February | 2013 | The Scented Hound

February 13, 2013
by The Scented Hound 18 Comments

Happy Valentines Day!

Wishing all of you much peace and love this Valentines Day!

Steve

February 9, 2013
by The Scented Hound 30 Comments

Les Exclusifs de Chanel: Coromandel and 1932

COROMANDEL

WHAT I SMELL: Coromandel opens with an initial sweet citrus which then turns slightly herbal with a strong presence of patchouli. It’s not loud, but dreamy and almost minty in the beginning. After a bit, its warmed by a light amber. After about 30 minutes or so the incense and benzoin notes adds depth and dimension giving Coromandel more weight and volume. Coromandel is elegant with a masculine edge.

From the Chanel website:

A voluptuous Oriental fragrance — an olfactory depiction of the lacquered Coromandel screens Mademoiselle cherished. Created by CHANEL Master Perfumer Jacques Polge in 2007, the elaborate scent unfolds in undulating detail, starting with an amber vibrato, followed by dry notes of Frankincense and Benzoin, then, soulful woody notes that add elegance and depth to the sensuous accord’s striking trail.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: This is what an oriental fragrance should smell like. This is how I think the bygone era of “ladies who lunch” should have smelled like. I would tend to think that in that era they wore perfumes that were very large, but they should have been wearing this.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE COROMANDEL: woody, dimensional, understated

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT COROMANDEL: The Non-Blonde, Kafkaesque, Another Perfume Blog

BOTTOM LINE: I am tempted to open my wallet now to purchase myself a bottle. I’m not quite sure if I’m there yet, but you could easily twist my arm!

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Nose: Jacques Polge
Classification: Marketed as a woman’s fragrance, but this could easily be worn by a man
Expense: $130 for 75ml EdT

1932

WHAT I SMELL: 1932 has a big opening of aldehydes. It’s “bathtastic” as it smells clean and fresh. It’s a bouquet of flowers, dominated by jasmine, ylang-ylang and carnation that is finished off with a slight warmth. I was a bit worried that 1932 wouldn’t mellow, but after around 45 minutes it seemed to tame a bit and become less obtrusive and more pretty.

From Fragrantica:

The composition is powdery – floral with a focus on jasmine. It opens with fresh citrusy flavors that include aldehydes, bergamot and neroli. The heart is a heady floral, composed of jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, lilac and carnation. The base is sweet, woody and resinous with notes of vetiver, orris, sandalwood, opoponax, incense, vanilla, coumarin, ambrette, musk and iralia molecule which possesses the character of iris and violet.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Bathtastic in my mind is not a great thing. It reminds me of how the bathroom smelled after my mother just got done taking a bubble bath which is a good smell, but not something that I would like to smell like throughout the day, nor would I want someone else to. That’s what soap is for.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE 1932: My new word…”bathtastic” (feel free to use this at will), heavyish, obvious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT 1932: Kafkaesque, The Alembicated Genie, Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE: I don’t believe 1932 is a bad fragrance, it just not for me. I like feminine fragrances, but this is a bit too old-fashioned and floral for my tastes.

Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral Woody Musk
Nose: Jacques Polge
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $130 for 75ml EdT

A special thanks to Sal from Kafkaesque for providing me with these samples!! If you haven’t already, please check out her wonderful blog!

February 2, 2013
by The Scented Hound 24 Comments

Montale White Aoud

WHAT I SMELL: There is something very disconcerting about the opening of a Montale fragrance. I have noted many to be start off being plastic and artificial like they were conceived from a test tube rather than through a perfumer’s nose and hands. White Aoud is no exception; it covers your skin like a latex glove that has a slight powder inside that allows you to slip them on easily. The saffron is evident as it tugs with the plastic which finally after a good while starts to give way to a pretty rose. However, I would not call this a “rose” fragrance, it’s far more complex than that as the agarwood and cardamon mix and start to spice things up a bit. But the journey does not to end there… what starts off as a latex glove turns finally into a lovely lightly powdered vanilla and patchouli floral beauty. It’s very comforting and very pretty, but not so much so that it doesn’t also work for a man.

White Aoud Notes: Rose of Damascus, saffron, agarwood, cardamom, jasmine, patchouli, sandalwood from Mysore, amber, vetiver, vanilla and labdanum.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Tina Turner in Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome. She’s a woman living in a world ruled by petroleum and White Auod feels like it’s derived from petroleum. Even though it’s derived from petroleum, it’s the perfect solution from getting away from the grit and dirt.