Sel Santal Clean 2016

Blind bought this for a steel.
It's green, woody, fresh, sweet, creamy, spicy and powdery.
I do get the salt, violet, fig and whipped cream and in the dry down the amber and sandalwood comes trough.
It layers really well with Clean Reserve Skin.
I share it with my husband, but I think I wear it more than him tough, perfectly unisex.

I'm picky, I get headaches easy, but Sel Santal gives me warmth, salt, creaminess, slightly masculine without the pain.
Sel Santal smells like that one mens' bodywash that you can't get over. It's like a warm hug to me. While it leans masculine I think anyone can wear it.
I would never compare this to Santal 33. They are both centered around sandalwood, yes, but Sel Santal carries none of the pickle and pencils that Santal 33 gives me. It doesn't give off that 'perfume-y' feeling for me that often assaults my nose and leaves me running to wash my wrist off.
I can't speak for the longevity and sillage as I go light on all my fragrances, but it seems to stick for a good while considering! I love doing a small spray or two after a evening shower, and it lasts until morning, nice and close to the skin so it's not constantly in my face. It's one of those scents that seems to come back every time you forget it, leaves you smelling your shirt or wrist whenever you catch a whiff of it.

This is taking a shower at the beach in an outdoor stall made of cedarwood. Definitely unisex and with each sniff a different note takes center stage. I definitely like this and it's by no means an unpleasant smell but despite it being unisex I find it runs a *tad* masculine on me, and while I do like the way some masculine scents work on me this isn't one I would find reaching for very often. All in all still a lovely fresh but comforting wood.

True to the brand name, this is a clean subtle scent. There's a salty ocean accord perfectly balanced by an earthy fig and sandalwood, none outweighs the other and it's this masterful balance that keeps me coming back. The sillage is not large, but that may be by design because this is not a loud scent. It's refreshing and subtle, making you want to pull closer. Perfect for a spring/summer day when you don't know what to wear, it's my go-to. My only complaint is it does not last too long, maybe a few hours.

Sel Santal has often been compared to Santal 33, but I wouldn't call it a direct dupe. Rather, both fragrances are variations on the same theme, even though they are very different in their execution.

The opening features the citrus note of bergamot, followed by very green, fresh fig and
intense light sandalwood in the dry down. All in all, I find Sel Santal to be somewhat more classically masculine than Santal 33; it also comes across as a bit more refined and shower gel-like. If Santal 33 is marketed with the Marlboro Man, then the man for Sel Santal has swapped his leather jacket for a linen shirt and suede loafers, sitting on the beach with a glass of Aperol after a successful business deal.

The bottle is very minimalist, but somewhat bulky and heavy. The longevity of the sandalwood note is a good 4-5 hours, but as a fresh scent, it radiates less and less over time.

All in all, I see Sel Santal more on men; however, due to the fresh notes and the sandalwood base, it is definitely suitable as a niche fragrance for beginners.