Santos (1981)
by Cartier

An eminently wearable fusion of fresh, crisp top note components with warmer edgier elements. The opening seems dominated by the presence of the Bergamot, which combined with Basil creates a tightened, astringent yet surpisingly pleasant accord. The real delights occur further into the Santos experience, when some real masculine staples enter the fray. The warmth from the woods married to the the condiment components in the middle notes creates an attitude of strength and success. This may not be the best in the Cartier showroom, but it more than holds its own.

The best moments in Santos remind me fleetingly of Ungaro ll- and that is saying a lot. The sweet lavender opening is among the best in my recollection. Though the drydown is a little too subdued and common for my liking.

very strong that is awful .... i sprayed a little on my hand and i could not wait for long to wash it off ....

I was surprised at testing this one. I don’t believe that I have ever smelled it before although I have worn and loved Santos de Cartier Concentrée for years and years. I tested the two side by side. I was surprised because the opening on this one is smoother, fuller, and more attractive than the opening on the Concentrée version. I didn’t expect that, and for a while I was concerned that I might have been using the wrong fragrance all these years. The opening is a green, sweet, citrusy accord with aldehydes and a bare touch of lavender. It smells like an excellent version of the all too common green / citrus / lavender accords of so many ‘90s fragrance. After about ten minutes, the two Santos’s smell the same, the better accord in the opening was just a flash in the pan for the regular Santos. The heart notes for the regular Santos are pretty much the same as with the concentrated version: green, aromatic, a little bit spicy, and floral to round it out. After a little over an hour, this regular Santos, has already moved into the mossy, coniferous, drydown while the Concentrée is still spilling out its excellent heart. Two hours later, the regular Santos is almost done – the last gasps of aroma are wimping off the skin. The Concentrée, however, is still going strong. I like Santos, but I’ll stick with Santos Concentrée.

An (initially) overbearing and pungent herbal-lavender combo that smells like something my dad would have gladly worn during the '80s.

Synthetic, unpleasant and horribly outdated.

Meat. That's what I get. OK, that is a little extreme, but just as with Declaration, I get a meat association with Santos. In declaration, it is more of a spicy salami. With Santos it is the same salami but as a dried 'jerky'. Outside of that, it is a very manly 70s larger than life frag, recalling G. Ferre, Antaeus etc. Please don't let the meat association scare you off, its just the spice and lavender that does it. My nose also tells me Carolina Herrera frags smell like fried food. So maybe it is just me.