Santal Vanille by The 7 Virtues

I know about The 7 Virtues thanks to Anne Lauren. In fact, she might be the most @'ed person on my blog. However, the way she has been raving about Santal Vanille makes me think - how could I not try it? An avid vanilla lover, I am so glad the day has finally come. I got my hands on a small 7 Virtues discovery set. It contains Vanilla Woods, Coconut Sun, Blackberry Lily, Santal Vanille and Lotus Pear. Naturally, I will be starting off with Santal Vanille, but I am very curious about Vanilla Woods and Coconut Sun too.

So, now in my hands, how good is Santal Vanille? Both the name and the notes allude to something warm and smooth. I am imagining something sweet and creamy from the coconut milk, something warm and spicy from the cardamom, hoping for something rich and elegant from the cashmere, sandalwood, cocoa, vanilla and frankincense. Santal Vanille is, on paper, ambiguously just that, but at the same time, not at all. It is fresher than I expected. The coconut milk isn't thick and creamy, it smells like the taste of fresh coconut meat. Santal Vanille remains the same after dry down. There's a hint of vanilla and cashmere, but I do not get the spiciness from cardamom, the depth form myrrh or the thickness of sandalwood. 

I was honestly scared that Santal Vanille would be too close to my two other favourite vanillas, namely By the Fireplace and Memoirs of a Trespasser. However, it is a fresh and lighthearted take on vanilla. It might even be mostly appropriate for summer.

On skin, Santal Vanille opens more cedarwood-forward. The fresh coconutty note I got on paper isn't as prominent and the fragrance is less endearing. In all honesty, it is quite fleeting on skin. It might be, because I've tired my nose too much (I must admit that as soon as I received this discovery set, I powered through the set of Penhaligon).

Something about it is very The Body Shop-esque. I am getting some synthetic vibes, but that seems unlikely considering that The 7 Virtues are made from natural sources and essential oils.

I keep smelling my wrists to see if I like it or not and I don't know. I don't know. You know?

When it's not a loud yes, I guess it's a no. Don't get me wrong, it is a beautifully smooth vanilla fragrance, but I am not over the moon.

Days later, I have smelled the paper strip many times and unfortunately, I dislike it.