JD Santal Superbe

Jeffrey Dame Santal Superbe opens with lavender, bergamot, and galbanum. The top notes are replaced when mid notes arrive in about three minutes, introducing the clary sage. This is definitely a clary sage scent, supported by the coumarin, petitgrain and celery seed, geranium. In that order of strength. The scent bubble is about 3-4 feet for about 5 hours when it goes to the skin. It is soapy and very alkaline. The pimento is missing in action, but not as quiet as the sandalwood. I do not find it. I expected it and cedar to shine through during the drydown, as they do so often when listed as notes. The cedar is very solely in support here. The pimento is hidden by the geranium, I suspect. They are similar to my nose. If the name of the scent leads you to expect a sublime sandalwood drydown, it never comes. I do love it for what it does deliver. A clary sage and petitgrain drydown with the support notes gradually fading for about 6-7 hours until it is a skin scent. It is a very Italian smell and very pleasant. I am reminded of Acqua Essenziale Colonia Salvatore Ferragamo for men, which many respected members of the forum enjoy, but I could not abide due to the loud aquatic note. No aquatic note here (big positive for me). The scents are similar, but the Santal Superbe is a level or two superior, in my opinion. In the negative column, the sprayer is very disappointing. The bottle is heavy and sleek, but the sprayer does not deliver the expected amount most standard spray nozzle give to the skin. So it is challenging to spray the first application and understand if you have too much or too little applied. I like boring, trusty, and standardized sprayers. A strong positive is Jeffrey Dame is generous with samples included in your package. I received a sample of Sous Bois for Men and a Facial cream that smells invigorating. I paid $35 for 1.7oz and am very satisfied with my transaction experience. Shipping was free and very fast. I enjoy Santal Superbe and recommend it.

This is super clean, and simply amazing quality perfume for the price. It is very barbershop-esque. Herbal, woody, and slightly spiced. You really can't get anything better for under $40 in this style perfume. You may find something else you prefer more, but it most likely won't be the super high quality juice you get with Dame. If Creed released this and called in Sublime Lavender, or something, it would be a huge hit, and could be sold for 3-5x the price. The presentation is simple, a plain cardboard box, but inside is a lovely black velvety beggars purse with the clean and well designed 50ML bottle inside. Similar in shape to Fredric Malle bottles. These bottles look classy and attractive in any collection. This is 100% a safe blind buy if you are into barbershop fragrances, where Lavender and Sandalwood really shine. It lasts for 8 hours on my skin, although it is a skin scent after the first 2 hours. It projects fairly well for the first 90 minutes. Just buy this, you'll be glad you did. Dame is a great little American house, and supporting them is also good.

Opens with fresh/sharp lavender and clary sage notes. Shortly after, it morphs into a beautiful sandalwood note, very woody (unlike the many vanillic/creamy impressions of sandalwood unfortunately too common in many fragrances). In the heart, a sharp minty geranium note will develop, with spices support giving some undertones of celery. The base is an already-seen-before tonka thing, but that isn;t harsh like basic designer fragrances, and is supported by a hint of greenness. Performance is great. The sandalwood note in here is stunning, but unfortunately too short-lived, and a bit crushed under the mint note. Also, the base is a bit underwhelming. Still, a beautiful aromatic fougere, that stands on the same shelf with Milano Cento for Him and Lancetti Monsieur. A great blind buy, that will only get 4/5 because of its underwhelming base, after the very promising sandalwood heart. A keeper, perfect for Spring days!

Every so often in the Men's Forum, people will inquire after a true barbershop scent. While it is often debated what that actually means, what it really means is THIS! I recently purchased the original Pinaud Clubman powder that barbers brush on the back of your neck after they cut your hair. Santal Superbe has a very similar scent. If a classic barber's powder qualifies as a barbershop scent, then look no further. It lasts hours and keeps you smelling like you just had that fresh cut. If you are looking for a great barbershop scent, skip the discontinued, expensive, usual suspects and give this a try. Excellent stuff from a great perfume house! Thank you Jeff!

Two months later and this scent has really softened and improved. The sandalwood has blossomed and the petitgrain and clary sage have receded to more pleasant levels. This is world class and I love it now.

I don't normally blind buy but I've liked other releases from Dame and the notes on this looked like exactly what I like. I really like barbershop scents and it smells about like I expected from the notes listed. It reminds me quite a bit of Chanel Egoiste Platinum but without the sharp metallic opening. The main difference is this one is a little rounder, I think due to the tonka. Maybe also a little more woody, more natural. I like Egoiste Platinum a lot but there's something synthetic in the drydown that I don't enjoy sometimes, and that's missing here. I'd say this would be a safe office scent or all around scent, could wear this any time of year I think. Sits pretty close to the skin.

First impression: opening is similar to MMM At The Barber's. Drydown is like Penhaligons Sartorial but seems a smidge stronger than Sartorial. I absolutely love Sartorial. This could be FBW for me although the opening of Sartorial is probably the best in the classic genre I have ever smelled. This fragrance is missing that opening magic of Sartorial. Price is very fair considering the quality of the juice. I will update with more testing but so far I'm enjoying this. Update: this is good if you're on a budget. But if you can find sartorial for a decent price I would go that direction. The opening of Sartorial is an exceptional experience. This is basically the drydown of Sartorial.

Santal Superbe is a beautiful barbershop scent. While the lavender was standout, I was surprised to get a definite whiff of the lime which I found very attractive in the overall scent. The sandalwood appears eventually which is also nice. No worries about the mint note - it didn't standout and there wasn't any toothpaste or chewing gum vibe. As much as I liked the scent, I was disappointed with the performance. For longevity, I only got about 4 and a half hours until it became a barely detectable skin scent. Projection was also quite modest after the first hour. For value, I'd rate Santal Superbe as average, not a great buy. Apparently, the Dame fragrances were quite cheap based on what I've read in various reviews but there was a price increase at some point. They are currently at $115 for 1.7 oz (50 ml). Given the scent and it's great evolution as it dries down, I'd definitely get a bottle if it had better performance. Too bad.

While I get the kinship with Sartorial and Barbershop, I find most kinship with scents that inspired THOSE--Azzaro PH and Rive Gauche PH. A smooth, barbershop fougere that has a neat herbal bent to it (perhaps the celery seed? Pimento?) and a smooth, sandalwoody drydown. While you wouldn't necessarily need it if you had any of those fragrances, given the current state of Azzaro and discontinued nature of Rive Gauche (and the fact that the Penhaligons and MMM all fetch niche prices), it's hard to overlook the monetary value and affordability of the DAME!