The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.


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1697 by Frapin

I always lament the change from summer to fall.  I could live in shorts all year round and the prospect of cold winter nights for months is not something I look forward to.  But soon enough, I wake up on a day like today (crisp, sunny, cool, refreshing) and I quickly remember the joy in the change in seasons.  The other things great about the change of seasons is the breakout of all those fragrances that are best suited for the fall.  1697 is one of them.

 

WHAT I SMELL:  1697 opens up with a carmelized booziness.  It’s sweet, slightly leathery and “yummy” in the way that you almost want to taste it.  As it dies down, out comes a thickened chocolate/cocoa goodness.  It’s very gourmand, but not too sweet and is somewhat buttery.  The drydown stays away from being too sweet and you’re left with a very nice vanilla/patchouli blanket.

1697 Notes:  cabreuva, davana, Jamaican rum, cistus, pink pepper, jasmine sambac, hawthorn, ylang ylang, clove, cinnamon, dried fruit, rose, ambergris, tonka bean, myrrh, patchouli, cedar, white musks, vanilla

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: I find that 1697 is very similar to Ineke’s Field Notes from Paris, although 1697 has a boozier finish.  It’s like an innocent cup of hot cocoa with a secret shot of whiskey!

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE 1697:  boozy, tasty, buttery

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT 1697: Grain de Musc, Now Smell This, Bois de Jasmin

BOTTOM LINE: 1697 is pleasant, but is a fragrance that I would not wear on a regular basis.  It lasts a long time and has decent sillage – it’s good, not great.

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Oriental Spicy
  • Classification: Unisex – leans a bit masculine
  • Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
  • Expense: $155 for 100ml EdP


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The Scented Hound’s 100th Post and “Pay It Forward” Draw!

I can’t believe that it’s possible that I have managed to create 100 postings since I started this venture back in January of last year.  This blog has been a great experience and has allowed me to pursue an interest of mine without guilt and with a lot of fun.  But the best part of this experience has been the people who are part of this “smelly” community who share the same interest and who come in all shapes, sizes and ages, but all with a common love and nose for fragrance.  Without the camaraderie, this wouldn’t nearly be as much fun or satisfying.

To celebrate my 100th posting, I am asking the Scented Hound’s readers to participate in a “pay it forward” positive endeavor.  Why you ask?

Back in August, I posted a review on George Sand by Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier.  I had received a sample from Luckyscent earlier in the year and never got around to testing it.  I fell in love hard and wanted a full bottle badly.  The only problem is that Luckyscent and every other vendor who carried this fragrance was sold out.  Being a former investigator, I never take anything lying down and with the advent of the internet you can find anything if you look hard enough.  I found out who the wholesale distributor of Maitre Parumeur et Gantier was and they were kind enough to reply back to me, but only to tell me that they would no longer be selling George Sand.  I asked to see if they had any bottles sitting around that I could purchase directly.  No luck.  I then found out from another source that the reason that they were no longer selling it was because of an expired licensing agreement.

So what to do next?  After doing some more research I found that the “nose” behind the fragrance was Nicolas de Barry.  Mr. de Barry luckily had his own website and to my surprise he cites the lovely George Sand on the site.  Mr. de Barry in 2003 created a line of  “Les Parfums Historiques.”  These fragrances are created by Mr. de Barry in a historical manner by creating scents that are based on notes favored by the historical figure and by using the same materials available at the given time.  These fragrances are not meant to remind you of the historic figure, but to take you back to their world, personality and being.  In all, Mr. de Barry has created five historical perfumes, the latest is Empress Sissi.  Well, not only did Mr. de Barry cite his perfumes, he also sells them under his own private atelier line.  I was thrilled…but not as thrilled as I was when I came home from vacation and found that there was a box from Portugal; a gift of a bottle of George Sand from Mr. de Barry.

Mr. de Barry didn’t have to send me a gift; but such behavior is surprisingly typical of what I have found in the warmth and generous spirit of this community.  And that spirit is truly lovely.  Before I move on, please check out Mr. de Barry’s website to find out more about this historic perfumes as well as his other offerings.  He also performs master class courses throughout the year.  I for one, hope to participate in one of these classes in the future!  Thank you again Nicolas for your generous spirit of the heart!

Now on to the draw.  Following in Mr. de Barry’s footsteps, I would like to “pay it forward” to my readers with a draw for a Yosh Discovery Set of the Evanescent collection.  There are six 3ml bottles in the collection which includes:  Sottile, Stargazer, U4EAHH!, White Flowers, Ginger Ciao and Omniscent.

Now here’s the easy part.  All I ask you to do to participate in the draw is to “pay it forward” with one good deed or thoughtful action; be it giving a co-worker a compliment to donating to your local charity.  Please note in your comment how you are going to “pay it forward” and you’re entered!

The draw closes on October 13, 2012 and is open to any reader worldwide.  The winner will be drawn at random and will be posted in a subsequent posting.

Good luck to everyone and thanks for helping me make it to my 100th post.  Now let’s “pay it forward!”


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Fougere Bengale by Parfum d’Empire

It had been a while since I purchased a full bottle of any perfume.  Fall is on it’s way (very evident today with highs in the 50s) and I felt the need for a new fragance, one that had a big personality that would put me in the mood.  It’s been a while since I had last sampled Fougere Bengale, but I knew that it was the perfect scent to put me in the spirit of the change of season.

WHAT I SMELL:  Strong lavender, mint and ginger which combined smells like curry (Immortelle?).  It’s very medicinal and masculine.  This is not an unassuming scent and a little goes a long way.  After this initial rush to the senses, Fougere Bengale becomes almost thick in its form. It gets heavier and turns to a slight syrup; it’s spicy, curried and green and ready to bite.  The drydown is the best part, like many of the Parfum d’Empire perfumes, the oakmoss leaves a light dustiness to the fragrance which is left without the sharp top notes, but still remains exotic and spicy but much calmer thanks to the vanilla and patchouli mixed with the tobacco.  Fougere Bengale is a truly unique fragrance.

Fougere Bengale notes:  lavender, tea, ginger, mint, hay, tobacco, pepper, oakmoss, patchouli, vanilla and tonka bean

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  To me this is not heavy and hot India sweltering in the sun, but instead India after a cool spell where the rain and a good breeze has tamed the land.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE FOUGERE BENGALE:  spicy, exotic, forceful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT FOUGERE BENGALE:  Memory of Scent, The Non-Blonde, Ars Aromatica

BOTTOM LINE:  This is an either you love it or hate it perfume.  I can’t get enough of it, my better half HATES this and doesn’t like for me to be around him when I’m wearing it.  Also, a little goes a long way and I have to be very cognizant of how I apply it.  Parfum d’Empire once again makes it very easy for me to love them with this creation!

  • Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Aromatic Fougere
  • Classification: Masculine
  • Nose:  Marc-Antoine Corticchiato
  • Expense: $75 for 50ml EdP