Tom Ford • Santal Blush • Fragrances

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*TOP REVIEWER* zeynepd on 5/9/2013 11:43:00 AM more reviews by zeynepd

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red   Eyes: Hazel    

Boudoir Santal... it has that creamy, sweet and spicy exoticity that is associated with sexy fragrances. I find it heady and forceful. On my skin, it's slightly sweaty and foody-spicy at first. Then it becomes very balmy, creamy, figgy and a bit cloying. Actually, it immediately rings the bells for Vivienne Westwood's Boudoir which was heavy on me whereas it smellt angelic on some others. I get a similar rose,cardamom and sandalwood feeling here. Still, kudos to Tom Ford for creating something different. I'm sure it smells better on many other people and an extra point for that. Also, the bottle is really beautiful.

Tenacious lasting power.

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*TOP REVIEWER* sucrose77 on 12/30/2012 12:02:00 PM more reviews by sucrose77

Age: 30-35   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

One of my favorite sandalwood fragrances. The sandalwood is creamy and soft, but made a bit bold with spices. It has a fenugreek note that threatens to bring it into curry territory, but not as much as Serge Lutens Santal Blanc. It is also less sweet and generally more subtle than Santal Blanc. Instead, the emphasis is on the gorgeous milky sandalwood, powdery musks, and the smell of skin. It feels exotic but comfortable.

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katharinesophia on 11/18/2012 8:19:00 AM more reviews by katharinesophia

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I have sampled this a couple of times and this one really has a life of its own. I absolutely love the initial spray. It is a very creamy almost figgy sandalwood on me. Then as it dries down it continues to alternate between creamy sandalwood and a sharper straight up sandalwood. Literally, it will be creamy and then 5 minutes later back to the sharpness. I have received compliments on this one but can't see buying a FB, but l would be happy with a small decant as I can see it lasting forever.

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*TOP REVIEWER* luluhalabaloo on 8/11/2012 1:28:00 PM more reviews by luluhalabaloo

Age: 44-55   Skin: Sensitive, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Blond, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

Initially, I had written it didn't last on me. But lately, I retried it and it lasted until I showered, hours later. It stayed consistent as well. It smells extremely clean on me - my son commented it smelt like soap - but to me, it has a very delicate flower note in it that lingers and is delightful. I don't for a lot of Tom Ford scents because they just don't like my chemistry, but this one is definitely something quite wearable on me as a daily perfume. Hey, smelling like a good soap - nothing wrong with that!!!

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*TOP REVIEWER* pinkydinkydo on 8/2/2012 9:17:00 AM more reviews by pinkydinkydo

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Very Dry   Hair: Other   Eyes: Brown    

Some of Tom Ford's perfumes are just awful to my note. I hate the tobacco and leather scents. But this is something different. Generally, I like nice feminine florals -- like Paris by Yves st. Laurent. This is NOT a floral, but a soft, sort of spicy scent. Very hard to describe. It almost seems floral but is spicy enought o save it from that label. It is very soft and feminine. It's one of those scents you just have to try yourself in order to define it.

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Mathou on 6/1/2012 4:50:00 AM more reviews by Mathou

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Black    

I really want to like this one as I'm a huge Tom Ford fan, but this just dosen't work for me. It just smells like sandalwood for and on me

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*TOP REVIEWER* LeslieCZ on 5/4/2012 8:34:00 PM more reviews by LeslieCZ

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Very Dry, Fair, Cool   Hair: Other, Straight   Eyes: Hazel    

There are enough excellent descriptions of the details/notes of this product that are written very well by prior reviewers so I won't elaborate, but I would call it a sexy, sultry, woody oriental. LITERALLY every time I have this on, someone says I smell great and asks what I am wearing. My husband totally loves it on me, too. Most importantly, I love it on myself! It's not too spicy, not too sweet and not "department store" overpowering like a lot of fragrances, yet it lasts for an unusually long time on my ultra dry skin (7+ hours). It also layers very nicely with Hermes Elixir & Parfum des Merveilles, my other favorite(s). I haven't fallen in love with a new fragrance for an incredibly long time due to having been seriously ill and acquiring a "can't stand anything" scent disorder. But, at last I've found one that makes me really happy! Definitely sniff worthy if you get the chance!

