2 bones | The Scented Hound

June 17, 2012
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

The Good, Bad and …Confused?!

THE GOOD:

It was a lovely Father’s Day weekend here in Washington DC. The weather was incredible, just perfect for being outdoors, grilling, etc. It was such a nice weekend that I can tell that you I have found a new love. No, I’m not cheating on my husband. This new love is By Kilian’s Rose Oud. I received some samples of Rose Oud upon my purchase of my other love, Incense Oud. I’m happy to say that I finally had the chance to really wear this beauty. What I love about this fragrance is that it’s understated and tasteful with a beefy richness that I have found few fragrances to have.

Rose Oud goes on boozy and with a blast of saffron and rose. There is almost a plastic and artificial rubbery sensation to the scent at the beginning. That sensation remains there throughout, however, it’s not as prominent as in the beginning and it’s not something that is disagreeable. Rose Oud doesn’t transform much after the initial few minutes. As it stands, the rose remains on top a long with a slight leather that sits below (when I say slight, it’s almost not recognizable). There is something weighty about Rose Oud. It feels substantial. It almost gives you the feeling that you are wearing a garland of large and heavy fragrant roses around your neck. It’s truly intoxicating, luxurious and perfect for a man. Perfect, because there is nothing sweet about this rose. It’s a floral scent without being too floral. I want more and am ready to go full bottle (or at least the refill to decant myself).

Rose Oud Notes:

Turkish rose, oud, saffron, cardamom

Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $395 for 50ml EDP

THE BAD:

I finally made a blind buy that I just can’t stand. I found a bottle of the discontinued Royal Pavillon by Etro on sale for an incredibly low price. After reading the reviews from others and looking at the notes, I thought why not give it a try. Actually the scent itself isn’t that bad, there’s just one note in there that really rubs me the wrong way. I think it may be the jasmine that sits on top and provides me with some nauseum. It is interesting though, as floral as this scent is, there is an underlying ingredient of civet and musk that give this floral a little dirt… but not enough dirt for me. Funny thing is that my husband has taken ownership of this scent and has worn it all weekend. I’m glad that it won’t go to waste!

Royal Pavillon Notes:

jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose, violet and mimose; middle notes are vetyver, sandalwood and oakmoss; base notes are vanille, castoreum and civetta

Bone Rating: 2 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Woody Floral Musk
Classification: Feminine
Expense: Varied from $40 to $100 for 100ml

THE CONFUSED:

The third aspect of this post as you might note, should not be “confused”, but should be “ugly”. Sorry, I don’t have any ugly to report. The confused is that I bought tickets to see Riverdance because I told my husband that I always wanted to see Riverdance and this is the last US performance that will be in town. So last night we go to the show at the lovely Wolftrap outdoor amphitheatre on a beautiful night (where I am feeling exceptionally fantastic in my trail of Rose Oud). One act into the show, my husband turns to me and said, “You know, we saw this same show about 5 years ago with some friends, here at the same venue.” It then clicked in my head. Yes, we had. Am I really getting that old and forgetful?? Tragic. At least I smelled good and the show was phenomenal! If you haven’t seen Riverdance, please go, the dancing and music is incredible!

Happy Father’s Day!

June 14, 2012
by The Scented Hound 4 Comments

Ambre Topkapi by Parfums MDCI

Clean fresh and sparkling are the first adjectives that I would use to describe Ambre Topkapi as it is applied initially. As nice as that sounds, it’s really not all that special or interesting. It’s really hard to pinpoint the notes as there are so many in this composition, but I can detect the citrus notes in the opening and I might detect a little bit of pineapple, but I’m not sure if that’s just power of suggestion in reading the notes!

After that initial blast of freshness (and I’m only talking for a minute), the scent moves into a nice light warm spice. Again, it’s not all that special, just nice. Finally, the scent completes it’s drydown leaving a sweeter, but still light, vanilla powdery amber. Again, nice, but nothing special.

As you can see, my enthusiasm is bare, if at all. So to be fair to Ambre Topkapi maybe the Luckyscent description may give a bit of a more inspired tonality to the scent:

The top notes are the perfumer’s nod to the classic masculine scents: the beginning of Ambre Topkapi is brightened by bergamot, spiced up by ginger and have a cool, herbal undertone of basil, thyme and lavender. The heart notes, with their combination of luxurious leather and soft, sweet sandalwood, add depth, warmth and what we can only described as a very “expensive” feel to the blend. In the base, vanilla and amber ornament the scent beautifully, bringing to it a wonderfully exotic feel, making it evocative of faraway lands, luxurious palaces, and Eastern splendor.

I found the longevity on Ambre Topkapi rather weak as is the sillage. The coolest thing about this fragrance is the fact that you can get it with the beautiful classical bust for the bottle. However, at an additional $150 is it really worth it? For the cost associated with this fragrance, I expect a lot more. I want to feel inspired to write something from an excited voice, not a forced hand!

Ambre Topkapi Notes:

Bergamot, grapefruit, pineapple, melon, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg ginger, basil, thyme, lavender, oak moss, vetiver, sandalwood, rosewood, leather, Darjeeling tea, amber, musk, vanilla, jasmine and violet

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Woody Spicy
Classification: Masculine
Expense: $250 for 60ml EDP with bust, $375 with bust

May 29, 2012
by The Scented Hound 5 Comments

The Library Collection – Opus VI by Amouage

I really hate it when fragrances don’t mix well with your body chemistry. Well, that’s what I am assuming since I have read some really lovely reviews of Opus VI. On me, well, lovely has a sour side. I have sampled this fragrance a couple of times and each time the same thing happens.

The promise of Opus VI’s opening is one of a beautiful invitation. It goes on warm, but light. There’s a rich buttery note that sits at the top. So pretty and inviting. I love ambers and they typically love me.

Well, after the first 2 minutes of that lovely opening, the dark side of this scent comes out. Metal. A metal component that is sharp and sour soon takes over. It’s still warm however and a mellow wood accentuates the base. But I still can’t get past that metallic edge. Nasomatto’s Pardon did the same thing on me. However, the Opus VI metallics aren’t nearly as strong as Pardon’s were. I was looking at both sets of ingredients to see if there was something similar that could be making this happen. The only ingredient I found the same was sandalwood which normally would not create such a sensation on me. The mystery continues.

I really can’t say anything more. Once the metal smell takes over I can’t get past the other elements of the fragrance. This really makes me sad, considering yesterday I was in love with my Parfum d’Empire scents.

Opus VI Notes:

Sichuan Pepper, Frankincense, St Thomas Bay, Periploca, Cypriol, Patchouli, Ambranum, Z11, Sandalwood, Cistus.