Recommend me a Sandalwood Cologne that smells like...

[Cains Boy]

Plant Life sandalwood soap.

The only experience I've ever had with sandalwood was some TOBS cream I got in a sampler a long time ago...and I didn't care for it. On a lark, I bought a bar of Plant Life sandalwood soap the other day. I like ti so much, my showers are getting longer!

If anyone's ever smelled Plant Life sandalwood bath soap, that's the smell I'm looking for in a sandalwood cologne, but I'm open to suggestions on the subject. I detect a bit of cedar in the soap, so that may be something to go on. Also, the soap isn't very sweet-smelling. It's "creamy", but earthy.

I have a feeling I'm opening a can of worms, as sandalwood seems to have variations, as lavender fragrances do (for example, medicinal vs. pure vs. citrus lavender)

Thanks in advance, sandalwood experts!

 

[The Knize]

I do not know Plant Life soap, so I cannot be of much help.

St. Charles Shaving's sandalwoods, both the regular and the limited edition, might be just the ticket. I think the later would be a more pure sw, and more earthy, which might not have the cedar note. Although pure sw can a very complex and varied scent and I even pure sw may have a plethora of notes that do not seem like the classic sw notes. It is a wood, after all!

I do think of MPG Santal Noble as being toward the creamy, but also perhaps sweeter than you would like.

Tam Dao is sharper but has a lot of wood, I would say cedar. In fact to me it is more other woods than it is sandalwood.

Art of Shaving sw is fairly sharp as I recall.

I would say that a lot of the "sandalwood" oils, of every possible price range, and there are many, are creamy and earthy, some being sweet and many not so sweet. I would not expect them to have cedar.

 

[Navaixero]

Art of Shaving,for me the best

 

[Cains Boy]

Nice. Looks like I've got some samples to order.

Just when I thought I had everything I wanted in the way of fragrance, I go and discover that I like sandalwood (which is absent as a note in just about everything I own).

 

[The Knize]

Nice. Looks like I've got some samples to order.

Just when I thought I had everything I wanted in the way of fragrance, I go and discover that I like sandalwood (which is absent as a note in just about everything I own).

Sandalwood is a very nice exploration. A classic scent with a lot of variation. The more sandalwoods one tries, the more interested in them one may become. Most folks that are really into scents end up doing a big exploration of sandalwood, and give it a special favorable place in their lists of likes and dislikes.

If you have not fallen in love with it yet, vetiver will probably be your next stop. Unless you go the aoud route!

 

[jakespoppy]

Sandalwood is a very nice exploration. A classic scent with a lot of variation. The more sandalwoods one tries, the more interested in them one may become. Most folks that are really into scents end up doing a big exploration of sandalwood, and give it a special favorable place in their lists of likes and dislikes.

If you have not fallen in love with it yet, vetiver will probably be your next stop. Unless you go the aoud route!

I agree, sandalwood is a great scent in which to explore the various interpretations. And vetiver vs aoud? It's only a matter of which will be first!

 

[Cains Boy]

If you have not fallen in love with it yet, vetiver will probably be your next stop.

Funny you should mention that, because I've been intrigued by vetiver ever since I read the reviews of L'Occitane Vetyver. On this site and others, most of the reviews can be summarized with "L'Occitane Vetyver = Autumn". I look forward to autumn the way others look forward to summer or Christmastime, so that one's on the top of my list to sample. Even the word "vetiver" sounds like a "deep" smell - earthy and dark. Although I understand that there are "grassy" vetivers as well.

I just realized that I don't have anything with vetiver in it, either...and it's bothering me all of a sudden, like an itch. My current rotation is mostly Penhaligon's (English Fern, Castile, Blenheim Bouquet, Elixir) and also Dolce & Gabbana and Hoyt's. Great - Now I need sandalwood AND vetiver.

 

[tehtimmeh]

Funny you should mention that, because I've been intrigued by vetiver ever since I read the reviews of L'Occitane Vetyver. On this site and others, most of the reviews can be summarized with "L'Occitane Vetyver = Autumn". I look forward to autumn the way others look forward to summer or Christmastime, so that one's on the top of my list to sample. Even the word "vetiver" sounds like a "deep" smell - earthy and dark. Although I understand that there are "grassy" vetivers as well.

I just realized that I don't have anything with vetiver in it, either...and it's bothering me all of a sudden, like an itch. My current rotation is mostly Penhaligon's (English Fern, Castile, Blenheim Bouquet, Elixir) and also Dolce & Gabbana and Hoyt's. Great - Now I need sandalwood AND vetiver.

FWIW, while the L'Occitane frag might appeal to some, it does not smell like vetiver. I'm sure it has vetiver in it, but you really can't detect it amongst all of the other things going on. I'm not dissing the scent, just stating that if you are looking for vetiver, you won't find it in L'Occitane's offering. For a few less expensive vetiver benchmarks, look to Lalique Encre Noire (free sample if you email the boutique) or the classic Guerlain Vetiver. These will give you a good sense of what true vetiver scents are all about and you can try other versions to compare and contrast.

 

[kingfisher]

another vote for th Saint Charles Shave sandalwood limited edition version (although even their regular stuff is good). Value is amazing on this product.

 

[docfitch]

I really like the Serge Lutens Santal de Mysore. It has a very nice combination of scents. From what I have read it includes cedar and cumin.