3 bones | The Scented Hound

July 3, 2014
by The Scented Hound 14 Comments

New Release: Arquiste L’Etrog Acqua

WHAT I SMELL: L’Etrog Acqua opens with a fresh dewy lemon on top of a light cedar. It’s a relaxed and happy smell and rather dreamy and It radiates lightly off the skin. The fragrance soon moves into this semi sweet cedar with a light lavender, but it really is hard to distinguish notes as they blend so nicely. After around the 15 minute mark, the labdanum comes in to lower the tone of the fragrance making it warmer and more grounded. After a while more, the fragrance starts to dry out, becoming more woody, but thankfully still retaining this slightly sweetened tinge which gives it just an extra something special. L’Etrog Acqua does not project a great deal, but it’s one of those fragrances that when someone gets close in to you they’ll let you know that you smell incredible.

From the Arquiste website:

Early Morning, October 1175, Calabria, Italy. The cool night air dissipates under the sun’s first rays. The ripe citrus in the field has absorbed all the water of the morning dew and the farmers are ready to work on the misty green fields, speckled by the bright yellow of the citron. They leave their woody cabin and take a deep breath…

Notes include: Myrtle leaf, Calabrese Cedrat, Sicilian Lemon, Italian Mandarin, Petitgrain Citronnier, Bergamot, Mediterranean Lavender, Labdanum, Cedar wood, Vetiver.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Flirtation. There is a subtle sexiness about it.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE L’ETROG ACQUA: easy, gentle, comfortable

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT L’ETROG ACQUA: CaFleureBon, Chemist in a Bottle, Colognoisseur

BOTTOM LINE: L’Etrog Acqua is a nicely done and easy to wear fragrance that is perfect for when you’re in the mood for a no fuss, no muss, easy to wear perfume. I do like it better than the original L’Etrog which I found to be a rather undistinguishable citrus scent. This has the citrus, but it also has just a bit of something extra to make it a cut above the original.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Citrus Aromatic
Nose: Rodrigo Flores-Roux
Classification: Unisex, but to me leans more masculine
Expense: $190 for 100ml EdP

June 5, 2014
by The Scented Hound 22 Comments

Songes by Annick Goutal

Do you have any of those fragrances that seem to call your name like a siren song? For me it was Songes…as much as I tried to stay away I just couldn’t! So let’s see if the song matches the lure…

WHAT I SMELL: Songes opens medicinal and deeply antiseptic only to quickly move to this indolic jasmine that smells rather like sweet bubblegum without being too sugary. The fragrance is big and wrapped in a waxy shell. In just a few minutes, the scent just blasts off the skin like a floral explosion. At this point it weaves a spell on you like a big floral feminine venus fly trap that overtakes you like an unsuspecting victim. The lush and heavy fragrance is almost too much to take so I caution that when spraying it on use sparingly! In addition to the bubblegum, there’s just a hint of spice which controls the sweet without overtaking it. After around the 30 minute mark Songes become more creamy rather than waxy and the Frangipani takes over to the forefront. Frangipani is not one of my favorite flowers, but the Tiare helps to compliment the Frangipani to give Songes a tropical feel. This is phase two and there is nothing subtle about the transition; Songes becomes full on South Seas. As more time passes, the fragrance becomes a bit deeper and when smelled it coats the back of your throat with its thickness. After about an hour or so, Songes moves into its third phase and retreats down to a dry and woody shell covered in with a light Frangipani. And after a few hours, Songes plays peek-a-boo as it sometimes seems to disappear, only to reveal itself again.

From the Annick Goutal website:

Olfactory Family :Intense Floral (Spicy) – (Frangipani flower, Tiare flower, Sambac Jasmine absolute, Ylang-Ylang absolute, Benjoin, Bourbon Vanilla absolute, Patchouli, Spices – Cinnamon, Cumin, Black Pepper)

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Like a tropical breeze brushing up against the white flowers releasing their intoxicating beauty beneath the full moon.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SONGES: beastly, beauty, big

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SONGES: I Smell Therefore I Am, Confessions of a Perfume Nerd, Olfactoria’s Travels

BOTTOM LINE: Wow, what a ride. Big, bold and like a slap across the face with a floral assault only to be left with this woody like shell of its former self. In other words, the siren song that had been calling me, entrapped me with false beauty. I kind of like it, I kind of don’t. It’s kind of big, it’s kind of not. In other words, Songes can keep calling, I just don’t know if I’ll answer again.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Isabelle Doyen
Classification: Feminine
Expense: Review based on Eau de Parfum. Approximately $165 for 50ml.

May 19, 2014
by The Scented Hound Leave a comment

Pasha de Cartier Edition Noire

WHAT I SMELL: Pasha de Cartier Edition Noire opens with citrus and mint that’s clean and cool. The fragrance then moves quickly towards a slightly honeyed woody cedar. Additionally, there seems to be an almost hidden chocolate accord buried in the mix, like a semi-sweet bakers chocolate. After around five minutes the fragrance begins to sweeten and sparkle. After another five minutes the cedar really takes over, but it’s highlighted with a layered of sprinkled brown sugar and tobacco that makes the fragrance pop. Add some patchouli in and in the end you’re left with a lightly woody patchoulied fragrance with hints of chocolate.

From the Cartier website:

Wearing Pasha de Cartier means sporting a fragrance that has a cool elegance and the power of seduction. Cartier has created a new edition of the legendary Pasha de Cartier fragrance. The subtlety of this fragrance comes from the hint of green and fresh citrus, which perfectly balances the woody amber and cedarwood notes.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Like this cedar stencil on a pantone card.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE PASHA DE CARTIER EDITION NOIRE: woody, OK, semi-sweet

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PASHA DE CARTIER EDITION NOIRE: I couldn’t find any.

BOTTOM LINE: An OK Pasha de Cartier flanker, but nothing that sets the world on fire. But sometimes you don’t want to set the world on fire. Funny though, with “noire” in the name, I was expecting something darker or more elegant for evening wear.

Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Woody Aromatic
Classification: Masculine
Expense: $105 for 100ml EdT