The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.


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Grand Neroli by Atelier Cologne

This has been a summer of citrus.  Perfect for the hot days of summer because of its freshness, I have found a couple of loves in Parfum d’Empire’s Iskander and Azemour les Orangers.   Not all of my citrus encounters have been the same however; Tauer Perfume’s Orange Star bucked that love primarily because the citrus in Orange Star is artificial and not fresh.  The same can’t be said about Grand Neroli.  I’m not sure if it’s love, but it’s a definite like.

WHAT I SMELL:  Pure unadulterated sweet juicy orange.  Nothing artificial, just the juice of a sun-ripened orange.  Lovely.  As time goes on, the orange remains without the sweetness and in comes a bit of green and musk.  Non-complicated in it’s composition, it’s simpler and less sophisticated than Iskander and Azemour les Orangers, but remains a close cousin… maybe their country cousin?  Grand Neroli doesn’t seem to have great longevity, but I’m working off a small sample that I dabbed on and that might make a difference.

Grand Neroli Notes:  Moroccan neroli, lemon, Sicilian bergamot, petitgrain, Persian galbanum, moss, birch leaves, clean musk, white amber, vanilla from Madagascar

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Sunshine and casual Saturday mornings.  What I imagine Florida to smell like when you’re in the middle of a blossoming orange grove.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE GRAND NEROLI:  sweet, fresh, sunny

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT GRAND NEROLI: Scentsate, Olfactoria’s Travels, Now Smell This

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Chypre
  • Nose: Cecile Krakower
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $60 for 30ml Cologne Absolue


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Ciel Man by Amouage

It’s always a good sign when you walk into the office and no sooner than you sit at your desk a co-worker comes over and says to you, “you always smell great, but today, whatever you’re wearing is incredible.”  To me, Ciel is not groundbreaking, but it’s a very well crafted fragrance that is easy to wear and offers incredible quality.  But I just had a feeling that someone was going to compliment me on wearing it.  Maybe I’m psychic?!

WHAT I SMELL: Ciel introduces itself with a refreshing blast of bergamot.  This is a scent that will wake you up if you’re a bit sleepy.  Listed as part of the top notes are rose and lily of the valley.  I’m not getting much rose, but I can sense the lily of the valley behind the bergamot.  As it wears a bit, the frankincense starts to become more prominent.

As I was driving to work, what I noticed about Ciel is that it was almost two scents in one.  From a distance, it smelled incredibly fresh, almost breezy.  But as my arm would get nearer to my nose, that freshness was taken over by the incense which made what seemed to be a simple scent into something that was more mysterious, complex and spicy (and a little sour, but not in a bad way).  It stays in this middle phase for a long time and this is where the fragrance resided when I received my lovely compliment.

In the end the fragrance settles into a nice and comfortable, slightly bitter sandalwood.  For an Amouage scent the longevity is average, but the sillage is good.

From the Amouage website:

This fragrance bursts alive with the freshness of rich floral scents. Like a rain shower on a hot summer’s day it cools and invigorates. Using the intensity of silver frankincense and sensual woods it leaves an inner sense of serenity and softness, reflecting the warmth of the sun.

Top notes: rose, bergamot, lavender, lily of the valley.

Heart notes: peach, jasmine, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange blossom.

Base notes: frankincense, vetiver, patchouli, cedarwood, sandalwood.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A very masculine and powerful almost metallic fragrance that epitomizes strength without being unapproachable.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE CIEL MAN:  modern, traditional, mysterious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT IO CIEL MAN:  Launched in 2003, I didn’t find any bloggers with recent reviews.  Comments can be found on Basenotes and Fragrantica.

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Aromatic Spicy
  • Classification: Masculine
  • Expense: $265 for 100ml EdP


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Io Capri by Carthusia

WHAT I SMELL: Mint, mint and more mint.  Refreshing at first, the mint is sparkling.  The sparkle then diminishes and you are left with more of an herby peppermint.  The scent then moves slowly into a green tea phase where it resides for the remainder.  I’m not really picking up the fig.  Io Capri disappeared on me in less than 2 hours; that’s way too quick.

Io Capri notes:  citric notes, fig, tea

From the Carthusia website:

Dedicated to the goddess in whose honor Tiberius built the most important of the imperial villas on Capri, “I” is a dynamic and decisive melange, sophisticated, modern design that combines ripe and sweet notes of wild fig tree happy and inspiring to those of the tea leaves .

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The mint reminds me of mint flavored dental floss or mint flavored toothpicks.  It’s OK for dental care, but I’m not sure if it’s how I want to smell.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE IO CAPRI:  minty, light, simple

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT IO CAPRI:  Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE:  Poor longevity and sillage make this rather disappointing.  It feels right for summer, but if you’re looking for a good summer fig fragrance, I recommend Fico di Amalfi Blu Mediterraneo by Acqua di Parma.

  • Bone Rating: 2.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent:  Aromatic
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $85 for 50ml EDT (also available in EDP version)