amber | The Scented Hound

February 28, 2012
by The Scented Hound 3 Comments

Armani Prive’ Ambre Soie by Armani

You will notice that I have been reviewing a lot of amber scents as of late. Last month, I ordered a Men’s Amber sample pack from The Perfumed Court. If you’re not familiar with them, they offer decant service on an incredible variety of fragrances, including hard to find ones. But I digress. One of the samples that was part of this group was Ambre Soie. I was very excited to try this and found that I wasn’t disappointed. I found this to be an incredibly luxurious scent. Upon application, I was first greeted with a beautiful combination of ginger, pepper and spices. It then moved on to a lovely creamy and ethereal amber and patchouli. Ambre Soie is a very calming and elegant fragrance. I just wish I had more than what I have in my small vial. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to spray this gem on!

From the Giorgio Armani Beauty website:

Amber’s voluptuousness and depth appealed to Giorgio Armani. He re-interpreted this rare olfactive essence using the light of wood and eastern spices. It is a blend of Cinnamon and Clove, a hint of Ginger which rustles on the waves of Patchouli. The light touch of spices and liquorice wood venture deliciously into the amber. More weighty: Artist and magician, Giorgio Armani transforms the amber into a golden fluid, silky and smooth, revealing the skin, the ultimate elegance of exposure. The top, inspired by the most sumptuous amber stone reveals its transparency with golden, coppery tones. Its warmth echoing its sensual and radiant energy.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental
Classification: Unisex
Expense: Expensive – $200 for 100ml

February 26, 2012
by The Scented Hound 1 Comment

Tolu by Ormonde Jayne

Please remember that when I am reviewing scents, it’s based on my opinion and my opinion only. Scared?? Well, I wanted to get in this review quickly after finally getting home from being out all day so I could wash this off my skin and put on something else. I received this sample a few weeks ago and thought I would give it a spin. Have you figured out yet that it’s not my favorite? At it’s base, this perfume is amber, but you can’t really tell that it’s so. The juniper when first applied is all that you smell. Very green, very crisp. As time goes on, this mellows into a very light and green clean scent. And when I say clean, I mean it felt to me as if I just got out of the shower and you could still smell the soap. It has a bit of a soapy edge to me. I don’t want to feel like I’m wearing laundry detergent. This scent reminds me a lot of Mirto di Panerea, one of the fragrances in the Blue Mediterraneo line by Acqua Di Parma. They both share a lot of the same ingredients. Neither are for me. Enough said, time to wash up.

From the Ormonde Jayne website:

Tolu is a Peruvian tree resin.

Perfume treasure, this opulent velvety formulation with pure Tolu resin takes you on a sensual Oriental journey. Laced with golden frankincense and amber, the scent’s core is enveloped with a heady mix of orange blossom and clary sage, while intense citrus notes consolidate the harmony.

Top Notes: Juniper berry, orange blossom and clary sage
Heart Notes: Orchid, Moroccan rose and muguet
Base Notes: Tolu, tonka bean, golden frankincense and amber

Bone Rating: 2 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Classification: Feminine or Unisex
Expense: Moderately Expensive – $126 for 50ml EDP

February 20, 2012
by The Scented Hound Leave a comment

Fiori D’Ambra by Profumum

More ambers; more to love. This lovely perfume opens up with a rush of spice, I would say almost cinnamon in nature, along with a faint sweetness. Funny, my husband said that it smells like root beer. I can see that. That had me a bit worried. But once again, as time would tell, the scent transformed from that spicy blast to a nice and mellowed amber. This is neither harsh or medicinal, but an almost vanilla sweet, lightly spiced amber with great longevity. I would say that it leans a bit on the feminine side, but it is a scent that is close to the skin and therefore when walking through a crowd, no one would assume that a dowager is passing by. Light, sweet, subtle. A very nice amber indeed.

From the Profumum website:

Olfactory notes: Opium flowers, Amber, Spices