4 bones | The Scented Hound

May 11, 2016
by The Scented Hound 15 Comments

Vintage Chaldée by Jean Patou

WHAT I SMELL: Vintage Chaldée opens with a deep warm full-bodied floral bouquet. I’m not sure if the top notes are still there as the perfume sets very quickly into the resin based floral presentation. The perfume is thick and rich with a deep lilac presenting itself as the floral star. But the lilac isn’t soft and gentle, instead its thickened with the opoponox. After a while, a dust covers the base of the perfume, giving it a vintage feel without making it feel like it belongs in another time. The dust then turns to more of a cotton and for some reason it reminds me if the smell of brand new white tube socks. After around 20 minutes, the vanilla brings an ever so slight sweetness to the warmed florals. Funny, after around 1/2 hour, a little bit of civet seems to creep in giving the perfume an added depth and dimension. Finally, the perfume ends it’s journey in this warmed and flattened bouquet that projects this beautiful and confident persona.

Top notes: orange blossom and hyacinth. Heart: jasmine, lilac and narcissus. Base: opoponax, amber and vanilla.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A grand hat from a bygone era.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE CHALDÉE: warm, contained, deep

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT CHALDÉE: Now Smell This, Perfume Shrine, I Smell Therefore I Am

BOTTOM LINE: For an eau de toilette, vintage Chaldee has a large personality and is incredibly long-lasting. I recently had a chance to test the newly reissued version in eau de parfum concentration and it opened up grand and glorious much like the original. I was ecstatic. However, surprisingly enough, it didn’t have the lasting power and it turned rather dark on me. I do need to give it another chance though…but the vintage….oh my, beautiful. Thanks to Holly for this beautiful gift!

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Henri Almeras in 1927
Classification: Leans feminine, but could be unisex
Expense: Prices vary on eBay.

May 9, 2016
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

New Release: Night Flower by Eris Parfums

WHAT I SMELL: Sex sells…and the Eris Parfums line is all about sex. But before I get ahead of myself…on the skin, Night Flower is initially very sweet and sparkling, then quickly a warm and voluptous cardamom that’s seems to be wrapped in a light coating of honey comes rushing forward. The perfume is wonderfully sexy at this point, rather like the movement of a silken slip that playfully falls off the shoulders. There’s a warmth to the perfume, but the warmth feels like it’s generating from the skin vs. the perfume. After 10 minutes, a dirtied light leather moves its way in. The leather adds another dimension of seduction as the playfulness of the opening moves towards a more serious tone. After some more time, the perfume seems to recede and darken as you’ll need to lean in close to experience its hidden mysteries. In the end, the perfume is this quiet whisper of a burning ember of patchouli. It feels like at any time, the spark of the fire could explode and burst out of control.

From the Eris Parfums website:

NIGHT FLOWER Eau de Parfum opens with a blast of fresh, aromatic cardamom. Animalic leather and suede wrap around a narcotic Indian tuberose, drying down to a cozy base of birch tar, patchouli, cinnamon and tonka.

“Night Flower is a leathery, animalic floral fragrance. Spellbinding, sexual and addictive.” – Antoine Lie (Perfumer)

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Natalie Wood as Deanie in Splendor in the Grass…a girl stuck between love, lust and trying to remain good.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE NIGHT FLOWER: come-hither, tempered, controlled

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT NIGHT FLOWER: Indieperfumes, The Non-Blonde, Katie Puckrick Smells

BOTTOM LINE: Letting your inner sexual self reveal itself is easy to do with the new line of Eris Parfums. Night Flower is my favorite in the line and is probably the most tame of the three in the collection. But there’s just enough hidden mystery to make one just feel that you’re letting your dark side come out to play.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral Woody Musk
Nose: Antoine Lie
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $150 for 50 ml eau de parfum

April 25, 2016
by The Scented Hound 33 Comments

Les Exclusifs de Chanel Beige

WHAT I SMELL: Beige opens with bright aldehydes and then quickly moves to a soft, cottony mix of delicate flowers. The perfume is incredibly demure and unassuming and the freesia and frangipani are wonderfully muted. I often wondered if I could ever like a perfume that held frangipani…I think I finally found “the one.” The perfume doesn’t transform much, but instead, feels as if a ray of sunshine has warmed the perfume and made it grow oh so slightly. There’s a lovely combination of warmth and coolness at play; it feels tinged with sunshine, but there’s a cool breeze that provides for an underlay. After around 10 minutes, the perfume begins to dry and the perfume begins to powder. At this point, it feels like a light layer of talcum is covering your skin. The florals also begin to retain a woody texture, rather like a light balsa wood. After around 20 minutes, the perfume takes on a delicate sweetness of honey. It’s just the right amount of light sugar to make the perfume sparkle. Who knew beige could be so beautiful?

From the Chanel website:

“I take refuge in beige because it’s natural,” said Mademoiselle Chanel. An elusive colour with infinite variations, beige may seem quite ordinary. And yet, behind this apparent simplicity, it hides a discreet sensuality that builds slowly before revealing itself fully. This sensual outburst is interpreted by Jacques Polge through a bouquet of Hawthorn, Freesia and Frangipani, with shimmering hints of honey. A stunning blend of white petals and yellow gold…in other words, a breath of beige.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Central Park, NYC. The Upper East side social set meets the tranquility of the park.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BEIGE: unassuming, elegant, effortless

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BEIGE: Bois de Jasmin, Now Smell This, Perfume Shrine

BOTTOM LINE: I believe that I have overlooked Beige over the years due to the name. The name renders thoughts of cardboard boxes and abject nothingness. Instead, Beige proves to be an uncomplicated, subtle and beautiful understated classic. I’ll never think of beige as being boring anymore.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Jacques Polge
Classification: Leans feminine, but is rather unisex
Expense: $160 for 2.5 oz. Eau de Toilette (review based on the EdT version. Also available in parfum extrait.)