EDP | The Scented Hound

October 11, 2016
by The Scented Hound 15 Comments

New Release: Amouage Lilac Love

WHAT I SMELL: Not surprisingly, Lilac Love opens with a soft sweet powdery lilac which quickly turns to cocoa…which smells like milk covered Count Chocula cereal. But that only lasts for few minutes as it moves towards a powdered floral that’s quite dusty and dry. After some more time, the perfume gains a lightly sharp sandalwood bite. The cocoa that was once front and center now seems to pop in and out of the perfume which makes the perfume much more alluring and moves the fragrance away from the gourmand. As Lilac Love continues to develop, a soft sweetened patchouli appears that’s pretty and rather demure. Without any big twists and turns in the development, Lilac Love leaves with you with very little lilac, but instead, you get a soft and powered slightly sweet sandalwood perfume. Lilac Love, like many Amouage perfumes, lasts a long time…but what’s different with this release is that it’s not a powerhouse. And that’s a pleasant surprise.

Notes from the Amouage website:

Top notes: lilac accord, gardenia, peony and heliotrope

Heat notes: orris, cacao and tonka bean

Base notes: sandalwood, patchouli and vanilla

Parmalee by Sophie Gamand

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Puppies and purple flowers*

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE LILAC LOVE: soft, fuzzy, ladylike

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LILAC LOVE: Colognoisseur, Kafkaesque, Brooklyn Fragrance Lover

BOTTOM LINE: I found the cocoa opening a bit disjointed, but eventually the blending of the florals and the chocolate are more in sync. What started off as a little strange, ends up being a soft and light sweet dream.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Leans feminine
Expense: $400 for 100 ml eau de parfum

* I’m not sure why visuals pop up in my head with a fragrance, but they do. With Lilac Love, my first impression was of labrador puppies romping in a field of purple flowers. In trying to find such a picture in Google Images, I ran across some wonderful pictures of pit bulls in flowered headdresses which then led me to the website of photographer Sophie Gamand. Sophie created a series of photographs entitled “Flower Power, Pit Bulls of the Revolution.” This series was designed to provide a softer look at the much maligned pit bull. Each of the photographed subjects is/was up for adoption. For more information on this series, as well as Sophie’s cause, check out her website at: www.sophiegamand.com. Seeing these beautiful creatures memorialized with such love, respect and warmth will bring a smile to your face and joy to your heart.

October 3, 2016
by The Scented Hound 5 Comments

Berdoues Oud Wa Ward

WHAT I SMELL: Oud Wa Ward jumps out of the bottle with a sweetened patchouli and luscious bold and juicy red rose with a soured and lightly biting oud. There’s a bit of a metallic edge to the perfume, but overall it is what it promises to be… a rose oud perfume…well, maybe add just a hint of incense to the mix. After quite some time, the sweetness begins to dissipate and a lovely understated woodiness takes over making the perfume a bit more grounded. But what used to be bright and free-spirited in the beginning after 30 minutes turns to the more serious and the perfume gets bigger, bolder with the honeyed, smoky and slightly dirty oud now fully in charge. But overall, Oud Wa Ward delivers a nice rose oud and patchouli sweetened fragrance that’s not too heavy, but with just enough sexy and exotic to make this a fun and easy wear.

Fragrance Notes: Patchouli, Turkish Red Rose, Oud

Skateboarding Shia LeBeouf – pic: Just Jared

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A smooth, easy and rather sexy perfume that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE OUD WA WARD: sweetened wood, kickin, fun

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT OUD WA WARD: None to be found.

BOTTOM LINE: Oud Wa Ward takes you on quite the ride although it doesn’t do it in short sprints; instead it really takes it time. The perfume starts off fun and carefree, but in the end you’re left with something that’s much more serious and a little bit dangerous, but still incredibly beautiful. This is a perfume that begs to be challenged with a cool attitude. Oud Wa Ward is a hip perfume at a reasonable price to boot. What’s not to love?

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Woody Oriental
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $140 for 100 ml eau de parfum

September 19, 2016
by The Scented Hound 16 Comments

Adjatay cuir narcotique by The Different Company

WHAT I SMELL: This latest release from The Different Company opens with a semi-sweet and creamy orange ylang-ylang that’s lightly leathered and oh so pretty. The perfume is tinged on the top with a light burnt marshmallow coating that rests very clearly as a puffy cloud on top of the leathered floral. After a short time, the leather begins to project and bounce off the skin as the emerging tuberose restrains itself allowing for the subtle leather to take the center stage. But it’s the light and pretty understated tuberose that gives the perfume its pretty personality. Overall, Adjatay is warm and restrained…it pulls you in without begging you to do so. As the perfume continues to develop, the tonka and sandalwood deepen the fragrance with a peppered leather that seems to pulsate. The perfume ends it’s journey with a deep, warm beefy old world leather with the muted florals sweetened by the tonka wrapped up within the walls of the leather hide.

From The Different Company website:

“Tanned, flexible, grain-embossed, full-grain, varnished… I have always loved working on leather notes for their carnal facets and the infinite possibilities they offer. For “ADJATAY, cuir narcotique” I wanted to work on a full, dark and textured leather, a leather that squeaks in your hands, a leather with a debauchery sillage. To obtain these particular effects, I associated dark and spicy notes with Styrax essence, Castoreum essence and Papyrus essential oil. On this leather structure, I dropped off a subversive Tuberose from which narcotic notes get away to engulf the atmosphere. The osmosis between Leather and Tuberose is perfect, neither one gets the upper hand, they are vibrating and matching each other creating a vigorous addiction”

Perfumer Alexandra Monet

Top notes are ylang-ylang and mandarin orange; middle notes are tuberose, jasmine and heliotrope; base notes are castoreum, styrax, papyrus, tonka bean, sandalwood and musk.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The polo club…the smell of worn leather, the dried wood of the stalls and the light sweat produced from playing under the sun while the heated and heady florals on the sidelines invade the field.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ADJATAY: care-worn, unique, confident

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ADJATAY: Megan in Saint Maxime, BL’eauOG, Colognoisseur,

BOTTOM LINE: The melding of leather and tuberose in Adjatay is brilliant and could easily be perfect for those who never thought they would like a leather or a tuberose perfume. Pretty and lightly sweet enough for woman, this works equally as well for a man. Wear it with your leather jacket and the perfume becomes dangerous…wear it with your tweeds and sweater and it becomes proper. Overall, it’s like a fine fitting leather pair of gloves that you absolutely love to wear.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Leather
Nose: Alexandra Monet
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $195 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum