The Scented Hound has finally returned from another trip to Mexico. In our quest to solidify retirement havens, we have found that Merida, Mexico keeps calling us back. This was our fourth visit and the one that solidified our resolve to turn our dreams into reality. No, we’re not moving yet; we have a good year and a half before we make the plunge. But we did decide this is the place for us. To help us make up our minds, we rented a house for 2 weeks without a car so that we could see more realistically what living in the city would be like. The visit included walks to the market, and the scouting of the various neighborhoods, as well as some house hunting to get an idea of what is available. It was a great trip which included making some wonderful new friends. Although it’s nice to be back home, we are looking forward to this coming new adventure in our lives. I’ll be getting back into the perfume realm quickly, but in the meantime, here are some pics that help capture a little of the spirit of Merida.
Independence Plaza
The Merida Cathedral
Museum of Popular Art
At the zoo!
Banos Jaguars at the Museum of Popular Art
Casa Perlita our home away from home.
Fresh tuberose!
Casa Perlita
Casa Perlita
Old colonial home
A new home – you can see how the homes can be fixed
WHAT I SMELL: À la rose has a sparkling opening with clean and bright citrus mixed with violet and the freshness of green. I love the fact that the opening is incredibly cheerful with an unassuming easiness about it. In addition, there’s a nice light powder that dusts the perfume; and strange as it seems, the perfume is both cool and warm at the same time. The rose in the perfume starts to come forward, but in a tender and soft way without any harsh turns or nuances. There’s a bit of a “bathtastic” aspect to the perfume, but not so much that it feels like soap. Overall, the perfume doesn’t transform all that much, but instead maintains this soft, clean floral warmth that is close to the skin and incredibly inviting.
Damascena rose from Bulgaria – bergamot from Calabria – orange from California – violet – magnolia blossom – cedar wood – musk – centifolia rose from Grasse
À la rose is an ode to femininity, a declaration of love captured in a fragrance. Two hundred and fifty precious roses from Grasse offer their radiance and their unmatched richness in every flacon.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A Victorian woman sitting at her dressing table getting ready for the beautiful spring day ahead.
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE À LA ROSE: pretty, proper, soft
WHAT I SMELL: Noir Exquis opens slightly sour at first, quickly moving to a gourmand breaded pastry that is covered with a hazelnut glaze. After a couple of minutes, the perfume begins to grow and it smells just like Coffee-mate Hazelnut Non-Dairy Creamer. After a few more minutes the perfume takes on a slight hair spray note, making the perfume slightly prickly, but it also makes it feel like it’s covered in raw sugar, meaning that it’s sweet without being saccharine sweet. After some more time, a maple syrup note creeps in and it melds with the existing nutty structure. Thankfully, after 30 minutes, the whole structure seems to tame. The sweetened hazelnut becomes quieter and the perfume takes on a more woody sandalwood and patchouli note tinged with a burnt amber.
The inspiration for Noir Exquis is an unexpected rendez-vous in a French patisserie. Two people meet over a coffee. In this delicious atmosphere of patisserie and coffee, hushed looks are exchanged. This delightful rendez-vous is the beginning of a new story with Noir Exquis.
Noir Exquis is a work of contrast and the unexpected. The addictive note of coffee, combined with the warm and comfortable notes of maple syrup, glazed chestnuts and orange blossom, brings an intriguing juxtaposition to this fragrance. Rich and velvety, Noir Exquis connects these two persons during this moment beyond time and place.
Opulent and gourmand, Noir Exquis is a fragrance with a warm and charismatic aura.
Notes: Glazed chestnut, Coffee, Maple syrup, Macassar Wood
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: I can’t get this out of my head…Coffee-mate Hazelnut Non-Dairy Creamer
THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE NOIR EXQUIS: creamy, sweetened, breakfasty (is that a word?)
BOTTOM LINE: If you like flavored coffee creamers in your morning coffee and like gourmand scents, this may be for you. Personally, I don’t want to feel like I just rubbed a breakfast pastry over myself. In the end, the perfume does quiet down, but it still radiates this artificial creaminess.
The Scented Hound 