creation. I’m gonna rush to the store to get me some more!

My craziest perfume story ever! Bought a full bottle at a second hand shop for 2.5 euros because, I valued this 50ml bottle more than my usual 50ml morning coffee. Anyways, just after spraying this I realised that the opening is feminine and a touch too mainstream for my taste. Didn't bother with respect to the price, so I forgot about it. Then, in office, I start to feel that I am wearing a complex signature-worthy subtle perfume. Just the right amount of complexity, projection, and cleanliness you need in such a scent. The fact that H&M sells these quality perfumes, that indeed deliver their Scandinavian approach, is quite astonishing. This is strongly recommended