Praline de Santal

Not sure where to review this - it seems a lot more likely that it's a sample of the 2023 relaunch Praliné De Santal that finally fell into my hands recently, but it says Parfumérie Générale on the label and not Pierre Guillaume, so I'm choosing the page of the 2011 original anyway. I was so excited to test this scent - it's been haunting the back of my mind on and off ever since I saw it compared to Jeux de Peau, my first big perfume coup de foudre, the one that got me obsessed with perfumery and that I still love 10 years on. And true enough, I love this one as well, but I don't think they're very similar beyond both being in the admittedly pretty niche category of woody, "grown up", perfectly unisex gourmands. This one is at once dustier and creamier in its woodiness, and warmer, which is no surprise because the stars of the show here are a realistic hazelnut and a lovely, luxurious sandalwood note (where Jeux de Peau, in my opinion, is defined by the wheat and apricot notes apart from the woody aspect). I'll stop the comparison there, because it's unfair and unproductive - I'm aware nothing will probably ever measure up to the subjective memory of my first experience of JdP, that eternal favorite, and Praliné de Santal is great in its own right! It's not a loud scent, with just the right amount of projection and average longevity, and it's sophisticated enough to be worn in any situation, which sets it apart from many gourmands - I guess it's the woody aspect's contribution, it makes it smell delicious without evoking actual foodstuffs. Like others have mentioned, it is very aptly named. So I think this is really wonderful and I definitely want more of it - if I chose the correct page for my review, I sure hope the new version is exactly the same.

When will Pierre Guillaume stop impressing me with these unique masterpieces he turns out? What I love about this House is that there are always distinct top/heart/base notes. This starts out smelling just like a glaze I make for pork chops. I cook chopped nuts in butter, then drizzle them with honey until they begin to caramelize. It also smells like honeycomb (the crispy candy, not the bees nest). If there was ever a perfume that was a honey-bomb, it would be this one. I thought Honey and the Moon was as good as it gets for years, but even that pales in comparison to this. The heart smells like woody hazelnuts, freshly shelled. The taste...I mean...scent of hazelnuts is 3D, as though the flavor is really in your mouth. Can’t say that any gourmand has ever made me feel like that sensation. I am in love with the drydown—nutty, creamy, white nougat. Mouthwateringly good! Some hints of vanilla, though not disproportionate. I understand how some people say this disappears after a short time. Chemistry is everything, especially with synthetics. I can smell this on me all day at work, drifting up to my nose just from my wrists alone. Yet I doubt anyone else can detect it, and that is how I prefer my sillage to be. This lasts a monsterous +12 hours on me, like all other perfumes from this house. I need to own this. I am not a big hazelnut fan, but this is too good!

After wearing Aomassai, Tonkamande and Praline de Santal the winner became Praline. Amazing second half in Aomassai outbids for me almost unbearable opening, yet Praline de Santal is good from start to finish. It is solid and honest crushed into gun powder dry nuts with their skins. Its also relaxing dryness of the cedar and enveloping cuddle from cashmere wood. Heliotrope adds creaminess and takes away bitterness from the nuts. All minimalistic and appealing. With my other fragrances, depending not only from mood, but hormone level and weather - there are "moments" when certain ingredient is just too much or gives a headache all of a sudden, but Praline de Santal is for every day and time and situation, - there is nothing that scratches your throat (if you are nutty-woody sucker, mind you). It also not sweet, I do not find it similar with Jeux de Peau by Lutens as well, love and own both - don't consider them same directory fragrances, its more into direction of Bois Farine of L'Artisan. Praline de Santal is more like smell of cone of sizzling roasted chestnuts in winter air, while Jeax de Peau is a milky cookies with brown crust, - in few words. Overall - love to Praline de Santal from me.

