Sandalwood Scents

[Dusk]

I'm looking for recs for my mom, who adores sandalwood. Obviously there are a LOT of sandalwood blends around. One important factor: she has really sensitive skin, so even though she likes "spicy" scents, she's liable to have a reaction to stronger spices - Old Demons of the First Class gave her a pretty bad rash, even though she liked the smell. So blends with things like cinnamon and black pepper are out, at least. Also, she does not want to smell like food, although she might be okay with a little vanilla. Fruity notes make her think of jelly beans. She's liked Pteropus Leucopterus (White sandalwood, white sage, East Indian patchouli, muguet, Golden frankincense, and Balsam of Mecca) and the drydown of Pirate Moon (I think mostly red sandalwood, ebony, lingum vitae, warm leather, balsam, maybe a little red musk), and her signature scent is Omnia by Bulgari (ginger, mandarin orange, saffron, pepper and cardamom; nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, almond, masala chai and lotus; sandalwood, tonka bean, white chocolate, guaiac wood and woody notes - never sensed any chocolate from it though, and guessing the spices never give her a reaction because they're diluted enough).

 

Thanks for any suggestions.

[stellamaris]

Dusk, I find The Night Raven to have a lot of similarity with Pteropus Leucopterus.Indeed there is no sandalwood in it, but there is similarity none the less.

Edited July 15, 2012 by stellamaris

[Alia Kaitan]

Pteropus is amaaazeballs, and I'm just diving into really exploring resiny/woody blends, but of the ones I have tried Heavenly Love and Earthly Love comes a close second. I did not have much trouble finding it here on the forums, even though it is a retail exclusive.

 

ETA: Oh, and, if she can do patchouli, White Peacock is awesome, as well. The patch in that is smooth and tame for me, and the red sandalwood is soooo beautiful on drydown.

Edited July 15, 2012 by kaitan

[neptuneanblues]

White Rider is just leather and sandalwood, so maybe that would work since you mentioned your mom liking another scent with leather?

[becca_s]

Lillium Inter Spinas is my favorite sandalwood blend - but it's very floral

[Wwindy]

She's liked Pteropus Leucopterus (White sandalwood, white sage, East Indian patchouli, muguet, Golden frankincense, and Balsam of Mecca)

 

If you can find it, Virginia (An exotic South Asian musk blended with white sandalwood, tobacco absolute, white sage, caramel, black orchid, tonka bean, frankincense, muguet, and juniper) had a very similar feel to Pteropus Leucopterus -- at least on my skin! The sandalwood is also fantastic in Calligraphy Practise (White sandalwood, beeswax, clary sage, olibanum, opoponax, violet leaf, and oudh).

 

GC-wise, it sounds like Seraglio (Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel) might be right up your mother's alley -- it does have the spices, but they're fairly mild, so it might be worth trying an imp. I also recommend Half-Elf (White sandalwood, beeswax, white tea leaf, oud, and a hint of sophisticated urban musk), with the caveat that for some people it doesn't work perfectly as a stand-alone.

[MandyCassandra]

Hello lovelies.

 

What is a Sandalwood blend you swear by?

 

Christmas is days away now and, in the process of moving out of state, I still have to find a (late) gift for my mother-in-law. She's an espoused Sandalwood fanatic (preferably Mysore), and ever since my partner and I got her a bottle of Villainess's Jai Mahal last year, she can't get enough. She finished that bottle, ordered another bottle (which she complained was a little too spicy), along with some scrub.

 

While I know she likes Jai Mahal, I know that I can find more sophisticated Sandalwood blends here - and more of them. So...what do you think? What is a nice BPAL Sandalwood blend with just a *tiny* bit of spice? Or maybe a nice soft Sandalwood with a little bit of throw? Or both?

 

The one I'm thinking about right now is Sin, but...

 

Thoughts?

Edited December 8, 2012 by MandyCassandra

[suki]

Tiki King, hands down. The notes indicate it's "Ironwood", not necessarily sandalwood, but to everyone I've ever had smell it, it reads like a lovely sandalwood blend. It was only around for a little while several years ago, but I don't think it'll be *too* difficult to find- someone will swap it, I bet

 

Good luck!

[TheIceMaiden]

My favourite sandalwood blend is the GC scent Velvet:

 

Envelop yourself in the soft, sensual embrace of gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh.

 

My second favourite is The Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair. Although it was a LE, it shouldn't be too hard to find:

 

Gilded amber, tiare, golden sandalwood, vanilla, cardamom, and tagetes.

[Fuhrankie]

Kathmandu is incredibly woody and spicy. Very dry and gorgeous.

Fenris Wolf is almost a softer, greener version of it, with a sweetener in the rosewood and musk.

 

<3 sandalwood.

