Santal Galore by Areej Le Dore
by Therapeutic FragranceSCORE: 97
Legendary: Stock For Life
Who? I See Wearing the Fragrance
Chuck Norris
Where? I Use the Fragrance
Home
When? The Season I Use the Fragrance
All Year Long
What? Occasions or Events I Use Fragrance
Daytime, Signature Scent, 350
Perfumer:
Russian Adam
#santalgalore
Projection
2 Feet or More
/Longevity
8 Hours or More
Sillage
Short Tailed
How? I Apply the Fragrance
1-3 Sprays
In my college years, I had Indonesian and Malaysian friends that would always light up with a big smile whenever durian was mentioned. My first experience with it was kicking them out of the dorm for bringing in what smelled worse than rotten fruit. The last time I had smelled something that fowl was changing a baby’s diaper. Fast forward, as my palette evolved, I started drinking durian smoothies and could never pick up the extreme foul smell of the real fruit. It was actually a beautiful grungy jungle green sweet smell. That is what gets accomplished on the top of this. I shared my thoughts with Russian Adam on the very first day I got the package. It was owed for the hard time I gave him with the last collection. On first whiff, my first thought was “lotion,” but a second whiff smells like a blissful cream that I want to belly flop into. The durian is green, sweet, earthy with a unique jungle bite. The durian fades, and then the florals bloom. They bloom with smoke and a purity of kisses with rose and fumes of jasmine, with a smoke incense that is expensive and worth it. I get all kinds of facets of santal: some Mysore, some creamy, and some aged. (When it is super hot out, animalics push out a beautiful cream.) The Siberian musk tincture is not like deer musk grains. It provides the perfect level of animalics for the Mysore and tonka to bounce in and out. There is a perfected amount of oakmoss. And seriously, I can’t stop smelling what the Mysore is doing at the bed of this fragrance. It’s the dusted, wet, animalic bite that made the wood famous. There truly is no sandalwood that compares. These are natural, raw materials that change with the weather. We have had really hot days and cool days here in the best corner of the earth, and it wears differently on each one. In cooler weather, a lot more animalics and warm earth show up. When it was hot—high nineties, no AC—this turned into an unbelievable cooling cream like only a Mysore could do. It took the floral and durian and gave me a cooling gel smell that made me smell like a cooling whipped floral cream. This would be beautiful on a guy or gal. The final drydown is the cream from heaven; I don’t use those terms lightly. This literally feels like a pillow from heaven for your mind. It’s a floral butter-scented shaving of fruit essences cream. Neither man nor woman but a meeting in the middle of both.
Overall, Russian Adam deserves credit for all he keeps pushing and learning. It is evident. He is putting himself in a situation I have seen no other perfumer do. With every collection, he is up for criticism. It is unheard of how he handles it, and it is an example all should follow. His head is always on the bigger picture. He dug in deep, restrained, and showed finesse in his growth. I want to keep fighting like that; pushing for more knowledge. He just upgraded a huge level as a perfumer. No longer letting material do the work, he is mastering the material and doing new things with it to show the world.
A salute to you, Russian Adam.
Perfumer's Notes:
Bottle Presentation
| Company: | Areej Le Dore |
|---|---|
| Perfumer: | Russian Adam |
| Fragrance Family: | Woody Animalic |
| Pricing: | $10,350.74/fluid ml |
| Country: | Indonesia |
| Year: | 2020 |
| Sex: | Unisex |
| Hashtag: | #santalgalore |
| What: | Daytime, Signature Scent, 350 |
| Where: | Home |
| Projection: | 2 Feet or More |
| Longevity: | 8 Hours or More |
| Sillage: | Short Tailed |
| Short Description: | Fruity Chypre with Sandalwood and Musk |
Therapeutic Fragrance Score Chart
Santal Galore
Experience
Branding & Originality
Projection & Sillage
Longevity
Composition
Ingredients
& Price per ML
& Price per ML
FRAGRANCE
TOP:
HEART:
BASE:
SCORE: 97
“Legendary: Stock For Life”
Thanks for sharing about this one. And Gino, you made another beautiful video! ????????
Thanks Amy.
