The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: EDP


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Rouge No. 2 by M. Micallef and Special Draw!

Micallef-ROUGE-2-500The other day I reviewed Rouge No. 1, part of the new M. Micallef Art Collection.  I loved Rouge No. 1’s floral beauty…let’s see what Rouge No. 2 has in store…

WHAT I SMELL:  Rouge No. 2 opens with sweet black currant cut with bright citrus notes.  It’s tangy, sparkling and zesty.  You can smell a tinge of nutmeg which gives it an undercurrent of cinnamon like spice.  Quickly, the florals make their way in.  At first I get more violet which is then taken over by a wonderful jasmine.  The base notes bring some nice depth into play with sweetened and warm vanilla and amber.  After around 20 minutes, Rouge No. 2 becomes more full-bodied and begins to expand.  There is almost a gourmand sugary sweetness that sits on top of the florals.  It’s sweet, but not syrupy…it’s what I would call more of a sophisticated sweet.  In the end, Rouge No. 2 radiates its gourmand beauty with a large projection that lasts for hours.

Rouge No. 2 Notes:

Top notes are citruses, black currant and nutmeg; middle notes are jasmine, violet and orchid; base notes are vanilla, labdanum, amber and castoreum.

red-velvet-layer-cake1WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Cake.  Not literally; but its yummied goodness makes you want to cut off a big piece and eat it!

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ROUGE NO. 2: big, sugared, gourmand

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ROUGE NO. 2:  Olfactoria’s Travels, Cafluerebon

BOTTOM LINE:  Where Rouge No. 1 sits more on the sophisticated side, Rouge No. 2 sits more on the wild side.  Its full-bodied sweetened goodness doesn’t allow for it to be shy.

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent:  Oriental Floral
  • Classification: Feminine
  • Expense:  $245 for 100ml EdP

Micallef-5-ml-Bottle-Bag-500THE DRAW:  The good folks at Hypoluxe, the U.S. distributor of M. Micallef fragrances have offered 10 5ml sets of Rouge No. 1 and Rouge No. 2 to my lucky U.S. readers.  That means all winners will get one of each!  Each 5ml fragrance comes in its own cute little bottle and accompanying bag!  To enter, please leave a comment as to which M. Micallef Art Collection perfume, Rouge No. 1 or Rouge No. 2 , intrigues you the most and why.  Also, be sure to state that you are a resident of the United States.  The drawing will close at midnight Eastern Standard Time on August 31, 2013.  The 10 winners will be chosen at random.  Good luck with getting your rouge on!!


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Rouge No. 1 by M. Micallef

Micallef-ROUGE-1-500This past June, M. Micallef launched two fragrances as part of their Art Collection; Rouge No. 1 and Rouge No. 2.  It’s always good to start at the beginning, so today I’ll be reviewing Rouge No. 1.

WHAT I SMELL:  Rouge No. 1 opens with a tangy peach that is quickly overtaken by beautiful ylang-ylang.  The peach keeps the florals slightly at bay with a bit of a bite.  But Rouge 1 is not shy and it eventually starts pumping out a milky warm and inviting floral bouquet that is thick and almost slightly honeyed, which I believe is the vanilla at play.  Wrap this all up with a white musk base and you have a fragrance that doesn’t develop all that much, but provides you with a floral loveliness with some lasting longevity and some pretty big projection.

From the 2013 M. Micallef Art Collection press release:

Head note: peach, tangerine – Heart note: ylang-ylang, rose, jasmine – Base note: white musk, vanilla, benzoin.

Floral-fruity eau de parfum, Rouge n°1 combines delicious yellow fruits and a generous bunch of flowers heart, warmed  by the vanilla and white musk base.

formalfoyerWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  The large bouquet in a formal foyer of a beautiful home.  It’s beautiful, inviting and welcomes the visitor in.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ROUGE NO. 1:  proper, elegant, warm

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ROUGE NO. 1:  As the Micallef Art Collection was released this past June, I was not able to find any other reviews.

BOTTOM LINE:  Another beautiful perfume from the house of M. Micallef.  There is some similarity here with one of my all time loves, Givenchy Ysatis, although Rouge No. 1 seems to exist in more of a subdued gauzy haze vs. the louder and sharper edges of Ysatis.

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent:  Floral Fruity
  • Classification: Feminine
  • Expense:  $245 for 100ml EdP

Sample provided by Hypoluxe, official distributor of M. Micallef products.


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Encens Mythique D’Orient by Guerlain

EncensWHAT I SMELL: Encens Mythique D’Orient opens with an aldehyde and astringent pop, followed by bitter green.   It’s initial opening is rather uninspired and kind of meh.  So far this doesn’t feel “Guerlainy” to me.  After about five long minutes I start to detect some incense, albeit ever so light and discreet.  Encens Mythique D’Orient then become a bit sweeter, but sweeter with a sour tinge.  Overall its very translucent.  So much so, that I can barely smell it when I bring my wrist to my nose.  Very strange…after around 10 minutes, I get what smells like a pencil.  Actually, it’s not pencil shavings, but instead the smell of a pencil and its lead after you just finished sharpening it.  After a couple more minutes, add a light sugar on top of the pencil.  Thankfully at this point, the fragrance starts to blossom with the advent of some rose.  Again, it’s restrained, but seems to have a bit more projection.  After around what seems to be along 20 minutes I actually start to like this.  The mix of rose and incense becomes intoxicating and is warm and full-bodied when I lift my wrist to my nose.  Behind the sheer is some wonderful musky beef, but somehow with the beef Encens Mythique D’Orient manages to remain translucent.  By now, it does feel “Guerlainy.”  I like that.

From the Guerlain website:

Notes: rose, aldehydes, saffron, pink pepper, vetiver, patchouli, notes of undergrowth, ambergris, incense

black_veilWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A veil.  You want it to reveal itself, but it  keeps you somewhat at bay.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ENCENS MYTHIQUE D’ORIENT:  translucent, warming, mysterious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ENCENS MYTHIQUE D’ORIENT: Kafkaesque, Smellythoughts, The Alembicated Genie

BOTTOM LINE:   I like this, but don’t love it as much as the wonderful Rose Nacree, one of the other fragrances in the Les Deserts d’Orient collection.  But that won’t keep me from spritzing some more on.

CONFESSION:  I was going through my mess of samples and I believe that this came from the wonderful Undina.  Thanks Undina.  If it did not come from Undina, whoever sent me this with love, I am so sorry for such sloppy housekeeping!  New Years resolution number 1013:  organize and track my samples!

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent:  Oriental Woody
  • Nose:  Thierry Wasser
  • Classification:  Unisex
  • Expense:  $190 Euros from the Guerlain website for 75ml EdP