The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.


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Atelier Cologne: Gold Leather & Silver Iris

goldsilverGOLD LEATHER                                          

WHAT I SMELL:  Gold Leather opens with a warm and boozy rum. It’s juicy and it heats the back of your throat when you drink in the fragrance.  The rum is tinged with sugar and cinnamon and its so good you want to eat it, like a decadent sugared rum frosting on the best cake you’ve ever tasted.    In a bit, the leather starts to make an appearance , but it’s nice and soft.  There’s nothing screaming with this leather, it’s like a purring pussycat. Gold Leather is big in that it’s beefy, not loud.  The fragrance feels substantial and somewhat gourmand and it’s a fragrance that when you wear it, it makes you feel bold.  The warm leather and boozy stage of the fragrance lasts for a long time.  Only after a few hours, does the fragrance become a bit more woody and dryer.  Gold Leather is destined to be one of my favorites for this fall and winter!

Notes from the Atelier Cologne website:

Top notes : bitter orange from Seville, Indian saffron, Jamaican rum

Heart notes : plum, davana from India, eucalyptus from California

Base notes : fraction of gaiac wood from India, fraction of cedarwood from Texas, leather & oud accord

matadorWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A matador in the center of a sun filled stadium.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE GOLD LEATHER: confident, sexy, bold

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT GOLD LEATHER: Chemist in a Bottle, Scents of Self, Men’s Journal

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent:  Leather
  • Classification:  Unisex
  • Expense:  $175 for 100ml Cologne Absolue

SILVER IRIS                                               

WHAT I SMELL:  It’s funny, out of the bottle, Silver Iris smells ungodly sweet, like sugar that has been freeze-dried.  However, when it’s applied on my skin something completely different happens.  Silver Iris goes on with this flattened layer of woodiness…it’s almost devoid of any depth, but instead is this singular layer of muted musk.   After a bit, a slight leather appears, but again, it sits on this muted layer that I wonder is ever going to progress to anything else.  After about 5 minutes I note a bit of iris and violet.  But these florals are anchored in the ground, although they aren’t rooty, but are earthy in the sense that you see them as derived from a field rather than a gorgeous bouquet.  After some additional time, a bit of pepper makes an appearance and the fragrance begins to bloom.  The flattened opening starts to disappear like a bottle top has been opened and the genie has been let out of the bottle.  As Silver Iris starts to grow it becomes bigger, spicier and a bit sweeter.  There is an edge of sugar to the fragrance, but it’s more a sprinkle mixed with spice.   After around 40 minutes or so, the sweetness takes over, but the fragrance never throws off too much power that it overwhelms.  I wore this to the office the other day and it was the perfect scent for mild projection without objection.  Silver Iris to me is one of those fragrances that smells better from afar which means, it smells better when my wrist is not up to my nose for a close up sniff.

Notes from the Atelier Cologne website:

Top notes : tangerine from Italy, pink pepper from China, blackcurrant from Burgundy

Heart notes : violet leaves from Grasse, iris Pallida from Tuscany, mimosa from Grasse

Base notes : patchouli from Indonesia, white amber, tonka bean from Brazil

Iris CupcakesWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  An iris cupcake.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SILVER IRIS:  sweet, cheerful, likable

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SILVER IRIS:  Perfume Posse, Bois de Jasmin, CaFleureBon

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent:  Oriental Floral
  • Classification:  Unisex
  • Expense:  $175 for 100ml Cologne Absolue

BOTTOM LINE:   Both of these “Collection Metal” fragrances are winners and both in very different ways.  Recently released, both of these are suited well for the cooler weather and will no doubt be used heavily by me this fall and winter.


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Rose Anonyme and Vetiver Fatal by Atelier Cologne

WHAT I SMELL:  Rose Anonyme opens with a dark, deep, rich and lush rose.  It’s achingly beautiful, full-bodied and juicy; almost like wine.  Soon that stage is followed by a mild suede leather that bounces between the multi layered rose scent that smells more like a bouquet than just a singular rose.  And it’s not an ordinary rose, it’s one that’s almost gourmand.  This phase is simply lovely and is different in its hefty beefiness.  As such, I would say that this borders on being a powerhouse rose.  As it settles, what you are left with is a sweet rose layered under a snuggly oudy suede with a bit of musk.

Rose Anonyme Notes:  calabrian bergamot, ginger, turkish rose, somalian opoponax, agarwood (oud), indonesian patchouli leaf, papyrus and benzoin

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: For some reason, I envision a red velvet cake topped with a rose!

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ROSE ANONYME: luscious, hearty, full-bodied

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Oriental Floral
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $75 for 30ml Cologne Absolue

WHAT I SMELL:  Vetiver Fatal opens as I expect a vetiver scent to open:  clean and green.  However, in a little time what you also get is a bit of warm musk that turns this fragrance into a deeper and richer, buttery scent with hints of spice.  I’m not a fan of vetivers, but this I can enjoy.

Vetiver Fatal Notes:  calabrian bergamot, sicilian lemon, bitter orange, tunisian orange blossom, violet leaf, plum, haitian vetiver, cedar and agarwood (oud)

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Honeyed candied biscuits.

 

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE VETIVER FATAL: warm, comforting, classy

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Woody Aromatic
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $75 for 30ml Cologne Absolue

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ROSE ANONYME AND VETIVER FATAL: Chemist in a Bottle, Bois de Jasmin, Il Mondo di Odore

BOTTOM LINE: These are both wonderful fragrances.  If I were to lean to one, it would be Rose Anonyme, but am worried that I might get a little tired of the sweetness.  However, I could see myself also wearing Vetiver Fatal; this coming from a person who usually cares little about vetiver scents.


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Grand Neroli by Atelier Cologne

This has been a summer of citrus.  Perfect for the hot days of summer because of its freshness, I have found a couple of loves in Parfum d’Empire’s Iskander and Azemour les Orangers.   Not all of my citrus encounters have been the same however; Tauer Perfume’s Orange Star bucked that love primarily because the citrus in Orange Star is artificial and not fresh.  The same can’t be said about Grand Neroli.  I’m not sure if it’s love, but it’s a definite like.

WHAT I SMELL:  Pure unadulterated sweet juicy orange.  Nothing artificial, just the juice of a sun-ripened orange.  Lovely.  As time goes on, the orange remains without the sweetness and in comes a bit of green and musk.  Non-complicated in it’s composition, it’s simpler and less sophisticated than Iskander and Azemour les Orangers, but remains a close cousin… maybe their country cousin?  Grand Neroli doesn’t seem to have great longevity, but I’m working off a small sample that I dabbed on and that might make a difference.

Grand Neroli Notes:  Moroccan neroli, lemon, Sicilian bergamot, petitgrain, Persian galbanum, moss, birch leaves, clean musk, white amber, vanilla from Madagascar

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Sunshine and casual Saturday mornings.  What I imagine Florida to smell like when you’re in the middle of a blossoming orange grove.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE GRAND NEROLI:  sweet, fresh, sunny

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT GRAND NEROLI: Scentsate, Olfactoria’s Travels, Now Smell This

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Chypre
  • Nose: Cecile Krakower
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $60 for 30ml Cologne Absolue