Santal

I've just sprayed it on 10 minutes ago for the first time. It is a nice scent profile, as I expected given the listed notes. But I can barely smell it when I put my nose to it just 10 minutes later. I expect that won't improve (update several hours later: nope didn't improve. Over 10 sprays and can barely detect anything). Whenever you see both longevity and projection rated as 'moderate' here in Fragrantica for a non aquatic ozonic freshie, you know there's a problem. It's obvious that the 4.34 overall rating here is due to the nice scent profile. With the performance likely being extremely and indefensibly poor, that rating should be closer to 4.00. A fragrance with these notes SHOULD have good longevity. The perfumer failed. Elite is my favorite Floris and has not a too dissimilar note profile, and it has good longevity (despite its Fragrantica ratings of 'moderate'). The scent IS nice. This is NOT feminine, as a few reviews below seem to suggest. Unisex maybe, but more masculine in my opinion. Someone mentioned D&G The One, and it is in the same general vibe neighborhood, less the tobacco, ginger and plus the lavender. Both sit very close to the skin. Maybe similar also to my recent formulation of YSL Jazz, which has been watered down and struggles for a skin scent after 10 minutes. Gucci Envy for Men is the best comparison scent profile wise, except Santal veers greener largely due I guess to the grass note, but man o man if only this Santal had the performance. The "Green" accord listed above at the bottom of the accord stack is no doubt due to this grass note. I've since become a huge fan of the discontinued Gucci Envy for Men, acquiring bottles of it. And so my appreciation of Floris Santal has increased. But the performance is inexcusable. Ive never smelled Maison Martin Margiela Replica Whispers in the Library, but this scent seems it would fit that profile to a tee. It does have a dusty old parchment smell, as if it were replicating old library book page smell. And the scent sure is a whisper. Actually, I know that I've smelled old book pages with a stronger smell than this. If you buy this nice scent, keep in mind that you will need to spray the heck out of it per wearing. And even then it will struggle. Several hours later I can say the performance of Santal is extremely poor.

About a month ago, I was looking for a warm spicy-vanilla fragrance for late fall/winter. I bought decants of Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, Spicebomb Extreme and Herod. While I can see why people like those fragrances, to me TV was way too sweet and SE’s opening was way too harsh. Herod I liked quite a bit. The thing is I only would want to wear it when in the mood for sweet tobacco, which is rare. My search for a new winter frag continued. I saw a review for Floris Santal from Wafts from the Loft, and I ordered a bottle. After first spraying it, I wasn’t so sure I’d like it as the spices in the opening are quite bold (though not harsh like SE). After a few minutes I liked it more. After 15-20 minutes the spices settled down and I began to appreciate this gem. I soon decided Floris Santal was what I’d been looking for. The citruses nicely compliment the cardamom, nutmeg pepper and clove in the opening before the smooth lavender and vanilla become apparent. The spices are perfectly blended and balanced and not overly bold at all. Just perfect. The spices and lavender continue as the citrus fades, then vanilla and woods become more apparent in the drydown. As the drydown continues, it becomes much like what TV would be like if 90% of its über-sweetness were removed and woods were added. Tasty spices and vanilla, and the sandalwood, are what remain after a few hours. I just love this. I love the way it evolves. It’s become my signature fall/winter scent. It’s perfectly elegant. I’ll wear it until early spring before putting it away until the fall.

I've spent the past several days wearing either Dunhill's Indian Sandalwood or D.R. Harris' Sandalwood, both of which I really like. But this morning after shaving and bathing I used Floris' Santal after shave, followed a few minutes later with 3 sprays of the EdT, and it has been one delightful morning. The sandalwood isn't front and centre with this one, but it is rather a thin veil over each and every one of the other notes. This gives it a quite rare ethereal quality that I've found in few other fragrances, most notably in Penhaligon's Endymion cologne. Santal doesn't smell "like" Endymion, but the two have a similar almost angelic quality with which I am quite taken. And as Thomas Aquinas tells us, each angel is a species unto itself. Such a desirable scent. In typical Floris fashion, it is ever so discreet. Many confuse Floris' discretion with a lack of performance. I don't think that's the case. The fragrance is there, but it becomes a part of me, and not something that either precedes or follows me. I appreciate that. And in any case, if I feel like I can't smell it there's still more in the bottle!

Starts off a soapy, grassy, herbal and lightly citrus barbershop scent soon transcending to a peppery, spiced frankincense sandalwood fragrance. The deep drydown is mostly tobacco-y, incense-y, peppered sandalwood, while still holding on to the freshness of the topnotes. Floris Santal boasts an authentic classic 90s men's fragrance vibe. It smells luxe and dimensional, and oh so masculine. A lovely composition any fragrance enthusiast and nostalgia seeker will appreciate. Not your basic, boring dill pickle sandalwood. None of that at all! So beautifully blended and well thought out. A fragrance that will not suffocate those around you if you over spray. It's fresh, then warm, friendly, and refined. Try it!

Opens up like Boucheron Jaipur, moves to smelling like L'eau D'issey without the bitterness then hits a Bleu de Channel dry down vibe with the base notes and Cardamom. If you like this type of fragrance, you'll like it, if not you won't. It's not bad, safe but not mass appealing. I don't see some young kid wearing this. The performance is underwhelming. The opening is strong, dries down to skin scent quickly. Basically this is going to be loved by certain people and for most of us, we'll be bored and/or disappointed by this. Glad I got to try it. It's very nice, casually classy. I really love the soft warm dry down with the slight smokiness.