Today I reached for Santal from Floris London. It’s warm and sunny here in Greenvale this morning, with the weather expected to turn a little heavier later in the day, so I wanted something that could comfortably move with the day. Fresh enough for August. But with a little more depth behind it. Santal does that beautifully. It opens with bergamot, lemon, black pepper and cardamom, which gives it a bright, slightly spicy freshness right from the start. Then the lavender, clove and nutmeg begin to show themselves before everything settles into sandalwood, cedar, vetiver, frankincense, amber and musk. What I enjoy most is the balance. There is warmth here, but it doesn’t feel heavy. There is spice, but it isn’t aggressive. And the sandalwood gives it a smooth, polished character that feels very much in keeping with what I’ve come to appreciate about Floris as a house. There is also something I really enjoy about wearing a fragrance from a house with this much history. Santal itself takes inspiration from a Floris sandalwood fragrance originally created in the 1800s, but it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing something old-fashioned. It feels classic. And I think there is an important difference between the two. More and more, that is what I find myself drawn to — things that have history, craftsmanship and tradition behind them, but still make complete sense in my life today. Floris Santal feels exactly like that. 😎

Well my brothers, I was visiting Macy’s today, and saw this on the counter. And I knew it was time to give this one a try. And I might I just say, while a lot of the designer releases haven’t been all that great, this one blew me away. Now before we get into review here, I am a bit biased. Sauvage elixir is one of my favorite designer fragrances, and I find the spice blend both nostalgic and intoxicating. Needless to say, my expectations were high, and even at the threshold, it still exceeded them. This is one of those fragrances that smell quite different on paper. It has to be experienced on skin before any reviews can be truly made. On paper, it’s dry, herbal, and intensely spicy. On skin, it’s intense, but made clearer and warmer, with more of an amber behind it. If it was dry smoke on paper, it’s a reignition of the flame on skin. Whilst the original Elixir had its own distinct style from Francois Demarchy, Francis K, the perfumer of Baccarat Rouge, and various other fragrances, much from Dior’s Private Collection, took that DNA, and put his own approach to it. The opening is a completely different take, of a completely different take, of the original Sauvage. It’s basically unrecognizable, while still maintaining that core DNA. Like Sauron being reborn in the flaming eye after his defeat. You get the classic Ambroxan, Lavender, and Bergamot, but it’s mutated into something different. Something much more strong. And the combination with the spices and woods make it so. The core note is just one, singular note, and the only one needed. Vietnamese Oud. It gives it a leathery, borderline animalic feature, but in a restrained way. This isn’t a sweet, appealing oud, but it’s completely wearable, and not a barnyard fecal oud either. Something in between. Like it’s restrained, but capable of being dangerous. The drydown is where you get that beautiful elixir DNA best, but still with its own style. A blend of two styles of cedarwood, patchouli, and vetiver. The combination of citrus and lavender in the opening with the woods and vetiver here are what give it the slight, barbershop vibe, but the intense spiciness and oud make it much darker and more ambery.