Bois de Santal by Keiko Mecheri

I am truly a sucker for anything with the word Santal attached to it. I will eventually sample it and fully expect it to be a terrific rendition of sandalwood. Ah, what a fool I am............

This isn't to say that Bois de Santal is an inferior scent. No, not by a long shot. It's actually very good but misnamed in my opinion. Like most of the others in the house ( that I've tried at least ), Keiko's offerings are very soft spoken. I find nothing wrong with that approach since there are fragrance lovers that eschew boisterous creations. I happen to be on the other end of the spectrum, but good is good regardless of volume.

Bois de Santal relinquishes sandalwood the first few minutes before being usurped by the floral component. To be honest, I can still detect it afterwards, but only by really trying to. It's not a dominant note like you might expect, so the name can be a bit misleading. The osmanthus smells excellent and on me, it's the star here. There's something passively mineral here in the accord and detectable even before a well played amber arrives.

Bois de Santal is a linear wear. LS has the notes listed as : Sandalwood of Mysore, White Chinese Osmanthus and Ambergris.

Bois de Santal lasts quite awhile on me, but it wears close. The sillage is very passive and I believe it should be. If this were to really project, the floral component would be too much. I think this smells better up close and personal. Once the drydown commences, a mysterious musk is also accounted for on me and I like it. I have read others remarking about tonka, but I don't smell any.

Suffice it to say that I while I like Bois de Santal, I highly recommend sampling first. This isn't a sandalwood dominant scent, but it really is a very good floral woody. It's well made and when you encounter it, you will know that this isn't a run of the mill fragrance. This is a quality creation and gets a thumbs up from Aromi.

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