The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: 3 bones


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Madrona by House of Matriarch

MadronaWHAT I SMELL:  Madrona opens with a moist lavender that’s creamy and lightly sugared.  A light leather and birch bring a little bit of sour into the perfume along with a hint of burnt rubber.  The initial feel of the perfume is quite outdoorsy and masculine while at the same time it’s also rather smooth with just the right amount of toughness.  A smoldering woodiness creates the base which makes the fragrance feel strong and steady.  As the perfume develops it begins to soften, while still confident, it adds a dimension of contentment as the lavender becomes more powdered and a woody vetiver begins to take over as a radiant base.  

From the House of Matriarch website:

A fragrance born of the Northwest. Dream-inducing lavender fields mingle with towering cedar trees swaying gently in the misted Pacific breeze. An underlying sense of exploration, imbued through a Vetiver base note, keeps this ancient Northwest spirit youthful and exotic. Madrona, whose bark itself look like it was forged of polished bronze, lends more than just a note to this fragrance — it lays the roots of its name.

Sacagawea_Lewis_ClarkWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  The perfume made for Lewis and Clark…at the journey’s end where the tall trees meet the cool ocean of the Pacific Northwest.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE MADRONA:  secure, aged, solid

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MADRONA:  perfumesilove

BOTTOM LINE:  What started off as rather manly, in the end becomes a real comforting and easy to wear scent.  The perfume is not large in its projection which makes this a perfect fit for an office setting.

  • Bone Rating:  3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Aromatic
  • Nose:  Christi Meshell
  • Classification: Unisex, but leans masculine
  • Expense: $120 for 15 ml parfum


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Ex Nihilo Sweet Morphine

Sweet MorphineWHAT I SMELL:  Sweet Morphine makes good on its promise as being addictive as it opens sweet, soft, gentle and powdery with a feeling of spun cotton candy without the confectionaried sugar.  Lilac is listed as the top note, but I rarely get lilac out of the perfume, but instead a powdered and pretty iris surrounded by fringes of succulent green.  After a few minutes, the light opening (which almost begs for you to apply more on because you believe it’s going to disappear) makes way for a vanilla laced iris and mimosa floral that moves from demure and softly spun to a much rounder and slightly thickened and slightly creamy candied state.  The perfume then assumes a woody based, but resting on top of the wood remains the sweet and lightly peachy and powdered floral that makes this the addictive morphine it’s named after.

From the Ex Nihilo website:

SWEET MORPHINE, the embodiment of a self assumed but ambivalent femininity, at once delicate yet lascivious.

It’s floral bloom melts on the skin with a dark and addictive woody vanilla background.

A subtle bouquet tenderly perverted by a very captivating carnal lightness.

Notes:

Top – Lilac

Heart – Iris

Base – Wood Accord, Vanilla

sexy pink nurseWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A sexy (not slutty) nurse.  I’m ready for my shot of sweet morphine!

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SWEET MORPHINE:  current, uncomplicated, accessible

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SWEET MORPHINE: Colognoisseur, Kafkaesque

BOTTOM LINE: Sweet Morphine has a very modern sensibility and is incredibly delicious for a non-gourmand fragrance.  Every time I wear this perfume it morphs just a little different each time; sometimes it’s a bit sweeter, sometimes it’s more demure, but it is always just the right amount of sexy.

  • Bone Rating:  3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Floral
  • Nose: Nathalie Gracia-Cetto
  • Classification: Leans feminine
  • Expense: $225 for 50 ml eau de parfum


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Sud Magnolia by Atelier Cologne

Atelier-Cologne-Sud-Magnolia-901x1200WHAT I SMELL: Sud Magnolia initially reveals a bitter orange and soured citrus accord that’s ripe, juicy and fresh as well as a berried note that is green from the stem.  Quickly, the perfume becomes warmer, like the citrus opening has been warmed in the sun.  Still juicy, the perfume moves towards the more floral with a soft magnolia making its presence known.  There’s a cottony freshness about the perfume which reminds me of sun laden sheets on a clothesline.  The freshness of the sun, combined with the warm breezes fill the sheets with a warmed comfort.  As the perfume develops, the magnolia blooms, but very subtly.  This magnolia is a real lady, strolling through the hot sun under a parasol shielding herself from the blinding heat and light.  Slow to continue her journey, Sud Magnolia begins to become a tad sweeter and once again feels touched with a dewy freshness.  Eventually, a very subdued woody musk eases in to complete this stroll under the Magnolia tree.

Top notes : bitter orange from Seville, pomelo from Florida, blackcurrant from Burgundy

Heart notes : magnolia from Louisiana, Bulgarian rose absolue, saffron flower from India

Base notes : atlas cedarwood from Morocco, sandalwood from New Caledonia, musk

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WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A stroll through the streets of New Orleans with the springtime Japanese Magnolias in full bloom.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SUD MAGNOLIA:  comforting, fresh, genteel

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SUD MAGNOLIA:  Mostly Sunny, Chemist in the Bottle, Scent of Abricots

BOTTOM LINE:  Sud Magnolia is a nice interpretation of magnolia that is fresh and soft.  My only regret is that it dissipates quickly on my skin to a rather innocuous musk.

  • Bone Rating:  3 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Floral Woody Musk
  • Nose: Jerome Epinette
  • Classification: Leans Feminine
  • Expense: $125 for 3.3 oz. Cologne Absolue