The Quest for THE Sandalwood Fragrance

[Mythrol]

Day #23: Fragrance - Serge Lutens Santal de Mysore
My Ratings: Scent - 10/10. Overall - 10/10.

The best spicy (non cedar) sandalwood I've ever tried. Initial application gave me a huge hit of pure sandalwood oil so I had to compare it to the samples I have. Thanks to a couple very kind basenoters I actually have a decent amount of pure oils to compare against now. The sandalwood note is very close to the smell of Mysore - to my nose. This sandalwood note is not alone however. There's also a really nice pepper note and there's an Oriental note - it's not cumin but it's something similar. This gives the fragrance a very nice sweet note that helps to balance out the spice. As it dries down it doesn't change a lot but instead smooths out even more. The sharp pepper in the opening mellows, the sweetness levels out, and the sandalwood backbone becomes more prominent. There's also a "resinous" note in here that adds some weight to the fragrance.

This fragrance is rich, and wears heavy. Projection is moderate due to the concentration but sillage is amazing as is longevity. Just because of how heavy this is it lasts and lasts. Performance is one area where I couldn't imagine anyone feels this is lacking.

Overall, Santal de Mysore is outstanding. The one warning I'd say is, you have to like that Oriental note because I think it is on an equal level to the spice and the sandalwood in this. For me, it adds an amazing smoothness to the fragrance, but I understand that some aren't the biggest fans of cumin like notes. It wears and feels heavy. The fragrance is rich and the quality comes off as amazingly high. This is not for someone looking for a "light" sandalwood. Due to the heavy nature of this fragrance it feels perfect for fall and winter. Even the early days of spring is probably fine but I don't think it works for summer. It comes off as heavily masculine due to the spice. The type of person I'd recommend this to is someone looking for a very good sandalwood that is heavy and rich, wants a spicy note but not cedar, and doesn't mind or likes an Oriental note to be mixed with their sandalwood. Yes it's expensive but this is one hit hard for me. Do yourself a favor and give it a sample, maybe it's not your style but it's without a doubt worth trying.

My Wife's Thoughts:

She liked it quite a bit. I don't think as much as Tam Dao but this has a nice Oriental lean to it that in this cool weather is really nice. She picked up on that and thought it was good. I think what held her back a bit was just how heavy and rich it can smell / wear. It really is a deep fragrance can almost be overpowering if you apply too much. For her it skirted that line a bit but overall she came away positive from it.

Next Fragrance: Serge Lutens - Santal Majuscule

 

[Mythrol]

Let me just say, if someone has a bottle of Serge Lutens Santal de Mysore that they are looking to get rid of, send me a message. I'm DEFINITELY in the market for a bottle. I'm sorry I'm using my own Sandalwood thread for ulterior motives. lol

 

[IsoESuperman]

The Lutens sounds like a good one, I'll definitely keep my eyes peeled.

On another note, did you end up buying the Karnataka soap that PK recommended? I got 12 bars (didn't realize each order came with 4, so I ordered a quantity of 3) and I enjoy it a lot, but it smells more like headshop sandalwood incense than real sandalwood to me. Maybe they've changed it over the years. But then again, my only reference for real Mysore SW is memories of C&E extract, which is purported to be ylang-heavy.

On another another note, I picked up a 10ml travel spray of Tam Dao EDP and I definitely get more sandalwood & less cedar than I remember from the EDT. Still a good dose of cedar though. Super nice either way.

 

[ClaireV]

Day #23: Fragrance - Serge Lutens Santal de Mysore
My Ratings: Scent - 10/10. Overall - 10/10.

The best spicy (non cedar) sandalwood I've ever tried. Initial application gave me a huge hit of pure sandalwood oil so I had to compare it to the samples I have. Thanks to a couple very kind basenoters I actually have a decent amount of pure oils to compare against now. The sandalwood note is very close to the smell of Mysore - to my nose. This sandalwood note is not alone however. There's also a really nice pepper note and there's an Oriental note - it's not cumin but it's something similar. This gives the fragrance a very nice sweet note that helps to balance out the spice. As it dries down it doesn't change a lot but instead smooths out even more. The sharp pepper in the opening mellows, the sweetness levels out, and the sandalwood backbone becomes more prominent. There's also a "resinous" note in here that adds some weight to the fragrance.

