EDP | The Scented Hound

September 30, 2015
by The Scented Hound 12 Comments

New Release: Elephant & Roses by Maria Candida Gentile

WHAT I SMELL: Elephant & Roses opens softly with a wonderfully herbal thyme that is sweetened so slightly with osmanthus. The perfume is light, soft and reassuring and unique in that it doesn’t start off with an oft seen bergamot or citrus blast. After a few minutes, a warmth from the amber develops and it helps to push-off the herbal and floral notes, lifting them up from the ground and sending them flying towards the sky. The rose begins to come towards the center, but it’s a lightly earthy rose that is anything but sweet and it’s very tender in its existence. As tender as the perfume is, an anamalic note begins to appear to give the perfume some wonderful depth and a bit more of an exotic feel…which was already exotic from the beginning. A vetiver and musk note brings the perfume to a more linear base, but helps to keep the perfume, soft, comforting and lightly radiant.

From the Maria Candida Gentile website:

A late afternoon, sitting at my desk, exercising to recreate an elephant smell, while writing my perfume formulae I had a kind of a vision, which merged the elephant’s image, its smell and a large field of roses, of an intense colour, almost fuchsia. Within this vision the elephants were running and, trampling on the roses, were dispersing a scent of flowers, mixed together with the strong smell of their bodies. Slowly – while I was weighing and smelling my formula – after trying it on my skin I realised that it was mine. I used the Turkish rose: this fragrance is derived from the blending of two different formulae, using the so called “dans le tiroir” method, by which I merged animal notes with skin and floral ones.

Name’s origin : The elephant comes from a remembrance of Indian and African colonies, and the rose is the British rose. An encounter between an elephant and the roses has got some British sense of humour. There is an assonance with London district Elephant & Castle.

Top notes: Thyme, Custus, Osmanthus

Heart notes: Rose, Jasmine, Grey Amber

Base notes: Java vetiver, Sandal wood, Animal accord

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: I can’t argue with the perfume’s name and inspiration, it makes for a lovely visual.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ELEPHANT & ROSES: comforting, herbal-infused, personal

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ELEPHANT & ROSES: Colognoisseur

BOTTOM LINE: I am a big fan of Maria Candida Gentile perfumes. They are all distinctively hers and this perfume is no exception. Elephant & Roses is less of a “rose” perfume than and herbal floral arrangement and would be a good rose perfume for those who don’t want to smell like a fragrant bouquet of sweet roses.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Aromatic
Nose: Maria Candida Gentile
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $185 for 100 ml or $45 for 15 ml eau de parfum

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary

September 24, 2015
by The Scented Hound 2 Comments

Madame de Pompadour by Maison Nicolas de Barry

WHAT I SMELL: Madame de Pompadour opens with a green bouquet of big florals dominated by a warm and slightly mentholated tuberose. As big as the combination of florals is, the perfume feels light and airy and as if sunlit through and an elegantly draped window. The perfume is warm and inviting, mature but yet still carefree like it’s full of laughter. After around 10 minutes the perfume begins to become more powdery and dry. But thankfully, this does not dilute the florals, but instead brings forth a more sweetened and condensed bouquet where the iris starts to come towards the front. Here, the perfume becomes more delicate and more ladylike. But as soon as I say that, a warm amber begins to sit at the base which really makes the perfume project. Madame de Pompadour has an aura of grace and femininity combined with a substantial confidence. In the end the perfume softens becomes a powder puff of florals…only to move into a rather hefty soapiness.

From the Maison Nicolas de Barry website:

The iris flower dominates the head and bouquet brings together the favorite flowers of the Marquise: rose, jasmine, gardenia, violet, hyacinth, daffodil, carnation and tuberose. The iris and amber persistent nature give more elegance to this powdered mix. The iris flower dominates the top notes and the bouquet is a collection of the favorite flowers of the Marquees: roses, jasmine, gardenia, violet , hyacinth, daffodil and tuberous. Iris and amber in wide quantities to give this bouquet has more powdered elegance.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The beautiful Madame de Pompadour matches perfectly with the fragrance whom it is named for.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE MADAME de POMPADOUR: graceful, classic, refined

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MADAME de POMPADOUR: Parfumistans Blogg, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: Oh my, Madame de Pompadour had me in her spell until the final drydown when the soap appeared. She is a beauty for sure, but if you have any aversion to soap in your perfume, you may want to stay away.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral Woody Musk
Noses: Nicolas de Barry and Eddy Blanchet
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $149 Euros for 100 ml Eau de Parfum

September 21, 2015
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

Marlowe by Jardins d’Ecrivains

WHAT I SMELL: Marlowe opens with an almost stinging tuberose note that quickly turns to a big and bursting soured floral. I can’t say that it’s pretty, but it’s intriguing in that it feels like there’s some measure of decay involved. In a few minutes, the perfume starts to powder and blend with a dried osmanthus. Soon, all of the moisture is sucked out of the perfume making it incredibly dry. Past this point, and for the first few hours, the perfume radiates substantial layers of powdered florals that seem broken down and aged.

From the Jardins d’Ecrivains website:

This scent is dense, heady, feral, and theatrical. The top notes feature the poisonous nectar of the tuberose blended with opulent osmanthus. The middle notes of dried flowers evoke tragic poetry. Hints of powdered leather with chypre make up the base notes.

Bilbo Baggins, Alexandria, VA

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Bilbo Baggins restaurant, Alexandria, Virginia. OK, let me explain…Bilbo Baggins is a restaurant in the town where I live. The interior of the restaurant feels like it has not been updated or cleaned since 1975. It’s dusty, tired and someplace I will not return to if I can help it.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE MARLOWE: labored, tired, burdensome

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MARLOWE: Kafkaesque, The Non-Blonde, Colognoisseur

BOTTOM LINE: Marlowe is a complete miss for me. There’s something about the tired and powdered florals that just weighs it down, like a forgotten sachet in the back of your mother’s “delicates” drawer. Only hours into the wear does it soften to a point of actually being amenable.

Bone Rating: 2 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $110 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum