The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.


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Régime des Fleurs – Tears

WHAT I SMELL:  Tears opens with pink pepper and warmed orris and a light buzzing neroli and olibanum.  It feels like it’s wrapped up in a opaque greenish gauze that seems to wrap around ones self as a whole.  As the perfume continues to develop, the lightest of lilac appears within the gauze and it’s encompassed within the faintest of incense.  So in other words, the perfume is layered with the flowers in the center, followed by the gauze and then surrounded by the incense.  And to me, it’s heavenly.  After a bit more, what smells to me like sandalwood (though not listed within the official notes) begins to rest under the layers.   As such, it brings perfume to the ground and provides a beautiful aura of earthiness.  After quite some time, the lilac and rose break out and the perfume begins to powder and become lightly sweet.  This was unexpected as the perfume was really beginning to settle down.  But the breakout of the florals is pure joy.  After some more time, Tears once again settles quietly, but the florals remain as the centerpiece of this rather ethereal perfume.

From the Régime des Fleurs website:

Beauty moves the soul to tears

Lilacs, orris, olibanum, frankincense, fleur d’oranger, green cognac oil, rosewater, pink pepper, mandarin oil, ambergris

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Content kitty.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE TEARS:  soft, delightful, harmonious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT TEARS:  No written reviews found.

BOTTOM LINE:  Tears is a beautiful perfume that quietly wraps the wearer in a forcefield of comfort.  It’s a perfume that is for the wearer as it doesn’t project, but instead leaves a whisper of a trail behind it.  If I have one complaint, it’s that it disappears a little too quickly.  But that’s ok since it leaves a wonderful and lasting impression.

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Floral Woody Musk
  • Nose:  Mathieu Nardin
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $225 for 75ml eau de parfum


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Vilhelm Parfumerie – London Funk

WHAT I SMELL:  London Funk opens with a fresh basil and bergamot with an interesting cardamom note that quickly slides right in.  It’s fresh and inviting and really full of life.  Soon, the perfume begins to warm and it feels like it’s beginning to sugar, like a concentrated sugar reduction as it’s not sweet, but rather vibrant and somewhat thick.  And a short while after, a little bit of the “funk” begins to roll in.  It’s just a slight undercurrent of something that I can’t distinguish that seems to be simmering under a woody note.  It’s not unpleasant, but it’s almost as if you smell a little something off under the outside decking of a local pub. By this time the initial top notes have made their way out of the door a woody vetiver has entered becoming the main attraction.  London Funk at this point really projects with hints of leather and herb (cannabis?) which seems to grow as I write.  But the perfume never gets too funky and instead rides this high impact and slightly bitter woody mix that seems very familiar without being able to exactly put your finger on it.  Overall, London Funk is a very tenacious perfume that keeps on giving for a very long time.

From the Vilhelm Parfumerie website:

The slap of a wood bat on a leather ball, followed by intense giggling and the sound of fabric rustling. It’s five o’clock at Biba in London and Jim Morrison is leading a young Debbie Harry astray with a Long Island Iced tea, and a game of cricket in the stock room. Can you smell all the possibilities that curled into a trippy London afternoon in the Seventies? They certainly could.

Top notes: Juniper, Basil, Cardamom, Bergamot.
Heart notes: Blackcurrant Bud, Driftwood.
Base notes: Vetiver, Yerba Maté, Cedarwood, Amber Gris, Sandalwood.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Like the back deck of the Atlanta Eagle bar.  A mix of wood, leather, beer, smoke, plastic, sweat, cologne and lots of other bar related smells.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE LONDON FUNK:  bold, vibrant, familiar (but how, I’m not sure)

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LONDON FUNK:  No written reviews found.

BOTTOM LINE:  London Funk is more funky than funk.  In reading what I have written about “What I Smell” my descriptors are pretty obtuse.  But that’s because I find that London Funk is a perfume that’s hard to describe or categorize.  What it is however, is a perfume that is not for everyday use and I wouldn’t recommend it for the office.  It’s not that it’s not a pleasurable perfume, but as it has a large personality and I’m not sure one’s coworkers would appreciate it.  But as for a night on the town at your favorite club…absolutely!

  • Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Woody Aromatic
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: Starting at $90 for 20 ml eau de parfum


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Ricardo Ramos – SacroMonte

WHAT I SMELL:  SacroMonte opens brightly with sunny grass tinged with basil.  It’s very comforting in a familiar way; its as if you just finished mowing your lawn when your yard smells so green, clean, fresh and tailored.  Soon, a very light note of fig leaf helps to lift the perfume from the ground up towards the sky.   And shortly after, a soapy jasmine enters where it sits nicely above the grass along with a light spice.  The perfume at this point begins to dry and the grass moves more towards a hay that has been sitting in the sun.  But as soon as I say that the perfume turns more towards the green, but this time with the help of lily of the valley.  SacroMonte is really beautiful at this juncture.  I find it to be incredibly approachable and interestingly pretty in a very unisex way.  In the end, SacroMonte settles into a sweetened ambered musk which is lovely, but not nearly as interesting as the perfume was along the journey.  Nonetheless, SacroMonte is an easy to love perfume.

Notes from the Ricardo Ramos website:

Legend has it that the treasures of the expelled Nasrid nobility were hidden in the mountains where today is the idyllic and picturesque Granada’s neighborhood. SacroMonte is a vital fragrance which transports us to a natural environment with a dry and fruity effect of freshness.

Top notes: Freshly cut grass, fig leaf, basil; Heart notes: Lily of the valley, jasmine, plum, fig; Background: White musk, dry amber, hay.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Sunshine summertime.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SACROMONTE:  comforting, familiar, subtle

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SACROMONTE:  Notetaking

BOTTOM LINE:  SacroMonte is a perfume that can be worn anytime without having to give it any thought.  No matter the occasion, it will make you feel fresh and clean.  Groundbreaking no; but delightful all the same.

  • Bone Rating:  3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Aromatic Fruity
  • Nose:  Jorge Lee
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: 125 Euros for 50 ml eau de parfum