Ostara

Santal de Mysore (SdM) is an excellent sandalwood scent. It opens with a mélange of spices that does, indeed, feel a bit reminiscent of the smell of Indian food. That being said, the opening still manages to be enticing and to me and comes off as a more interesting than off-putting. The scent changes quickly and as the spices mellow and dissipate I can pick them out individually. There is cardamom, clove, cumin, carraway, ginger, cinnamon and the note that briefly tricks the mind into registering curry: immortelle. Suddenly the scent flips to a delicious spiced fig and maple syrup vibe, and then moves from there into a dry down of smooth, buttery sandalwood inflected with bits spice, fig, creamy resins and the occasional whiff of immortelle. It is a bit spare in the dry down though, which makes it feel more like a delicious smell then Perfume with a capital P.

While SdM is an intriguing aroma to me, it won't be for everyone. It is not particularly easy to wear. This is not a safe blind buy for anyone.

Upon application it smells sort of lotiony: velvety soft, fresh white lily and a bit of musk. As it warms up on the skin the heart is revealed as the lily suddenly blooms. What I thought was a delicate white lily now seems more vibrant, spicy and full bodied. It's warm, intoxicating and bright with a nectar like sweetness underpinning the spice. This phase is slightly animalic. Dried down the scent settles into something in between the opening and the heart, it's a softly spiced lily with a gentle sweetness from vanilla and a rounded creaminess from the musk.

Overall Un Lys strikes me as gorgeous, tasteful, classic and chic. It is impeccably constructed. While it in no way smells like Chanel No 5, I could see ladies who love No 5 EDP loving this as well. They share a similar feel and je ne sais quoi. Like No 5 EDP, I love Un Lys but just don't know when exactly I'd reach for it. I'm not polished enough to do it justice...yet.

Datura Noir is a fanciful scent that delivers on what it promises. I clearly get the poisonous edge, the bitterness from the almond and the myrrh, mixed with the grapey-ness of the tuberose. It's an atmospheric scent. Datura Noir feels mysterious and interesting...until it dries down into a classic beachy, white floral-coconut suntan oil scent. The dry down is pure nostalgia.

Overall it's very well done from top to bottom, wearable, and pretty. If the description above sounds appealing to you, I can't imagine you'd be let down by a blind buy.

Borneo 1834 is not the skanky patchouli beast I expected to encounter. It doesn't feel particularly dark either. If you're a hardcore patchouli lover who is expecting something intense, I think you'll be surprised. To my nose this is an incredibly smooth scent dominated by a well blended accord of powdery chocolate that smells like it was made from heliotrope and fractionated patchouli that feels very of purple. Those familiar with the powdery chocolate accord in Amouage's Lilac Love will recognize whatever material these two have in common here. The other listed notes are certainly present, particularly the labdanum which gives it a soft, furry, resinous warmth and a touch of leather. I found it startlingly easy and comfortable to wear given it's reputation. There's nothing raw or unrefined about this. It's lovely stuff but less distinctive and out there than I thought it would be. Far less intense or complex than it's sister Coromandel but lovely in it's own right.

Soleil de Feu's opening is kind of weird. There's an indistinct warm spiciness I can't quite identify along the lines of allspice berries or maybe even something like clove + bay leaf. There is also a very clear celery seed note here that's present in the opening for about 5 minutes, however that dissipates quickly. The heart is a tuberose tinged coconut cream supported by tonka and benzoin. It's thick and rich and delicious but not overwhelming, there's a subtle powdery suede like note that keeps it from smelling entirely edible. The sandalwood really comes out in the base of Soleil de Feu and reminds of that powdered sandalwood incense; it's delicate, slightly peppery, and supports the coconut cream accord and suede note well. Really gorgeous stuff!