EDP | The Scented Hound

August 3, 2013
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

gs02 by biehl parfumkunstwerke

The other day I was lucky enough to receive some samples of the biehl parfumkunstwerke line of fragrances. They recently have been made available in the US market and I had yet to have any introduction to them, so I was excited to check them out. My plan was to provide a review on biehl parfumkunstwerke’s gs03 which is their newest release, but for some reason I was strangely drawn to sample gs02 (released in 2007) instead. Maybe notes like castoreum and descriptors like “erotic” had something to do with it!

WHAT I SMELL: gs02 opens with an herbal orange/citrus note which is clean and somewhat astringent. Quickly, gs02 begins to develop a bit of a sour note and in the background there lurks some castoreum, which gives the fragrance a bit of dirtiness…but it remains in the background. I keep waiting for the leather, but it’s not quick to make its appearance and when it does, it too lurks in the background unwilling to really pounce. After about 15 minutes, gs02 becomes more woody and after almost 30 minutes, the fragrance warms and becomes more radiant. It’s funny, gs02 blends seamlessly and it’s incredibly restrained which makes this a wonderfully mysterious and hypnotic scent.

From the biehl parfumkunstwerke website:

charisma. determination. arrogance can be erotic after all.

head: aromatic, spicy.
the liveliness and elegance of absinth, Campari, orange, thyme, angelica roots

heart: leather perfectly combined with castoreum, rounded off very erotically with

base: ambergris, tonka been, vanilla

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A sly fox.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE gs02: sexy, subtle, confident

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT gs02: That Smell (I couldn’t find any others)

BOTTOM LINE: gs02 is lovely and a bit sexy, but very subtle. I believe this would be a good fit if you need a great office scent that would translate well into the after work happy hour.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Leather
Nose: Geza Schon
Classification: Unisex – but leans masculine
Expense: $195 for 100ml EdP

Sample provided by Hypoluxe, official distributor of biehl parfumkunstwerke products.

July 26, 2013
by The Scented Hound 20 Comments

Les Nombres d’Or Violette Fumee by Mona di Orio Parfums

WHAT I SMELL: Violette Fumee opens with the most beautiful lavender and bergamot combination; it’s herbal and refreshing in a creamy comforting way. After a few minutes, the fragrance starts to warm and become deeper as a beefy oakmoss emerges from the bottom that envelopes and seems to fold over the lavender. After about 10 minutes or so, the violet seems to make an appearance from the edge of the fragrance. I know this is going to sound strange, but it’s appearance is like prairie dogs popping their head out of the ground. What I mean is that the violet doesn’t come out at once, but seems to pop in and out until eventually you feel like you are surrounded by violets tinged with rose. Violette Fumee at this point still retains its creaminess but it becomes slightly brighter without becoming sheer. What I love about this is that the herbal aspects of the fragrance keep this from becoming too floral and pretty which allow Violette Fumee to retain a substantive elegance. After some time, the myrrh and opoponax emerge from below and a slight suede provides for a beautiful finish to this multi-faceted fragrance.

Violette Fumee Notes:

Top notes: Mediterranean Lavender, Bergamot from Calabria, Oakmoss from the Balkans

Heart notes: Violet flowers and leaves from Egypt, Turkish Rose, Veitver from Haiti, Clary Sage

Base notes; Opoponax and Myrrh from Somalis, Cashmeran

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A page from a 19th century botanical illustrative leather bound book.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE VIOLETTE FUMEE: transformative, calming, elegant

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VIOLETTE FUMEE: Cafleurebon

BOTTOM LINE: Violet fragrances have not been my friend in the past as I find that they are typically too feminine for my taste. Violette Fumee breaks that mold. The violet doesn’t completely dominate and take over in a sweet and simplistic fashion. The first time I wore this, I really liked it, but the 2nd time I have to say that I loved it. Voilette Fumee is an elegant and substantial fragrance, that holds layers upon layers of wonderful surprises.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Fougere
Classification: Unisex
Expense: EdP Intense to be launched in September 2013

Promotional sample provided by Mona Di Orio Parfums.

July 21, 2013
by The Scented Hound 20 Comments

Orangers en Fleurs by Houbigant

WHAT I SMELL: Orangers en Fleurs opens with the most beautiful warm orange blossom and rose. It’s rich and thick and deep in its construct. Much too quickly for my taste however, the tuberose comes into play. Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t dominate, but it makes its present known and as many of you know, I’m not a big fan of tuberose. Thankfully, my fears subside as after about five minutes, Orangers en Fleurs begins to brighten. There is a tinge of wood and spice that seemed to be layered below the floral aspects giving the fragrance some dimension. I like the fact that it seems that every time I bring my wrist to my nose I smell a different floral; one time jasmine, the other rose… tuberose, etc. all mixed with orange blossom. Continuing on, I find that there is almost a brown sugar (maybe the nutmeg) note that emerges that gives it a slightly gourmand trait that makes this seem slightly crystalized. In the end, the surprisingly projectable drydown wraps the floral in a warm and cozy musk. Absolutely beautiful.

Orangers en Fleurs notes from the Houbigant website:

Head notes: Orange Blossom Absolute, Rose Absolute, Egyptian Jasmine Absolute

Heart Notes: Tuberose, Eau de Brouts, Ylang Comores, Nutmeg

Base Notes: Cedar wood, Musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The Floradora Girls

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ORANGERS EN FLEURS: comforting, pretty, classic

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ORANGERS EN FLEURS: Pink Sith, The Women’s Room, EauMG

BOTTOM LINE: Orangers en Fleurs was a big surprise which thankfully wasn’t taken over by the tuberose which I cite in my description above, nor did it get sweet or soapy. This may go on my wish list for a FB. I just wish Houbigant would have offered this in a smaller than 100ml bottle. Overall, good job Houbigant!

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $180 for 100ml EdP