Celestial Patchouli
Sana Jardin (2017)

I own Sana Jardin "Tiger By Her Side" and I like it a whole lot. I enjoy patchouli fragrances only when they are NOT straight-up, intense, hippie offerings but beautiful, dry patchouli balanced with floral, incense and other notes. And while Celestial Patchouli is not your typical, linear patchouli fragrance, there is still something quite off-putting about it (to my nose).

It's interesting how HouseOfPhlegethon (whose opinions I respect a whole lot) and I can have such opposite experiences with this fragrance. But with that said, fragrance is so very personal and subjective, right?

Celestial Patchouli opens with intensely pungent, spicy notes of coriander and cinnamon, notes that simply do not appeal to me. So, I find the opening notes harsh, unpleasant and irritating to my nose. And unfortunately, the opening notes seem to wear and reappear throughout my experience with this fragrance.

Things only seem to get worse when intensely thick, boozy, syrupy & cloying gourmand mid-notes appear, notes that nearly make me nauseous. I imagine osmanthus, iris & orris are making an appearance but WOW! Did someone say, "Spice & Floral Souk deep in the Marrakesh Medina?"

And I adore woody, earthy & musk-y dry-downs; however with my chemistry, anything approaching this fails to appear. To my nose, the dry down produces zero cedar, or sandalwood but a reproduction and continuation of overpowering, thick, boozy, candied sweets. In the end, CP lands as a very SWEET fragrance with weak patchouli and an occasional waft of leather...wait...leather? Where the heck did that come from??

And finally, in my opinion CP lacks harmony because the fragrance never blends, or pulls together in any meaningful, memorable, or enjoyable way. For me, the fragrance never flows. Silage is mild, longevity is average.

For now, this is a pretty strong pass.

Flowery spice. Dry orris. Fruity-tea flowers next. Fizzy rose, that's almost balsamic in nature, as, patchouli rises up quickly. So far notes mix and mingle with ease. Smooth. It is also very, slightly boozy, like a flavored ale or beer. Definitely unisex so far. Lovely. Linear, to some degree.

Grows into a spiced, amber accord. Teeny-tiny leather appears at times. Like a suede leather. Soft. The stand-out notes here are osmanthus, cinnamon bark, and patchouli. This could almost pass for a hippie, incense scent.

Slight sandalwood, later, thing, with still the patch. A solid, three and a half stars.