Sandalo

For me , it ́s a Perfect Santal than i smeel in the india shop !! A very beautyfull Wood , subtil but with presence and power !!! Try it !!!

Sandalo begins smelling nothing like sandalwood to the point where it's hard to believe it will evolve into sandalwood. From prior experience with Santa Maria Novella, I know to wait it out. At first it smells like a really nice, sweet citrus, like the flesh of an orange, but with a transparent, whispy feel. Soon I notice an unexpected medicinal note that I am not too fond of. The more I scrutinize, the more I think it's eucalyptus. I don't like eucalyptus in nature, and I don't like it in perfume. The perfume has such a protracted development, with the herbal heart lasting about two hours. Hours after application, a serene woodiness creeps in (still not sandalwood), and the scent warmed on my skin, projecting very clearly, yet unobtrusively, from my wrist for hours. It took 2-3 hours before I began to smell the incredible creaminess of real sandalwood. But then I am swooning! Eucalyptus ultimately fades into non-existence, however the orange does not. The scent of orange remains on my skin, perfectly combined with sandalwood, for the entire 8+ hours the perfume lasted. Sandalo doesn't smell like incense sticks. It's not smoky. I have smelled Mysore sandalwood essential oil. The creaminess of pure sandalwood oil seems peanutty, but it's subtle. Its inherent creaminess smells nothing like coconut, amber nor vanilla--scents that perfumers use to give more 'oomph' in a composition. Once it dries down, Sandalo nails the scent profile of Mysore sandalwood perfectly, better than any other perfume I know of. It's like unadulterated Mysore sandalwood with just a hint of sweet orange. Very tranquil. Sandalo smells uplifting because there are no dark notes. The perfumer focused on the creating a very pure sandalwood without notes like oud to darken it into a wood that matches expectations better, no pepper, no patchouli, no incense. In this regard, I find it different from other sandalwood perfumes on the market and hands-down the winner for the best interpretation of the pure essence of sandalwood...if you are willing to wait.

As with the vetiver from this perfumer, the dominant note is rosewood. In the drydown there is the barest hint of creamy sandalwood, but that's all there is.

Very medicinal. Like cough syrup or vicks vapor rub mixed with thyme. Not good.

I have been on the hunt for something thick and deep to wear in cold weather and I think Sandalo could fit the bill. I hate sweet perfumes and have been striking out with ambers which tend to also include tonka and/or vanilla. Sandalo smells like a dark, dry, almost petrified ancient wood. There is no creaminess or anything resembling the incarnations of sandalwood that I am familiar with. I admit I am no Sandalwood connoisseur but Sandalo doesn't really smell like sandalwood at all. Rosewood, as mentioned below and of which I am familiar from my favorite smell of Vitabath original green, seems more likely the dominant wood. Sandalo is very dark and dry with the slightest edge of a barbershop tonic familiar from many other Santa Maria Novella masculines. It lasts a good 10 hours and for most of that time, it is a very close but potent skin scent. If you like the SMN aesthetic of Florence Italy and ancient herbal elixirs, the smell of old buildings and books, the opposite of most modern "sexy" fragrances, Sandalo is worth checking out. It smells like something dark and masculine from very long ago.