The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.


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Rouge No. 2 by M. Micallef and Special Draw!

Micallef-ROUGE-2-500The other day I reviewed Rouge No. 1, part of the new M. Micallef Art Collection.  I loved Rouge No. 1’s floral beauty…let’s see what Rouge No. 2 has in store…

WHAT I SMELL:  Rouge No. 2 opens with sweet black currant cut with bright citrus notes.  It’s tangy, sparkling and zesty.  You can smell a tinge of nutmeg which gives it an undercurrent of cinnamon like spice.  Quickly, the florals make their way in.  At first I get more violet which is then taken over by a wonderful jasmine.  The base notes bring some nice depth into play with sweetened and warm vanilla and amber.  After around 20 minutes, Rouge No. 2 becomes more full-bodied and begins to expand.  There is almost a gourmand sugary sweetness that sits on top of the florals.  It’s sweet, but not syrupy…it’s what I would call more of a sophisticated sweet.  In the end, Rouge No. 2 radiates its gourmand beauty with a large projection that lasts for hours.

Rouge No. 2 Notes:

Top notes are citruses, black currant and nutmeg; middle notes are jasmine, violet and orchid; base notes are vanilla, labdanum, amber and castoreum.

red-velvet-layer-cake1WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Cake.  Not literally; but its yummied goodness makes you want to cut off a big piece and eat it!

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ROUGE NO. 2: big, sugared, gourmand

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ROUGE NO. 2:  Olfactoria’s Travels, Cafluerebon

BOTTOM LINE:  Where Rouge No. 1 sits more on the sophisticated side, Rouge No. 2 sits more on the wild side.  Its full-bodied sweetened goodness doesn’t allow for it to be shy.

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent:  Oriental Floral
  • Classification: Feminine
  • Expense:  $245 for 100ml EdP

Micallef-5-ml-Bottle-Bag-500THE DRAW:  The good folks at Hypoluxe, the U.S. distributor of M. Micallef fragrances have offered 10 5ml sets of Rouge No. 1 and Rouge No. 2 to my lucky U.S. readers.  That means all winners will get one of each!  Each 5ml fragrance comes in its own cute little bottle and accompanying bag!  To enter, please leave a comment as to which M. Micallef Art Collection perfume, Rouge No. 1 or Rouge No. 2 , intrigues you the most and why.  Also, be sure to state that you are a resident of the United States.  The drawing will close at midnight Eastern Standard Time on August 31, 2013.  The 10 winners will be chosen at random.  Good luck with getting your rouge on!!


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Ineke Scent Library

Ineke_ScentLibrary_2_webDon’t you just love perfumed packages in the mail?  It’s even better when the perfume is housed in the perfect packaging.  Yesterday I receive the Ineke Perfumes Scent Library and I have to say that Ineke Ruhland has outdone herself in perfume creation and package design.  The Scent Library provides 2.5ml samples of the Floral Curiosities line of fragrances which are housed in the most innovative packaging that I have seen a long time…they come in a book!   And inside the Scent Library book are individual “library cards” that describe each fragrance in the collection… each of which are individually exquisite and lovely.   The five fragrances in the Floral Curiosities collection are:

Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia) Fresh and Opulent

Angel’s Trumpet opens with refreshing notes of honeydew melon, Seville orange and leafy greens.  Angel Trumpet’s rich floralcy is then warmed by cinnamon leaf and allspice and supported by Virginia cedar and white musk.

Briar Rose (Rosa Rubiginosa) Fruity and Floral

A pretty rose-violet accord given big character with supporting notes of black raspberry, green apple, warm spices, patchouli, cacao and vanilla.

Poet’s Jasmine (Jasminum officinale) Citrus and Herbal

A fragrance inspired by Poet’s Jasmine tea, replete with slices of citrus fruit.  Added points of interest include star anise, rosemary, absinthe, frankincense, cardamom, hinoki wood and guaiac wood.

Scarlet Larkspur (Delphinium cardinale) Floral Oriental

A bright fruity opening of blood orange, red currant and morello cherry deepens over time with notes of claret wine, nutmeg, saffron, amyris wood, tonka bean and vanilla.

Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) Woody and Sweet

Ineke_ScentLibrary_7_webA peach schnaps note introduces the spicy Sweet William floral accord, and is further warmed with cinnamon, clove and cumin essential oils.  The dominant wood notes are a blend of cedarwood, sandalwood and patchouli, softened with Bourbon vanilla.

I am having a hard time deciding which one of these floral beauties is my favorite…so far Scarlet Larkspur and Briar Rose are running neck and neck.

You can check out all of the Floral Curiosities fragrances with your very own Ineke Scent Library which is only available via the Ineke website  for a great price of $22!   Great fragrances, great packaging, great price….how fun!

 


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Rouge No. 1 by M. Micallef

Micallef-ROUGE-1-500This past June, M. Micallef launched two fragrances as part of their Art Collection; Rouge No. 1 and Rouge No. 2.  It’s always good to start at the beginning, so today I’ll be reviewing Rouge No. 1.

WHAT I SMELL:  Rouge No. 1 opens with a tangy peach that is quickly overtaken by beautiful ylang-ylang.  The peach keeps the florals slightly at bay with a bit of a bite.  But Rouge 1 is not shy and it eventually starts pumping out a milky warm and inviting floral bouquet that is thick and almost slightly honeyed, which I believe is the vanilla at play.  Wrap this all up with a white musk base and you have a fragrance that doesn’t develop all that much, but provides you with a floral loveliness with some lasting longevity and some pretty big projection.

From the 2013 M. Micallef Art Collection press release:

Head note: peach, tangerine – Heart note: ylang-ylang, rose, jasmine – Base note: white musk, vanilla, benzoin.

Floral-fruity eau de parfum, Rouge n°1 combines delicious yellow fruits and a generous bunch of flowers heart, warmed  by the vanilla and white musk base.

formalfoyerWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  The large bouquet in a formal foyer of a beautiful home.  It’s beautiful, inviting and welcomes the visitor in.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ROUGE NO. 1:  proper, elegant, warm

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ROUGE NO. 1:  As the Micallef Art Collection was released this past June, I was not able to find any other reviews.

BOTTOM LINE:  Another beautiful perfume from the house of M. Micallef.  There is some similarity here with one of my all time loves, Givenchy Ysatis, although Rouge No. 1 seems to exist in more of a subdued gauzy haze vs. the louder and sharper edges of Ysatis.

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent:  Floral Fruity
  • Classification: Feminine
  • Expense:  $245 for 100ml EdP

Sample provided by Hypoluxe, official distributor of M. Micallef products.