Santal Royal Guerlain 2014 Eau de Parfum

Actually, when testing this fragrance, I expected something completely different - namely a dry sandalwood scent with a spicy note. Mature, sophisticated - just Guerlain.
Due to the name "Santal Royal," one might forgive me this initial mistake ;)

What wafted towards me after the first spray from my wrist was anything but dry and minimalistically sophisticated. It was opulent, dark, and sweet. It made the neon-lit perfume shelves around me sink into the hot sand of an Arabian desert...

Forgive me this somewhat unoriginal association - but in my mental perfume library, "Santal Royal" opens the thick, gold-embossed, leather-bound book of beloved tales from 1001 Nights. It is the genie from "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp," who grants wishes and can take us to faraway lands or dream worlds in the blink of an eye. For example, to the fictional desert city of Agrabah...

Here, in the narrow alleys between the seemingly fortress-like houses, I open my eyes after a deep, indulgent sniff of "Santal Royal."
It is already dusk, the heat of the day has subsided, and the houses on the left and right still radiate a bit of the merciless temperatures from the previous day. Nevertheless, doors are now opening everywhere - the residents of the houses venture back outside to buy last-minute ingredients for the upcoming dinner or to smoke a hookah in the tea house around the corner.

From one of the doors steps a tall woman and waves me over.
She gestures for me to come in, into the interior of the house... for I am immediately recognizable as a stranger, and in her eyes, that makes me a guest who must never be sent out into the night without hospitality and a roof over my head.

Behind the low door made of dark wood opens a little world of its own.
The house has several floors, all opening onto a beautiful courtyard with surrounding galleries. It forms the heart of the house. Tiled with mosaic tiles in shades of blue and green, which enhance the impression of coolness inside the house and contrast beautifully with the clay-red walls and the cascading purple flowers climbing them. Low daybeds made of heavy old wood with delicate carvings and comfortable cushions invite you to rest. In the middle of the courtyard, a fountain gently splashes.

On a low table in front of one of the daybeds sits a large silver bowl filled with powdered sugar-dusted Lokum - the jelly-like sweet that can be found in many bazaars here, flavored with rosewater and nuts. From somewhere, the promising scent of freshly roasted mocha wafts in and mingles with the fruity tobacco of a hookah that glimmers on one of the upper galleries.

I feel incredibly comfortable and take a deep breath again: The deep dark scent of eagle wood, the sweet rose fragrance of the sweets, the hint of mocha and freshly lit peach tobacco. Along with a diffuse scent reminiscent of warm milk with honey and cinnamon, which conveys a sense of security and seems to say: "Come to rest - you are here, for this night, at home!"

So I am almost a little disappointed when I open my eyes again and find myself back in my local perfumery. But only "almost."
For although "Santal Royal" does not strike me as a sandalwood scent but rather as a lush rose/oud fragrance, I am in love. This is partly due to the aforementioned and elusive note that I can only compare to a hint of warm milk, giving the scent something incredibly cozy that complements the otherwise dominant dark sensuality perfectly.
The longevity and sillage of the fragrance are also fantastic.
I perceive the scent around me for 8 hours, and in the first 3 hours, it is also noticeable to others - so far exclusively positively.

"Santal Royal" accompanied me home that day - and promises to take me on many dream journeys to Agrabah.