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April 30, 2012
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LP No:9 for Men by Penhaligon’s

I love the LP No:9 (Love Potion Number 9) name. I like the fragrance. Clean, fresh and spicy is how I would characterize LP No:9. This is the first Penhaligon’s scent that I have tested, and I’m assuming that my thoughts about LP No:9 is how I’ll feel about this line. LP No:9 is complex in its composition, but somehow that complexity doesn’t translate to having a great deal of depth. It’s nice and somewhat old school, but in the end just not that exciting to me. Bottom line: fresh floral and spice, sophisticated and easy to wear.

From the Penhaligon’s website:

HEAD NOTES
Mandarin, Bergamot and Rosewood

HEART NOTES
Jasmine, Orris, Rose, Ylang Ylang, Clove, Cinnamon, Pepper and Nutmeg

BASE NOTES
Vanilla, Patchouli, Musk and Amber

Created in 1999, LP No. 9 for Men casts a spell of powdered darkness with its complex heart of ylang-ylang and spices. The fresh top notes of mandarin, bergamot and rosewood soon give way to the unusual floral and spiced heart. The seductive base notes are led by sweet vanilla and earthy patchouli with whisps of musk and amber creating sensual layers of warmth and mystery.

Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
Scent Type: Oriental – Spicy
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $120 for 100ml EDT

April 15, 2012
by The Scented Hound 9 Comments

L’Etrog by Arquiste

I had high hopes for my first foray into the line of Arquiste perfumes which launched this past year. Unfortunately, L’Etrog does not generate a great deal of enthusiasm in me. This is not a bad fragrance, it’s just a nice fragrance. Upon application, you receive a nice rush of citrus. Like most citrus scents, it’s clean and fresh. The sharpness of the citrus quickly moves to the background and you are what I am assuming is the date fruit that is listed in the notes. This scent is very familiar to me. It doesn’t remind me of anything specific, but that means I can’t really distinguish it from other like-minded scents. Unfortunately, after a couple of hours this really just vanished on me. I am still holding out hope for some of the other Arquiste fragrances as I’m a hopeless optimist.

Notes include: Etrog citron, Calabrese Cedrat, Myrtle, Date Fruit, Vetivert

Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $165 for 55ml EDP

April 14, 2012
by The Scented Hound 2 Comments

Colonia Assoluta In Villa by Acqua di Parma

In Villa has been sitting on my shelf for several years. It’s has remained in the back of my collection for a long time. I thought I should dust off the bottle and give it another chance. There are a couple of things to note about this fragrance:

1. It comes with a bulb atomizer. If my recollection is correct, that was a huge selling point. It seems very glamorous. The reality is that it’s awkward to use.

2. This only comes in 200ml bottles. As a result, I have enough of In Villa to last 2 lifetimes.

OK, past that, what does In Villa smell like? It’s green. When applied, you get hints of citrus, and lots of cypress. The citrus quickly disappears and you just get the cypress. I am confused a bit, because the notes list cedar and to me cedar is more woody than green and as such, I think cypress, not cedar. According to the Acqua Di Parma website, this scent is rounded off with warm spicy notes. These spicy notes help to balance out the green to lessen the sharpness of the scent. In Villa is a very old-fashioned scent. It reminds me of scents from the 1970’s and has hints of barber shops smells. It’s pretty linear, lasts a long time and is a cologne that will not offend. That said, I find it a bit boring. Would I purchase this again (if I didn’t have a 200ml bottle)? Probably not.

In Villa Notes:

Top notes: lemon, bitter orange, bergamot, and cardamom
Middle notes: chilli pepper, jasmine, ylang ylang and rose
Base notes: white musk and cedar