The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: 2 bones


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Billet Doux by Fragonard

It may be a surprise to my readers, but not a surprise to those around me, that I can be a bit obsessive compulsive.  So in my last posting I started obsessing about Billet Doux by Fragonard.  However, I wasn’t obsessing about the fragrance itself, I was obsessing about the bottle in came in.  No longer able to control my obsession, I headed back to Old Town Alexandria and Patricks to see if the perfume itself (only tested on paper thus far) was worth buying the bottle.

WHAT I SMELL:  Immediately upon application you smell alcohol.  I haven’t put on a fragrance in a long time that smelled so strong of astringent.  But thankfully that disappeared rather quickly and out came a lightly spicy floral…hard to distinguish initially.  It then morphed a bit more and out came a warm and inviting carnation.  Very comforting and genteel.  Unfortunately, the base came out way to quickly and Billet Doux became a very sweet and long-lasting, strong carnation scent.  Carnation and more carnation with a hint of sweet vanilla with no warmth remaining.   I am not digging this fragrance at all.  In fact, even the bottle lost is luster with the dislike of this perfume.  To me, this requires scrubbing.

From the Fragonard website:

Re-created from a historic Fragonard Perfume, Billet doux, pays homage to the most beautiful flowers of the French Riviera: Sweet William carnation, peony and frangipani blended with bergamot, lemon and mandarin on a background of cedar and vanilla.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  What I envision is what a proper, yet simple Victorian young lady would smell like.  Not too adventurous and designed not to offend.  You should know that Billet Doux means “love letters” in French which to me conjures up pictures of a pressed carnation in a letter to a beau.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE BILLET DOUX: sweet, unsophisticated, simple

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BILLET DOUX: The Scented Salamander, Olfactory Obsessed, The Smelly Kitty

BOTTOM LINE:  Obviously I passed on a purchase and I realize that I am not the target market for this fragrance.  However, if I smelled this on a woman, I would not be praising her for fragrance choice.

  • Bone Rating: 2 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Floral
  • Classification: Feminine
  • Expense: Approximately $70 for 50ml 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)


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Orange Star by Tauer Perfumes

WHAT I SMELL:  Orange Star goes on sharp.  It’s orange, but not a juicy kind of succulent orange, but more of an orange that was dunked in floor cleaner or some other kind of petroleum product.  I can’t say that it’s sweet, nor can I say that it’s sour.  It’s just very artificial.  Some of the sharpness disappears in the dry down but then the patchouli comes out.  I never was a fan of patchouli oil, but have found that in the right compositions it can really be lovely.  In this case, it’s very “hippy” patchouli.  This is a strong scent with a mind of its own.  I see this as a scent that would be favored by girls aged 15 to 20.

Orange Star Notes:  clementine, red mandarine, lemongrass essential oil, orange flower, violet flower, ambergris, vanilla, patchouli, ambreine

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: For some odd reason this to me smells like 1970. There is a real artificiality about Orange Star. And for those of who can remember 1970, our environment was made up of Naugahyde couches, mounds of Tupperware and just a ton of things made out of plastic.  It was not an era for natural products.  Orange Star reminds of old beauty parlors and old grocery stores where clerks actually rung up items that had price stickers on them.  I have to say that I have not experienced a scent that sends me back to another time like this one does.  Now, I have good memories from childhood and those images cited above aren’t bad things, but they’re not something that I want to smell like.  Not in the least.

The Brady Bunch House

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ORANGE STAR:  artificial, manufactured, thick

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ORANGE STAR: The following are some other reviews on Orange Star:  The Candy Perfume Boy, London Makeup Girl, Now Smell This

  • Bone Rating: 2 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Oriental Floral
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $135 for 50ml EDP