Maria Candida Gentile | The Scented Hound

November 11, 2013
by The Scented Hound 9 Comments

Finisterre & Noir Tropical by Maria Candida Gentile

FINESTERRE –

WHAT I SMELL: Finisterre has bergamot opening which quickly becomes salty and marine like. The projection is light, airy and fresh. After around the 10 minute mark a slight pine emerges along with a light sweetness combined with a dash of pepper. After the 30 minute mark, Finisterre adds just a hint of sandalwood to give it a light base, but overall the fragrance is pretty linear.

Finisterre notes:

Top Notes: marine accord

Heart Notes: heliochrsyum ( in the sunflower family) and pine

Base Notes: grey amber, sandalwood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Laundry hanging on a clothes line drying in an ocean breeze.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE FINISTERRE: fresh, easy, simple

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT FINISTERRE: CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: Finisterre’s uncomplicated nature is its strength. This is an easy wear that would help you strip away the worries and burdens of the day.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Marine
Nose: Maria Candida Gentile
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $185 for 100ml EdP

NOIR TROPICAL –

WHAT I SMELL: Noir Tropical goes on lightly sweet and it’s a bit boozy with rum and honey. But unlike other boozy fragrances, Noir Tropical remains light rather than heavy. It’s really juicy and gourmand, but the projection at the beginning is so low that you almost wonder if you have any fragrance on. After a couple of minutes, a sweetened almond and vanilla accord comes in. But again, it’s not heavy, but rather light and airy. After around 20 minutes or so, the vanilla begins to project. Noir Tropical then remains a sweetened vanilla scent that moves in whiffs of air rather than larger wafts.

Noir Tropical notes:

Top Note: bergamot

Heart Note: almond accord

Base Notes: vanilla and rum

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A soft evening breeze in the South Seas carrying a light and luscious sweet scent through the air.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE NOIR TROPICAL: seductive, sweet, semi-boozy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT NOIR TROPICAL: CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: The lighter projection of Noir Tropical is perfect since the fragrance is relatively sweet. More oomph in the scent could have made this obnoxious. As it is, it teases you with its sweet and seductive presence.

Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Maria Candida Gentile
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $185 for 100ml EdP

September 29, 2013
by The Scented Hound 11 Comments

Luberon by Maria Candida Gentile

WHAT I SMELL: Luberon opens with a deep and earthy lavender bouquet. It starts off a bit dry, but then it is met with a light mint which sweetens and moistens the fragrance. It’s surprisingly refreshing but warm at the same time. After around 20 minutes or so, there’s almost a light layer of caramel or honey on top of the mint . After a bit more, the oakmoss starts to make its appearance, which then brings out a bit of dryness to make Luberon slightly powdered. Funny, after a while, the drydown reminds me somewhat of vintage Miss Dior. In the end, Luberon retreats to a lovely subtle dry and earthy powdered light lavender.

From the Maria Candida Gentile website:

Luberon is a composition which comes directly from the natural valleys of the south of France in spring. It carries the gently relaxing and comforting scents of this beautiful and happy region, the Luberon. The delicate fresh herbs are blended with an oak musk.

Top note: Mediterranean lavender

Heart note: May Rose

Base note: Oak Musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: What I think Provence smells like…old, earthy, rural and beautiful.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE LUBERON: comfortable, earthen, warm

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LUBERON: Scent for Thought, Notable Scents

BOTTOM LINE: Luberon is another solid fragrance from Maria Candida Gentile that in this case is not earth shattering, but clearly is a fragrance of quality. My one regret that as a parfum extrait, the fragrance seems to disappear on me rather quickly. However, I do notice that even though it vanishes, I do find traces of it still clinging to me in the morning.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Aromatic, Flower, Citrus
Nose: Maria Candida Gentile
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $165 for 30ml Parfum Extrait

September 20, 2013
by The Scented Hound 32 Comments

Sideris by Maria Candida Gentile

WHAT I SMELL: Sideris opens with a deep warm breath of saffron, incense and myrrh. It smells like it’s from another world; like it’s been around for ages only to reveal itself again. Sideris sits in a haze. You feel that it’s there, but somehow it exists in aura around you rather than directly on you. Sideris takes its time to transform and when it does, it doesn’t do so in a dramatic fashion. Everything is seamless and it mixes so perfectly that you can easily miss the differences; but they’re there. After about 30 minutes, the light sweetness of the rose makes a rather subdued appearance in a manner that you barely notice. To me this is not “rose,” but a veil of earthen rose shrouded by incense. Sideris then becomes more creamy and yet woody which sounds contradictory, but trust me it’s not. As Sideris continues to progress, the incense from the early stages starts to subside, and the benzoin starts to become prominent and along with the rose and sandalwood, the fragrance becomes a bit sweeter. Sideris is a fragrance that I feel like I just can’t give enough justice to… It’s all too beautiful and sometimes words are just too hard to convey.

Notes from the Maria Candida Gentile website:

Top notes: Incense, Cysts, Corsican Myrrh, White Pepper, Saffron

Heart notes: Turkish Rose, Rose Ayrshire Splendens

Base notes: Sandalwood, Benzoin, Waxed Woods

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Lady with a Fan by Spanish painter Diego Velázquez

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SIDERIS: dreamy, serious, classical

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SIDERIS: Scent for Thought, Cafleurebon, The Non-Blonde

BOTTOM LINE: Sideris is unique and incredibly beautiful. I’ve only been introduced to two of Maria Candida Gentile’s fragrances thus far, Cinabre and this. I have the feeling I need to explore some more.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Aromatic Spicy
Nose: Maria Candida Gentile
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $180 for 100ml EdP