Santino

An unexpected find. In Cambodia, real perfumes are marked up beyond retail price. A bottle of 125ml Issey Miyake is close to $130 here and it's $40 at discounters back home in the states. I went to my local perfume shop at the mall. This shop has a mix of fake and authentic perfumes and they are honest about what is genuine and what is not. What first pointed me in the direction of Santino was that the shop actually had Thallium sport. I liked normal Thallium so I tried it and hated it but then I noticed an interesting little bottle with an amber colored juice inside. I went with my gut instinct that this was probably an amber based fragrance because of the color. To my surprise the opening has pineapple. The coriander and citrus blend nicely. It's in the heart that you sense this is an old school composition. I would call this an oriental amber. This amber note is much like the original Paco Rabanne formula mixed with black pepper and a little nutmeg. It's not a complicated perfume but the price was perfect. I've had to use a lot of cheap $3-5 Chinese and Vietnamese perfumes ever since I lost my money during covid. It's nice having a perfume that only requires 2-3 sprays maximum with a lovely scent trail for once and I didn't have to shell out over $100 dollars on my favorite Issey or Givenchy Pi. I sprayed five sprays around my body after I got out of the shower and now I have a headache and my nose is fatigued but I can still smell the drydown which is an old school amber mixed with a clean and fuzzy musk. I can't quite recall what this reminds me the most of... Maybe the ordinary Pierre Cardin base(?) Maybe shades of Halston Z-14 (yikes). I think with 2-3 sprays, this will be getting plenty of compliments. Amber is always beautiful and sexy. The hint of spice satisfies my love for orientals. I'm still going to buy my Givenchy Pi and YSL Opium but for now I'm happy and I can save my money to buy my favorite freshy from Issey Miyake. After that, this will be relegated to the bedroom and date nights. It's worth trying for the price and performance. It's not old mannish but it might put hairs on your chest.