an honest review: santal 33.

Hello and Good Day peeps!

It has been a while since the last time I’ve shared. Life at this moment is more about adjusting the schedule. My work is quite unpredictable. So, I need to balance work and personal life, and with that, flexibility is needed.

I am having brunch at a little cafe in the Upper Thomson area. The whole stretch of shop lots resides several famous cafes, including the Woodlands Sourdough. I am heading there afterward after having my brunch and finishing my write-up.

Some good news: I’ve passed my probation here with exceeding expectations. I’m a proper little nerd when it comes to work. I immersed myself in whatever work I’ve been assigned or doing now - such as writing this blog. So, with the probation, the result is out. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to treat myself with something special.

I’ve been eying the Le Labo Fragrance’s Santal 33 for quite some time. My brother and I have been talking about this scent. It is famously reviewed and gets high ratings.

Le Labo Santal 33 smells very woody and somewhat spicy, where the main notes that dominate the scent are sandalwood and cedarwood.

Le Labo never disclosed their notes pyramid, but the olfactive notes are sandalwood, cedarwood, leather, papyrus, cardamom, violet, iris, and amber. Right after the initial spray, you immediately feel the slight spiciness from cardamom mixing with a sawdust-like scent that wood provides.

I wouldn’t say that this is either warm spiciness or fresh spiciness – woods kind of prevent that vibe from being detected. Still, instead, it gives the opening a lot of versatility to go in multiple directions. What’s also interesting is that some people say that opening smells on cucumbers and pickles and very… Eastern-European like!

I don’t get that opening at all, nor does it remind me of similar things, but if you’re one of those, let me know in the comments what triggers that hint! After the opening, the heart and base start unwrapping, making the entire scent of wood heavy.

Since santal means sandalwood, you’d expect sandalwood to lead the main note, which makes this fragrance polarizing. To some, cedarwood dominates, while for others, they all feel sandalwood.

The difference is quite big – cedarwood gives the composition a dry, peppery, and smoky tone, while sandalwood is creamy and slightly sweet in the background. The scent appears dry and woody, while it’s creamy, woody, and rich to others.

To me, personally, it leans more towards creamy and rich tones, but truth be told, I get both hints of dryness and creaminess at different times. That makes it so interesting – it’s a woody scent. Still, the blend is unique and reacts differently on different skins, weather, and occasions.

Overall, I would say Le Labo Santal 33 smells very sensual, sophisticated, and creative.

When it comes to uniqueness, this scent was very unique in the first years after it came out. However, due to its huge popularity, many dupes tried to replicate this incredible DNA, some of which were pretty successful. Knowing that, today’s uniqueness of Santal 33 is still quite big, but you probably smelled something similar to it.

You probably heard that this is exactly what New York smells like, and that’s not far from the truth – Le Labo’s boutique in New York is very popular, and Santal 33 is one of the best-selling fragrances in New York.

Even though this is a polarizing fragrance, I’d say it’s quite a safe blind buy if you love woody scents.

However, considering that to some, this scent may be too powerful and aggressive, if what you see here keeps you on the fence, I’d recommend testing it first with the sample before deciding if it is an entire bottle for you.

Le Labo Fragrance is available in Suria KLCC, Malaysia. Or if you’re in Singapore, it is at Ngee Ann City - Takashimaya or Marina Bay Sands.

I am currently working on some vlogs for my experience in Singapore. I cannot wait to share with you this exciting content. Please support my content in the future as you support my blog space here. Thanks.

I will speak to you soon!

Love,
Emir XX