Elysian

I've never tried santal 33, but getting a free sample how I'd describe Elysian is The opening is a more wearable Bentley For Men Absolute minus the over rated note of oud. However, try to hold on, this fragrance isn't going in the trash yet! Give it 10 or 20 minutes, fight the need to wash this off, all of a sudden in the heart and base of the fragrance starts to become enjoyable. For those wondering, the bentley for men absolute reference makes sense due to the papyrus, cedar, amber and sandalwood. By the dry down if you like Givenchy Gentlemen Only (2013 version) due to the use of violet leaf with Issey Miyake - L'eau D'Issey Intense minus the wateriness of it. It's a similar atmosphere and level of spiciness. They share more than enough notes to come to this conclusion, papyrus is one that I never really see and it's in everything except Gentlemen Only. The fragrance oil is thick on this, it will stain lighter clothing, I remember going for a walk with this on and my skin shined, I knew exactly where I applied this! This lasted quite a long time on me and considering I've gone through almost two bottles of L'eau D'Issey Intense that is saying something that I was still getting faint whiffs of it. I can understand the appeal of this, washed up celebrities or not who claim(ed) to wear santal 33, it becomes wearable but it's certainly not a safe blind buy, or something you'll like right away due to that horrible opening as there are people like me who absolutely hate Bentley For Men Absolute. I personally tossed my bottle of it in the garbage. I got my mom to try this and usually she likes everything, well, after not even 2 minutes she scrubbed it off saying it smells horrible. Longevity on this is fantastic. I detected it over 12 hours later on myself. Personally I'd just spend $20 on a 75ml of Issey Miyake - L'eau D'Issey Intense in my part of the world and call it a day. It has great longevity, as there are tons of EDT fragrances that last and project, most "Fragrance experts" think it has to be EDP or stronger but it's the skill of the perfumer(s) these days. Except for Bentley For Men Absolute, you can't go wrong with any other fragrance I've mentioned on this review.

Okay, so I've never smelled Santal 33...so I can't compare. So, I'm just going to describe what I'm smelling. When I first sprayed this, the opening was putrid. Like bug spray type of time. But that smell started to give way to a more powdery, violet, dewy woody with this shade of paper wafting through all that after about 30 minutes. That's when the fragrance becomes more enjoyable for me. Granted, the woods are darker than I expected, but blended with that powdery violet and papyrus, it's such a good woody scent. The longevity and projection aren't a problem at all...projects very well for about 3 hours brand new. Longevity was 10 hours. I've worn this fragrance for about 4 days straight and the opening is starting to turn into that pickle note that a lot of others seem to smell. Compared to bug spray, this is a much welcomed change. So I'm excited to see what this smells like after about 2 weeks, especially the opening. I'm loving the rest of the fragrance. Huge piece of advice when using this fragrance, DO NOT spray clothes!!! The juice is black. Not dark, pitch black. Also, another reason not to spray clothes, at least when you first receive it, that bug spray smell will linger longer because this fragrance needs heat to transition from that bug spray to the pickles nuance and so on quicker. Will return to report in a few weeks.

The opening is brutal. For me it's reminiscent of a Jamaican rum fruit cake. For those unfamiliar with this dark dense dank cake, Jamaican rum fruit cake is sticky (very), sweet (sickenly), and spiced (very) within an inch of its life with the candied fruits, dark molasses, rum-soaked raisins. It's basically a boozy holiday party compressed into a brick. Thirty minutes into the drydown it does become reminiscent of a cedar heavy, slightly more spicy with heavy leather (clean leather more than a tannery) nuanced, Santal 33 with similar projection and sillage. Word of caution. The dark coloured perfume will stain white dress shirts, silk/satin ties, and Tilda Swinton. Spray directly on skin and allow it time to dry before dressing. Additionally, do not apply near open flames. It doesn’t come with an ornate Roja Dove-esque cap, it comes with a designated driver. Honestly, it shouldn't come in a bottle, it should come in a stainless steel flask with a garnish of lime.

Very Santal 33 amazing how they did it, Very strong and beast mode performance Very pure. Definitely YES.

Similar to Parisian musc, I quite fancy it tho