3 bones | The Scented Hound

April 11, 2016
by The Scented Hound 17 Comments

Still Life in Rio by Olfactive Studio

WHAT I SMELL: Still Life in Rio opens up like a basket of minty, citrus freshness. It’s delightful and feels incredibly bountiful. Quickly, the fresh moves to a more tropical with a creamy and buttery coconut taking over as if swathed with a butter knife over the perfume. The perfume is thickened without being heavy and it feels like it has been baked by the hot sun which pulls out a rather sweaty and salty element. At this point, the perfume is very subtle and unobtrusive and without a great deal of projection, so it feels as if it’s part of the sweat of your body. Slow to develop, after some time, a light rum note is added to the tropical coconut. The perfume then gracefully completes its journey very quietly, as if the tropical salty sweat of the day is like a lingering memory of the perfect day in Rio.

From the Olfactive Studio website:

Exotic and luminous, Still Life in Rio is a new and unique scent that opens with yuzu, ginger, mint and lemon essence. It blossoms and heats up with a blend of peppers, Jamaican hot peppers and coconut water, finishing with rum and Brazilian Copaiba essences.

TOP NOTES: Yuzu, ginger, mint, lemon, mandarin

HEART NOTES: Jamaican hot peppers, pink pepper, black pepper, coconut water

BASE NOTES: Rum, Brazilian Copaiba, Accord of White Leather

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The concept behind the brand:

“OLFACTIVE STUDIO IS AN ENCOUNTER BETWEEN CONTEMPORARY ARTISTIC PHOTOGRAPHY AND PERFUMERY; BETWEEN THE EYE AND THE NOSE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME EVER THAT PERFUMERS HAVE TEAMED UP WITH PHOTOGRAPHERS TO DRAW INSPIRATION FROM THEIR OEUVRES. THEY SENSE THE IMAGES TO CAPTURE THEIR ESSENCE.”

This is an inspiration that I can feel akin to as my reviews always accommodate my association with a visual. I’m not going to mess with adding any additional visual to the perfume, so I’ll stick with the actual inspiration, the photograph Still Life in Rio by Flávio Veloso.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE STILL LIFE IN RIO: calming, tropical, easy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT STILL LIFE IN RIO: Chemist in the Bottle, CaFleureBon, Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE: There’s something about the perfume that is just so incredibly easy. When you wear it, you don’t feel like there’s a need to rush or be in a hurry. The visual inspiration is stunning and you can just imagine how wonderful looking over this city in all it’s beauty could be on a hot, humid and steamy morning.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Aromatic
Nose: Dora Baghriche
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $195 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary. Opinion my own.

March 28, 2016
by The Scented Hound 12 Comments

Annick Goutal Gardenia Passion

WHAT I SMELL: Gardenia Passion’s initial opening begins with a waxy smooth tuberose that’s tinged with pink pepper. A wonderful green lifts the bouquet from below as the floral seem to sparkle with sunshine. In a little, a light touch of earthen jasmine brings the floral to a more grounded level. So where’s the gardenia? As it further develops, a rubbery and creamy consistency comes in and give the feeling of a gardenia bloom. At the same time the green turns to more of a vegetal tomato vine. Does it smell like true gardenia? No, instead the perfume takes on a more muted tuberose, but at times it does waft towards the gardenia. The perfume overall has a light to medium touch which makes this perfect for the spring or summer months as it will not overwhelm or suffocate.

From the Annick Goutal website:

Annick Goutal’s captivating tribute to freshly-picked gardenia. A troubling reinterpretation, nuanced with the accord of mesmerizing tuberose and seductive jasmine.

Spring has sprung!

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: There is nothing frivolous about Gardenia Passion; but the perfume, combined with the ensuing warm weather has me all excited about the burgeoning Spring!

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE GARDENIA PASSION: comforting, classical, lady-like

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT GARDENIA PASSION: The Non-Blonde, Perfume Shrine, Perfume-Smellin Things

BOTTOM LINE: Gardenia Passion is an easy wear that is beautiful, charming and while lady-like is not stuffy or too proper and could be worn anywhere and at anytime.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Feminine
Expense: Varies. Review based on the Eau de Toilette version.

March 21, 2016
by The Scented Hound 6 Comments

New Release: Commes des Garcons Dot

WHAT I SMELL: Dot opens with a juicy, fruity and tangy orange that’s fresh, but quickly moves toward a flattened and slightly bitter orange. The perfume feels voluminous in so that when you take a breath of it in, it fills your lungs with an expanse of air and there’s a layer of musk that seems to be painted on to a soft osmanthus. To me, Dot feels incredibly manufactured as there is nothing remotely natural about the perfume. But that’s not a bad thing because the perfume has this otherworldly freshness about it. The soft florals have a slight vegetal tinge rather similar to a carrot leaf. As the perfume develops, the fragrance doesn’t morph all that much, but it does seem to grow in projection. In the end, Dot is all about the osmanthus. It’s soft and lightly fruited, but here it’s topped off with a little powder that feels like it’s sitting on a warmed cotton ball.