The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.


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Cartier – L’Heure Promise

WHAT I SMELL:  Promise opens with a soft and cottony musky iris that is quickly infused with a combination of herbs that are too light to distinguish or specify.  The perfume is so transparent and barely there that unless I stick my nose in my arm, I’m not able to smell much, if anything.  As the perfume develops, the lightest of wood draws the perfume back from the iris and musk and moves it to a light paper pulp.  But as soon as I say that, the iris comes gliding gracefully back to the center of the perfume.  Promise is a sheer fragrance where the iris is warmed by a light sunny sandalwood.  It’s beautiful, but it’s so barely there at the beginning that you wonder if you sprayed anything on at all.  Thankfully, as the perfume wears, it begins to grow, but it never deviates from the warmed iris that first came forward; except for the addition of a wonderful powder that helps the perfume to radiate in just the right way.

From the Cartier website:

It was time to capture a life full of fresh early mornings, Petit grain, FRESH HERBS at the dawn of intentions. Everything seemed possible – love, creation, belief. The time had come to embrace the day, comforted by self-confidence and honesty IRIS, and to fly or walk in the first glimmers of a spring of existence. The sheer newness was just waiting to be explored like an undiscovered continent bathed in hope, with the promise of cherishing the moment a little longer while everything remained quiet. Prolonging, preserving the moment: L’HEURE PROMISE by Cartier. An eiderdown of fragrance sandalwood, for leaving the night behind without affronting sleep. Outside, I sense, like a veil of tulle MUSK NOTES, my own deciding scent – that of my destiny unfolding and of an adventure that is anxious to take place.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Iris colored tulle.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE L’HEURE PROMISE:  soft, elegant, sheer

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT L’HEURE PROMISE:  Perfume Posse

BOTTOM LINE:  L’Heure Promise is incredibly beautiful in a simply elegant way.  I would probably give the perfume a 4 bone rating, but this is so much of a skin scent that I would find it hard to do so given the hefty price tag.  But would I like to have this as part of my perfume collection?  That would be a definitive “yes!”

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Floral Green
  • Nose:  Mathilde Laurent
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $275 for 75 ml eau de toilette


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Chanel PARIS-DEAUVILLE

WHAT I SMELL:  PARIS-DEAUVILLE greets the skin with a sun-kissed fresh orange that’s bright, light and juicy.  Rather quickly, the perfume warms to a delightful sunny white floral and a calming freshly cut basil.  The perfume is so fresh, so bright and so happy that it’s an immediate mood lifter.  The perfume doesn’t morph all that much, but it does warm and it radiates this incredible citrus green accord rounded off by a a softened jasmine and rose mix that bounces off of the skin.  In the end, PARIS-DEAUVILLE becomes a muted and slightly soapy version of the opening…a beautiful citrus and basil dream of a perfume tinged with the lightest of soft florals.

From the Chanel website:

THE INSPIRATION:  1913. Gabrielle Chanel opens her very first fashion boutique, choosing Deauville as the location. This destination marks the beginning of a simple, bold style that becomes iconic with the marinière striped shirt and tweed and jersey fabrics. Inspired by the peaceful landscapes along the Normandy coast, PARIS-DEAUVILLE transposes this bucolic charm to a fragrance of the open air.

Pairing the aromatic green facets of Basil with the sparkling top notes of Sicilian Orange, PARIS-DEAUVILLE reveals a lively, naturally radiant freshness.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A young and ever so pretty Cybill Shepherd; full of sunshine and promise.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE PARIS-DEAUVILLE:  fresh, uncomplicated, clean

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PARIS-DEAUVILLE:  The Candy Perfume Boy, Colognoisseur, The Scented Salamander

BOTTOM LINE:  Chanel does easy to wear, fresh and clean better than most.  And PARIS-DEAUVILLE, which is part of the Les Eaux de Chanel collection, is just so delightful to wear because it doesn’t wear you.  The perfume is perfect for wearing while running errands as well as when dining out for the evening al fresco.   Thanks Chanel, for making me smell so fantastic and for lifting my spirits while doing so.

  • Bone Rating:  4 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Chypre
  • Nose:  Olivier Polge
  • Classification: Leans feminine
  • Expense: $130 for 4.2 oz eau de toilette


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Bois 1920 Sushi Imperiale

WHAT I SMELL:  Sushi Imperiale’s opening is decidedly not sushi like as it opens with a warm crunchy bergamot and sugared orange.  The perfume is sweet, but not sugary sweet; instead its sweetened naturally as if it’s tinged with brown sugar.  Soon enough, the natural sweetness begins to give way for a more flattened floral spice.  The perfume is slightly gourmand, but that quickly moves away and the perfume begins to unleash a warm, shimmering radiance and a lovely warmed sandalwood comes to the forefront.  At this point, Sushi Imperiale becomes enveloping and rapturous…the base notes are a light blanket of comfort that don’t weigh down the perfume, but instead add just the right amount of security.  After this, Sushi Imperiale doesn’t transform much, except when it finally settles in with light and soft patchouli that feels tufted with light cotton.  In other words, it’s comforting and reassuring.

From Bois 1920:

An intense beginning where the citrus notes blend harmoniously for an eau de toilette that speaks of love.  The heart releases its spicy personality:  the vibrant and exotic luminosity of Pepper, Nutmeg and Cinnamon.  The fragrance develops into a brilliant and almost nonchalant wisp of woods and Vanilla of Madagascar.

Top notes are bergamot, mandarin orange and lemon; middle notes are pepper, nutmeg, jasmine, rose, star anise and cinnamon; base notes are sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli, tonka bean and madagascar vanilla.

Italian Crown Prince Umberto II

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  To me this is less “sushi” imperial, but it is indeed more italian imperial, meaning that the perfume is fit for a prince.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SUSHI IMPERIALE:  shimmering, comforting, contented

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SUSHI IMPERIALE: AustralianPerfumeJunkies, EauMG, Kafkaesque

BOTTOM LINE: Sushi Imperiale is a wonderfully wearable and elegant perfume that has surprising projection and longevity and is rather beefy for an eau de toilette.  This is a perfume that is perfectly elegant without being snobbish.

  • Bone Rating:  4 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Oriental Spicy
  • Nose: Enzo Galardi
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: Approximately $140 for 50 ml EdT