WHAT I SMELL: Patchouli’s opening is warm, with musty and thickened earthy patchouli that increasingly radiates off of the skin at every breath you take in. There’s also a medicinal quality that is a cross between herbaceous and mentholated. In a short time, Patchouli becomes woody, rather dry and it feels like the perfume was dug out from the bottom of a forest. This is not a pretty patchouli, nor one of sweet youth, but a patchouli that reins from ancient times and one that has been fermenting in a cask until ready to be released after years of careful curation. As the perfume develops in slow, deliberate and small nuances, it quietly settles in a woody, musky and dried, yet creamy crush of patchouli. Patchouli would be perfect for those cool and rainy contemplative days when you don’t want to be troubled by current events.
From the Santa Maria Novella website:
The Patchouli perfume from the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica of Santa Maria Novella is a bouquet of oriental woody notes, which evoke the homonymous plant’s homeland: Malaysia and India. In the regions of origin, the unmistakable smell of patchouli pervades public and domestic environments, as traditional medicine believes that it acts on the physical balance and has a positive effect on the psyche.
Olfactory Notes: Woody notes
Top: floral note
Heart: rosewood
Base: patchouli, sandalwood, oak moss
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: An abandoned Italian villa with remnants of ancient memories still lingering in the air.
THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE PATCHOULI: ancient, earthy, serious
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PATCHOULI: Take One Thing Off, Perfume Smellin’ Things
BOTTOM LINE: Patchouli is beautiful without being loud, funky or sweet in any way. Although not an everyday perfume, it’s one that you’ll go back to again and again when the mood is just right. For those of you who love patchouli, this is one for your collection.
- Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Oriental Woody
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: $125 for 100 ml eau de cologne
WHAT I SMELL: Scandal Pour Homme Parfum Cologne isn’t quite scandalous as it opens, but it is rather uplifting with zesty bergamot, lemon and lavender with a perfect touch of spearmint. Instead of being infused with juice, the perfume enters with a dryness that reminds me of an application of talc. From first spritz, Scandal is a refined masculine scent and its herbal sweetness is incredibly magnetic. As the perfume continues to develop, the dryness begins to lessen in order to allow for the most delicate of florals to begin to grace the skin. Here, the mix of florals, with a quiet violet and rose being most prominent, make the perfume a bit brighter and more lighthearted. Continuing on its journey, a woody vetiver rises to take its place at the heart of the perfume. After some time, the perfume warms with a wonderful tonka bean and becomes ever so lightly sweet and sour. Scandal is a traditional fougère with just the right amount of “twist.”
WHAT I SMELL: PARIS-DEAUVILLE greets the skin with a sun-kissed fresh orange that’s bright, light and juicy. Rather quickly, the perfume warms to a delightful sunny white floral and a calming freshly cut basil. The perfume is so fresh, so bright and so happy that it’s an immediate mood lifter. The perfume doesn’t morph all that much, but it does warm and it radiates this incredible citrus green accord rounded off by a a softened jasmine and rose mix that bounces off of the skin. In the end, PARIS-DEAUVILLE becomes a muted and slightly soapy version of the opening…a beautiful citrus and basil dream of a perfume tinged with the lightest of soft florals.
WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A young and ever so pretty Cybill Shepherd; full of sunshine and promise.
The Scented Hound 