Tom Ford Santal Blush


Sandalwood lends a fragrance the sweet/sour savoriness of lived-in skin. The traditional but over-harvested Mysore variety is appealingly soft and tangy, but it's the spicier and less rare Australian kind that is cropping up these days when “sandalwood” is cited in perfume ingredient lists. Not to mention sandalwood aromachemicals, of course, which aren't necessarily a budget option, owing to the number of steps involved in making the test tube version smell as good as Mother Nature's recipe. Santal Blush's sandalwood veers in the direction of Australia's: a big, honkin' spicy number powered with full Tom Ford Private Blend thrust. It stays big and woody in the manner of Diptyque Tam Dao, rather than the dried clean-sweat effect bundled inside Frédéric Malle Geranium Pour Monsieur and Etro Sandalo. Personally, I prefer the more animalic style of sandalwood for the way it morphs into the skin, but Santal Blush is a solid, friendly scent that works nicely once the initial “WOOD!” settles into “wood”.
Santal Blush is available from Amazon.com and TomFord.com starting at $236 for 1.7 oz
Looking for a fragrance recommendation? Visit Fume Finder: the Katie Puckrik Smells fragrance app.

12 comments:

  1. AnonymousFebruary 26, 2012 2:57 AM

    You honestly write the best reviews, Katie...so funny and spot on. I have always found Tom Ford's fragrances lean on the overpowering side, so reading "powered with full Tom Ford Private Blend thrust" made me laugh and feel somewhat better about my personal Tom Ford fragrance opinions.
    This makes me far more curious to smell the Frédéric Malle then the Tom Ford though...

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    1. Katie PuckrikFebruary 27, 2012 4:19 AM

      Thanks, Danielle! Yes, Geranium pour Monsieur has a wonderful, almost scalpy sandalwood smell to the drydown.

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  2. VanessaFebruary 26, 2012 3:53 PM

    Cunning deployment of the exclamation mark and italics there to characterise its woody progression, and I do agree with you that this scent is very much in Tam Dao vein.

    I just wish there was more blush to it. A slug of Zinfandel might not go amiss.

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    1. Katie PuckrikFebruary 27, 2012 4:20 AM

      Heh - the need for a drink to make a perfume go down easier....

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  3. AnonymousFebruary 27, 2012 5:02 PM

    Off topic, but what lipstick are you wearing here? Very pretty. :)

    Liz

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  4. chrisFebruary 27, 2012 9:20 PM

    Tried this one,did'nt like it at all, came on like a curried Hermessence santal massoia, the only Tom Ford private blend that i ever realy loved was(now sadly discontinued) japon noir.

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    1. Katie PuckrikFebruary 28, 2012 11:06 AM

      Just the other day had my first chance to try Santal Massoïa - that one is a marvel of dryness - none of the thick sweetness so often associated with recent sandalwood blends.

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  5. chrisFebruary 28, 2012 11:32 AM

    I agree with you katie, santal massoia is just beautiful,very subtle and nuanced, probably my favourite from the whole Hermessence line. Another sandlewood gem is Le Labo's Santal 33, dry and transparent, it contains none of that horrible curried thickness prominent in santal blush.

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  6. arlineMarch 25, 2013 1:34 PM

    I like Santal Blush, but I would love it were it not for all the cumin!!!! What would be along SB lines sans the (imo) stink of cumin? I have been mixing it with an amber paste, which takes the edge off of it, and I have been getting a lot of random compliments.

    I like that Tom Ford is hard hitting, because my skin loves to eat perfume, so I appreciate perfumes that will not evaporate on me.

    On another note, I love your videos!!! Selfishly I want to see more of them!! And I love seeing your perfume collection. Its fun!!!

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    1. Katie PuckrikMarch 25, 2013 8:41 PM

      Arline, so glad you like my vids - I've got more of the perfume collection series coming up.

      For something Santal Blush-ish, try Diptyque Tam Dao. A softer sandalwood would be Etro Sandalo. I've reviewed it here on the blog:
      http://www.katiepuckriksmells.com/2009/07/etro-sandalo.html

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