Santal Austral

I knew this would be a top 5 scent for me from notes alone and I wasn’t wrong. Iris (duh!) and tonka bean are some of my absolute favourites. This is a sweet (but definitely not too sweet), creamy and comforting sandalwood. There’s something vanilla-ish about this as well that many have mentioned but more a vanilla bean than generic or baked, most likely the powdery goodness of iris and sweetness of tonka together. A warm blanket of fragrance on a rainy day and definitely one to go for if your all about skin scents (as in the actual type of scent) but not about the weak projection and longevity that usually comes with them. I wouldn’t say the projection of this one is as good as some MP fragrances (not nuclear) but definitely much better than the average fragrance for sure. HOWEVER THE LONGEVITY holy smokes! I have washed a jumper 3 times and I can still smell this! However unlike say, vanilla powder (which I do still love), I don’t mind this as much as the scent is so comforting and inoffensive. This might be second only to Encens Suave for me in all time favourite fragrances in my collection, not just MP. It is my favourite go-to when I do not know what to wear in the day and just need to throw something on quickly. You can wear this for anything: work, errands, committing an unsolvable murder, lunch, breaking up with your bum boyfriend, etc and just be mildly comforted by the scent and be told you smell great all day. I have two small gripes though. I hate the first 30mins of this, smells like urine, I don’t know why - so i never ever wear this right before going somewhere but i can definitely compromise. Second, i do also agree that at the end of the day, it’s just a sweet sandalwood. I’m sure there are similar ones out there for a fraction of the cost but for me it’s worth it when I consider the longevity and projection. I have dermatitis so finding something as comforting and skin-scent-but-not as this that ACTUALLY LASTS AND PROJECTS is a 1 million chance and means I will continue to buy it for as long as I can.

Sprayed one spray of this on my wrist testing it at Saks and kept getting the most divine whiffs of the most creamy vanilla sandalwood scent. Came onto fragrantica to see what other people thought and was genuinely shocked it seems so many people don't like this one. For me, this fragrance was a love at first sniff. I will say sandalwood is a tricky note for me, I enjoy the scent but it has to be done in a certain way as I am one of those people who is prone to smelling pickles (looking at you santal 33). The only sandalwood I have actually enjoyed thus far is santal complet from fragrance du bois but unfortunately, the longevity of that one is severely lacking. This fragrance is an absolute beast. I sprayed one spray on my wrist and it was radiating on the train ride home, such that my boyfriend was asking me what I sprayed. The tonka bean and almond milk (which is not listed on fragrantica but is on Matiere Premiere's website) absolutely shine in the dry down, but the fact that this is a sandalwood scent prevents this from becoming a boring lactonic vanilla scent. I actually find this scent to be incredibly interesting, I have never smelled a sandalwood that is so creamy and milky, and it complements the tonka and almond milk so well, I really would not think these notes would play so well together. I get a very creamy and sweet scent from this fragrance and I absolutely love it. Clearly, this is not everyone's experience however so definitely try before you buy this one. edit: I had to buy a full bottle and I do not regret it for a second. I could not stop thinking about this scent since I first smelled it on the way home from Saks. I have had to refrain from wearing this every single day to show love to my other scents as I am simply enamored by this scent, and it is perfect for the cooler weather. This may be one of my favorite fragrances of all time

Santal Austral is a fantastic fragrance, very pleasant and well constructed. It perfectly mixes natural and synthetic raw materials creating a great contemporary concoction. For me, it has 2 distinctive phases: 1. Creamy Sandalwood/iris: the opening and first 1h/2h are an absolute delight. The sandalwood is creamy and slightly powdery. It has a soothing, slightly medicinal quality to it. Don’t get me wrong, the projection is strong at that stage, so I recommend letting it air for a few minutes before entering an enclosed space. 2. Resinous/synthetic dry-down: after a couple of hours, the iris goes away and the sandalwood start getting a bit more harsh and the synthetics start playing an important role alongside de benzoin/ambery base. I absolutely love it, but I understand why some people find it too sharp. It surely has a great deal of javanol and anbroxan in it, so If you have a hard time with those, I’d stay clear of this fragrance. Performance-wise, I consider this to be perfect for me. It has good projection, and it gets moderate as it dries down. For that reason it’s not overwhelming or too intrusive. Longevity is insane. It lasts 12+ on skin and literally forever on clothes (like +months if you don’t wash it)

I tried a few from the brand at Scent Bar and loved Encens Suave, Santal Austral and Parisian Musc instantly but I didn’t get them all. I got the full bottle of Parisian Musc immediately because I thought it’s more usable for the warm climate in L.A. but I took the samples of both Santal Austral and Encens Sauve home. I then tried it twice at home from the sample that I’d got. Oh dear, I just cannot forget the delicious smell of it and I had to went back to Scent Bar to get a full bottle of it within 2 weeks. It is totally a different take of sandalwood (I have Santal 33 and it is so different). This is slightly gourmand, creamy lactonic and fluffy take of sandalwood with a modern twist. Very delicious! Performance is very good but not monstrous. Lasts about 9+ hours on skin and moderate projection. It stays closer to skin and very airy so I thought I will try wearing it in summer time and see if it will works but definitely suitable for spring, fall, and winter. I already fell in love with this house because I love the modern and chic style of their scents, not very perfumery. They also have very decent performing fragrances.

Wow what a chameleon this one is! Sampling this with one too many sprays, for me it was an immediate no. I almost exclusively wear unisex fragrances, and am partial to a spritz of male-marketed fragrances, but this to me was TOO masculine. Super sharp, spicy and a little peppery. But I persevered and it was well worth it. Within 30 minutes it mellowed out to a beautiful warm, cozy and sophisticated scent and truly unisex. As someone who usually leans towards fresh, green and sometimes light floral fragrances, I have been struggling to find a cold weather scent that doesn’t contain the typical suspects which tend too sweet or heady - oud, vanilla, bourbon etc. My search might just be over! It is warm and inviting with more of a creaminess, not a sweetness. Comforting and hearty like a fresh hot loaf of bread, not decadent like a fresh baked brownie. Close to the skin, but not a skin scent. Singular but very intriguing. Absolute love.