L’Artisan Parfumeur | The Scented Hound

April 21, 2013
by The Scented Hound 19 Comments

Voleur de Roses by L’Artisan Perfumeur

In one of my recent posts, I discuss Olfactif and the sample offerings that they provided for their inaugural launch. The one fragrance out of the three that I seem to be drawn to and keep testing is Velour de Roses by L’Artisan Perfumeur.

WHAT I SMELL: Voleur de Roses goes on bright. There’s a sweet, plum and slightly citrus bergamot opening with a minty herbal, almost hay like cedar background. After a short while Voleur de Roses starts to then move into a warm patchouli rose. However, this rose isn’t sweet or loud, instead its earthy and feels like a rose-bush that’s anchored in mulch. And in fact, I almost consider this to be more patchouli than rose as the warm patchouli note dominates the drydown. The fragrance really doesn’t morph much and it sits close to the skin without much projection. For being so “cedarish” it is very much a skin scent.

Voleur de Roses Notes: patchouli, rose, plum

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A cedar lined chest with old and waning rose sachets stored inside.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE VOLEUR DE ROSES: earthy, humble, simple

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VOLEUR DE ROSES: smellythoughts, Perfume Shrine, EauMG

BOTTOM LINE: I really like this fragrance. It’s distinctive and comforting. But I just don’t know if I could pull the plug on a purchase. I somehow have the feeling that the bottle would be neglected after time.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Nose: Michel Almairac
Classification: Unisex
Expense: Approximately $140 for 100ml EdT

August 24, 2012
by The Scented Hound 20 Comments

Seville a l’Aube by L’Artisan Parfumeur

So many words have been used to describe the collaboration and inspiration for the creation of Seville a l’Aube. Me, I’ll just get to the down and dirty…

WHAT I SMELL: Goes on almost medicinal, then quickly turns green, like cut grass…wait, that lasts for just a minute. Here comes the orange blossom, lots of orange blossom mixed with jasmine. I keep waiting for this to become sweet, but it never does. It rests in this layer of subdued floral, green and orange blossom purgatory. After about 6 hours, the scent had pretty much faded into oblivion; not that I minded so much.

Seville a l’Aube Notes: lavender, pink pepper, lemon tree leaves, orange blossom, jasmine, magnolia, beeswax, incense, Benzoin Siam, Luiseiri lavender

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A cross between floor cleaner and sour shampoo.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SEVILLE A L’AUBE: labored, sour, pensive

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SEVILLE A L’AUBE: Second Cherry, AustralianPerfumeJunkies, Bonkers About Perfume

BOTTOM LINE: As you could note from the reviews above, this fragrance is loved by some, just not by me. What I do love is the story about the creation of this scent and have to laugh at the thought of what would be created with me as the muse (civit comes to mind!) so I can’t fault the fragrance as a whole. However, I think I’ll stick with fragrances with citrus and neroli rather than orange blossom (see Orange Star review).

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Classification: Unisex
Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
Expense: $165 for 100ml EdP (limited edition)

August 8, 2012
by The Scented Hound 17 Comments

Mechant Loup by L’Artisan Perfumeur

WHAT I SMELL: Oddly, when I first applied Mechant Loup it was hardly noticable. I asked my better half to take a sniff and he said he couldn’t tell what it smelled like because it was almost non-existent. Maybe it was due to the fact that I had just gotten out of the shower because later in the day I applied some more and it didn’t disappear like it had in the morning. In any case, it does not go on strong. This fragrance has a bit of a sharp edge to it in the beginning, I smell the licorice and I get almost a bit of green tea (don’t see that in the note, maybe it’s the cedar). It stays in that location for a bit but then moves into the base which ends up as a mild honeyed hazelnut close-to-the-skin fragrance which is cool in nature. Mechant Loup doesn’t have great longevity or sillage. I find it rather boring and don’t find it particularily distinguishable from many other men’s fragrances (although I am having problems defining which ones, which means they too have not made an impression on me).

Mechant Loup Notes: licorice, hazelnut, cedar, honey

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Mechant Loup means “Big Wolf” in French, but the L’Artisan Perfumeur website lists it as “Big Bad Wolf.” With that kind of name, I expect something over the top and powerful. Sorry, there is nothing wolf like about this scent. Instead, maybe it should be called “Nutty Ecureuil” or “Nutty Squirrel,” in English as it’s about as big and bad as a squirrel and holds a hazelnut note.