This fragrance is rich, and wears heavy. Projection is moderate due to the concentration but sillage is amazing as is longevity. Just because of how heavy this is it lasts and lasts. Performance is one area where I couldn't imagine anyone feels this is lacking.

Overall, Santal de Mysore is outstanding. The one warning I'd say is, you have to like that Oriental note because I think it is on an equal level to the spice and the sandalwood in this. For me, it adds an amazing smoothness to the fragrance, but I understand that some aren't the biggest fans of cumin like notes. It wears and feels heavy. The fragrance is rich and the quality comes off as amazingly high. This is not for someone looking for a "light" sandalwood. Due to the heavy nature of this fragrance it feels perfect for fall and winter. Even the early days of spring is probably fine but I don't think it works for summer. It comes off as heavily masculine due to the spice. The type of person I'd recommend this to is someone looking for a very good sandalwood that is heavy and rich, wants a spicy note but not cedar, and doesn't mind or likes an Oriental note to be mixed with their sandalwood. Yes it's expensive but this is one hit hard for me. Do yourself a favor and give it a sample, maybe it's not your style but it's without a doubt worth trying.

My Wife's Thoughts:

She liked it quite a bit. I don't think as much as Tam Dao but this has a nice Oriental lean to it that in this cool weather is really nice. She picked up on that and thought it was good. I think what held her back a bit was just how heavy and rich it can smell / wear. It really is a deep fragrance can almost be overpowering if you apply too much. For her it skirted that line a bit but overall she came away positive from it.

Next Fragrance: Serge Lutens - Santal Majuscule

Mythrol, outstanding review! I almost forgive you for the dubbing of Bois des Iles :wink: Santal de Mysore is both my favorite Serge Lutens (displacing the already great Fumerie Turque in my rankings) and one of my top ten fragrances - I bought it blind and it was the best blind buy I ever made. I agree with every part of your review. It balances a satisfying wet-spicy accord (with strong black pepper and either caraway or something frondy like fenugreek or dill) with a dry, aromatic woody side, and dries down to a caramelized sandalwood stick incense. When I sniffed the stopper for the first time, I was astounded to find the true Mysore sandalwood smell intact, even though when wearing it, I don't particularly think it smells like Mysore, or at least in large blockish parts it doesn't. But then I take my nose away, and drawing back I find all those big blockish components drawing together to smell like rich sandalwood. It's incredible and I can't stop wearing it. It's been my nightly default since I bought it.

 

[Mythrol]

@IsoESuperman - Yes I did pick up the soap and have been using it for a week or two now. I agree with your assessment that it has a bit of a Sandalwood incense. Not bad by any means. I like it. For the price it's nice to have around. I think I like it better as a scent when I wash my hands than I do for a shower soap.

I had absolutely zero reference for Mysore but due to extreme kindness of fellow basenoters (you know who you are and I thank you again deeply) I've now got some very nice undiluted oils to compare scents again. This Surge Lutens is a good representation of that.

I agree completely about Tam Dao. Glad you liked it upon trying the EDP.

@ClaireV - haha. I'm sorry BdI was not to my taste but I'm glad you like it. I'm glad you can *almost* forgive me due to my review of Santal de Mysore. While we might disagree on BdI, we absolutely see eye to eye on SdM. Your note description is far more articulate than mine and I agree completely with it.

You are absolutely spot on about the Mysore Sandalwood too. I noticed on first smell the Sandalwood note smells extremely close to the oil then all the other scents start mixing together. Then when I pull my nose away and go back to it I pick up the Sandalwood oil again. Really interesting how that happens.



