3 bones | The Scented Hound

December 2, 2015
by The Scented Hound 3 Comments

Beaufort London East India

WHAT I SMELL: East India opens with a rush of cardamom and sharp black pepper which is quickly met with a moistened burnt wood, like a campfire that has just been extinguished by water. The perfume feels as if it has been aged in an oak cask like a fine liquor waiting to be released only until the peak of perfection. And soon enough, that characteristic is met with a combination of light dry whiskey mixed with a very organic tobacco. There’s nothing sweet about the perfume, but a light leather and oak stained tobacco give a slight impression that there is a semi-sweetness lurking in the recesses of the cask. As the perfume develops, it starts to dry out and the burnt birch really takes hold in addition to a slightly soured oud that wafts in on top of this increasingly large plume of smoke. Thankfully, the smokiness begins to recede and mellow to more of a burnt hue. In the end, East India mellows to a very comforting dry and slightly mysterious smoky wood.

East India Notes:

Cardamom, Black Pepper, Tea Leaf, Whisky, Incense, Opium, Tobacco, Birch, Oud

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A trading ship full of the never before seen exotic and magical spices, liquors and tobaccos from the Far East.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE EAST INDIA: masculine, adventurous, smoke-swept

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT EAST INDIA: The Black Narcissus, Fashion for Lunch, The Grooming Guide

BOTTOM LINE: One of three perfumes in the “Come Hell or High Water” collection, East India captures the majesty and mystery of the high seas and the adventure that came with exploring the Far East. The perfume goes on strong, but then mellows to a smoky haze. But because of the smokiness, it’s probably not best suited for the office. However, after hours, it would work well for making some of your own swashbuckling adventures.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Woody Oriental
Classification: Leans masculine
Expense: $140 for 50ml Eau de Parfum. Available at Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary.

October 28, 2015
by The Scented Hound 11 Comments

Palo Santo by Carner Barcelona

WHAT I SMELL: Palo Santo opens with a milky coconut, boozy rum accord. It’s sugared without being sweet, but it crackles with a wonderful gourmand and slightly earthy goodness. The sugared aspect begins to retreat as the perfume starts to become a bit more woody. Add on top of that a light burnt hue as if the woods and rum have attracted a lit fire which singed the sweetened wood. The guaiac wood starts to become prominent as it begins to dominate the perfume. Thankfully, the guaiac is tempered quickly by the addition of a woody vetiver which helps to bring the perfume into a more sharpened tonality. After around 30 minutes or so, the perfume begins to blend with hints of incense and tonka bean sitting on top of a woody base that is full of cream. Palo Santo is at first rather big, bold and in charge, but with a rather sweet demeanor. In the end, all those elements are still there, but they settle down to more of a whisper.

From the Carner Barcelona website:

A ‘’sacred wood’’ steeped in magic and mysticism for thousands of years, releases an enchanting aromatic essence that swirls to life in a spellbinding blend that infuses earthy hints of wood and incense.

Coveted by shamans for centuries, it is believed that this spiritual wood has the power to protect and usher in good fortune. A faint misting will cleanse the mood and raise spirits, invoking the true purifying virtues of Palo Santo

top notes: Indian Davana, Rum Accord

mid notes: Warm Milk, Paraguayan Guaiacum Wood, Venezuelan Tonka Bean

base notes: Moroccan Cedar Wood, Vetyver from Haiti, Dominican Republican Amyris

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Don’t ask me why, but for some reason this brings to mind a very happy and content brown bear.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE PALO SANTO: milky, calming, peaceful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PALO SANTO: Chemist in the Bottle, Colognoisseur, Kafkaesque

BOTTOM LINE: Palo Santo is smooth and creamy and full of guaiac wood which unfortunately never seems to work on my skin. However, if you do like guaiac wood…this might just be a good fit as it softens to a nice woody glow in the end.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Woody
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $130 for 50 ml eau de parfum. Available at Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary.

September 30, 2015
by The Scented Hound 12 Comments

New Release: Elephant & Roses by Maria Candida Gentile

WHAT I SMELL: Elephant & Roses opens softly with a wonderfully herbal thyme that is sweetened so slightly with osmanthus. The perfume is light, soft and reassuring and unique in that it doesn’t start off with an oft seen bergamot or citrus blast. After a few minutes, a warmth from the amber develops and it helps to push-off the herbal and floral notes, lifting them up from the ground and sending them flying towards the sky. The rose begins to come towards the center, but it’s a lightly earthy rose that is anything but sweet and it’s very tender in its existence. As tender as the perfume is, an anamalic note begins to appear to give the perfume some wonderful depth and a bit more of an exotic feel…which was already exotic from the beginning. A vetiver and musk note brings the perfume to a more linear base, but helps to keep the perfume, soft, comforting and lightly radiant.

From the Maria Candida Gentile website:

A late afternoon, sitting at my desk, exercising to recreate an elephant smell, while writing my perfume formulae I had a kind of a vision, which merged the elephant’s image, its smell and a large field of roses, of an intense colour, almost fuchsia. Within this vision the elephants were running and, trampling on the roses, were dispersing a scent of flowers, mixed together with the strong smell of their bodies. Slowly – while I was weighing and smelling my formula – after trying it on my skin I realised that it was mine. I used the Turkish rose: this fragrance is derived from the blending of two different formulae, using the so called “dans le tiroir” method, by which I merged animal notes with skin and floral ones.

Name’s origin : The elephant comes from a remembrance of Indian and African colonies, and the rose is the British rose. An encounter between an elephant and the roses has got some British sense of humour. There is an assonance with London district Elephant & Castle.

Top notes: Thyme, Custus, Osmanthus

Heart notes: Rose, Jasmine, Grey Amber

Base notes: Java vetiver, Sandal wood, Animal accord

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: I can’t argue with the perfume’s name and inspiration, it makes for a lovely visual.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ELEPHANT & ROSES: comforting, herbal-infused, personal

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ELEPHANT & ROSES: Colognoisseur

BOTTOM LINE: I am a big fan of Maria Candida Gentile perfumes. They are all distinctively hers and this perfume is no exception. Elephant & Roses is less of a “rose” perfume than and herbal floral arrangement and would be a good rose perfume for those who don’t want to smell like a fragrant bouquet of sweet roses.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Aromatic
Nose: Maria Candida Gentile
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $185 for 100 ml or $45 for 15 ml eau de parfum

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary