Red Mysor Sandalwood

[Lady_Ell]

I had been looking for that traditional Sandalwood smell, like a hippie-head-shop sandalwood smell, and figured that BPAL would do it even better, so I got a 5 mL of Red Sandalwood. In the bottle, this is a strong woody smell, less perfumey and less "red" and "oily" smelling than the oils you get at hippie stores. It hits you high up in the sinuses and smells like the inside of an unfinished chest of drawers (in the best possible way).

 

Unfortunately, my chemistry doesn't allow a traditional sandalwood smell to develop. It turns spicy and powdery and dry if left to its own devices. I was a little disappointed but instead of being too sad, decided to have some layering fun.

 

I layered it with O.

 

And it smells fan-fucking-tastic.

 

I'm going to go on a layering frenzy and see what other combinations I can come up with. Snake Oil, you're next.

[Morrighana]

Even on my skin, I get such a wholly Cedar smell from the Red Sandalwood that I might've actually doubted that it had been labeled properly had Ladylatemar not mentioned the woody smell too! I also get a little bit of the spicy/powdery scent that she mentioned, but the wood is still very much there.

 

My skin seems to like to amplify wood scents, though, and I do not particularly like wood scents, , so I'm a little biased here, but I didn't really like it. It won't make me shy away from blends that contain Red Sandalwood, though, given Beth's genius!

[Penance]

Origin:

 

I got LadyLatemar's 5mL!

 

My impressions:

 

The first thing that pops into my mind when I smell this is "Anne Bonny!" This is the gorgeous sandalwood note that's made Anne Bonny my alltime favorite BPAL scent. It's almost cedar-like and very strong. I love, love, love this!

 

Just a word to those who want to try Red Mysore Sandalwood and can't get ahold of any: this is almost identical to Anne Bonny (or at least Anne Bonny once it's aged some), so if you can't get the single note, the lovely Ms. Bonny is a very good replacement.

[paperdoll]

Mmmmm... this is the spicy, warm sandalwood that loves me! Woody, warm, inviting... this develops on my skin into a beautiful and comfortable (albeit hippie-ish) smell. This is not dry at all - it is a burnished red wood polished to a high gleam from years of use and care.

Gorgeous!!

[Shollin]

First sniff: Yup, that’s sandalwood all right… a soft, warm sandalwood with blurred edges. I can see wearing this one solo – the white sandalwood SN might be too sharp for that. Paperdoll sent me imps of both in a swap, and it’s really interesting to sniff them side by side.

 

Wearing: It’s a bit warmer now; otherwise pretty much as it was in the vial. The single notes never seem to morph much on my skin.

[UltraViolet]

4.5

BPAL blends which include Red Sandalwood (vs Black, White) as one of it's ingredients:

Alone, Anne Bonny, Ave Maria Gratia Plena, Belle Epoque, Black Widow, Fenris Wolf, Libertine, Morocco, Nefertiti, Peitho, Salome, Seraglio, Titus Andronicus, Venice, Viola, Wanton.

Thanks to the lovely Brumbjorn for letting me borrow this tarted imp. I'm a sandalwood freak so this should be good...

 

In the bottle

Nice. Dark and smooth, not "rubber" smelling at all which I've had the unfortunate experience to smell on lots of other companies red (or white for that matter) sandalwood.

 

On

Oh it's sweeter than the white sandalwood to me, and it's definitely got a light cedar smell as mentioned in a post above. It's also sharper and not as nutty as the white sandalwood.

 

30 minutes

As it dries the cedary smell lessens (but doesn't disappear) and the lovely nutty dry familar smell becomes apparent.

Get's even smoother (if you can believe it) on the dry down.

 

Throw:

average

 

Scent category:

Woody/Incense

 

Summary

Darker and richer than white sandalwood, cedar-like at first.

Sweeter, smoother but still cedar-y during dry down.

Lovely smooth, nutty, deeper, more sandalwood scent when dry. Mmm. This also has great staying power. Not quite as buttery or nutty as white sandalwood but fantastic stuff here.

 

Purchase again?

Yes. If it were only possible, a 5ml.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

4.5

Edited November 29, 2005 by UltraViolet

[cupide430]

Red Mysore Sandalwood

 

Sharp with a slightly woody note. This is harsh and slightly astringent. Medium strength and a touch like bug spray. This totally does not work on me at all. As it dries it becomes less sharp and astringent and settles into a more familiar sandalwood scent. This is still a very sharp, dry sandalwood, but it has definitely improved on drydown.

[Muppetk]

This imp is more proof that some notes age well. This is so rich and smooth and sweet and gorgeous! It's only lightly woody, not sharp & cedary the way some other reviews have mentioned. And it's so completely familiar that I did a quick search. There I found that it was in The Masque, a scent which I just fell head over heels for, and based on the way this note ages, I'm seriously considering getting another bottle of The Masque.

[Little Bird]

I've been on a sandalwood spree lately, so I was excited to try out the Red Mysor Sandalwood. Plus, I've had good luck with the red sandalwood in blends.

 

On me, this is a very warm and spicy sandalwood. The sort of spicy that makes me think of cassia. A very woodsy, slightly powdery cassia, with a background that reminds me of dry cedar chests. When I wear this, my brain will flip between thinking that it smells like cassia and cedar before settling on the realization that it's a beautifully warm sandalwood. If that makes any sense...

 

I'd get a big bottle of this one if I could.

[zankoku_zen]

I find that I enjoy red sandalwood better than the white kind. The white was kinda citrusy, and this one is definitely spicy. It's deep, warm, woody, reminiscent of cedar.

 

Damnit, I knew I'd love this.

 

Sad that I can't find more.