I had been hoping to buy rivers of Khus – green tinted vetiver perfume oil – on arrival in India. This dream rescinded, it was still exciting to come across a gorgeous attar shop near the Sultan’s Mosque district of Singapore Arab Street.
On reflection. I could have stayed longer and strayed from my usual choices. There were some intriguing, unplaceable, rich and musky attars. And Santal Rose is possibly a bit too safe, ultimately : simply a fresh, artificial rose resting gently and peacefully over a more natural smelling sandalwood. But it is the kind of scent you might feel like rolling onto your wrists on an off day when you have nothing else to do – especially when combined with some of the calming, cooling sandalwood soaps and talcs I also acquired.
Khus is generic vetiver (I would still like a gallon of it). I hesitated : was this the same Javan essential oil you can get at any good aromatherapy joint in Yokohama or Tokyo ?
But I do trust my instincts (and above all my nose). And there was a certain coolness; a grassy pepperiness in this of unknown origin vetiver that goes beautifully with my much worn Guerlain Vetiver Parfum – now down to its last third. The two perfumes really do complement one another; the G adding citrus and herbal, guerlinadeish je ne sais quoi; the Khus lending a much needed -Parfum has a certain frigidity and aridity – warmer, anchoring depth
Wish I’d been there.
You would have been selectively filling the shopping baskets also
Realizing now that the rose note in the R\Santal is just citronella – so a bit disappointed.
And yet it is reminding me nicely of a specific time and space ..