Santal Majuscule

3 Reviews

1. 

   pitifulEggs5

   Reply

   I got a sample of this not expecting much, but good God do I love this perfume. It reminds me of of my grandmother, hugging her as a kid and sitting on her lap while she read me stories. My grandmother, even now, is one of those extremely well put-together women who never leaves the house without makeup on and smells like luxury. I’ve always shied away from oriental fragrances because they bring back such strong memories of my grandmother, who’s one of the most glamorous women I know and owns a strong fragrance like nobody’s business. All the orientals I’ve tried in the past have made me felt like a little girl trying to wear a fragrance that’s much too sophisticated for her. Santal Majuscule reminds me of those heady, classic fragrances my grandmother wears but reimagined in a lighter, more modern blend that makes me feel like a glamorous woman rather than a kid trying to grow up too fast.

   Santal Majuscule opens with a fresh rose and creamy sandalwood blend against a backdrop of subdued, sweet cocoa. As the fragrance develops, the rose fades and the tonka bean and cocoa come to the forefront, mixing with the sandalwood to create a buttery, creamy oriental that’s not too heady but still very glamorous and feminine. The tonka bean and cocoa give the fragrance an almost caramel-like sweetness, but never sends the fragrance into being overly sweet or gourmand. The fragrance is so well-blended that it’s hard to pick up each individual note, and it’s definitely one of the most balanced fragrances I’ve tried. The sillage is moderate, and it lasts about 6-7 hours on me.

   I have to disagree with those who say this is identical to Jeux de Peau. Jeux de Peau was a hot gourmand mess on my skin. It was overpoweringly sweet and very simple, reminiscent of plastering caramel sauce on my body. If you tried JDP with high hopes and found that it was too sweet, Santal Majuscule would be a good bet for you. The other sandalwood in Serge Lutens’ export line, Santal de Mysore, smells too strongly of cumin and cooking butter and is much more poorly constructed than Santal Majuscule.

   If you couldn’t tell by the long-winded review, I love Santal Majuscule. It’s a beautiful, glamorously feminine fragrance with the right components in the right measurements to create a well-blended scent that makes you feel like a real woman. It’s the perfume version of red lipstick and Christian Louboutin heels. While it’s not as loud or complex as many orientals out there, it’s certainly not boring and I think everyone should try it once.

2. 

   amusedOatmeal9

   Reply

   This is a very interesting beauty. It opens up with cocoa powder, apricot and resins I assume is sandalwood. Rose comes after. Not a single note is dominant. The whole combination is bitter and sweet, cool and sleek, full of characters.

3. 

   thriftyDoves9

   Reply

   This is my third Serge fume. I had ordered this un-sniffed hoping for the best based off all the rave reviews and the fact that I adore SL perfumes (Daim blond and Fleurs d’ Orangier) I must say this has quite some throw in my opinion. One spritz on my bosom will do me, or else it feels overly cloying and heavy on me — read headache city. This lasts 8 plus hours on me as well. It starts off powdery, woodsy smudge of rose with a twang of dry bitterness. It’s a very strange opening, not entirely love in my book. But the dry down…I have no words for the gorgeousness. It just unfolds into this warm, rich, woodsy, sweet (but not overly so), powdery skin. I must say it’s very well blended as no note sticks out like a sore thumb. There is an undercurrent of rose, hint of powdery gourmand with the woodsy sandalwood base. Definitely uni-sex. And I would definitely suggest trying before buying because I can see this going terribly wrong for some.