The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Category Archives: Ramon Monegal


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Flamenco by Ramon Monegal

WHAT I SMELL:  Flamenco dances open with a cotton candy raspberry that’s quickly met with a sweet and candied violet.  Very soon after, a soft orris makes a quick entrance making the super sweet opening something a bit more tame.  But don’t get me wrong, the perfume still remains in the confectionary, but now it includes a lovely musky undertow.  Soon the florals begin to break through with a rounded rose front and center.  Here, Flamenco begins to quickly grow and rise as it seems to spin wildly off of the skin.  It’s here that the perfume resides for some time; at times soft, at other times projecting greatly.  But each time it moves, Flamenco becomes a bit warmer and more comforting.  Flamenco doesn’t morph all that much after this point, and in the end the rose, mixed with the soured woods, wafts along as if they’re ready to once again start a fire on the dance floor.

From the Ramon Monegal website:

“I have submerged myself in an art known for its great emotional intensity and which comes from something rooted in my cultural origins, flamenco. Distinguished by its wild gestures, ferocious foot stamping, profound laments and guitar flourishes. Flamenco, my olfactory manifesto to the Andalusian character tattooed with fire on the soul of Spain. Flamenco is a profound and passionate art… it’s a unique state of mind. It’s my forbidden hypnotic fruit!” – Ramon Monegal

Top Notes:  Raspberry, Violet, Orris

Heart Notes:  Jasmin, Rosewood, Red Rose

Base Notes:  Musk, Amberwood, Cedarwood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  With the name Flamenco, can there be any other visual than a whirling Flamenco dancer?!

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE FLAMENCO:  sweet, smooth, swirling

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT FLAMENCO:  Australian Perfume Junkies, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE:  Flamenco dances nicely for quite some time.  The candied opening is appealing and the pulsing rose in the heart is lovely.  Unfortunately for me, the soured wood is just a bit…too soured for too long for me.  But I have the feeling Flamenco is either a “love the dance or hate the dance” kind of perfume.


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Hand in Hand by Ramon Monegal

Hand in HandWHAT I SMELL:  Hand in Hand opens with this warm mentholated spiced rose, that feels like the rose petals have been tinged in a fire with incense.  The oud is smoky and strong and minute by minute the smoke grows in intensity, as if the smoke is being pushed through a pumping bellow.  Thankfully, after around the 10 minute mark, the smoke and oud start retreating behind the rose, which now is much cleaner than in the opening.  The rose, sanitized by the musk begins to become powdery and very dry.  But as it becomes dry, the incense and oud spar with the rose for domination.  Eventually, they pair up to share the stage, but the rose, combined with the musk make for this lightly candied cotton candied concoction topped with smoke.  Unfortunately, after around an hour, you’re left with a light rose musk dryer sheet.

Notes:  Bulgarian rose, oud, spicy notes and musk

Casbah ClotheslineWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Hanging laundry in the Casbah.  It’s the smell of clean sheets washed with rose water that is met by the smell of spice and incense from the city below.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE HAND IN HAND: conflicted, smoky, over-musked

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT HAND IN HAND: I couldn’t find any other reviews.

BOTTOM LINE: To me, this is one of those perfumes that I didn’t wear, but it wore me instead.  What started off as rather interesting (yet, kind of discordant), ended up being something that was rather bland and boring.  Hand in Hand feels like two hands that clearly missed the handshake.

  • Bone Rating: 2 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Oriental Floral
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $200 for 50 ml Eau de Parfum


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Umbra by Ramon Monegal

WHAT I SMELL:  Opens with a surprising sweet, almost citrusy (although there is no citrus listed in the notes) vetiver that warms quickly into a peppered musk.  I’m not a huge fan of vetivers, but I like this because it’s not too green.  The pepper and musk ground this, making it a bit more earthy.  And hidden behind this muskiness is a sweet mossy woodiness that give this some life and depth.  As pleasant as this fragrance is, it pretty much disappeared from my skin after a few hours…and not just became faint, it really disappeared.

Notes: Haitian Vetiver root, Yugoslavian Tree Moss, Madagascar Black Pepper, Bourbon Geranium leaves, Canadian Fir Balsam and Tonka bean

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  What I believe women want men to smell like.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE UMBRA:  safe, comfortable, easy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT UMBRA:  Olfactoria’s Travels, Parfumistan’s Blogg, Bois de Jasmin

BOTTOM LINE:  Umbra is a nice and pleasant vetiver and a good one for those who don’t lean towards liking them.  I just wish it would last longer on my skin.  Although this is considered a unisex scent, I do believe it leans pretty masculine.

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Fougere – woody – spicy
  • Nose: Ramon Monegal
  • Classification: Unisex, leans masculine
  • Expense: $185 for 50ml EdP