EDP | The Scented Hound

May 29, 2017
by The Scented Hound 14 Comments

Atelier des Ors Iris Fauve

WHAT I SMELL: Iris Fauve glides on the skin with a smooth and silky bergamot that is quickly met with a cashmere and rather putty like iris. The perfume is creamy, weighted and it feels like “waving in the wind” silk gliding across the skin. There’s an interesting cinnamon note that provides just a hint of sparkling sweetness; it’s a really nice touch that gives it a special brightness that rides on top of the silkiness. After a bit, that cinnamon note begins to retreat and the perfume begins to flatten, but with a deep and rounded consistency. This perfume is pretty without being too feminine. Instead, there’s a wonderful masculine edge, most likely coming from the labdanum, that provides this unexpected beefiness for an iris perfume. As the perfume continues to develop the cinnamon seems to come forward once again, along with a mysterious myrhh. Iris Fauve is beautifully bewitching.

Top notes are bergamot, cinnamon and iris; middle notes are patchouli, haitian vetiver and cypriol oil or nagarmotha; base notes are myrrh, musk, labdanum and liatris.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Trading on the Silk Road. The combination of exotic flowers and spices make for a mysterious and exotic perfume.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE IRIS FAUVE: enchanting, fluid, enticing

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT IRIS FAUVE: CaFleureBon, Kafkasesque, AustralianPerfumeJunkies

BOTTOM LINE: Iris Fauve is an iris perfume that’s not cool to the touch. Instead, it’s a beautiful, spicy and exotic presentation of iris that feels modern, yet which stems from the old world. And who can resist those bottles and the gold flakes? Heaven.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental
Nose: Marie Salamagne
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $275 for 100 ml eau de parfum

May 15, 2017
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

Van Cleef & Arpels Bois d’Iris

WHAT I SMELL: Bois d’Iris is oh so inviting when it first goes on the skin. It’s like soft iris infused cashmere that’s lightly sweetened and tinged with sun. The perfume feels like a late spring morning where the dew of the evening before has just evaporated off the flowers and greenery of a beautiful garden. The iris is very contained, but nicely warmed with the lightest amber that helps to give the perfume a golden hue of radiance. After some time, the iris retreats to make way for a buzzing labdanum. Still golden, the perfume moves from floral to almost entirely wood. Eventually, the perfume moves to the powdery and it becomes slightly sweeter , but the sweetness is kept contained by a dried woody vetiver. Overall, a very easy wear.

To smell wood, to see its scent from a totally different angle, forget the idea of the forest, leaves and earth , and picture it on a beach, floating in waves, and washing up on the sand. Driftwood warmed by the sun. I paired it with Ambergris and Labdanaum to underscore the solar and sensual dimension of this wood. Iris and Vetiver bring out the texture and elegance of this fragrance.

– Emilie Coppermann

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Beach bonnet. It’s a lightly sweet floral wood tinged with the sun, with a salty woodiness that is pretty, yet elegant and refined.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BOIS d’IRIS: clean, tidy, proper

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BOIS d’IRIS: Now Smell This, The Non-Blonde, Perfume-Smellin’ Things

BOTTOM LINE: Bois d’Iris is sweet, pretty, rather demure, and fun in a 1950’s kind of way. A perfect perfume for wearing at the office, or a fun day out on the town.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral Woody
Nose: Emilie Coppermann
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $125 for 1.5 oz eau de parfum

April 17, 2017
by The Scented Hound 18 Comments

Xerjoff Oesel

WHAT I SMELL: Oesel opens like the dawn of a new day with a creamy, smooth, layered orange blossom. It’s as if the sun warmed blossoms have exploded with their fragrant projection just at the peak of the late morning. The florals are rich, thick and bountiful without being overtly juicy or sweet. The mix of florals including jasmine, mimosa and Bulgarian rose are blended as if they were carried in the most fragrant nosegay and are melded so seamlessly as to defy you to be able to distinguish them, but for the voluminous orange blossom. In addition, Oesel is warm and full of bright yellow hazy sun and when smelled on the skin, the perfume retreats to the depth of your lungs. After a while, a consistent and dried wood begins to float under the orange blossom giving the perfume an added dimension with just the slightest of dirt and earth. Oesel is golden in every sense of the word.

From Fragrantica –

Oesel perfume from the Shooting Stars Collection is a symphony of bright and rich notes perfectly mixed with the best raw ingredients. Orange blossom and petitgrain from Paraguay lead the path to the heart of Bulgarian rose and Sambac jasmine, which are skillfully wrapped in sophisticated mimosa and white flowers. Graceful result of this mixed breed is the ambery wooden base of Indian patchouli, cedar and tobacco flower, which exudes the character, depth and persistence.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: An orange blossom boutounniere…the perfect perfume for your wedding day.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE OESEL: rapturous, uplifting, joyous

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT OESEL: Now Smell This, CaFleureBon, Confessions of a Perfume Nerd

BOTTOM LINE: I finally set forth cleaning up my office and the stash of perfume samples that were invading every corner of the room. There were quite a few of the perfumes I didn’t even realize I had in my possession. So off came the tops of many for a quick smell. Oesel was the loveliest of surprises and I wish I had tested it sooner. In fact I loved it so much so that the next day I purchased a bottle. How’s that for an endorsement?!

Bone Rating: 5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Classification: Marketed for men, but could easily be worn by a woman.
Expense: Varied…mid $200 for 100 ml eau de parfum