Praline de Santal is one of the most interesting premieres of the recent months. For those with a sweet tooth, a must try I would say! Praline de Santal is a marriage of nuts and woods. The first phase belongs all to hazelnuts. Unlike Coeur de Noisette, nuts here are powdery, but also crunchy and hard. Freshly taken out of their nutshells. Slightly sweet and somehow slightly salty (maybe it's just me, but I definitely got some salt in the first phase). While nuts fade away, woods and heliotrope take over. The scent is not strong, yet very cozy and pleasant. You can almost feel textures of freshly planed wood, lying in the sun. You can smell sawdust. Cashmere woods adds an oriental touch here... Yes, eating crunchy nuts on a porch in India... Not that I have ever done it, but smelling my vial, this is what I iamgine a day would smell like. I must say that heliotrope was a note that I could never put my finger on. It is featured in a few of my favourites, but I until now I could not single it out from the symphony of notes. And here finally I got it! A very pretty addition to precious woods.

I fell in love with this fragrance at first sniff, after initially testing Tonkamande (which is also a beautiful composition). The smell of praline in this one is exquisitely gourmand, real and fascinating. The burnt, cruhed, sugar-coated hazelnuts are crunchy, tasty, sweet, irresistible to any real gourmand scent lover. I very much ejoy the way the sandalwood and (less so, but noticeable) cashmere wood work together to provide a refined, elegant base for the playful edible nuts, turning Praline de Santal into a daring, one-of-a-kind woody gourmand. Late to the party, the cedar is most noticeable in the drydown, offering a refreshing, slightly more masculine vibe to the composition. Lasting power is good (around 10 hours), sillage is excellent, one of my colleagues managed to sniff me from across the room and with an open window :) A slightly powdery sweet woody scent, masterfully done for those who really love a gorgeous touch of tasty praline.

Review of the new re-release: I passed on a full bottle of this only to deeply regret it when it was discontinued.Good to remember that perfumes change formulas and are discontinued without warning so stock up on what you like. I am so glad this was reissued and find the reformulation to be interesting, smart and charming. The first sniff is a heavy on the heliotrope with a bit of grape juice it but settles quickly into woody gourmand floral then dramatic nutty hazelnuts. Heliotrope and salt together creates an addictive scent that is tangy, salty, better-than-skin and finally a softly powdered woody dry down. Very satisfying and enjoyable scent with so many interesting moments. The transitions and combinations feel very methodically and creatively constructed. Even though it seems to be a somewhat extravagant nuts and floral composition on a sandalwood base, it smells concise and well edited. Love it and so glad it is back

Praline de Santal is perhaps the most unique fusion of woody and gourmand notes I've ever experienced. It’s a perfect mix of salty-sweet hazelnuts and creamy-dry woods, with a subtle smokiness. The blend of cashmere wood, sandalwood and cedar is rich and dusty; the heliotrope adds a smooth, powdery, almondy undertone. The dustiness and saltiness play off one another in an interesting way, creating a warm, savoury feeling that contrasts the sweeter facets of the hazelnut. This fragrance is a rather satisfying mix of woody, nutty, creamy, sweet and salty. Indeed there is a similarity to Serge Lutens Jeux de Peau, however the SL offering leans more towards the savoury and herbal. Both have a creamy, buttery quality, but Praline de Santal has ultimately won me over. Gorgeous, unusual, and absolutely full-bottle worthy for me.

I want to eat my wrist. Oh, so cozy and comforting... but sadly discontinued. I don't find this much like Jeux de Peau as that had a fairly pronounced spicy jam note and malty cereal with discordant licorice. Praline de Santal is straight up roasty, warm nuts pureed with a hint of Nutella (not too much chocolate), a little dry -- maybe more like cacao; then sandalwood, creamy and delectable. After sampling Angel Muse, loving it the first few times I wore it then deciding that the 'Angel' DNA was still too pronounced for me, I stumbled on this beauty as an alternate quasi-gourmand woody hazelnut scent. Tasty woods with a hint of salt and musk. This stuff makes me drool.

This is the perfume that made me realize I dislike heliotrope, which plays a prominant role. Unfortunate bacuase the nutty saltiness of this is wonderful. Definitely a heavier winter/fall gourmand and a bit syrupy. This has the hallmarks of a signature scent and i could easily see it being someone's favorite.

Santal is there on a big scale which gets on so well and makes a delicious blend with the hazelnut. A warm , delicious, long-lasting and cuddling scent. A must-have for gourmand lovers and for colder seasons.

maple/nutty, sandalwood, tinge of smoke, very gentle sweet floral. very unique, very pretty. strongly considering purchasing this one.

