Tamboti Wood
by Susanne Lang

I sniffed a bunch of things at Anthropologie and decided to wear a spritz of Susanne Lang Tamboti Wood. Reaaallly different from everything else I've smelled: Tamboti (an sacred African tree), cedar, sandalwood, vetiver. The top notes reveal an unusual chemical. I feel like it could be the Tamboti tree's natural defense against insects. The bulk of the performance is dry-dry-dry woods, somewhat like a black tea. Wholly unisex. Not FBW but def a thumb up.

A pleasing "white" soft wood with a touch of sweetness to it due to a rich vetiver and I think patchouli base. Very nice and airy. Fairly expensive but a good smell none the less.

Smelt lovely on the tester (soft rich wood) but not so when applied to my skin. It had a sort of greasy sheen and longevity/sillage was poor. Don't see it as feminine at all. It reminded me of Encre Noir by Lalique, which is preferable imo and much better value for money.

Kaern

Not quite as exotic as I was expecting, but I find it intriguing nevertheless. It’s a very dry wood fragrance, and, yes, it does have a somewhat exotic tinge to its woodiness. I get a combination sandalwood and cedar in the first accord quite standard for a sandalwood fragrance. This first blast is rather strong but quickly settles to a lighter sheerness where the more exotic wood – the Tamboti – rises to slight dominance of the balanced accord. From there it remains light, linear, and dry for an acceptable drydown. Basenotes lists this as a feminine fragrance, and I can’t understand that at all – the only thing about it that could be considered feminine is the sheerness and translucency that it eventually develops. That translucency does not make it feminine, but it keeps if from becoming too overtly masculine. It is definitely a unisex scent. In a way, Tamboti is a bit of a disappointment because it isn’t as exotic as I anticipated, judging from its name. But it does deliver a subtle warmness that is soul satisfying and easeful, and that I wasn’t expecting.