4 bones | The Scented Hound

February 24, 2016
by The Scented Hound 9 Comments

New Release: Le Quatrième Parfum by Coolife

WHAT I SMELL: Le Quatrième Parfum initially opens up smoky warm only to be quickly met with a boozy, but green sharpness. Almost gourmand at first, the perfume rapidly begins to lighten as the air meets the perfume; as if a genie had been let out of the bottle. For being so balsamic, the perfume is rather light and ethereal. As the perfume continues to develop, there’s a light sweetened honey that appears as a layer to the smoky notes. After a bit, the patchouli makes it way to the center, but it’s ever so soft and it feels as if it’s wrapped within a fruited tobacco and incense. After some more time the patchouli continues to grow along with a coating of vanilla, but it always remains contained, subdued and at peace. Le Quatrième Parfum is a perfume that will help you to believe that all is right with the world.

From the Coolife website:

Designed to engage with the root chakra, our most physical energy center, Le Quatrième Parfum is the fourth fragrance created by Pauline Rochas and Carole Beaupré. In homage to our ancient connection with earth, Le Quatrième is grounding, erotic, and lush. It captures passion and draws out that exquisite moment of connecting with our roots. Known as Muladhara in Sanksrit, the root chakra is the border between animal and human consciousness. Like the deep and sturdy roots of a tree, the root chakra is the stem of life, the smoldering origin of our sexuality, seated at the basal end of the spine. Le Quatrième conjures the scent of rum, an invigorating liquor blended in the heat of the islands, intertwined with smoky, organic tobacco leaves. This deep, Oriental fragrance stimulates the body at its base, with essences of Myrhh and Resinoid, Indonesian Patchouli, and Peru Balsam. Heady top and mid notes of aphrodisiac honey, vanilla, and plum intoxicate the senses, stirring a tempest within the body. Muladhara is the chakra of scent, our most primal sense. Le Quatrième manifests the power of fragrance, entrancing strangers and rapturous lovers to linger in your presence, luxuriating in romantic union. With a balanced root chakra, you are at once sensual and instinctual, magnetic and in control. Surrender to the allure of Le Quatrième and, with the energy of the earth surging through your body, you hold the key to the realm of desire.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: serenity

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE LE QUATRIÉME PARFUM: calming, warm, peaceful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LE QUATRIÉME PARFUM: None to be found as of yet.

BOTTOM LINE: If you’re looking for a perfume that really puts the ease in easy, Le Quatrième Parfum is an incredibly relaxing and centered perfume that doesn’t try to be anything more than it is. And what it is, is a beautiful and peaceful perfume full of positive and calming energy.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental
Nose: Yann Vasnier
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $175 for 50 ml Eau De Parfum

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

February 22, 2016
by The Scented Hound 8 Comments

House of Matriarch Black No. 1

WHAT I SMELL: Black No. 1 opens with a boot strap leather with hints of green cedar and fir. The leather feels strong, thick and stiff, like the boot leather that would be worn by a lineman needed for protection from the rugged elements. After a short time, a petroleum sheen rises above the leather which is rather metallic and sharp. But soon enough, that metallic edge disappears and once again the perfume becomes full on leather. After 30 minutes or so, the perfume moves from the strong leather, to a softer and lusher wooded and slightly sugared leather. At this point, the perfume is very comforting and it feels at ease. The best of Black No. 1 is reserved for the drydown. In the end, the leather is soft and rather green, slightly sweetened lightly creamy and it hugs the skin…which means you’ll have to get close up to really feel it’s magic.

From the House of Matriarch website:

Recently named “SEXIEST SCENT” at the International Artisan Fragrance Awards, TOP MEN’S FRAGRANCE by Men’s Journal Magazine and BEST OF THE WEST by Sunset Magazine. This worldly and penetrating perfume contains hundreds of exotic natural essences. An unforgettable, brooding, complex, swirling kaleidoscope of a perfume which, given its notes and general dark aesthetic, is surprisingly warm and encompassing. This fragrance captivates the wearer to a deep and enchanting mystique.

Black No. 1 notes:

Top: Northwest conifers, Puget Sound seaweed, white sage

Middle: oud, cannabis, amber

Base: black leather, ambergris, hyraceum

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The Wichita Lineman…very masculine, solitary and graceful in his strength.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BLACK NO. 1: secure, confident, understated

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BLACK NO. 1: Perfume do Dio, Fragrance Daily

BOTTOM LINE: Formerly branded as Blackbird, Black No. 1 really is a sexy scent in that it’s masculine without being over the top full on beast. Instead, it has a quiet strength that would fit any wearing scenario. I’m not a huge fan of leather perfumes, but I think I finally found one that could break my thinking on that front.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Leather
Nose: Christi Meshell
Classification: Masculine, but could easily be worn by a woman
Expense: $330 for 50 ml. Available exclusively at Nordstrom or via the House of Matriarch website.

Sample courtesy of House of Matriarch. Opinion my own.

February 8, 2016
by The Scented Hound 8 Comments

A Perfume Made for Valentine’s Day: Baccarat Rouge 540 by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

WHAT I SMELL: Baccarat Rouge 540 opens with a striking warm and luxurious jasmine that feels soaked and saturated with saffron. It’s heady, exotic, spicy and mysterious. It’s also incredibly sexy and erotic. There’s a very slight incense and smoke that feels like an extinguished candle that moves off the skin. And the perfume itself seems to live a couple of inches off of the body. After some time, a woody base which was there all along, comes more to the forefront, with the radiant jasmine and saffron still pulsating. As the perfume continues to develop, the perfume becomes more of an ambered spice. In the end, the fragrance evens itself out and your left with a nicely spiced and lightly sweetened cedar and amber perfume that lingers with the memory of the passionate flame that burned when the perfume first hit the skin.

From the Maison Francis Kurkdjian website:

Luminous and sophisticated, Baccarat Rouge 540 lays on the skin like an amber, floral and woody breeze. A poetic alchemy. A graphic and highly condensed signature.

Notes: Jasmine, Saffron, Cedar wood, Ambergris

Marilyn Red Velvet, 1949

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A sexy and erotic boudoir scent.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BACCARAT ROUGE 540: lustful, erotic, sexy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BACCARAT ROUGE 540: No reviews to be found outside comments on Fragrantica.

BOTTOM LINE: Baccarat Rouge 540 is a collaboration between Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Baccarat, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the iconic crystal house. As such, I was expecting a big, bold and proper perfume. Instead, I found the perfume to be highly sensual, and erotic…which makes this the perfect perfume to tempt your Valentine with.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Francis Kurkdjian
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $300 for 70 ml Eau de Parfum

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary