Santal Blush

This review is for Santal Blush in the brown bottles, FYI -- I have been using this fragrance since 2016 or so... as such, I haven't tried the "original" formulation (I wish!), nor have I obtained the "newest" bottle (which, I've heard, looks similar to the original). For me, it can be difficult to find a fragrance that focuses on sandalwood without overpowering the delicate woody note I'm looking for. I have compared several sandalwood essential oils to the perfumes I've tested (including the oh-so-buttery Australian sandalwood, which makes an appearance in Santal Blush, according to the press release), and SB is the one that best mimics the nuances of sandalwood that I crave. There is something milky and creamy about the opening of this perfume (and, yes, something that reads like coconut is also present, but it smells more like coconut water -- and not at all like sunscreen or gourmand coconut desserts). There are spices (most notably a hint of cinnamon), but they don't overwhelm; I wouldn't label this as a "spicy" perfume, per se. The blend of spices exists (on me, anyway) solely to support the sandalwood and add depth and nuance to the composition. This is one of those fragrances that has the capacity to surprise on occasion -- yes, it is always recognizably Santal Blush, but I've noticed that what I experience when I sniff my wrist up close can vary slightly depending on my skin and the weather. Some days, it treads cautiously into floral territory (and by this I mean "sandalwood with a hint of well-blended floral notes that enhance but do not interfere with the aroma of wood," not "something that unexpectedly turns into a full-blown floral perfume without your consent"), and other days seem to bring out the powdery and mildly spiced aspects (I swear I get a slightly-sweaty and very human-smelling cumin out of this at times, even though it isn't a listed note, but it eventually disappears into the background, and it's not pungent enough to make me dislike SB or make me stop wearing it -- if anything, it gives SB the aura of a living organism, which is fascinating). Santal Blush is, for me, one of those rare all-weather perfumes -- it's not "sweet" by any stretch of the imagination, it doesn't require the treacherous chill of winter or the relentless heat of summer in order to fully display its charms, it never reaches "cloying" territory (no matter how much I spray -- and I *love* to spray generously when permitted), and it maintains its sandalwood base throughout the duration of the experience. It seems to settle close to the skin, and it's quite content to remain there. It doesn't last all day on me, so re-spraying is required, but my appreciation of its charms overrides any concerns I may have about longevity. Also, it seems to layer well with TF Jasmin Rouge (though, shockingly, my soft and unassuming SB seemed to trample over JR when I applied them equally, so I settled on a ratio of "one spray of Santal Blush to two sprays of Jasmin Rouge," and this resulted in an optimal blend). Since I rarely experiment with layering fragrances, I was quite pleased to find that SB can adapt -- it works well on its own, but can also lend itself to experimentation if you are inclined to create your own signature scent.

Santal Blush is an underrated gem from the Tom Ford Private Blend collection. Its only issue is its marketing towards women instead of unisex, at least initially and for quite some time after its release anyway, as it unforgivably pigeonholed the perfume to the point of nearly being permanently discontinued. The “blush” in the name certainly doesn’t help, as this lends to the idea of makeup. However, it's the sandalwood that is “blushing”, not you the wearer. There is a lot unwinding in this perfume. First is a scrumptious blend of cinnamon, a very mild cumin, and a sweet and rooty carrot. The spices are strong, yet very gentle at the same time. Ylang-ylang and rose are present as well, particularly the ylang-ylang which is pushing its often sweet, starchy, banana facet. The rose is very quiet, red, and acts as breadth - not a starring role or really even a supporting role compared to the rest of the notes due to its very low vocal volume. The whole does have a bit of a powdery floral feeling, but the spices and ylang-ylang give the powder a gentle muscularity and a reddish-orange glow. The creamy banana ylang-ylang lays over a readily apparent sandalwood accord that is deeply pleasant to smell. Yann Vasnier did an excellent job of handling the materials in the preceding layers to not hide the sandalwood accord for a sole appearance in the dry down, but instead they dial-up all of the facets of sandalwood to a saturated, richly hued, and vibrant presentation from the beginning. Like three actors on a stage, hand in hand and ready to take a bow, we have sandalwood’s Eastern spice inflections thanks to the spicy opening on the left, its creamy and slightly sweet intonations thanks to the ylang-ylang and carrot in the center, and at the right its resinous white woody character thanks largely to the sandalwood but is significantly helped along by benzoin at the base. Musks help to keep the “blush” creative brief during the final dry down and skin scent. If you want to know how it is a Santal tree can blush, here you go - how it is that it’s body heat can rise up to accent its innate spiciness and floral qualities, and shade itself from pale yellow to reddish-orange cheeks and a big smile. I find this perfume very easy yet fun and interesting to wear, whilst being hopelessly addictive and charming. This is one of the best to enter the Private Blend collection and remains one of the best in it. It’s a shame that it's not widely recognized for that, and that Lauder/Tom Ford do not seem to particularly care to change the narrative of it. So I have some back ups, just in case the warm blush should ever turn to a cold shoulder.

When I was a teenager one of my favourite pastimes was going to department stores and spraying the perfume strip testers. I would take them home with me and stick them into a book that I would sniff all the time as I could only afford celebrity perfumes. I remember there being a Tom Ford one I could not stop going back to sniff and for years and years had no idea what it was. I knew nothing about perfume so wasn’t able to pick out notes and search what it was. Recently I bought a few Tom Ford decants and as soon as I smelled Santal Blush I knew it was the one I loved as a teenager! I immediately bought a bigger bottle. I don’t know if it’s the positive memory association but this smells like pure luxury to me. It leans more feminine to me, people describe this as being super woody and kind of masculine but in comparison to a perfume like Tobacco Vanille I wouldn’t describe it as masculine at all. It’s spicy and creamy, smells like a coconut - not coconut milk or synthetic coconut, like an actual coconut. It reminds me of salty seawater and a tropical beach, despite the woodsiness making it lean autumnal. It’s so versatile and beautiful and the notes synchronise so well. I think this is the most beautiful thing I have ever smelled. I love the initial sharpness, I love the carrot note, and it dries down so creamy and beautiful and lasts all day! It *does* smell like pencil shavings and a home depot warehouse but in a beautiful feminine expensive way. I love it so much.

I finally got the full size bottle and it smells DIVINE.The spice smell in the first spray might be challenging.The spices are just too much.İt's sooo unisex like it can suit both genders perfectly.A little sweet but definitely not cloying,so sexy but not too feminine or too masculine,powdery but doesn't give a old grandma perfume vibe.Definitely a fall-winter scent.It can be too dangerous for spring-summer.May be suitable for cool spring nights-evenings.For floral notes I do not get the ylang-ylang and jasmine but a hint of rose.The use of the sandalwood in this perfume is absolutely gorgeous.That's exactly the kind of use I love for sandalwood.The first 2 hours is literally HORRIBLE,especially the carrot seed note and the other spıce notes.Its too much even for a Tom Ford fragrance.I literally can't stand the first hours but when it comes to the middle notes and the drydown.İt smells like the most luxurious high-end cream ı've ever smell but its for drydown for sure.its sooo good and definitely one of my favorite Tom Ford scents.Its so long-lasting and have a really strong sillage.The old formula and the bottle was so much better than the new one.PLS BRING BACK THE OLD BOTTLE AND FORMULA. New formula first hours 3.3/10 New formula drydown 8.5/10 The old formula fırst hours 5/10 The old formula drydown 10/10 pls bring back the old bottle design and the formula I'm literally begging on my knees.

So this is my first time reviewing here. Please be kind haha. I love this one since the fist sniff! Ist warm, spicy, creamy, woody. On my skin it opens with this really nice mix of spices with prominent cinnamon. Then I get the Yilang showing and giving it this typical creamy ylang-ylang feel. I also get some sort of makeupy-ness. The sandal wood creaminess and I get some sort of sweetness make it really nice. But we already know all that and so on. What I came here to say is that it reminded me of something and I couldn’t wrap my head around it to what exactly.. it reminded me of something form my childhood.. So this for me is the pencil shavings from my mom’s lip-liner that had fallen in her bag together with her makeup. I don’t know if they used to put sandal wood aroma in makeup back in the days and there is zero iris or orris in this perfume.. but there is just something creamy and makeup like and lip-liner shavings like in it that reminds me exactly of that.. Longevity was really good on me and I guess I have the new badges but still really good. Too bad there is no 100ml or 250ml bottles of this one! Cause yeah the price can be a turndown. It’s 263€ here in Germany.. Scent for me 10/10 Longevity is 7/10 And Saige 7/10 (it’s pretty poor projection on my skin which I think has to do with my skin, cause I have a problem with lots of perfumes and Saige)