[ljaylh]

OK you've already got Sin - good choice! and I second the rec of Kathmandu, and also Velvet (which isn't as chocolate-y as it sounds) - sadly (for me, anyways) many of BPALs sandalwood blends have floral notes that don't like me, so I haven't tried a lot of those. but here's some that may be worth a look:

 

Lorelei is nice: neroli, sandalwod and ylang ylang - soft, with a really pretty soft/sweet prettiness from the neroli

Anne Bonny: Indonesian red patchouli, red sandalwood and frankincense (warm and a bit kickass)

Plunder: tea leaf, cassia, cinnamon bark, allspice, sandalwood, tobacco, peppercorn and nutmeg (although on me, this is more about the spices than then sandalwood)

Mouse's Long and Sad Tale: vanilla, amber, sweet pea and sandalwood (just so pretty, dusty soft loveliness)

 

Maybe you could get her an imp pack? That way she could try a few different styles of BPAL sandalwood

 

Ooh - also there's Violens - five sandalwoods, dusty leather, and light musk - and also Miss Lupescu - musk, white amber, patchouli, ho wood, cypress, almond blossom, golden sandalwood and strange spices - (neither of these are available in imp-form)

 

And if you can find it - from Carnaval Diabolique there's Hand of Glory - beeswax, leather, black pepper, saltpeter, nutmeg, Mysore sandalwood and oak bark - this is an awesome sandalwood/spice mix with the beeswax giving it a lovely soft glow.

 

ETA there's a thread in the Recommendations topic for sandalwood here

.

 

Edited December 9, 2012 by sunshinedaisybliss

[snowfox090]

My favorite sandalwood is Dragon's Claw, hands down. I can barely detect the dragon's blood in it, it's almost pure sandalwood and it is gorgeous

[Jazzi]

I just got an imp of Jezebel in the mail this week. On both me and my BPAL-testing buddy, it is pure sandalwood. No fruit, no florals, just sandalwood--and probably the best sandalwood note I've ever encountered anywhere. It smells like actual wood, not like a woody perfume, if that makes sense.

[MandyCassandra]

Thank you all so much for the suggestions! I've ordered some of the GC ones mentioned, and put out feelers for some of the LE's. Thank you all again!

 

By the way, I had no idea this thread existed, or I'd have posted here. Silly me. ^.^;;

[Pittseminole]

Hi Everyone!

 

I'm hoping I can get some recommendations for a BPAL that is similar to Chanel's Bois des Iles.

 

The listed notes are Jasmine, Damask Rose, Ylang-Ylang, Bitter Almond, Gingerbread, Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Sandalwood and Vetiver.

 

I'm putting this in the sandalwood thread because all I smell is sandalwood, powder and a hint of spices such as cinnamon or clove. (Gingerbread is that you?) I cannot find any florals or almonds on my skin. It's just a spicy, powdery sandalwood.

 

Reading through this thread I think I should try imps of Morrocco, Sin, Tushnamatay, and Baghdad. Does anyone know if I'm on the right track? Can someone suggest any other powdery sandalwoods?

 

I cannot wear cedar, hay, saffron, and dried leaves.

 

Thanks in advance!

[JasminDreams2010]

Jezebel! I agree that this is nearly entirely sandalwood, at least on my skin. it's a rich, spicy, every so slightly honeyed sandalwood. Dreamy.

[kythe]

Dragon's Claw! I also don't smell dragon's blood in it. It's sort of luscious yet implicative of warm smooth sun-dried wood.

[LiberAmoris]

Bumping this to add both A Lady in White and Some Strangeness in the Proportion to this conversation.

 

I still think Velvet and Sin are my favorite BPAL sandalwoods—it's tough to beat the classics!

[lady_pandora]

I love Sin, but I get no sandalwood from it--it's all cinnamon and patch on me! My current favorite sandalwood is Mini Magdalene.

 

I'm all over the place as far as whether I amp sandalwood. It's pretty much all I got from Some Strangeness in the Proportion, but I can't even smell it in Sin (as mentioned) or in Jezebel, though I like both those scents.

[stellamaris]

Antimony V9 is my favorite, glad to have nabbed backups of this one.

[xeia]

It's been a few updates since this thread had any action. I've been loving sandalwood in a few things I've tried lately and would love more recommendations and favorites!

 

Ghosts in Love dried down to a very "true" sandalwood (reminded me of the sandalwood paste used in Hindu rituals), and I just realized I think Belle Epoque and Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha have the same sandalwood note in them.

 

Any other recent sandalwood loves? Weenies? Crimson Peak?

[LiberAmoris]

It's been a few updates since this thread had any action. I've been loving sandalwood in a few things I've tried lately and would love more recommendations and favorites!

 

Ghosts in Love dried down to a very "true" sandalwood (reminded me of the sandalwood paste used in Hindu rituals), and I just realized I think Belle Epoque and Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha have the same sandalwood note in them.

 

Any other recent sandalwood loves? Weenies? Crimson Peak?

 

Sinus Amoris! It might be tough to find a bottle because it seems to be very popular, but it's fantastic.

 

The only Halloweenie I've tried with sandalwood so far is The Sorceress. It's also great, but the sandalwood isn't too forward on me.

[sprout]

Incantation

Nefertiti

Mr. Ibis

[Aviatrix]

The White Rider is mostly leather, but there is a good sandalwood underneath, too

[lookingglass]

The Not So Penitant Mini Mag is my holy grail sandalwood.