4 bones | The Scented Hound

June 9, 2013
by The Scented Hound 16 Comments

Zelda by En Voyage Perfumes

If you have ever wondered if people make blind purchases based on a blogger’s review; look no further, because this is one of those cases. Recently Freddie from Smellythoughts posted a review based on a sample of Zelda. His description was so compelling that it made me quickly run to place my order. Trust me, that was a bold move because as much as I love my dear Freddie’s reviews, we don’t always see eye to eye in our fragrance loves. So what do I think of my blind buy?

WHAT I SMELL: Zelda, named after the legendary Zelda Fitzgerald, goes on green. The galbanum and bergamot make this feel like spring has sprung. Just hidden under that green surface is a bit of warmth though which quickly moves Zelda from spring to summer. After a bit, the florals start to arrive, bringing with them an elegant refrain of honeyed depth. I’ll admit that as a man I love a good floral fragrance as long as it’s not too sweet, but like in this case, is beefy and rich and substantial. After around 15 minutes or so, the magnolia really starts to appear. It’s thick and rich and at first it almost smells like coconut suntan oil (something that I was noticing and which was validated by my partner). This made me a bit worried, but the coconut suntan oil subsided after a while and the creaminess of the magnolia was met with a smoky aura which is incredibly intoxicating. Zelda takes a long time to transform, but continuing on, the magnolia which still remains centered, is met with a wash of vetiver. At this point, Zelda is better smelled from afar. What I mean is that is smells more harmonic when you’re not sniffing your arm directly. This doesn’t surprise me though, as I lived in Atlanta, Georgia for years and the magnolia blossoms smell wonderfully at a distance, but when you go up to a flower, it doesn’t have that same sweetened creamy smell that permeates the air. Zelda requires that distance as well. As Zelda continues its drydown there is a slight bitter bite which again, from a distance adds to the layers of the fragrance. In the end, Zelda becomes more woody, but the spiced magnolia is ever-present. Zelda also seems to transform with the environment. As such, it’s not going to smell the same in the hot sun as is does inside in the air conditioning.

Zelda notes from the En Voyage website:

TOP NOTES: Spiced Italian Bergamot, Spices, and Iranian Galbanum

HEART NOTES: Creamy Magnolia Blossom and Garden Florals

BASE NOTES: Smoky Amber, Vintage Musks, Vanilla, Balsams, Sandalwood and Vetiver, Cedarwood, and Mousse de Chêne

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A hot summer night in Montgomery, Alabama (Zelda Fitzgerald’s hometown).

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ZELDA: creamy, dense, waxy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ZELDA: Smellythoughts, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: This was a lovely blind buy. I find that Zelda is pretty feminine so it won’t be something that I wear to work. Instead, Zelda will reside in my collection as a comfort scent that I will wear at home and in the evenings. Thanks to Freddie to introducing me to this fragrance and to En Voyage perfumes which I had not heard of before. I received some other En Voyage Perfume fragrance samples along with my new purchase. If they are as good as Zelda is, I think I’ll be placing some more orders!

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental
Nose: Shelley Waddington
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $55 for 17ml at the En Voyage website

June 5, 2013
by The Scented Hound 18 Comments

Vintage Arpege by Lanvin

WHAT I SMELL: Arpege opens with a large blast of aldehydes with an herbal essence, but immediately shows its floral beauty with rose, jasmine and ylang-ylang infused with a warm and soothing light amber musk. Arpege unfolds seamlessly making it very hard to pick apart the notes and that’s a good thing. I can tell you that there’s a bit of peach hiding inside just enough to give it a slightly sour flavor, but one that’s not offsetting. Instead it gives it just tad bit of a bite to make this a more than a run of the mill floral fragrance. There’s a graceful beauty in Arpege that keeps it’s notes grounded in mystery rather than in light. Not that Arpege is shy by any means, its projection is great and its bold without being loud.

Arpege notes from Fragrantica:

Top notes: bergamot, aldehyde, peach, orange bloom, honeysuckle, orris

Heart notes: rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, coriander, sensitive plant, tuberose, violet, and geranium

Base notes: sandal, vetiver, patchouli, vanilla and musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Arpege is a lady. Not a woman, not a dame, but a lady.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ARPEGE: proper, poised, serious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ARPEGE: Yesterday’s Perfume, The Non-Blonde, Perfume-Smellin’ Things

BOTTOM LINE: There is nothing playful about Arpege. It’s wonderfully elegant and very staid. It’s what you think vintage perfumes should smell like and I love it. And don’t get me wrong, even though I say that Arpege is a lady, there is a masculine edge about the fragrance which bodes well with me. Do I wear it at the office?…no. But I often wear it when I do my Saturday errands, it makes the drudgery of going to the dry cleaners and grocery store so much more palatable.

