Le Labo Santal 33 Review

Source: www.fragrantica.com

Good morning ladies and gentleman! I hope everyone is enjoying a hot cup of coffee (or tea, my personal favorite) and reaping life's blessings. Today I am reviewing Le Labo Santal 33. This decant was sent to me by www.whatsmyscent.com for review. You can still go pick up some decants there and use my 10% off code: MUSINGS10 until January 31st. Now, let's get started!


Notes

Sandalwood, Cedar, Cardamom, Papyrus, Violet, Leather, Amber, Iris


The Scent

Opening

This fragrance opens up and I get a burst of dill pickles from it. Something that turns me way off. I am not sure if it's the leather doing that or what, but it is very unpleasant to my nose. That vibe settles down a bit and you get some very dry smelling cedar, sandalwood, and papyrus.  I think I can detect some dusty amber underneath that as well.

Dry Down

The dry wood smell continues on into this phase, but sadly so does the slight pickle vibe. Sometimes I smell just dry wood and sometimes the pickle vibe comes out. This fragrance is fairly linear to my nose, so there isn't much difference between the opening and dry down, besides some notes taming themselves and becoming more composed.

Performance

Santal 33 performs very well. I get around 10 hours from it and projection for about 4. it leaves a sillage trail for most of its life. It also conjures a scent bubble about 6 inches from the skin after the projection dies down. So, it's a really good performer.


When to Wear it

Mild to cold weather. This fragrance is somewhat heavy on the woods. Too much for hot weather. I think this fragrance would be better casually than in formal situations.


Overall Impression

I was excited to try this fragrance, but unfortunately, this one is a pass for me. I hate pickles and that vibe it gives off sometimes makes me dislike this fragrance. To my nose, the woods are dry and boring. They smell muted to me. I just don't see this as a very interesting composition to my nose. Especially for the price that it sells for. I think the Wild West was the theme for it. They got the dryness part down, but the leather just smells like a saddle that has had tons of butt sweat on it and has never been washed. After the opening dies down it doesn't get this vibe anymore, but I still feel like the scent is bland to my nose. This smells great on others from what I hear, but sorry folks, this one is just not for me.

Sometimes, I do get faint whiffs of some nice lumber type cedar, but that is few and far between. I don't like to trash fragrances. I am sure this one smells good with someone else's chemistry, but with mine, I just don't like it. I would certainly try this one before you buy it. It might be up your alley.


Thanks for the support folks! Remember to hit that blue follow button to support my work! Until next time I hope everyone has a great day and keeps smelling amazing!