4 bones | The Scented Hound

May 10, 2012
by The Scented Hound 5 Comments

Roadster by Cartier

I purchased Roadster for my better half because I love to smell him in it. I think of this as his “power” scent, telling him to wear it when he has an important meeting. Funny thing is that I have never worn it myself so I thought I would give it a spin. Unfortunately, as much as I love it on him, I didn’t find wearing it myself so appealing. Don’t get me wrong though, this is a great fragrance.

Roadster goes on with a fresh blast of mint. This is not a super green mint, but one that’s more tailored. It has a spicy edge that makes is smooth and masculine. Roadster has a wonderfully commanding presence that runs the line between being green yet warm. And to boot, it has great sillage and is long-lasting. Perfect for when you need to wear a “power” scent!

Roadster Notes: Bergamot, Spearmint, Peppermint, Cashmere Wood, Patchouli, Cistus Labdanum, Vanilla

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent Type: Aromatic – Fougere
Classification: Masculine

May 8, 2012
by The Scented Hound 8 Comments

Idole by Lubin

Spicy rum and smoky incense are the first impressions left when applying Idole. The scent is intoxicating in the way it wraps itself around you. That initial opening then starts turning towards the bitter orange. It still a bit boozy, but it now has more of a bite. Still intoxicating. Sometimes, scents with rum as an ingredient can get too thick and will overtake all of the notes. Not in the case of Idole, it accentuates the spices and makes them pop. The real interesting part of this fragrance is that it stays in this boozy, spicy state for a long time, but then hours after wearing it, it does fade and the leather notes are what you are left with. Usually you’ll notice the leather in the scent much earlier, but in this case you don’t find it until the end. And in that end, the leather is soft and warm and very pleasing. So far, this is my second entree’ into the world of Lubin scents and I’m happily surprised. And from the pictures I’ve seen, the bottle is a work of art.

Idole Notes:

Rum absolute, saffron, black cumin, bitter orange peel, Doum palm, rock rose, smoked ebony, frankincense, sugar cane, leather, red sandalwood, amber

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent Type: Oriental – Spicy
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $160 for 100ml EDP

May 6, 2012
by The Scented Hound Leave a comment

Hanae Mori by Hanae Mori

I pulled out my box of samples and found a tester for Hanae Mori hiding on the bottom of the box. Hanae Mori was once part of my full bottle collection, but it’s been years since I have worn it. It’s funny how your tastes change. I still believe that this is a wonderful fragrance, it’s just now a little too sweet for my taste.

Hanae Mori is considered an oriental floral scent. It goes on very fresh, very fruity and as I mentioned before very sweet. It’s a pretty linear scent that does tone down a bit as you wear it, but it never really leaves the sweetness of the base. Maybe I’ve just become annoyed with Lily of the Valley as I’m finding anything these days with it as an ingredient to be problematic for me. Now, I always found the EDT version was perfect for wearing in the summer. Surprisingly, with the floral notes associated with Hanae Mori that it would fit a woman more than a man, but it really does fit a man well. Hanae Mori is a great scent, just not for me at this time.

From the Hanae Mori website:

The first rush of HM is superb lemon, fine lavender, blackcurrant and green notes.

Then a deeper impression of iris, jasmine, Bulgarian rose and Lily of the Valley is revealed.

In time, warm vanilla, appealing amber, hearty moss, rich cedar, sandalwood and Tonka bean are present.