I do have to say that I originally purchased a 7.5ml bottle of extrait on eBay and that’s when I fell in love. So much so that I saw a good deal on a 30ml extrait bottle (again on eBay) so I snatched it up as well. As with any vintage perfumes, depending on storage, etc. the fragrance can wear differently. In this case, the 7.5 ml bottle is deeper and richer and maybe a bit creamier (don’t get me wrong, this is not a creamy fragrance) right from the beginning which says to me that the top notes may be a bit lost. The 30ml bottle goes on greener with more bergamot, but then moves into wonderful heart notes. But both are wonderful and I’m thrilled that they’re part of my collection.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral Aldehyde
Classification: Feminine
Review based on: vintage parfum extrait
Expense: Varies, but can be found on eBay for what I think is a reasonable cost

May 27, 2013
by The Scented Hound 44 Comments

Kiki Parfum Extrait & Rubj EdP by Vero Profumo

KIKI PARFUM EXTRAIT

WHAT I SMELL: Kiki opens with a heady lavender doused in cream. It’s gourmand and smells like a topping that you would want on top of ice cream or some other dessert. There’s a caramel quality that gives it substance and depth which makes it slightly sweet but more of a rich and substantial sweet rather than a sugary sweet, if that makes sense. Kiki is lightly warm and very cozy. After a bit, a fruitiness appears that gives Kiki a kick of brightness. As Kiki continues to morph the fragrance swirls and whirls while radiating off your skin. I wore this the other night out to dinner and couldn’t stop sniffing myself and was paying more attention to the perfume than to my meal. Finally Kiki becomes a lavender dream wrapped up in a light musk…am I in heaven? Overall, Kiki transforms little and is pretty linear, but it is beautiful from the first drop.

Kiki Parfum Extrait Notes – lavender, caramel, musk, fruits

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Louise Brooks circa 1928

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE KIKI PARFUM EXTRAIT: heavenly, bright, lush

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PARFUM EXTRAIT: Smellythoughts, Olfactoria’s Travels, Scent for Thought

BOTTOM LINE: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Kiki. I haven’t felt a love for a fragrance like this in a long time and that’s very exciting. But the cost…oh my!!! The parfum extrait is $220 at Luckyscent, which I believe has been raised from $185. Why are the gods against me??

Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones (trust me I am tempted to give this 5.5 bones!)
Scent: Aromatic Fruity
Nose: Vero Kern
Classification: Leans slightly feminine
Expense: $220 for 7.5ml Parfum Extrait

RUBJ EdP

WHAT I SMELL: Rubj opens with a bergamot blast mixed with white florals including tuberose ( I typically hate tuberose but here it doesn’t dominate so I don’t mind it at all.) After the initial blast of its opening, Rubj is slightly herbal, slightly fruited and slightly floral…nothing is dominating at this point and I wonder soon if Rubj will transform or if it will stay in this kind of netherworld of personality. After a bit Rubj starts to get slightly tangy, but it’s a tang from the basil and the cedar which give the scent a greener feel. After a while longer the cumin starts to come to the surface. I know that many people don’t care for cumin in a fragrance, but I am not one of them. To me it’s earthy and exotic and wonderfully masculine. Rubj is warm and its herbal essence to me is incredibly comforting.

Rubj EdP Notes –

Bergamot, mandarin, neroli, passion fruit, cumin, orange flower absolute, tuberose, basil, cedar, oak moss, musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: An herbal/floral garden.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE RUBJ EdP: spicy, green, snappy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RUBJ EdP: Perfume Posse, Kafkaesque, All About Scent

BOTTOM LINE: Suprisingly, I find Rubj to be a comfort scent. I find it easy to wear and I like the fact that it’s slightly exotic. Beautiful.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Vero Kern
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $220 for 50ml EdP

BOTTOM, BOTTOM LINE: Thanks to the sweet and wonderful Freddie from Smellythoughts for sending me these samples. There is now a new Vero Profumo fan in the house and I am itching to sample her other creations as I have the feeling that they are all masterfully terrific. Thankfully the line isn’t too large, but this could be bad for my wallet!