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inglaterra on 12/30/2011 5:37:00 PM more reviews by inglaterra

Age: Unknown   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

It breaks my heart that this lovey scent is just under $200 at Saks. And that its by Tom Ford, whose little booklet on his scents was pretty pretentious at best. I digress...

At first spritz, you get a blast of sandalwood with a tinge of spice and oud (apparently). The whole "musty Asian furniture" sensation (perfect description!!) is held back by a delicate lace of some sort of soft white floral or faint rose. This lasts for a nanosecond until the sandalwood tide comes in. It lasts for HOURS on high. It isn't opulent like Samsara. It will tell your coworkers "I have just come from Thailand and India on my luxury vacation". Its not sexy, but hypnotic. Simple but delicious. Just too pricey for me. I did spray myself liberally while in Saks just to roll in it like your cat rolls in catnip. :-)

The dry down is bone dry on me. In fact, just the memory of the scent while writing this makes my throat parched.
Salesgirls prefered his Champaca Absolute, which was too...weird..for me.

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blacklikemyheart on 12/28/2011 12:06:00 AM more reviews by blacklikemyheart

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I love this sandalwood scent...but I am a long time lover of Femenite du Bois which is also heavy sandalwood. I don't pick up a lot of the floral middle notes distinctively, however I do recognize that this is a subtle nuanced scent with several layers developing as the fragrance wears on. It's not subtle, as other reviewers have noted, however it's not as strong drop per drop as say Prada original, nor does it have the same quality silage.

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lmande on 10/23/2011 1:48:00 PM more reviews by lmande

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Normal   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I like this fragrance but don't love it. I have a very small container of this and I'm quite happy with it. I can't imagine having a steady 'diet' of this in a large size bottle. I've had compliments when I wear it and you really can't help but notice it because subtle it is not. I'm terrible about describing the 'notes' of this but it is quite unique. I think its best suited for the cooler weather.

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*TOP REVIEWER* cerulfox on 10/18/2011 3:50:00 PM more reviews by cerulfox

Age: 25-29   Skin: Sensitive, Tan, Warm   Hair: Black, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Black    

Creamy sandalwood evocative of being in an Asian woodshop, or Asian furniture store in general. There's a slight mustiness thanks to the oud, but otherwise it's all sandalwood. Something I'd like to smell when unpacking heirlooms from an old sandalwood chest, but not on my person.

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*TOP REVIEWER* sassykzt on 10/14/2011 7:57:00 PM more reviews by sassykzt

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

Top notes: Indian spices, cumin, cinnamon, carrot seeds and fenugreek.
Heart: jasmine, ylang-ylang and rose.
Base: sandalwood, cedar, benzoin, musk and oud.





I received a couple of samples of this w/ a NM order. I wore this for 2 nights in a row-- lasting power was better than avg-- about 6/7 hrs. It is a classical woody fragrance.


Unlike Santal de Mysore (Serge Lutens, with addictive cumin) or Sira des Indes (Jean Patou, with champaca and milk), Santal Blush is not an obvious hyper realistic interpretation of an Indian scent. Unlike Black Orchid( which I abhor!), based on excess, opulence and overdosed ingredients from almost every family, Santal Blush lingers between the delicacy of a rose and the supreme sensual milkiness of the sandalwood - musk accord.

Not dissimilar to Serge Luten’s ‘Arabie’, the two could be distant cousins – the story of ‘Santal Blush’ however is more refined, subtle, more proper, and hence is without the sugariness, gourmand and glacé notes in ‘Arabie’. ‘Subtle’ is a word not often seen in the lexicon of Tom Ford, however, I believe that is the effect which has been achieved. The Private Blend has always proved a haven from the gaucheness of celebrity brands and mass market fragrance. A bottle worthy scent since I'm down to 1ml of Arabie.

11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No