Freedom Musk Santal | 34 Eau de Parfum

Was looking for my signature scent for a little over a year and I think I finally found it! I was looking for something cozy, that would be easily wearable, not overwhelming (because I need to be in the office/school), gentle, uplifting, breezy as well as sweet, a little heavy yet fresh but still creamy... I know, quite some contradictions :D but this perfume just checks all my boxes. Do I think that it is something exceptional and never done before? No. But it is amazing as a daily driver, to smell nice, clean, and inviting. Even though I enjoy quite J'Adore or Coco Mademoiselle, I always felt that they are a bit too cold for my liking, I wanted to smell inviting and warm. In other words, they are amazing perfumes but not for me. On the other hand, Kayali Freedom Musk Santal makes me feel more like myself and it is not one of the situations when the perfume wears you instead of you wearing the perfume. It just nicely highlights you. Also, I am quite introverted and a lot of perfumes are just too loud for my liking, but this one nicely whispers. Now for what I smell: The opening is soft, citrusy with a tiny dash of spiciness from the pepper. The citruses are not sharp and I get a soft fresh mandarine the most, and which feels quite realistic. Then, the citruses go to the background and the scent becomes richer and creamier with time. The dry down settles into woodiness with a bit of sweetness. It's creamy, it's earthy, it's warm, delicious, and elegant.

About a year ago I received a sample of a fragrance that I fell in love with. I then ordered a full size bottle of said fragrance to be mislead--it smelled NOTHING like my beloved sample. I was so sad, and just sort of gave up on ever finding it again. That brings us to present day. I'm at Sephora getting some more moisturizer. I thought to myself, "I'll go smell around to see if anything lights my life". This Freedom Musk Santal was the only Kayali tester they had that wasn't completely gone. Usually, I consider that a sign as it's horrible. But I got my little tester strip and took a whiff. It smelled similar enough to my old mystery fragrance, I ended up buying the last sample! It's sweet, yet warm--but not overly warm. It's like early morning sunshine warm NOT mid-day sunshine warm. To me, I pick up a grape note which could be the mixture of the citrus and florals but it is amazing. It's non-offensive and sorta makes me think of summertime. Very easy to wear, and probably does smell like a million other fragrances out there. My only complaint: wish it were stronger/longer lasting. That being said, it's giving a very beautiful skin scent by hour 5. Kayali, please give me beast mode that doesn't choke me out on initial sprays!

This is a love. Easy-reach, any season, anytime fragrance, and my current favorite from this house. I’ve tried others, but this is the one that works best with my chemistry. And it works well. The scent is linear, and I’m fine with that for what this scent is- in fact I want it to stay true- but it also sticks around. It last through the work day, though I will add a spray or two after 4-5 hours to boost the projection. It’s sweet but not gourmand and does not sour or disappear on my skin like some of the other sweeter fragrances do in this house (and other). (For some reason a lot of musks tend to dry down to a tart lemon juice smell on me, but this never does.) I had been looking for a light sandalwood, musky fragrance that lasts, and this delivers beautifully. I started with the travel size, and now already have a dent in the 90 mL purchased in a recent sale. Well worth the money, and better (on me) than some more expensive niche that I’ve tried.

Freedom Musk Santal is one of those Kayali releases where the name has very little to do with the actual scent but the fragrance itself is surprisingly delicious. Despite being called “Musk Santal,” this is not santal-forward and not a strong musk fragrance. If you’re expecting creamy sandalwood or a musky skin scent, that’s not what you get here at all. what you actually get is a bright fruity opening that smells distinctly like strawberry pulp mixed with citrus, even though strawberry isn’t listed anywhere. A gentle amber-musk base that’s warm but very light, not at all heavy or woody. I would rename the fragrance Pink Pulp Aura, and have a beautiful pink and red ombré bottle. However, olfactory accuracy has never been Kayali’s strong suit, so there’s no surprises here. 😅This fragrance is bold and perfect for a confidence boost, date nights, and cooler daytime events in the Fall or winter x ✨

Big Bottle Worthy. I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this on here as yet! 1. Disclaimer. I am that Musk Girl and I am in my musk era!!!!! 2. I love most of all Kayali Fragrances, if not at first, usually 99% by 2 months post ageing. So this is my favourite launch from the freedom set. It is similar to Valaya PDM and its dupes, BUT KA Musk Santal mid notes set her apart. Freesia (I love) gives an added sweet floral lightness to the scent. Lilly and lavender help balance the musk and citrus notes. It has more depth and sweetness than the other fragrances within this DNA family. Again Big Bottle Worthy!!! I will say Arabiyat’s Bedour (blue) is more closer to Musk Santal to my nose. Update: For me it keeps getting better. Yes it is similar to Valaya but I think it is better. There is a note that grounds this fragrance more. I am enjoying the citrus-freesia-musk interplay. Excellent longevity.