Disagree with the projection being 5/5 but otherwise I’m right there with you!
If I didn't smell it on the Barista I would agree. It gets lost on you personally. Couldn't believe how it filled the coffee shop.
@Therapeutic Fragrance That's great to know!
That was with a mask????
With reviews like this D-Day is going to be a struggle. I'm not going to be involved in that in any way, good luck guys
Not even one?
@Therapeutic Fragrance I might buy one, I don't know yet. What I'm clear about is that being with my girl having dinner at that time, I'm not going to run on the web to buy, that's for sure. Everyone has their priorities, and mine is not the pefume
LOL I'm scared one of these times it will be the middle of the night. And my wife hates perfume that will be one to explain.
@Therapeutic Fragrance I'm not married yet, but I can imagine the situation, Lol. I only see her on weekends hence my previous comment.
Totally understood. Just have to get her into Areej to before you know it she will be leaving dinner to buy. In all seriousness priorities are the most important in all of this. I just told someone I don't own one backup bottle they couldn't believe it. If I can have it once, well that was enough the mind is a powerful locker.
Wow Brandon, Up with the roosters, your video arrived @ 9am in Florida. This is the second time I'm watching this video as I spent the last 2 hours believing I had a Santal Galore decant, only # 33. I've been good lately, I haven't pulled the trigger on one of your recommendations in a few months. Anomin Gold which satisfies my need for Ambergris. I'm stuck like Chuck, Do I go with Ensar and his orchestra of beautiful individual notes while I'm confined @ home, or should I go with the rock and roll band of Areej le Dore? ratings of 95 versus 97. definite blind buys. Twist my arm, please.
LOL. Tough choices ahead. All completely different experiences.
@Therapeutic Fragrance Last 2 hours I have been on Ensar's site, went to Areej Le Dore and all they have is War & Peace II. DHL is a great shipper, any recent problems to your knowledge? Thanks again Brandon
Oh, it is next to impossible to pass up 6 bottles of 9.5 mils with Ensar. or do I go with 10> .15 gr of attar?
I'm laughing so hard. It's all good stuff. All of it. Are those perfumes on Ensar Pure or Edp. I really prefer the Pure Parfum by a long ways. Big differences to me.
DHL has been really good to me this year. On a lot of stuff also. I mean a lot of stuff. Me and the driver are friends at this point.
Have been waiting for your review on this. Great job! I love this one. I am hoping I can get my hands on a bottle.
Fingers crossed! I still think it is polarizing as Walimah was. But all I know who kept wearing Walimah slowly fell in love with the composition and were able to enjoy each of the notes in it.
Just tried a couple of sprays of this. Feel this will take some time to sink in. The Santal in the name throws me off because it makes you expect sandalwood. Having grown up with sandalwood as part of our lives i am never satisfied with most sandalwood fragrances. Maybe it will be like Baikal Gris which took me some time to love but now it is one of my favourites. I am waiting for my bottle so that i can spray liberally and let it sink in ????. Just scored 91 ml of Vintage Mysore sandalwood in the original aluminium 100 ml bottle. It is out of this world . Something to leave my children and grandchildren.????
@Therapeutic Fragrance yes sandal wood has a way of working with everything. That is why the actual meaning of an attar originally was a distillation of one or more essential oils into sandalwood oil. What we call attars now are actually mukhallats which means a mix of more than one oil. Very few people really do the original attars. Feel oud has done a few of the old school attars.
Thanks for the lesson. I always mistaken it into musk. I thought essential oils into musk were traditionally attars.
@Therapeutic Fragrance it was always sandalwood. But now it is so expensive that only the top of the line ones do it. The rest are into synthetics or other carriers like Amyris .
I just received some Mysore Heart Sandalwood from 2002. It's an unbelievable find.
@Therapeutic Fragrance awesome! The older oils are so much more richer and complex because those were distilled from huge older wild trees some even 100 years + trees. Even the colour is darker not golden like the newer ones, they are slightly reddish almost honey like. And the curd like lactonic note hits you so much stronger. Everything is that much more intense. And the best way to enjoy them is neat. These are too good to use in a fragrance or attar ????. Enjoy !!????
