2 bones | The Scented Hound

June 11, 2015
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum

WHAT I SMELL: Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum opens up light and sweet with an oh so pretty bergamot that’s sparkling and fizzy. The jasmine is lively and full of energy and it has an incredibly happy disposition. The projection of this delightful perfume is big and rather candied. But there’s a slight spice that keeps the candied aspects from going full-blown lollipop. There’s not a lot of morphing with the perfume, but the addition of patchouli brings another sweet tincture to the scent and the fragrance begins to become a bit more woody and it starts to flatten. There’s a high level of radiant projection here, but the patchouli begins to completely take over with a brush of musk. The perfume begins to dry with an oak moss powder, but the one spritz I applied begins to overpower. What started off a lovely, is now turning into a shouting superpower that’s too sweet, too artificial and too in your face. In the end, it does quiet down, but what promise there was in the beginning just makes me feel a bit tired. What else is there to say?!

From the Bottega Veneta website:

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A overpefumed cotton ball.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE BOTTEGA VENETA EAU DE PARFUM: overt, sweetened, billowing

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BOTTEGA VENETA EAU DE PARFUM: Now Smell This, The Candy Perfume Boy, Olfactoria’s Travels

BOTTOM LINE: Boy, my nose missed the boat on this perfume. If you read the other reviews, there was a much more positive experience had by most. And the suede or leather aspects? I got nothing of the sort and I wore this several times to see if it was just the heat, humidity, my skin at the time, etc. I guess all perfumes are not equal when it comes to the wearer….especially in this case. But I have to say, it does come in a lovely bottle!

Bone Rating: 2 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Chypre Floral
Nose: Michel Almairic
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $115 for 50 ml Eau de Parfum

April 15, 2015
by The Scented Hound 9 Comments

Balenciaga Paris

WHAT I SMELL: Balenciaga Paris opens quite sweet and soft then quickly it becomes sour, like bitter apple, which then dissipates to reveal a buttery and creamy green note. The fragrance is rather discordant to me because one part smells like something I should like, a rather fresh element. But at the same time, there’s a dirty feet smell that is radiating above it. Wierd. After five minutes, the perfume becomes dryer and more woody and the dirty feet smell is lessened. I am not getting any violet from the perfume at all, just wood and an uninteresting wood at that. OK, maybe if I stick my nose right up against my wrist there’s a faint hint of violet? After 15 minutes, the perfume perks up a bit with a sugared patchouli that comes to the surface. The fragrance then becomes significantly drier and muted. Again, I’m missing any violet, but am left a woody and slightly musky pleasant, but unremarkable fragrance, that at the end creates some pretty impressive projection.

From the Balenciaga website:

A Chypre Violet with the green, fresh signature of the flower and its leaves, blended into a precious harmony of fresh woods.

My apologies to the gentleman in the picture, but there’s something not quite right about his outfit.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: “It’s just not quite right”, well, at least the opening wasn’t.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE BALENCIAGA PARIS: discordant, pleasant, middle of the road

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BALENCIAGA PARIS: Now Smell This, Bois de Jasmin, Muse in Wooden Shoes

BOTTOM LINE: Maybe it’s my allergies, or maybe it’s just my skin, but the opening on this perfume was just not right. If you read the other reviews, they generally thought the opening was delightful. Oh well. In the end, Balenciaga Paris is a nice enough perfume, but it’s nothing that is out of the ordinary or all that special.

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Chypre Floral
Nose: Olivier Polge
Classification: Feminine? I would say more unisex.
Expense: Varies, around $50 for 1 oz. Eau de Parfum

March 25, 2015
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

Etat Libre d’Orange Cologne

WHAT I SMELL: Cologne opens with a clean crisp warmed bergamot and blood orange. It’s tangy and sparkling without being overly juiced. An orange blossom soon joins the mix of this nice and easy composition. Not too sweet and not too sour, the perfume maintains this perfect balance of carefree wear. After around 10 minutes a musk comes into play. It’s not too clean and it brings in some added dimension. However, it does make the fragrance seem more like Febreeze than a perfume. After another 5 minutes, a sugared element comes forth making the orange blossom more prevalent and it helps to dissipate the musk. And then a bit later, the jasmine comes in to give the cologne a really nice boost of fresh florals. In the end, Cologne stays in this easy to wear mode that works at being fresh, without being too fresh.

Composition: Blood orange, orange blossom, bergamot, jasmine, musk, leather…

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Welcome to L.A. The ease of sun and casual living with a hint of a wicked underbelly.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE COLOGNE: easy, wearable, one-off

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT COLOGNE: CaFleureBon, Colognoisseur, Perfume-Smellin’ Things

BOTTOM LINE: I like Cologne but I don’t like it. How’s that? I like it because it takes the standard citrus perfume and make it a little bit dirty. Unfortunately, the musk gets in the way; and it seems to be random. At times, the musk isn’t present, then all of a sudden it comes charging through. Take away the musk and you have a winner.

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Woody Spicy
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $149 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum