4 bones | The Scented Hound

August 3, 2015
by The Scented Hound 11 Comments

Blomma Cult by Room 1015

WHAT I SMELL: Blomma Cult opens with a deep warm bergamot…not the typical bright bergamot, but this beautiful grounded and earthy bergamot mixed with a radiant lilac. The perfume’s opening is very unusual and very much a temptress if there was one. Very quickly out of the gate, there’s also a mentholated vapor that engulfs the opening; it feels as if the vapor holds an elixir that could weave a spell of hypnotic control. And after around 10 minutes, a very subdued cinnamon develops. I’m not a huge fan of cinnamon in fragrance…or gum, or really in anything, but here it just adds this special layer of bold beefiness to this already warmed and pulsating potion. After another 10 minutes, the perfume begins to sweeten and soften and the perfume becomes velvety smooth. There’s also a bit of violet tartness that projects from the mix along with some powder. What started off as deep and beefy has turned to the beautiful powdered floral musk with hints of the original beef still lingering in the background.

From the Room 1015 website:

”Blomma Cult is a floral, sensual and bewitching fragrance built around patchouli and cashmeran. It is my olfactory perception of the 1960’s and1970’s counterculture movement with the sexual liberation and the rise of the hippie culture.”

Head: Bergamot, Lilac Heart: Cashmeran, Patchouli, Violet Base: Cinnamon, Vanilla, White Musks

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A swinging 60’s red velvet blazer!

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE BLOMMA CULT: dynamic, creative, different

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BLOMMA CULT: Ye Olde Civet Cat

BOTTOM LINE: Michael Partouche, or Dr. Mike as he is called, created Room 1015 to combine is love for lotions and potions with his love for music which inspired him to create this new line of perfume. I love the concept, the website, the look and feel…and I really like Blomma Cult. It’s different, full of energy and at the same time incredibly powdery pretty in the end. Rock on Dr. Mike!

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral Woody Musk
Nose: Amélie Bourgeois and Anne-Sophie Behaghel
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $130 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum, exclusively at Twisted Lily in the US

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary

July 13, 2015
by The Scented Hound 9 Comments

Nin-Shar by Jul et Mad Paris

WHAT I SMELL: Nin-Shar opens warm and lightly boozy with a creamed rose. It has a thick texture and a lovely milky radiance that when smelled warms the back of your throat. The perfume is lightly sweetened, but it can’t be called a sweet perfume. Instead, the rose, front and center, is wrapped around some beefy wood and an oud that blends masterfully with the rose rather than takes it over. Nin-Shar develops slowly as you wear it, but the nuances are so wonderfully subtle as not to jar the wearer. But what becomes a bit more predominant with the drydown is a cedar note that brings a marvelous natural note to the perfume. But after an hour or so, that cedar blends towards the back of the perfume. The perfume then adds a light layer of powder along with a very rounded juiciness to the mix providing for the perfect finishing touch to make this perfume the utmost in rose elegance. Overall the projection is impressive and the longevity is superb. Nin-Shar is a rose lover’s dream.

From the Jul et Mad website:

This very contrast is evoked in “Nin-Shar”. The purest and best quality absolute of Turkish Rose was employed here, revealing a rich, profound, strong, powerful multifaceted fragrance where soft, comforting, floral, powdery facets, intertwine with strong, green, balsamic, woody, earthy notes, a pure representation of the entire plant, from the soft, floral petals to the green leaves, stem and thorns, and all the way to the roots.

Top Notes: Bergamote, Liqueur de Rose, Essence de Davana
Middle Notes: Absolu de Rose Turque, Jasmin d’Egypte, Fraction Patchouli
Base Notes: Oud, Benjoin, Vanille Bourbon, Cèdre de Virginie, Santal, Absolu d’Encens

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A beautiful pink and cream-colored rose.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE NIN-SHAR: creamy, opulent, rapturous

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT NIN-SHAR: Colognoisseur, Chemist in the Bottle, Persefume

BOTTOM LINE: One of the three perfumes in the Les White collection, Nin-Shar is my favorite. But surprisingly enough, Nea, a fruity gourmand, which typically would not be something that I would normally gravitate to, comes a close second. But all in the collection are wonderful in their own right. I’m also not a big oud fan, but there is something about the rose-oud combination that is wonderful. On their own, the two notes can over dominate any perfume, but here they work their magic in perfect harmony.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Nose: Sidnoie Lancesseur
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $190 for 50 ml parfum extrait

June 24, 2015
by The Scented Hound 5 Comments

M. Micallef Style

WHAT I SMELL: Style opens wonderfully warm and herbal, accentuated by cardamom and nutmeg. Its clean and crisp, like a starched dress shirt. There’s a generous, thoughtful and inviting masculinity in the perfume. After around 5 minutes, the dried lavender starts to bring with it a rather large projection. It’s warm, dreamlike and very elegant. There’s a layer of incense that swirls below the lavender, that adds just a hint of sexiness to the rather formal composition. After some more time, the perfume becomes more woody and dry, but the incense still layers the perfume from below like the remains of a bonfire drifting in the distance. As the perfume continues to develop, the incense begins to wain and the sandalwood brings a welcomed light creaminess along with a light floral bloom to the dry and woody heart.

Notes listed from Fragrantica:

Top notes of the composition will offer a spicy blend of nutmeg, warm and gourmand cinnamon and cardamom, refreshed by luminous and sunny lemon zest. The heart of the composition accentuates floral notes of elegant jasmine and lily of the valley softened with aromatic lavender, while base notes provide us with warmth and precious woody notes of patchouli and sandalwood embraced by a mysterious veil of incense and sensual musk.