Serious review for a serious perfume. All round top quality, one of the best reviewers and perfumers combined. The apex of both arts. Can’t wait to smell yours stuff Brandon. Love that you’re here.
Wow, thank you! Inspiration like this keeps me going!
Unfortunately this smells like Christmas egg nog and smoke to my nose. I was really hoping to like this one but thankfully Agar de Noir took that spot in my heart instead.
Actually both those things smell awesome to me. To each there own. Something unique and new is what I am after. I definitely get the egg nog thing this is creamy, but it flows and doesn't stay in one place for me.
Thank you for this review and the one on Musk Lave. I hope you will be able to get reviews of the other three from this collection done before the release.
Will only be able to get one more in Keith.
Therapeutic Fragrance Hopefully Grandenia. We already know Agar De Noir will be the easy crowd pleaser. Regardless…can’t really go wrong with a blind buy from Russian Adam. Nice reviews!
I love that its not a powdery dry down, smells the most natural and composed to my noze
Glad you are keen to this. Funny thing is most people will come around down the road. This is advanced perfume. Very well composed. I applaud Adam for not going for the Pop culture top hits just to make sells. This is very well done. And the more you wear natural material the more the work unfolds itself to you. It's a mystery within itself.
Gino z genius
TImes 2
Pillow from Heaven sounds like a song. ???? An interesting take for sure Brandon.
I think history on this one will be on my side. I had to put my take out there.
He tinctured it after dried in powder form. Dude is awesome. Was tincturing blue cheese and some other strange ingredients…maybe for his next collection?
I smell the sandal but to me this is a spicy medicinal with a juicy yellow floral on top and a very musky sandal drydown where the sandal intensifies…..I get a lot of yellow rose in it.
Where did you see the blue cheese that is awesome. I need to know more.
That's actually a great review.
An awesome review Brandon. Sounds like some quality stuff. Love that 'session' moniker.
Appreciate it much. As long as these fragrances are working for us!
Been looking at this.Gonna sell a couple bottles to get this.
LOL and thus the game goes.:)
2021 wont be released until 2021 but I will be releasing rasa smoke this fall and 2021 Rasa will be more similar to 2019 but with additional longevity and the oud bomb will go into the Rasa smoke which I’m making with my aged redwood extractions. Thank you so much for this review!
Wow a lot good stuff going on here. @Philip will need to be trying that tincture:)
@Ryan Nice Pickup
@Therapeutic Fragrance I'll send it over in the near future. It's currently just on its 3rd fold.
@Pomare5 Thanks for the advice, that was super helpful! Looks like I'll have to go foraging for redwood sap =). Given the fires and how little the trees produce oils, it might take a while.
Would appreciate that. I absolutely love what Rachel has done. She has her tincture in Piano Tuner I believe as well.
And here Brandon keeps pouring gasoline onto the burning wreck that is my bank account. All kidding aside, keep the great content coming brother, I just placed an order and can't wait to check it out!
LOL Ryan. I am afraid we are going to look back on this year as the greatest releases from Indie houses ever. As demand grown there is almost no way to keep the quality of materials. Materials will eventually be sacrificed for volume. It's an unfortunate truth.
sounds amazeballs. I finally had to make an instagram just to keep up with these releases to make sure I get the bottles I want!
LOL, I am still fighting creating a personal Facebook account so far I never have.:)
This sounds amazing, would love to talk to her as a winemaking student! Unfortunately I’m allergic to passion fruit :(((
Oooh that sucks on the passion fruit front. She is very easy to talk to and so knowledgeable.
Great review! I agree, it does seem fittingly to close your bottle coverage with this… The purity of what this is, the positivity and realness of your review… Living perfume, no cheating… Thank you for saving the best for last.
Thanks Jason appreciate it.
Therapeutic Fragrance check out his Instagram. The blue cheese looks so good it’s almost a sin to tincture it haha. Honestly though I’m not liking this collection at all. Santal Galore is unique which I like, Grandenia is fairly good but everything else is too sweet and none of these feel like ALD. I love most of his other compositions from 1-5 though. Musk Lave is sickly sweet, so is Agar De Noir. Not sure what happened to this collection but it doesn’t feel like ALD.
