Sandalwood Sacré

I recently discovered this brand in spite of its apparently long history, and was struck by the polarizing reviews of Sandalwood Sacre, especially on a certain fragrance sample mail order site, where it was eviscerated for smelling "old/man old lady," "dated," "stale", and my favorite, "not sweet enough." I naturally wanted very badly to sample it, and sure enough, I love it, for probably all of the same reasons these reviewers do not. It is in no way a modern approach to sandalwood: with its bright, verdant opening, combination of aldehydes and ylang ylang, and tart, leafy petitgrain, this surely would be jarring to the Baccarat Rouge 540 crowd. It is far more reminiscent of a time of mid-century elegance, somewhat resembling a greener Chanel Bois des Iles, but less vanillic and more sandalwood forward (agreeing with Andy the Frenchy's review below). Yes, the sandalwood: it has that balance of soft, buttery, sharp, nutty, with powdery undertones. petitgrain veers into orange blossom in its heart, feeling somewhat hopeful, yet melancholic. It is intimate, yet not fragile, it is underpinned with a patchouli, rendering the experience a bit more fleshy and woody in its dry down. There are moments that do remind me of the well-worn interior of a place of devotion. Soft, musky, gentle reminders linger throughout the day, and the surprise of a creamy sillage elicits a frisson here and there. This is one that I would include among those fragrances best suited for more meditative moments, for which I am carving out more in my life over time. I would argue that this would appeal to those who appreciate classic and vintage perfume that deviates somewhat from the template and treads new frontier.

I have been testing the 2nd of my samples from the newly re-launched perfume house of Le Jardin Retrouve. This time, it's been Michel Gutsatz's take on Sandalwood, which is called Sandalwood Sacre. It certainly lives up to it's name, The artwork on the packaging is another stunning piece by Clara Feder, Michel's very talented artist wife. The little story on the packaging, seems to be bang on, and reading that and smelling the magical perfume, took me back a few years when I attended a meeting at a Hindu temple in Bradford. The atmosphere was beautiful, flowers were scattered around, and Sai Baba Nagchampa incense was burning, people were very friendly and welcoming and encouraged us to join in with the bhajans. This scent evoked all those memories is one sniff of my hand. It is a beautiful rendition of the Sandalwood genre. Thank you Michel and Clara. Notes for this scent are, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Oak Moss, Musk, Coriander, Petitgrain and Orange Blossom.

This reminded me of why I used to adore Sandalwood. It’s bright and soapy on first spraying but soon settles into a rich, calm stick rather than resin incense. I became very bored with some great modern treatments of sandalwood recently with Santal Blush and Santal 33 sitting unused; this much more traditional and a relief. Not creamy, soft wood but beautifully different given recent trends. It smells timeless rather than dated. It’s not heavy, definitely unisex and reminiscent of summer outdoors, festivals, freedom and a more relaxed time. I love this and will wear it this summer on hot days as it’s light enough.

Love this fragrance. The base notes remind me of one my most favorite perfumes Knowing. But if Knowing is a floral woody feminine chypre this one has the same creamy woody and sensual base with sandalwood, patchouli, labdanum and moss but soapy and more masculine without many floral notes. It is as if Knowing had a male version. Another fantastic fragrance that this perfume reminds me of is the vintage formula of Santos by Cartier. That soapiness and woodiness that was typical for the masculine fragrances of the 80s. Also loved the service of the French office of Le Jardin Retrouve.

Beautiful sandal with a vintage, animalic and... Indian touch! It opens bright and aldeic with tons of lemons, whiffs of ylang, jasmine... On my skin the lemon pairs with the civet, accompanying it to the end and smoothing it into a perfect balance. Patchouli, musk and more mix together in a soft and natural way, but the pulsing citrus whiffs of civet make this sandal a captivating experience.