Posted by Robin
on
10 July 2006
Elizabeth Arden has acquired most of the fragrance licenses held by Canadian company Riviera Concepts. Fragrance lines which will go to Elizabeth Arden under the deal include Alfred Sung, Hummer, Nanette Lepore, Cynthia Rowley, Lulu Guinness and Bob Mackie. Also included is the upcoming fragrance from Badgley Mischka (bottle shown at right). Riviera Concepts will continue to hold the licenses for Adrienne Vittadini and Hang Ten. (via cosmeticsdesign and cosmeticsintl)
Kannauj, India, once an important market center for the distillation of sandalwood and rosewater, is losing its prominence. The town…
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Posted by Robin
on
9 March 2006
Santal Blanc was launched by Serge Lutens in 2001. It was created by perfumer Chris Sheldrake, and features notes of white sandalwood, cinnamon, fenugreek, pink pepper, rose, jasmine, orris root, musk, benzoin and copaiba balsam.
Like many Serge Lutens fragrances, Santal Blanc starts off rather like spiced stewed fruits. Fenugreek, which is used in curry recipes and also as a flavoring for artificial maple syrup, adds an interesting touch, and there is quite a bit of pepper in the mix. Within a few minutes, the fruits and spices are overtaken by the woods. There is sandalwood, yes, but also quite a bit of cedar. The woods smell ever so slightly scorched, and that helps to balance the sweetness in the top notes.
Some time ago Serge Lutens compared Santal Blanc to the smell of fresh bread from the bakeries in Lille where he was born. It does have a doughy sort of undertone once it dries down, but it is more frequently compared to the smell of a pencil. And it does smell like a pencil: a very nice pencil, mind you, perhaps the nicest ever, but still, it is probably not a smell that is universally appreciated as a personal fragrance…
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Posted by Marlen
on
30 September 2005
Being a huge fan of Creed, it was with excitement and some trepidation that I tested Original Santal, one of Creed’s two launches for 2005 (the other being Love in White). I was quite disappointed with Creed’s previous launch, Original Vetiver, mostly due to the fact that it was anything but original (though truth be told, I’m considering buying a bottle anyhow) and word of mouth has not been much better for this new scent.
Original Santal is a 21st century interpretation of a scent created by Creed for Emperor Franz-Josef of Austria Hungary in the 19th century. It is an Eau de Parfum housed in a beautiful red-orange, typical Creed bottle. It has notes of cinnamon, coriander, juniper berry, lavender, rosemary, ginger, mandarin, neroli, orange wood, Mysore sandalwood, cedar, benzoin, vanilla and ambergris.
The second Creed fragrance exploring the theme of sandalwood — the other being Santal Imperial, an Eau de Toilette — begins with a zing of citrus and a hint of a sharp woody note…
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Posted by Robin
on
21 March 2005
I recently tried 8 of the fragrances in the Geo. F. Trumper line; these were my favorites:
The Geo F Trumper Sandalwood fragrance was released in 2002 to honor Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee. It has notes of bergamot, lemon, lavender, clary sage and spice notes, white jasmine, carnation, geranium and rose, sandal, patchouli, amber, vanilla and a hint of leather. This is a very nicely done, slightly sweet sandalwood, very smooth and creamy…
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Posted by Robin
on
17 March 2005
Diptyque launched Tam Dao in 2003, and I assume the fragrance was named for the Vietnamese hill station north of Hanoi. Tam Dao was established as a resort town during French colonial rule; the town is now inside of Tam Dao National Park and is a popular weekend tourist destination. Diptyque’s Tam Dao fragrance was created by perfumer Daniel Moliere, and the notes include rosewood, cypress, ambergris, and sandalwood.
Like many sandalwood-heavy fragrances, Tam Dao gets off to a bit of a rocky start. The top notes smell like a burst of cedar with an unpleasant, almost acrid undertone which I can’t quite pin down. It is close to gasoline, but not quite. It settles quickly to a creamy sandalwood with a distinctly resinous edge. The cypress lends an aromatic, slightly evergreen bite in the early stages, but it is still a very soft fragrance, with little to temper the dry woods…
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