What a fitting name. If a praliné made of sandalwood was a real thing, it would surely smell like this! I know, that wouldn't be edible, but in perfume form it's still appetizing. Sweet, roasted, nutty and woody, reminiscent of warm milk, crunchy caramelized sugar, hazelnuts fresh out of their shell and, of course, sandalwood. Over the time the fragrance warms up and a note like creamy caramel shows up beneath the woods and nuts, but the development is not too complex. The performance is fine on me, not extremely loud or eternally long-lasting, but by no means weak. This is a distant relative to Aomassai, another woody gourmand by PG. But Praliné de Santal is sweeter, milkier and more rounded. In general I think this fits right in with the rest of the line: PG perfumes are often infused with woods and spices, but also soft in character and sweet enough to not become harsh. Many voted this as similar to Serge Lutens' Jeux de Peau, but I think they're only roughly in the same family, as Praliné de Santal has none of the bready, yeasty notes that define Jeux de Peau.

The scent itself is a pleasant and confortable light woody scent with a hint of hazelnut. Sadly it lasts only about an hour and even then can only be smelled with the nose pressed to skin. Which is a shame as otherwise this would be very nice. I have been sampling a few from this line and I feel I may have started with the best - djhenne was my first which I love, and it lasts very well, coze was next which has a slight fustiness but is defintately very likeable, although djhenne has the edge, aomassai, lovely, but now I have tried a couple more (this, cuir venuveum, l'eau circe) and they just don't have any staying power or projection. If these scents lasted more than an hour and projected more than half a cm I'd be having them all on my buy list. as it is, nice smell but just doesn't last.

This is just so lovely right from the start. Sweet smooth sunbeaten sandalwood, the slightest hint of warm nuttiness, the honeyed heliotrope. It smells so enticing that it could almost be food, but not quite all. It's creamy warmed woods, drizzled with gourmet floral syrup, and a hazelnut latte steaming in the distance. This is an amazing composition. So unlike anything I've ever smelled. I think it's intoxicating. I keep getting pulses of gorgeous honeyed heliotrope, and it's making me want to breathe deeper. The sillage is perfect for the first hour or so, not overpowering, but not overly gentle. Grows closer to the skin as it wears on though. Longevity decent. Fabulous.

Someone down below compared this to SL Jeux de peaux and yes it does have a similarity, but I smell more sandalwood in this. Truly nutty and perfect for this time of year. Nutty fragrances do fit in the fall along with praline. I myself like this as it is a very comfortable scent to wear right now, if that makes sense. Is my favorite no but I have heard that it’s discontinued from the line. No many people speak of this line but since I’m a collector from way back I do have a few in my collection. Runs unisex and along the Serge Lutens type of fragrance so it that’s what you are looking for give it a try . Recommended for all genders 7/10.

The initial spray of this is all burnt praline, not bad just all praline. I wasn't sure how I felt about it until the dry down and now i'm in LOVE. the heliotrope comes through in the dry down and it has a sweet floral/nutty/woody smell to it. it's delicious. The only thing is it is a little soft, i needed to use my entire sample to get it to last on me, but for some reasons perfumes do not last on my skin, only the really heavy ones have any lasting power. If you have skin like that you may need to douse yourself to get this scent to stay.

The hazelnut is definitely there. It smells nutty, sweet and woody, similar to a hazelnut chocolate. Definitely a fall and winter fragrance. The heliotrope is hidden, barely perceptible. the cedar brings a calm, slightly green note. This is a fragrance to use as a 'treat', because if you spray too much it may become cloying and cheap. But if you use the right amount, Praline de Santal is a beautiful, warm, sensual fragrance that may turn heads as you walk by.

162) One minute in mouth Mais pourquoi PG ne retravaille-t'il pas ses compositions? Encore un bon parfum si il tenait sur la peau et projetait à plus de 20cm. But why PG doesn't rework all his compositions? Another good perfume if only it stayed on the skin and projected more than 20cm.

Great stuff. Mixed two parts praline de santal with one part mamluk by Xerjoff for a nutty caramel honey combo.

very nutty - very sweet, only for the dedicated gourmand lovers!