EDP | The Scented Hound

October 22, 2014
by The Scented Hound 5 Comments

Tom Ford Velvet Orchid

WHAT I SMELL: Velvet Orchid opens with a sweet, rather honeyed opening that quickly moves to an odd combination of honey and graham crackers. Yes, that’s it…like honey graham crackers. After a few minutes, the orchid reveals itself and the honey graham cracker note leaves the room. This is sugared and sweet and very rounded with florals that feel like they’re manufactured in a Chinese factory. After around 15 minutes, the fragrance settles down a bit to become slightly woody with some added radiant warmth, but overall, it feels like a sweet and big Everlasting Gobstopper. OK…maybe I spoke to soon. After around an hour and a half, Velvet Orchid becomes creamy and lighter with a smooth sandalwood finish. At this point, the fragrance finally finds it’s “pretty.” Oh, but what a horrific ride to get there.

After reading what I wrote above, I had to give this fragrance another shake to see if I was being fair to the perfume. So I pulled out the tester a couple of days later. Let’s take a look at round two…

Testing Round 2: Maybe it’s the weather (it’s cooler the 2nd time I tested this) or maybe it’s just my disposition, but the 2nd time I wore this I spritzed on just a bit less which I should always remember to do with a Tom Ford fragrance. In any case, the harshness that I first experience was much more toned down. I didn’t get the honey-graham cracker aspect that I did at first and albeit being sweet, the florals were far less manufactured. The perfume is sweet and somewhat powdery, but much more palatable. There’s a rather tropical feel to the fragrance this time as if the florals are hanging off of a vine and radiating in the sun. There still is a honeyed note, but it’s light, not thick and just adds a sheen to the overall composition, like a layer of fine shellac. This time there’s a slight hair spray aspect that I didn’t get at first, but it’s not offending and it adds just a tad of sharpness to the mix, but as soon as I smell that, a creaminess comes in with a radiant warmth. The fragrance seems to transform much quicker than it did earlier, but that’s a good thing as it moved much faster to the stage of where I want it to be; a creamy orchid that’s soft, a little powdery and very smooth and pretty.

From the Tom Ford website:

INTRODUCING TOM FORD’S NEW SIGNATURE FRAGRANCE. VELVET ORCHID LIVES IN A WORLD OF GLAMOROUS MYSTIQUE, EVOLVING THE CARNAL GRANDEUR AND SEDUCTIVE POWER OF TOM FORD’S ORIGINAL BLACK ORCHID INTO A HARMONIOUS AND UBER-FEMININE FRAGRANCE. LAVISHED WITH COOL FRESHNESS, DRAMATIC PETALS, HONEY AND RUM, TOM FORD VELVET ORCHID IS AN ORIENTAL FLORAL FRAGRANCE THAT TEASES AND CARESSES WITH ENVELOPING AND BRILLIANT WARMTH.

From Fragrantica:

The fragrance opens itself with bergamot, mandarin, Succan absolute (purified rum extract) and honey. At the core of this creation (made of “corporeal floral notes.”) isTom Ford’s distinctive, “timeless” signature – an imaginary accord of black orchid blended with notes of velvet orchid, which gives the perfume its name, with intense Turkish rose oil and jasmine and a new accord of purple orchid that grows in the wilds of southern Brazilian coast. There are also additional floral notes of orange blossom, rose absolute, narcissus, hyacinth and heliotrope. The base is warm due to the rich flavors of Peru balsam, myrrh, labdanum, sandalwood, suede and vanilla.

Trouble in the cul de sac…the cast of Knots Landing.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: What I got the first time I test was a “Knots Landing” kind of big 80’s glamour stuck in a cul-de-sac perfume. The 2nd time, what I got was just Donna Mills in Knots Landing, the prettier and more glamorous of the show’s entourage.

Donna Mills…the eyes have it!

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE VELVET ORCHID: Test 1: artificial, over-the-top, relentless…Test 2: velvety, fuzzy , pretty

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VELVET ORCHID: Kafkaesque, Now Smell This, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: I never said that I was infallible and I try to keep an open mind when testing fragrances. Tom Ford and I don’t always mix well with each other and I thought maybe this was one of those cases. But I found that my review was rather harsh so I had a give the perfume another visit since my words were over the top even for me. Whatever the reason, the difference between the 1st and 2nd wear was like night and day. I loved Black Orchid and couldn’t imagine that this would be so polar opposite. In any case, Velvet Orchid really is pretty…just remember to use a light application so you don’t get full on Everlasting Gobstopper!

