4 bones | The Scented Hound

March 14, 2016
by The Scented Hound 26 Comments

La Chasse aux Papillons by L’Artisan Parfumeur

WHAT I SMELL: La Chasse aux Papillons opens with a muted bergamot and a soft and demure orange blossom that’s tangy green. The semi-sweet perfume is lyrical as it dances and pirouettes off my skin with wisps like soft breezes. Overall, the perfume is incredibly girlish, pretty and joyous. The lightened jasmine adds just the right amount of depth with a tad bit of flattened earthened dirt. But by no means is this a dirty perfume. Instead, it’s all sunshine and garden with the white flowers, highlighted by an incredibly soft tuberose and the lightest of green. La Chasse aux Papillons does not develop much, but it doesn’t have to as it’s a simple, pretty and beautifully sunny and happy perfume.

From the L’Artisan Parfumeur website:

Chasing butterflies, surrounded by white flowers. A fragrance icon, perfect for summer days.

Imagine a summer garden flooded with sunshine, full of delicate white flowers, jasmine, orange blossom, tuberose and lime blossom; scents mingling to intoxicate the senses. Sunlight catches the wings of butterflies as they dart among the trees and flowers. Somewhere in the garden you can hear the laughter of children as they chase the butterflies, trying in vain to catch them as they escape on a sunny breeze. This is La Chasse aux Papillons (Chasing Butterflies), the scent of sun-kissed skin, luminous and transparent; a fragrance to make the summer months last that little bit longer.

Notes: Linden blossom, Jasmine, Lemon blossom, Tuberose

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: An operettic Jeanette McDonald (sans Nelson Eddy).

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE LA CHASSE AUX PAPILLONS: delightful, charming, coquettish

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LA CHASSE AUX PAPILLONS: Bois de Jasmin, Megan in Saint Maxime, EauMG

BOTTOM LINE: La Chasse aux Papillons is utterly charming, beautiful and delightfully feminine and a completely wonderful perfume.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Anne Flipo
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $145 for 100 ml eau de toilette

Sample courtesy of Arielle Shoshana. Opinion my own.

March 7, 2016
by The Scented Hound 2 Comments

New Release: Années Folles by La Parfumerie Moderne

WHAT I SMELL: Années Folles opens with a sugared lavender, almost gourmand in its goodness and with a rather chocolate edge. In addition, there’s an incredibly warm thyme and nutmeg that is quite creamy and lightly spiced. What started off as cuddly and reassuring begins to lighten significantly and the perfume moves from the gourmand to somewhat woody as a lightly spiced geranium adds just a bit of crackle to a vetiver base. But soon enough, the woody turns to more of a ambered benzoin once again moving towards a deeper and warmer state of being. In fact, the perfume has a rather mentholated character at this juncture…and it just feels so easy and perfectly proper, yet comforting. A half hour or so into the wear, the patchouli makes it way in, but without dominating the perfume. Instead, like the progression thus far, it quietly enters in a seamless and graceful manner. In the end, the perfume moves once again more towards the woody, while still maintaining the right balance of radiant warmth. Années Folles is a return to classic perfumery and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

From the La Perfumerie Moderne website:

“Années Folles” swings like a mysterious aromatic melody on a warm pulsating amber rhythm.

The powdery and woody insouciance wake of a festive atmosphere calls the tune until dawn from the open windows of this proud hotel overlooking the Mediterranean.

Fragrance Notes: Lavender, Thyme, Nutmeg, Geranium, Vetiver, Tonka Bean, Benzoin, Patchouli

Edward VIII

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A quiet sophistication…Edward VIII later in life.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ANNÉES FOLLES: proper, warm, urbane

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ANNÉES FOLLES: CaFleureBon (with link to Looking Feeling Smelling Great video review)

BOTTOM LINE: Années Folles was a wonderful surprise. For whatever reason, I was ambivalent about this perfume line, the look of the bottles; maybe the “moderne” in the name. In any case, Années Folles is an incredible perfume; one that’s perfect for today’s modern man, while paying homage to the modern man of the past.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Woody Aromatic
Nose: Marc-Antoine Corticchiato
Classification: Unisex, but leans masculine
Expense: $220 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary. Opinion my own.

March 2, 2016
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

Limited Edition New Release: Stones by Atelier de Geste

WHAT I SMELL: Stones opens with a bright, dry and uplifting galbanum. It’s beautiful and earthy, very vegetal and pulsating with life. There’s a great deal of movement with the perfume as it seems to breathe, move and dance across my skin. The perfume resides in this lyrical state for quite some time which is just fine with me as it’s incredibly beautiful. After around 20 minutes or so, the perfume adds an additional earthiness of moss. A woody vetiver, which was there from the beginning, starts to take root at the center of the perfume. Still very radiant, the perfume continues to feel very alive as it adds a minty ginger to the composition. After some more time, the perfume begins to dry and become more powdered, but still ever radiant. Stones is an incredibly beautiful perfume.

Notes: Galbanum, Geranium, Physalis, Tomato, Pine, Ivy, Lotus, Ginger, Vetiver, Moss, Lichen (nightshade), Vetiver root, Muguet flowers

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A mossy and earthen forest that’s tinged with rays of cooled sun.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE STONES: lively yet serene, earthen

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT STONES: None to be found.

BOTTOM LINE: Stones is the more earthy cousin of Chanel No. 19. The opening is breathtaking and it ends up as this equally as pretty earthy powdered beauty. Stones is a limited edition of 200 hand painted bottles, each which is numbered and signed. Stones is easily full bottle worthy.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Aromatic
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $125 for 50 ml Eau de Parfum

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary. Opinion my own.