On another note some might find interesting, I actually wore Santal de Mysore two days in a row due to the testing of it compared to oils. Today I put in a heavy workout for nearly 45 minutes and even through all that SmD is still going strong.

 

[Diddy]

I too look forward to the coming review because Santal de Mysore is the first sandalwood fragrance I purchassed years ago. I can not find the reference but it supposedly had a high concentration of Mysore Sandalwood. If my old brain remembers correctly, Serge Lutens purchassed a large quantity of oil to use over time to produce this offering. I have not smelled the current version but the way things have gone over the last several years I would not be surprised if the scent has been changed.

Hopefully, if they've stored it properly (which I assume they would), their supply of sandalwood has only aged and changed for the better.

 

[allkindsofwatches1]

Hope everyone is enjoying special time with their families during this holiday break. [emoji2]

I'll be seeing ole Mythrol today, and will be bringing him two more sandalwood fragrances to try: Sartoriale by Pal Zileri (which I highly recommend if you find Carven Homme to be a bit intense for your tastes) and Art of Shaving Sandalwood and Cypress [emoji4]

Question....If I don't really care for Carven Homme, will I like PZ Sartoriale? How prominent is the rose? I'm not very fond of rose?

 

[Mythrol]

Question....If I don't really care for Carven Homme, will I like PZ Sartoriale? How prominent is the rose? I'm not very fond of rose?

I will be reviewing the PZ soon. As someone who doesn't like Carven Homme, I'll be sure to answer this question in the coming days.

 

[allkindsofwatches1]

I will be reviewing the PZ soon. As someone who doesn't like Carven Homme, I'll be sure to answer this question in the coming days.

Great! I'll be watching. Thanks!

 

[mikeperez23]

Awesome Mythrol, so glad you found something that wow'd you again.

I found SDM very sweet. Tooth aching sweet. It reminds me of cherry cough syrup, and the spice (which I love me some spice) I found irritating. Like ClaireV mentioned it doesn't really smell like Mysore Sandalwood when you wear it - more like when you catch here-and-there whiffs of it. Otherwise, it just smells like a hot mess to me, and living here in Miami where it's mostly hot/humid I always felt like I was drowning in the stuff when I wore it. I wish I still had my bottle Mythrol, I would have gifted it to you.

 

[Diddy]

Question....If I don't really care for Carven Homme, will I like PZ Sartoriale? How prominent is the rose? I'm not very fond of rose?

Since Mythrol will be testing it, I'll withhold my thoughts until after his review. I don't wanna puts evil thoughts in the young man's head. [emoji56]

 

[allkindsofwatches1]

Since Mythrol will be testing it, I'll withhold my thoughts until after his review. I don't wanna puts evil thoughts in the young man's head. [emoji56]

Haha! Good! BTW....I did enjoy my first full wearing of Tam Dao EDP. The performance lacks a little for me but it's a nice fragrance. As I mentioned before, the Cedar isn't as prominent on my skin as it is on paper.

 

[Diddy]

Haha! Good! BTW....I did enjoy my first full wearing of Tam Dao EDP. The performance lacks a little for me but it's a nice fragrance. As I mentioned before, the Cedar isn't as prominent on my skin as it is on paper.

I find that to be true for me as well, with the cedar. And, I also find TD to sweeten up considerably on my skin. As I said previously (in this thread??? I can't remember)... if you like TD enough that you wouldn't mind it in your wardrobe but you don't want to pay Dyptique pricing, I can quickly recommend the $20 LuvLyn (EDIT: the name should read "Love, Lyn") version on eBay with zero worry that you'd not like it at least as much as the original. I personally have a bottle of it sitting alongside my TD decant and would grab for either blindly with no issue. And the Love, Lyn has better longevity. So there's that. ...and now I'll get off my LuvLyn rant for the day. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[allkindsofwatches1]

I find that to be true for me as well, with the cedar. And, I also find TD to sweeten up considerably on my skin. As I said previously (in this thread??? I can't remember)... if you like TD enough that you wouldn't mind it in your wardrobe but you don't want to pay Dyptique pricing, I can quickly recommend the $20 LuvLyn version on eBay with zero worry that you'd not like it at least as much as the original. I personally have a bottle of it sitting alongside my TD decant and would grab for either blindly with no issue. And the LuvLyn has better longevity. So there's that. ...and now I'll get off my LuvLyn rant for the day. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

I agree...I did notice that the Tam Dao was sweeter on my skin too. Ok...ok! I'll check out the LuvLyn [emoji1].