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Noses: Yann Vasnier, Calice Becker, Shyamala Maisondieu and Antoine Maisondieu
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $112 for 1.7 oz. Eau de Parfum

October 20, 2014
by The Scented Hound 8 Comments

Diana Vreeland Simply Divine

WHAT I SMELL: Simply Divine opens with a sweet, soft, bubble gum tuberose….but just for a quick minute. The tuberose then becomes more musky and rather salty and earthy which surprised me, but in a nice way. For around 10 minutes the fragrance is rather subdued, with a jasmine lurking below. There’s not a lot of development that occurs after that point, but the little that does occur ends up making the fragrance sweeter. After around 30 minutes in comes the sandalwood which makes the fragrance seem off and soured. However, after another 15 minutes that disappears and your left with a musky tuberose. I put my wrist up to my husbands nose and he said unsolicited, “there’s nothing special about that one is there?” To be honest, it pales in comparison to my favorite white tuberose floral launched this year, Byredo’s Flowerhead. Simply Divine is simply OK.

From Fragrantica:

Clement Gavarry composes a unique blend dedicated to floral notes of tuberose as the central notes of the composition which include fresh crushed leaves and nutmeg accords. The fragrance highlights its floral heart with Tunisian orange blossom absolute and Egyptian jasmine absolute. Floral shades are deepened with Indian sandalwood and softened with Italian orris root, cashmere wood, tonka and sensual musk.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: meh.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SIMPLY DIVINE: pleasant, sweet, wearing

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SIMPLY DIVINE: Scents Memory

BOTTOM LINE: I’m not going to get into the whole “the Diana Vreeland fragrance line is a travesty, sullying her great name” issue. As far as I’m concerned a perfume is either good or bad depending on if the wearer likes it or not. I certainly don’t believe this line of fragrances will degrade anything she accomplished in her life. As for Simply Divine, I may not really like the perfume, but I have to tell you the bottles are killer and they make me really want to like the perfume. I guess I’ll have to check out the others in the line; there has to be one that stands out as a winner to me!

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Clement Gavarry
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $185 for 50ml Eau de Parfum

October 16, 2014
by The Scented Hound 18 Comments

New Release: Gardenia by Robert Piguet

WHAT I SMELL: Gardenia opens with a mix of heady florals with thick and rich rather brown sugared ylang-ylang. This is everything I love in a floral, so deep and rich that when you draw the scent in, it coats the back of your throat. The florals are low to the ground and feel weighted as if the flowers crushed under your feet. An earthy raw dirt component adds a realness that makes the perfume even more inviting. After around 15 minutes there are peaks of a lighter flower that start to come through as if they are able to make their way through the crushed dirt. The florals are lighter, but no less intoxicating as they’re mixed with a delicious and exuberant vanilla. The fragrance seems to experience a rebirth with this 2nd wave of florals which bursts out with golden energy. But Gardenia manages to contain itself as the burst levels to more of a golden warm haze. The fragrance is now feminine, seductive and alluring. It calls you in and you can’t let go of its beauty. After an hour, there’s a slight woody greenish quality that makes it way in making it less feminine, but more unisex. In the end, you’re left with a subtle warm gardenia fragrance that is creamy, comforting, classic and incredibly peaceful in its beauty.

From Robert Piguet Parfums:

Soft, flowery Ylang Ylang embraces the sweet and bold fleur de lis for a bold, sparkling beginning. The sensuous white gardenia scintillates the heart as it grows richer and more complex with black leather, Madagascar Vanilla, and cashmeran warming to a sultry base.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The perfect gay wedding fragrance; floral and handsome without being too feminine.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE GARDENIA: embracing, divine, magnificent

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT GARDENIA: AustralianPerfumeJunkies, Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE: I don’t really get any gardenia from the perfume until the fragrance begins to work its way into the drydown. But throughout the fragrance’s development, the florals are intoxicating, beautiful and just the right cup of tea for this lover of white floral fragrances. Gardenia softens to a whisper and some might want it to project a bit more, but to me, it radiates perfectly as a glowing floral forcefield.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Aurelien Guichard
Classification: Feminine to Unisex
Expense: $175 for 100ml Eau de Parfum