4 bones | The Scented Hound

June 27, 2016
by The Scented Hound 13 Comments

New Release: Mona di Orio Bohea Bohème

WHAT I SMELL: Bohea Bohème initially sings with a beautiful leathered bergamot covered in a swath of cardamom, with hints of sweetness and brown sugared florals. Incredibly exotic and lightly warmed, the perfume pulls you in and holds you captive as soon as it touches your skin. After a few minutes, the perfume adopts of light creaminess and the sugared flakes turn more to a muted lotion. There’s a haze that emanates from the cream, like smoked incense. There’s also a tea note that emerges, but instead of dominating the perfume with a watery thin high pitch, the tea is rooted and thickened as if it’s made up of a reduction of warmed tea leaves in a bottom of a cup. As the perfume continues to deepen, it seems to develop as if its a sheet that is unfurled and a dreamy sandalwood takes hold as the perfume seems to darken in color and depth. Bohea Bohème ends its journey quietly with a radiant breath that’s softly spiced and completely exotic.

From the Mona di Orio website:

Bohea Bohème captures the smoldering delicacy of the distinctive tea cultivated in the Wuyi Mountains of China. The precious Bohea Tea, fumed with pinewood, is prized for its complex aroma and rich character.

Notes: Italian Bergamot, Cardamom Absolute, Florentine Iris, Blue Chamomile, Poplar Bud Absolute, Fir Balsam Fraction, Boxtree absolute, Geranium Absolute, Black tea oil, Smoked Juniper, Oakwood absolute, Sandalwood India, Beeswax Absolute, Bay leaf Absolute.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A snake in the most beautiful sense of being…the perfume doesn’t develop as much as it slowly glides through the most subtle of movements revealing small nuances as it wraps itself around the wood and green.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BOHEA BOHÈME: gorgeous, mysterious, exotic

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BOHEA BOHÈME: CaFleureBon, Colognoisseur

BOTTOM LINE: When I found out that the new Mona di Orio perfume was tea based I have to say that I was not excited as tea based perfumes are one of my least favorite genres. However, Bohea Bohème broke the mold for me…it’s absolutely breathtaking in its originality and the tea note is just one amongst all the notes that blends seamlessly to create this skin hugging mystery. Perfumer Fredrik Dalman has created something very special here.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Woody Spicy
Nose: Fredrik Dalman
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $245 for 75 ml eau de parfum

June 9, 2016
by The Scented Hound 36 Comments

Absolutely Sublime – Sublime by Jean Patou

WHAT I SMELL: How can you not love a perfume’s opening when it’s rounded and buttery and topped with bergamot and orange?! Sublime’s opening is incredibly full, rich and succulent, almost as if it’s an exotic fruit full of juice and ready to explode. The perfume is heady without being completely over the top and the ylang-ylang is deliciously creamy. After a few minutes, a light dust of oak moss appears, but it sits quietly under the wafting flowers and a light vanilla. The perfume smells like it’s plucked from the heart of the Caribbean, but at the same time, there’s something incredibly cool and controlled about it that removes it from that locale. As the perfume develops, it becomes more powdery, but no less radiant. After 20 minutes or so, the perfume softens, the florals become lighter, the powder becomes more pronounced and the warmed base becomes more prevalent. What doesn’t change is that the perfume remains an incredible beauty. In the end, you’re left with a golden dusty floral that is just the right amount of proper and just the right amount of pretty.

From the Jean Patou website:

SUBLIME is a joyous floral explosion, rich and rounded in contour and soft in texture. Its secret resides in the heart notes where floral notes are played against each other – rose and jasmine are combined with lily-of-the-valley and orange blossom, enhanced by warm notes of vetiver, sandalwood and oak moss. A vibrant cocktail of orange and mandarin provides sparkle and freshness, married with Ylang-Ylang from the Comoro Islands. The femininity and sensuality of Sublime gently emerges in the Vanilla base note.

Flight: Bergamot, Mandarin, Orange, Ylang Ylang
Fullness: Rose, Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Orange Blossom
Wake: Madagascar Vanilla, Amber, Sandalwood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Ellen Farner as Madeleine in the “Umbrellas of Cherbourg”…an unassuming classic beauty.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SUBLIME: gorgeous, contained, sublime

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SUBLIME: The Non-Blonde, AustralianPerfumeJunkies

BOTTOM LINE: Sublime seems to take the back seat to Jean Patou’s Joy and 1000; but this understated floral beauty should be second to none. Not as big as 1000 and not as taut at Joy, Sublime is a perfectly named perfume that in my book is an easier wear than both 1000 and Joy.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Jean Kerleo
Classification: Feminine
Expense: Prices vary greatly online, but can be found for around $50 for 1.7 oz. eau de parfum. Review based on current eau de parfum version.

June 6, 2016
by The Scented Hound 9 Comments

Shalini Parfum by Shalini

WHAT I SMELL: Shalini opens beautifully with an initial rush of neroli that’s lush, juicy and lightly sun sweetened. A lovely tiare buzzes above a lightly sharpened hair spray note of sandalwood and there’s a slight soapiness that encompasses the somewhat large, but rather tame florals. The perfume lives in this slightly soapy, lightly warm cocoon for some time. After around 20 minutes, the perfume seems to warm considerably, as if the heat of skin is a catalyst to start a chemical reaction. The tuberose then starts to make its entrance, but in a very soft and deliberate manner as if it’s in no rush. The tuberose is restrained with all its pungent attributes removed and what you’re left with is the soft and comforting light waxiness from the flower. At the same time, Shalini starts to turn towards the green as the floral stems add just the right amount of color to make the perfume feel as if it’s a bouquet rather than just a collection of flowers. As the perfume slowly progresses, the neroli comes forward once again with a light dew to rest on the green. Here the perfume resides, so restrained, so beautiful and so refined. Shalini is a lady in every sense of the word.

From Shalini Parfums:

A bouquet of white flowers – tuberose, neroli and tiare – this precious fragrances evokes an intoxicating sensuality. The rare and pure scent of neroli blooms above the heart of tuberose and tiare while the depth and mystery of sandalwood and musk permeate the senses.

Saks 5th Avenue, Los Angeles- 1940

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Beautiful, classic Hollywood interiors. Architectural masterpieces designed for creating dramatic settings. The scene: Sak’s 5th Avenue, Los Angeles, 1940… in comes a beautifully dressed, regal and gracious lady and all eyes are transfixed.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SHALINI: warm, approachable, refined

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SHALINI: CaFleureBon, Perfume-Smellin’ Things

BOTTOM LINE: Shalini is an ethereal beauty that glides into a room. The perfume doesn’t develop as much as it transcends. Shalini is like a dream.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Maurice Roucel
Classification: Feminine. Confession: As feminine as this is, it’s a beauty that I would have no problem wearing myself.
Expense: $3,000 for the limited edition Lalique flacon pictured above. $250 for 10 ml version. Parfum extrait.