So after church today, my friends and I are going to be doing a watch party for a new music video dropped from one of my favorite singers, Laufey, a jazz/modern pop artist. The video itself is a fairly big deal, and featuring a lot of famous faces like Hudson Williams and Alysa Liu, and because of that, we promised we wouldn’t watch it or even LISTEN TO THE SONG until we could all experience it together. Anyways to celebrate this special occasion, i decided to wear one of her personal favorite fragrances, which is Santal 33 from the Maison of Le Labo. This was the iconic, flagship breakout scent that helped this house gain traction and project their signature DNA onto the world, and my does it live up to the hype! It’s a unique, dry, slightly leathery take on australian sandalwood, with an almost dill, slightly ozonic undertones. To some people it smells slightly salty and almost pickle-like. To me it reminds me a bit of wet concrete during the rain. It has a strong, dry yet wet feeling notes of sandalwood, balanced out with a dry, paper papyrus, combined with violet, some slight spice from cardamom, all tied together with a distinctive leather accord. The base is a bit powdery with some slight iris blended with amber. This is a highly polarizing but also very unique fragrance. It’s nothing unpleasant at all, but also unusual and very distinctive. The popularity is well earned, and it has almost a calming like quality to it. It actually has some really similar undertones to Dior’s “Fahrenheit”, specifically the older batches. The combination of violet, leather, and woods, with the slightly ozonic nuances put it in a similar realm, although Santal is a bit more calming and less aggressive. It smells very different to all different kinds of people. To some it smells like dry woods, to others, a dill leather combination. To me personally, it reminds me of wearing a brown leather jacket, arriving in a cozy, industrial looking cafe after a long walk in the rain, and observing the city outside of the window.

I’ll be inactive for the next week, heading out on a cruise to Mexico, Belize, and Honduras 🌊🚢 Taking some time to relax, explore, and enjoy the moment. I’ll be back soon with plenty of stories and pictures! See y’all when I’m back ✌️ Gonna miss you guys and all the interactions! I’m sure I will have a ton of notifications when I return with no hope of getting through them all. Please forgive me in advance for not replying to comments. I’ll let you guys know what fragrance treasures I find 😁

After seeing a short review by Redollessence on YouTube I stopped by Dillard’s to see if I could grab a sample and to my surprise they had some tester bottles. The fragrance won’t be in store until 5/1 but the lady was nice enough to make me a sample! I also grabbed samples of Musk Therapy and Paragon! While I was in store she sprayed my hand once and all I can say is I was hooked from first spray! This is an amazing fruity, fougere type fragrance with a musky dry down. It’s tough for me to explain because it keeps changing and every change is just as good as the opening. I have no idea on longevity yet but the projection is phenomenal! I can hold my arm straight out and still smell it on my hand from I’m guessing 3ft away. If this doesn’t hit discounters by May 11th when I come home from my cruise this will be the first niche I’ve ever bought at full retail. It’s that good! This next part is from Initios website: Flip the switch. Own the rush. WILD RUSH expresses joy as propulsion. An inner ignition that is immediate, bold and unstoppable. A surge of energy that moves from within, awakening confidence and drive. More than a classic aromatic fragrance, WILD RUSH reinvents the fougère. This aromatic fougère composition releases an electrifying wave of energy, activating both skin and inner drive in a powerful surge of sensation. The emotional impact of WILD RUSH: neuroscientific measurements reveal a strong emotional activation, associated with confidence, engagement and drive. The result: a feeling of energy that is dynamic, empowering and instantly invigorating. WILD RUSH is not a fragrance that lingers. It moves. A sophisticated aromatic fougère designed to fire up the system and unleash an immediate rush of confidence and energy. All our fragrances are unisex and made in France