May skip Kashmir Nuit and hop on this beast instead.
Is Kashmir Nuit still available only asking because I have a ton of people wanting to know. Both are great.
@Therapeutic Fragrance Ill PM you on IG
Thank you much
Can’t wait to get my nose on this one!
I tried a sample of this! I love my indie people but unfortunately it was a major let down. I must have gotten the batch with less passion fruit because I got none. I'm from the Caribbean and very familiar with and love passion fruit but none to be found. The oud was legit but the perfume overall lacks character.. maybe those isolates would have helped ???? would have loved to try the 2019!
Just because I have both I can tell what the passion fruit is doing in the 2020 yes not the same. I don't know if you wear oud or not, but 2020 is like wearing an oud. 2019 undoubtedly you would be able to smell that Caribbean love. What part of the Caribbean I've only been to Trinidad and Tobago. BTW she says 2021 will guarantee to have the passion fruit top back and I'm sure I see a sample being sent your way:)
I musta watched this video 4 times now ????
I smelled this first and new it would take awhile to understand for a lot of people. If I didn't smell so much and play around with materials I would of wrote this off. While the creaminess isn't for all it's just a really great composition. Some of his best perfume work to date. IMO????
@Therapeutic Fragrance Yeah I really like the opening portion of the fragrance its just the rose blew up on my skin and was dominating the the air around me. I'll wear it again tomorrow and see if my nose has adapted and opened up to it
Would be curious if you pick different things up.
Can't believe I missed that post. Amazing very smart. Yes looks like really good blue cheese as well.
@Therapeutic Fragrance It does wear a little different today, although a few sprays instead of a few swipes. Still like the opening. The weather is 15 degrees warmer here today I think that has helped the sandalwood gain some strength. I wouldn't call it creamy but more frothy almost. I got a little bit of a green spiciness this time also that I wasn't really getting before. Also a slight vibe of something that's been steamed if any of that makes sense. Its nice don't get me wrong, but would still be my 4th favorite from this collection. The rose is not as front and center which I appreciate.
Thanks for the video – I wasn't aware that the 2020 was going to be such a different perfume. The 2019 is fantastic…
I can’t believe how many people didn’t pick up sandalwood in this. It’s a sandalwood BOMB! Albeit not Mysore, Indonesian sandalwood spicy and pungent. I’m pretty sure Mysore would get buried here. The Durian note is awesome, like banana skin kinda. There’s also that hot stone type note…not sure where that comes from but this is a unique one. I still think Grandenia is the sleeper though. Look forward to your review.
Very good thoughts on this. Santal 33 is responsible for what people think sandalwood is. It's unfortunate, not just Santal 33 but it's the main culprit.
Dear Brandon, just wondered if you had tried any of perfumes from Gather? Would be interested in your feedback if you get the chance to get your hands on some. Thanks The website is: gatherperfumes.com
One of those companies where I go to order and never pull the trigger been about four times now. Eventually will make it back.
2020 is like wearing Oud, beautiful in it's own right. A lot more expensive to make, but yeah I do want that top and then all the oud. I'm greedy I want both:)
@Therapeutic Fragrance sounds like you might get your wish next year
Therapeutic Fragrance Well I was wrong…Grandenia isn’t the sleeper. At least not the only one. Santal Galore just opened up and swallowed my brain. This stuff is a thousand times better and more complex than I realized this past couple weeks. Completely blown away by this collection within the past 2-3 days.
My afternoon/night here has been 1. a couple of drinks with my girl. 2 a good dinner and a couple of other drinks. 3 get home and… 4 my girl is in bed and I have succumbed to Cuir de Russie at 2am in Spain.
Cheers, fella!!
I changed my mind on this one, absolutley love it now, on my skin I really get fruity rose with sandalwood incense, and just a light purr from musk…and by way of pure luck was able to buy a bottle off of someone at cost. :-).
That is epic that you got this at cost. I've done this for awhile now. And I remember perfumes I hated. But as I learned what was going on and my nose was able to pick up more and more facets and came back to and was blown away. That's SG for me.
Epic review. Thank you he might release more and I’ll be all over it!!! 20 spray dang lol #RussianAdamSpray