4 bones | The Scented Hound

May 21, 2013
by The Scented Hound 18 Comments

Cinabre by Maria Candida Gentile

WHAT I SMELL: Hatchi-matchi…Cinabre opens with a dirty peppered gingered-rose. The ginger really stands out in center stage while the rose sits quietly in the back. It’s loud and it’s strong and smells like a heavy petroleum. I know this sounds bad, but it’s not. The rose starts to come to the forefront after a short while. It’s a dirty rose, one that isn’t fresh but one that’s thick and ready to mold off of the vine, almost as if it’s liquifying. I can’t say that I like it and there’s something almost repulsive about it; but it keeps drawing me back in. After a bit Cinabre bring forth a resinous sweetness which radiates and cuts out some of the dirt, but the fragrance continues to retain its earthy living state and still remains shockingly large. Finally, the dirt get whisked away and Cinabre moves into a phase that is slightly powdered and very sweetened rose of which the sweetness is sickening if you bring your arm to your nose. In other words, at this point Cinabre is best from a distance. Finally, the fragrance mellows into a lightly sweet vanilla rose, tinged with a hint of opoponax.

Cinabre Notes:

Ginger, black pepper, rose baies, Splendens rose, Morroccan rose, benzoin, vanilla, opoponax.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A working mexican village. So what does that mean? The combination of and smells of food, dirt, and flowers in the hot sun. It’s alive and earthy and the smells are sometimes beautiful and yet sometimes can be too thick with real life. After the heat of the day settles down, the sweeter smells of the town make their appearance.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE CINABRE: thick, gothish, sweetened

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT CINABRE: Scent for Thought, Perfume Shrine, Make Perfume Not War

BOTTOM LINE: Cinabre is one of the more interesting fragrances that I have sniffed in a long time. I can say that I actually quite like it but a little goes a long way and if they offered it in a 10ml offering I would probably pick up a bottle.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental
Classification: Unisex more at the opening – more feminine in the drydown.
Expense: $185 for 100ml EdP, currently offered as a May 2013 Olfactif offering

May 16, 2013
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

Le Parfum Couture by Denis Durand for M. Micallef

WHAT I SMELL: The newly released Le Parfum Couture has a bright opening of cinnamon and tangerine where the mix is slightly medicinal. Quickly the middle notes (rose, orange blossom and honey) circle around in a warm thick haze of oudish gourmand goodness. At this point, Le Parfum Couture is incredibly lovely and I have to say it is my favorite part of the olfactory journey. The fragrance then comes out of it thicket of juice and becomes lighter, with almost a tinge of incense with an ever so slight metallic edge (in this case that’s not bad). The patchouli then starts to reveal itself and what was once exotic now somehow becomes familiar. I think it’s the sweet amber that reminds of me another fragrance, but I can’t put my finger on what. In the drydown, Le Parfum Couture is a nicely sweet woody amber fragrance.

Le Parfum Couture Notes:

Head Notes – Ceylong cinnamon, Italy tangerine

Heart Notes – Bulgaria rose, orange blossoms, honey and animalis

Base Notes – sandalwood, patchouly, amber and white musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A bee drenched in the juice of a honeyed flower.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE LE PARFUM COUTURE: sweet, alluring, inviting

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE LE PARFUM COUTURE: That Smell, Kafkaesque, Chemist in a Bottle

BOTTOM LINE: Le Parfum Couture is very appealing, even though it might be a bit sweet for my taste. It is one of those fragrances that I see as being very versatile in the fact that it is wearable for day or night and in warm or cold weather. Overall, a nice effort from Denis Durand and Martine Micallef.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $190 for 50ml EdP

Disclosure: Sample for review provided courtesy of M. Micallef Parfums.

May 6, 2013
by The Scented Hound 34 Comments

Puredistance M

I’m the first to admit that I am a sucker for luxury; be it high count egyptian cotton sheets and sumptuous towels to high-end luxury vehicles. It’s amazing how elegant and finely tailored products can make you to purr like a kitten when you’re wrapped in their comfort. Puredistance M to me is one of those products.

WHAT I SMELL: M opens with a citrus blast that lasts for mere minutes. It’s a bit of a strange opening like that of a lemon sour cocktail. After a few more minutes you start to detect the cinnamon note. If I didn’t know it was cinnamon, I would say that it’s almost like cumin. This is when it really becomes interesting as M starts to turn up the spice. It’s exotic and mysterious and I keep expecting that at some point I’m going to be hit with a blast of something unknown. But M stays subdued and smooth as silk. True to its luxuriousness, it knows it’s an Aston Martin and not a Chevrolet. I love how M slowly builds. It’s in no hurry to develop and it takes a bit of time but eventually the leather comes forward in a smoky aura. As you know I’m not a big fan of leathers, but M’s leather is so ethereal. It’s like a thin layer at the bottom of the spice. Added to the layers of leather and spice is a slightly sweet patchouli with just a bit of oakmoss to give a dry powdery edge. M is not big on sillage, but hugs close to the skin. But I don’t care, it’s for me, not for anyone else.

From the Puredistance website:

Created in London by Roja Dove, M is a leather chypre of classic proportions… with an unexpected oriental twist. Sumptuous and complex, noble and sophisticated.

M Notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Rose, Jasmine, Cinnamon, Mosses, Cistus, Vetiver, Patchouli, Vanilla, Leather, Musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Self-assurance. M is a fragrance for the man who doesn’t need to shout to the world that he has arrived. He never arrived. He was always there.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE M: sophisticated, confident, elegantly-understated

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE M: Kafkaesque, From Top to Bottom – Perfume Patter, Perfume-Smellin’ Things

BOTTOM LINE: M is a quiet treasure. Puredistance has created a fragrance that is elegantly understated for the man who likes the finer things in life. In addition to the beautiful scent, the packaging is exceptional as the 17.5ml cylinder comes in a silk lined box. How much more luxurious can you get than that?

Note to my readers, the wonderful Kafkaesque has teamed with Puredistance to offer samples of M and Opardu to 10 lucky readers of her blog. The draw ends on May 13th, so be sure to give her a visit.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Leather Chypre
Nose: Roja Dove
Classification: Unisex – but leans masculine
Expense: $198 for 17.5ml or $330 for 60ml Perfume Extrait

Disclosure: Product for review provided courtesy of Puredistance.