Sandalsliver by Montale

On first exposure to Sandsliver, I find a quite docile sandalwood and musk with a strong citrus element. As far as the sandalwood goes, its soft and creamy, but the sandalwood doesnt have much strength until about an hour after application, and even then its a rather vague and nondescript sandalwood. It is powdery and it is struggling hard to not be overwhelmed by a persistent green note that is rising up from the middle of the pyramid. The sandalwood eventually succumbs, and is lost to the green which I suspect is violet leaf, because the green note reminds me a little too much of Green Irish Tweed. I agree with zztopp that the movement is somewhat confused and random: Citrus to anemic sandalwood to citrus / green / violet leaf green to powdery muskjust doesnt work as far as Im concerned. And I believe there are some miscellaneous elements in here, too; for instance, there are florals in the mixI catch a whiff of them now and then, and I get some fruity notes in the middle, but these all seem quite random. Of course it is a Montale and there is an inherent quality in the Sandsliver ingredients, including the sandalwood note; but theres something to be desired in the movement of the scentit just doesnt work for me. Originally submitted 06 April 2007

From the makers of Black Aoud and Greyland, this is a remarkably light scent. A smooth musky scent with slightly citrus and herbal overtones that upon first spray is reminiscent to Annick Goutal's Mandragore - fresh, sharp, but not bright.

The mid notes last quite a while and brings to mind classic shaving soap or perhaps a subtle powdery musk like that used by Loewe Solo. During this time, I also detect a hint of nutmeg also used by Solo but more pronounced in Azzaro Visit.

After about 3 hours: the citrus, herbal, and musk notes are all but disappeared. What's left is an ambery sweetness with a twist that is a faint reminder of the topnotes of MPG Jardin du Nil without the citrus.

The name is slightly misleading as I barely notice the sandalwood if at all. As a matter of fact, I'd hardly call this a woody scent.

I refrained from noting a floral component in the pyramid but it's definitely there and wafts up occasionally even until the drydown.

Longevity is very good but it is a "skin" scent and sillage is very subdued after the topnotes.

It's probably not one of the more romantic scents but it definitely has a "come hither" allure that would be appropriate during intimate situations. Plus it's one of the few that don't offend even if you were to sniff directly. While not a mind blowing olfactory experience, I think Skin surely has something worth digging deeper for.

Notes: bergamot, the citrus fruit of Sicily, Mysore sandalwood, floral and vanilla

Sandalsliver, The Perfume Originally Intended to be known as SANDALSILVER (yes, it was a printing gaffe by Montale!), the Perfume Originally known as SKIN. There are some fragrances with note structure and evolution that are so complex that they sometimes leave me confused while trying to unravel their intricacies. In the case of Sandalsliver, I was flummoxed even before the precious drops of this $135 bottle of rare essences hit my SKIN - and it wasnt because of its composition.

Despite what the name suggests, this isnt really a sandalwood fragrance. There is some sandalwood deep down in the composition, but its well hidden (sort of like Sandalslivers' "beauty", which I am still trying to discover). The sharp citrus sweet opening is good, if a bit unremarkable. From there, Sandalsliver takes a sharp turn and tries to mature into a musky sexy scent not unlike Frederic Malle's Musc Ravageur. Although its not mentioned, I smell clove in the middle notes and musk in the base. The overall accord is bright, sweet and musky. Its not as overly provocative and deep as Musc Ravageur because it has a longer lasting citrus component. But it does smell like something from the same fragrance "family".

Its recommended that adults use Musc Ravageur to attract the opposite sex and enhance love making. By comparison, Sandalsliver smells like Musc Ravageurs less complex and less serious brother - a fragrance which can perhaps be used by aspiring Romeo's to reach first base. Maybe Montale had originally set out to create a musky provocative scent (as evidenced by the original name SKIN), and then decided to change course and go after the sandalwood aficianados. The result is a mismatch between the name and the fragrance. Its a decent effort, but it likely to disappoint sandalwood fans. And people looking to get to first base.