Santal Vanille

I love this perfume. It grew on me. I've tried in both warm and cool weather and I think it really shines in just slightly cool weather but even in warm weather I think it has a unique fresh and zesty quality that's rare to find in scents of this type. In winter, it's very resinous and I get the pepper, sandalwood and cedar most of all. It smells like a dry resinous, Southwestern desert and very expensive. I love it and it almost leans a bit towards leather if sprayed on clothes. Completely unisex, maybe just a tad feminine once the vanilla blooms. When it's warmer, the cardamom and coconut take over and for some reason it gives off a fresh, almost aquatic tone to the fragrance, despite it being a spicy, woodsy concoction. In the summer the vanilla and cocoa can risk being cloying especially in high humidity but I find that the cardamom offers enough freshness that unless it's record-high temps you're pretty safe wearing it out even in the heat. Once again, super unisex but with the cardamom shining in the heat, it leans a tiny bit masculine. Either way, it's very smooth, creamy and nothing smells unnatural or harsh. I had a sample which progressed to a travel spray, to two travel sprays and now a full bottle. It lasts a few days on clothes (mostly the cedar and pepper notes) and at least the whole day on skin. I love this perfume and think it beats Diptyque's Eau Duelle as it's in the same family but cheaper and smells smoother in my opinion. Eau Duelle is cool in that you really do get two parallel fragrance experiences (resins and vanilla) but I like how this fragrance blooms and you get a consistent progression of all the notes listed.

I LOVE this perfume. It’s the signature scent I’ve been searching for for years. On me, it settles into a warm and slightly spicy vanilla with the sandalwood hanging around in the background. I occasionally get a hint of the fresh coconut note. It’s so comforting and warm but with a bit of intrigue and mystery that keeps it interesting and unique. I also get the hay note when I first spray this and wasn’t sure where it came from. I looked at the ingredients and saw that coumarin was one of the top ingredients. Coumarin is an aromatic compound that in its pure form, smells like a mix of vanilla and warm hay! It is naturally found in sweetgrass, a type of grass that’s sacred in many Native American cultures (I learned about it from the book Braiding Sweetgrass). The grass is harvested, dried, and braided with 21 strands per braid (7 x 3). The first 7 represent 7 generations of ancestors who came before us and shaped us, the second 7 represent the 7 sacred teachings (love, respect, honesty, courage, wisdom, truth, and humility), And the third 7 represent 7 generations of descendants who will come after us and whom our actions will impact. I thought this was such a lovely coincidence with the 7 Virtues and their mission and makes me love this perfume all the more.

Sandalwood is a tough note for me that easily and often veers into pickle juice territory (why I'm not fond of Santal 33, for example). However -- thankfully! --Santal Vanille does not. Maybe the addition of the yummy cardamom, myrrh, pepper, and vanilla tamps down the pickle note enough so that it's not a problem for me. In any case, it's an absolutely beautiful scent that has a warm, spicy, rich vanillia-y woodiness that I find absolutely delicious. Incidentally, I am a huge BDK Gris Charnel fan but don't think they smell that similar. I also adore Matiere Premiere Parisian Musc (which has cedar, not sandalwood), and which doesn't smell at all like Santal Vanille but somehow they share a very outdoorsy, natural quality. I think I like the fact that none of these perfumes are super sweet -- in spite of the vanilla -- but, rather, are spicier, which I loooovvve. By the way, I have a rollerball and I have to put on quite a lot for it to last, but I do have to apply after about 3-4 hours. Maybe the perfume spray lasts longer...? ---------------------------------- Edit: I just realized that Santal Vanille reminds me of a simpler and less patchouli forward Chantecaille Kalimantan -- also, to my nose, an absolute stunner.

I used to wear this fragrance every day—I tested it in Sephora one day and wandered out without buying it, but found myself nonstop sniffing my arm. A few hours later, I was back in the store to pick up a full bottle. I wish I could go back to how this fragrance used to smell for me—it was a creamy yet sophisticated vanilla with just the right amount of sandalwood and cardamom to give it some depth and make it stand out from the mass of vanilla fragrances on the market, but unfortunately, a year and a half into owning my bottle, I no longer love Santal Vanille—either the formula has gone off (as clean perfumes are wont to do, so I really wouldn't rule it out) or my nose has changed. Now, it smells like straight sandalwood to me, which is just not that interesting. I'm sad about it, either way. I may try to get a new sample and see if it's just my bottle or if it's an actual me problem.

Beautiful and comforting, I actually think this is a more approachable version of santal 33. The “dill” element that is often a detractor, it’s not present here. Something about the vanilla/myrrh combo stifles it (the dill note) so you can solely appreciate the sandalwood as you might in este lauder sensuous. But this is less dry, it’s almost creamy in fact from the supporting essential oils. The wood smells very fresh and realistic, as if you’re walking through the lumber aisle in Home Depot...but there’s a sexiness here (immediately I snap back to reality and out of aisle 28)...that sweetness and cashmere quality mixed with the vanilla...sweater weather and chai tea lattes, books and iron stoves. It’s perfectness is meek and understated, but so influential. Like a tufted chaise lounge in the winter. Sure it’s just a chair, but some nights it’s the best thing on earth.