 

[Diddy]

I agree...I did notice that the Tam Dao was sweeter on my skin too. Ok...ok! I'll check out the LuvLyn [emoji1].

Ha!!!

 

[IsoESuperman]

@IsoESuperman - Yes I did pick up the soap and have been using it for a week or two now. I agree with your assessment that it has a bit of a Sandalwood incense. Not bad by any means. I like it. For the price it's nice to have around. I think I like it better as a scent when I wash my hands than I do for a shower soap.

Definitely a nice bar of soap, it makes my whole bathroom smell good. I had a brain fart apparently, because what I really wanted to know how the soap stacked up (scent-wise) compared to the Mysore oils?

 

[Mythrol]

@mikeperez23 - I absolutely could understand it feeling almost cloying in the summer heat. This fragrance wears HEAVY. We've had nice cool days around 45F/7C and in that weather it doesn't smell as sweet as I'm sure it would in the summer heat. For where you live, it was probably best to pass it along, even though I'm sad you don't have it currently lol. Living in Louisiana I know this struggle all too well. I can wear my "cool weather" fragrances just a couple of months out of the year. The rest of the time is all summer jams. Ironically enough I'll be around Miami in just over a week. Going to visit family down there. Any cool fragrance places I need to check out while down there?

@IsoESuperman - To my nose, no it doesn't smell like Mysore or Sandalwood oil of any time. In my Eden Botanicals Sandalwood oil sample set I got what they called Sandalwood incense, made from grinding up the branches after they had been soaked and the oil extracted. This incense smells much closer to the bar of soap than the oils I have. However, it could be that the lye or lanolin or whatever is used to make the soap is throwing the scent off for me. It definitely has a sandalwood smell, just not of the oil. If that makes sense.

 

[IsoESuperman]

It definitely has a sandalwood smell, just not of the oil. If that makes sense.

Right on, thanks. Makes perfect sense. My impression was that is smelled like SW incense, so your thoughts definitely jives with that.

 

[Buysblind]

Mythrol, have you ever smelled Tom Ford Black Orchid? Star of the Season reminds me of Black Orchid in some ways, but if Black Orchid was made more reserved and masculine and given a healthy dose of sandalwood. They have some similar things going on. I think it's unisex, leaning just a little bit feminine. I own it and love it. I sort of see it like a step above Dior Homme Parfum, like a level up (not that they smell the same). You'd wear them in the same situations, but SOTS is a little more elegant and rich. I think it's close projection is a plus, as it's not the kind of scent you would really want to project too much. I imagine it was very different than anything else you've tried, I was curious to see your reaction and glad you liked it! For me, it got less feminine upon subsequent wearings. Now it just smells like itself to me, and I don't feel odd wearing it (like I do when I wear something like Bois des Iles or Black Orchid). Did you pick up on anything resembling dark chocolate in the base? I get a nice dark chocolate blending in with a very jammy darkrose, maybe an effect of the vanilla and patchouli working together, or possibly a note itself. Anyway, it's cool that you tested this even if you didn't find it much of an actual sandalwood scent.

 

[BigFish]

Apologies for my laziness, but have you tried Santal Majuscule in this thread? And if so how would you compare its sandalwood note to SDM?


Last question- I own and really enjoy Wonderwood, but wouldn't (yet!) describe myself as a sandalwood connoisseur or even afficionado, although I do enjoy the note. Do you think Tam Dao is too similar to warrant owning both (for me)?

Thanks & great thread!