EDP | The Scented Hound

March 30, 2015
by The Scented Hound 18 Comments

New Release: Neela Vermeire Creations Pichola

WHAT I SMELL: Pichola opens with a light, soft combination of magnolia and tempered spice. It’s like a whisper that meets the back of your neck with a breath of tenderness. In a couple of minutes that whisper opens to what feels like dawn, or the rising of the sun. You can feel the perfume becoming brighter, more radiant and alive. The blending of the notes makes it difficult to distinguish individual notes, but that’s a good thing because together they paint such a beautiful picture. The florals are front and center of the perfume, but they are subdued, rather gentle and oh so pretty and graceful. After 15 minutes or so, the florals begin to grow, becoming more lush and slightly sweeter with the jasmine most pronounced along with a creamy ylang-ylang. The sandalwood provides a touch of dimension under the budding florals. As the perfume continues to grow, the creaminess expands to create a milky wrap around the florals as if it’s trying to contain the uncontainable burgeoning blossoms. I keep waiting for the florals to explode, but instead they blossom and grow large without shouting. The perfume culminates in this creamy haze of floral and lightly woody and sweet delightfulness.

From the Neela Vermeire Creations website:

Lake Pichola is the crown jewel and central focus of the princely city of Udaipur. A myriad of colourful historic, architectural and spiritual re!ections fall on this splendid water body – the sunlight and moonlight of each season bringing out the eternal and timeless beauty of Lake Pichola. Our latest fragrance captures such countless re!ections on the lake from the past to the present – showcasing the splendour of opulent and vibrant flowers, princely spices and precious woods taking us on an unforgettable and hypnotic fragrant journey. Once you have experienced the diverse and stunning beauty of these indescribable re!ections you will understand the true meaning of timeless luxury and e”ortless beauty….

TOP NOTES Cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, juniper, magnolia, neroli oil, clementine, bergamot

HEART NOTES Orange blossom absolute, rose absolute, tuberose absolute, Jasmine sambac, ylangylang

BASE NOTES Benzoin absolute, sandalwood, driftwood, vetiver from Haiti

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Daybreak. The sun, warmth and quietness opening up to a new and glorious day.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE PICHOLA: reflective, jeweled, comforting

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PICHOLA: Kafkaesque, The Goodsmellas, Persolaise

BOTTOM LINE: Pichola is the quiet cousin of the fantastic Bombay Bling. Both are incredibly uplifting floral beauties and there is an unmistakable connection in their composition. But, Pichola is more restrained and subdued. It’s as if the Bombay Bling party has ended and it’s time for some down time to reflect on the excitement of the day.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
Classification: Unisex
Expense: Launching in April 2015 in the US. EU residents can place orders via the Neela Vermeire website for 205 Euros for 60ml.

Sample courtesy of Neela Vermeire Creations.

March 25, 2015
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

Etat Libre d’Orange Cologne

WHAT I SMELL: Cologne opens with a clean crisp warmed bergamot and blood orange. It’s tangy and sparkling without being overly juiced. An orange blossom soon joins the mix of this nice and easy composition. Not too sweet and not too sour, the perfume maintains this perfect balance of carefree wear. After around 10 minutes a musk comes into play. It’s not too clean and it brings in some added dimension. However, it does make the fragrance seem more like Febreeze than a perfume. After another 5 minutes, a sugared element comes forth making the orange blossom more prevalent and it helps to dissipate the musk. And then a bit later, the jasmine comes in to give the cologne a really nice boost of fresh florals. In the end, Cologne stays in this easy to wear mode that works at being fresh, without being too fresh.

Composition: Blood orange, orange blossom, bergamot, jasmine, musk, leather…

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Welcome to L.A. The ease of sun and casual living with a hint of a wicked underbelly.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE COLOGNE: easy, wearable, one-off

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT COLOGNE: CaFleureBon, Colognoisseur, Perfume-Smellin’ Things

BOTTOM LINE: I like Cologne but I don’t like it. How’s that? I like it because it takes the standard citrus perfume and make it a little bit dirty. Unfortunately, the musk gets in the way; and it seems to be random. At times, the musk isn’t present, then all of a sudden it comes charging through. Take away the musk and you have a winner.

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Woody Spicy
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $149 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum

March 23, 2015
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

New Release: Asphalt Rainbow by Charenton Macerations

WHAT I SMELL: Asphalt Rainbow opens with a sparkly zesty bergamot, like peppered champagne which retreats quickly and then flattens to a slightly soapy, rather milky floral. The notes states that there are aerosols in the perfume and after 5 minutes it does feel like the perfume is sprayed through a can. As such, the projected spray throws out the perfume and what was once soapy and milky, is now a bit gritty and rough-hewn. There’s also a warmed hair spray effect that feels tinged with charcoal. What’s strange about Asphalt Rainbow is that in some sense, it feels very “bathtastic.” Maybe it’s the aerosol effect which makes it feel as if it was born in a 1950s blue tile bathroom. On the other hand, there’s a grittiness about it that makes it go from blue tile bathroom to truck stop bathroom. If you’re looking for your mother’s rose scent this is not it. The rose is muted, flat and roughened. For some reason, the perfume also reminds me a fabric store as there is a slight muslin feel to the fragrance, like it’s sheathed in bolts of the clean, yet unfinished fabric. After around 20 minutes the rose comes to the forefront, and it’s big and powerful and much cleaner with infused musk and a light amber. After 30 minutes, the perfume becomes much prettier, woodier and softer. And while it is still big, it has moved from the bathroom to the garden. In the end, Asphalt Rainbow becomes demure, light and rather pretty with a very prominent clean musk. Quite the journey if I say so myself.

From the Charenton Macerations website:

Asphalt Rainbow draws inspiration from the “break the rules” attitude of global street art: a creative world movement that teaches anything can be a canvas and anyone an artist. Specifically exploring the concepts of distortion, reappropriation, and impermanence, Asphalt Rainbow borrows from a series of masterful street art techniques to craft an olfactive love letter to the street: a roughed up rose that’s been hyper-colored, torn apart and twisted on its head, then nailed to the wall for your sniffing pleasure. The arc of the fragrance mirrors the unpredictable lifecycle of street art: a re-envisioned rose accord that distorts and morphs over time like a fragmented floral collage stretched across urban walls and alleyways; its aerosol-tinged aroma ever-fading closer to background.

Featured: Rose Absolute, Rose Fragments
Accents: Spray Paint (Aerosols), Galbanum, Lily of the Valley, Lychee, Ylang, Saffron, Magnolia, Leather, Cistus,
Background: Asphalt, Detritus, Patchouli, Wood, Amber

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: An institutional bathroom; clean, yet slightly dirty.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ASPHALT RAINBOW: big, bold, large

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ASPHALT RAINBOW: No others found.

BOTTOM LINE: Asphalt Rainbow is an interesting perfume. The journey is rather fun and conceptually I love the idea. But I love the idea more than the perfume. However, I can tell you that the hub loves it, which says to me that this is a floral that is for those who don’t want their florals to be too feminine or too pretty.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Cecile Hua
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $100 for 30 ml Eau de Parfum

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique & Apothecary