Dawn Spencer Hurwitz | The Scented Hound

January 31, 2022
by The Scented Hound 4 Comments

Zoologist Snowy Owl

WHAT I SMELL: Snowy Owl opens with bright reflective aldehydic snow and the smell of freshly turned earth. Quickly, it begins to move to the cool and fresh along with a cottony finish that feels light and fluffy. There’s a wonderfully light herbal hint of mint, but its portrayal is much more attuned to the smell of warmed faux fur that lines the inside of worn leather gloves. As the perfume continues to develop, light and soft florals seem to pop out from the snow and once again the smell of moist earth begins to emerge as if the frozen ground has melted to reveal some hints of spring. The perfume at this point is soft and inviting and quite powdery and it feels as if it has been lightly applied to the skin with the softest makeup brush. As Snowy Owl continues to develop, it begins to strengthen just a bit and the light florals make way for a radiating amber tinged woodiness. In the end, the perfume feels as if it is full of contained energy that’s held secure within a cocooned wrap of musk.

From the Zoologist Perfumes website:

A thick carpet of silver envelops the landscape, untouched but for the dazzling reflection of the sun. Snow stretches as far as the eye can see, while a bitter wind rolls silently across the sky, its hush barely broken by the powerful beat of an ivory wing. Despite the stillness of the arctic, the snowy owl senses a flutter beneath the icy crust far below. Through snowy tunnels voles scamper, oblivious to their fate. A warm glow stirs within the breast of the majestic bird as it dives, confident in its mastery over the frigid kingdom.

Zoologist Snowy Owl glides on with a minty opening, while the gentle warmth of musk combines with beautiful hints of snowdrops, lily of the valley and iris. Sweet coconut and woody vanilla swoop in to surprise and entice. Snowy Owl merges cool vitality with exquisite softness in a captivating scent, ideal for those who aren’t afraid to take what they desire.

Top Notes: Snow Accord, Lily of the Valley, Mint, Coconut
Heart Notes: Iris, Snowdrop, White Rose, Mate, Frankincense, Galbanum
Base Notes: Ambrette, Cedar, Civet, Musk, Oakmoss, Tonka, Vanilla

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: I can’t argue with the fact that this perfume captures the spirit of the snowy owl and it’s winter environment. But what I can add is that it’s a very well dressed snowy owl at that.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SNOWY OWL: soft, enticing, engaging

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SNOWY OWL: Now Smell This, The Sniff, Colognoisseur

BOTTOM LINE: The first half of the development of Snowy Owl is wonderfully delightful and you can feel the cool air of the snowy landscape swirl around you as you wear it. I just wish it would have remained in the soft and pretty for a greater amount of time. Maybe like snow, all it requires is an occasional dusting to keep it in the “pretty” realm?

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Dawn Spencer Hurwitz
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $165 for 60 ml parfum extrait. Also available in 10 ml travel spray.

April 10, 2017
by The Scented Hound 12 Comments

New Release: Foxy by DSH Perfumes

Tis the season of the fox! For living in the heart of a metropolitan area, it always surprises me every spring that the local foxes seem to come out of their intown lairs to go hunting in the dew of the morning. It’s always my delight when grabbing the newspaper on the front walk to see a fox go traipsing down the street. As a city boy, this makes me extremely happy and I have to say that foxes are easily one of my favorite wild animals. So I was thrilled to see that DSH’s latest offering was called Foxy. Let’s see if this new fox on the block makes me equally as happy…

WHAT I SMELL: Foxy opens with a spiced cinnamon and lightly boozy opening. There’s also a anise candied note that reminds me of ribbon candy. The perfume is warm, rather animalic and somewhat wild and feral. After a little while, the feral starts to lessen and the perfume begins to purr as it softens and evens out. The perfume doesn’t develop all that much. Instead, it smoothens to a light and warmed floral amber that covers you in the softest of fur. Yes, when wearing this you’ll definitely be foxy.

From the DSH Perfume website:

A smart, sexy, and playful retro-nouveau animalic fragrance that features the fur accord paired with a spiced – boozy beginning, and a rich, ambery drydown. You will definitely feel FOXY in this!

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A fox of course!

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE FOXY: stealthy, content, smooth

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT FOXY: No reviews to be found.

BOTTOM LINE: Foxy is a sexy perfume that isn’t complicated, yet maintains an aura of mystery and seductive confidence with the most sublime drydown. Now, this is my kind of fox!

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Animalic
Nose: Dawn Spencer Hurwitz
Classification: Unisex
Expense: Prices and concentrations vary via the DSH Perfumes website. Review based on the Voile de Parfum version.

Sample provided my DSH Perfumes. Opinion my own.

February 15, 2016
by The Scented Hound 25 Comments

New Release: Rendezvous by DSH Perfumes

WHAT I SMELL: Rendezvous opens up as pure animal with a strong and breathtaking civet. It’s powerful and primal and it draws you in to take you prisoner. After a few minutes, the initial wave of animalic prowess begins to soften with a light creaminess, but at the same time a dry oakmoss begins to appear along with the most subdued of florals. A dirtied jasmine, mixed with the animalic makes for an interesting play because at times the jasmine comes to the forefront and a minute later the civet and castoreum come to the center stage. After some more time however, the florals win out…still deep, rich and creamy, they provide this heady and voluminous and achingly beautiful arrangement that is wrapped up in an ambered and golden aura. After quite some time, the perfume reveals its final treasure, a gorgeous soft rounded lightly dirty and spicy powdered floral that’s warm, intoxicating and incredibly nostalgic.

Perfumer Dawn Spencer Hurwitz:

I let my imagination go to a time and place when animalic perfumes reigned supreme. Of course, I included the four traditional animal notes: musk, civet, ambergris, and castoreum with added elements of aged oakmoss, and botanical “animalics”; ambrette co2, labdanum, and hyracium tincture (aka African Stone). The heart is filled with indolic juhi jasmine, orange flower absolute, and gardenia balanced by a slightly sharp and spicy white pepper and aldehyde top note. The result is a lush, provocative, and thoroughly sexy perfume for both men and women.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: beautiful decay

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE RENDEZVOUS: haunting, breathtaking, careworn

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RENDEZVOUS: None to be found as of yet.

BOTTOM LINE: I love it when perfumes can stir something inside your core. Too often, new releases tend to be pleasant and nice but rather uninteresting. Rendezvous however, evoked an emotional response in me that took me by surprise. I don’t know if my words convey exactly how beautiful the perfume is and I don’t want my visual to denigrate its effect. But to me, there’s a fragility in the perfume, like a magnificent beauty that has faded in time…you can see the ravages of time, but at its heart it still possesses a grand presence. Rendezvous is a stunning perfume.

Bone Rating: 5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Aromatic
Nose: Dawn Spencer Hurwitz
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $165 for 1 oz. eau de parfum or $295 for .5 oz parfum extrait (also available in additional sizes and strengths). Available via the DSH Perfumes website.

Sample courtesy of DSH Perfumes. Opinion my own. Review based on the eau de parfum concentration.