The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

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Les Nombres d’Or Violette Fumee by Mona di Orio Parfums

violettefumeeWHAT I SMELL: Violette Fumee opens with the most beautiful lavender and bergamot combination; it’s herbal and refreshing in a creamy comforting way.  After a few minutes, the fragrance starts to warm and become deeper as a beefy oakmoss emerges from the bottom that envelopes and seems to fold over the lavender.  After about 10 minutes or so, the violet seems to make an appearance from the edge of the fragrance.   I know this is going to sound strange, but it’s appearance is like prairie dogs popping their head out of the ground.  What I mean is that the violet doesn’t come out at once, but seems to pop in and out until eventually you feel like you are surrounded by violets tinged with rose.  Violette Fumee at this point still retains its creaminess but it becomes slightly brighter without becoming sheer.  What I love about this is that the herbal aspects of the fragrance keep this from becoming too floral and pretty which allow Violette Fumee to retain a substantive elegance.  After some time, the myrrh and opoponax emerge from below and a slight suede provides for a beautiful finish to this multi-faceted fragrance.

Violette Fumee Notes:

Top notes:  Mediterranean Lavender, Bergamot from Calabria, Oakmoss from the Balkans

Heart notes:  Violet flowers and leaves from Egypt, Turkish Rose, Veitver from Haiti, Clary Sage

Base notes;  Opoponax and Myrrh from Somalis, Cashmeran

Viola-odorataWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A page from a 19th century botanical illustrative leather bound book.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE VIOLETTE FUMEE:  transformative, calming, elegant

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VIOLETTE FUMEE: Cafleurebon

BOTTOM LINE:  Violet fragrances have not been my friend in the past as I find that they are typically too feminine for my taste.  Violette Fumee breaks that mold.  The violet doesn’t completely dominate and take over in a sweet and simplistic fashion.  The first time I wore this, I really liked it, but the 2nd time I have to say that I loved it.  Voilette Fumee is an elegant and substantial fragrance, that holds layers upon layers of wonderful surprises.

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent:  Oriental Fougere
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense:  EdP Intense to be launched in September 2013

Promotional sample provided by Mona Di Orio Parfums.


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Vintage Givenchy Ysatis and Givenchy III

Thanks to the wonderful Kafkaesque, I have been led down another obsessional and dangerous path….that of vintage perfumes.  A few months back, Kafkaesque sent me a wonderful selection of perfumes to include some great vintage scents.  Of course that led me to want to try more…and then more…and then soon enough I’m trolling eBay for the next great buy.  The great thing about finding some of these vintage fragrances is that you can typically find some of the more common, unopened and in the box.  And you typically can find a smaller size so while you are blind buying… or taking a chance on whether the juice is still good, you don’t have to break the bank.  As these fragrances are vintage, I hope I can tell if the fragrance is still good… but so far I have not been disappointed.  Also, since the fragrance are vintage, I’m not going to modify my review format a bit and won’t be giving them a bone rating.  Why?  If I did that, then everyone would be hunting down these jewels and the next time I go on eBay I wont’ be able to find them. 🙂

YsastisYSATIS – Vintage Parfum

This is the one that started it all…

WHAT I SMELL:  Ysatis isn’t shy.  When the juice hits your skin it’s like opening a big waxy honeyed floral bouquet.  It’s thick and over the top and for me, mixed so beautifully that I can’t really pick apart the notes besides the heady ylang-ylang.  The flower power never wains, but it increasingly becomes warmer and creamier as it radiates off your skin.  About 15 minutes there is a slight civit note added to a bit of spice which gives the fragrance a bit of sex.  Yes, I think this is a very sexy fragrance.  I don’t just love smelling it, I want to consume it.  I bought 2 5ml bottles a few weeks ago and one is almost drained.  I will be buying more without question.

giant flowerYsatis Notes from Fragrantica:

The top notes are citrus, ylang-ylang, galbanum, coconut, rose wood, and aldehydes. The heart notes are jasmine, rose, iris, tuberose and narcissus. The base notes are musk, amber, vanilla, vetiver, patchouli, sandalwood and civet.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A giant flower bomb!

GivenchyIII

GIVENCHY III – Vintage Parfum

WHAT I SMELL: A blast of aldehydes and oak moss give this a bright, green and mossy opening.  It’s citrus, bergamot and head spinningly sparkly without being sweet.    The oakmoss almost has an incense quality in the background, but it’s more dusty than pure incense.    There are so many floral notes that are mixed together in harmony, but it’s not overtly floral, but instead when sniffed it breathes a green and floral stem like life to a beautiful and warm flower arrangement.  As it develops it takes on more patchouli and amber and it remains intoxicatingly beautiful.  Fragrantica classifies Givenchy III as a Chypre Floral.  I get the chypre and the floral, but if I would have read that without trying this I would have thought this to be sweeter.  Instead it never blasts off from its initial sparkle, but then winds down to a warm and cozy hug.  My one regret is that Givenchy III doesn’t last as long as I would like it to and eventually after a couple hours it all but disappears but for a little soapy ending.  No problem though, I’ll just apply more.

1978Givenchy III notes from Fragrantica:

The perfume opens with aldehydes with bergamot, mandarin, galbanum, peach and gardenia. The heart includes lily of the valley, hyacinth, rose, jasmine and iris root, while the base carries patchouli, oakmoss, amber and sandalwood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: 1978