EDP | The Scented Hound

October 13, 2012
by The Scented Hound 15 Comments

1697 by Frapin

I always lament the change from summer to fall. I could live in shorts all year round and the prospect of cold winter nights for months is not something I look forward to. But soon enough, I wake up on a day like today (crisp, sunny, cool, refreshing) and I quickly remember the joy in the change in seasons. The other things great about the change of seasons is the breakout of all those fragrances that are best suited for the fall. 1697 is one of them.

WHAT I SMELL: 1697 opens up with a carmelized booziness. It’s sweet, slightly leathery and “yummy” in the way that you almost want to taste it. As it dies down, out comes a thickened chocolate/cocoa goodness. It’s very gourmand, but not too sweet and is somewhat buttery. The drydown stays away from being too sweet and you’re left with a very nice vanilla/patchouli blanket.

1697 Notes: cabreuva, davana, Jamaican rum, cistus, pink pepper, jasmine sambac, hawthorn, ylang ylang, clove, cinnamon, dried fruit, rose, ambergris, tonka bean, myrrh, patchouli, cedar, white musks, vanilla

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: I find that 1697 is very similar to Ineke’s Field Notes from Paris, although 1697 has a boozier finish. It’s like an innocent cup of hot cocoa with a secret shot of whiskey!

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE 1697: boozy, tasty, buttery

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT 1697: Grain de Musc, Now Smell This, Bois de Jasmin

BOTTOM LINE: 1697 is pleasant, but is a fragrance that I would not wear on a regular basis. It lasts a long time and has decent sillage – it’s good, not great.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Spicy
Classification: Unisex – leans a bit masculine
Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
Expense: $155 for 100ml EdP

October 7, 2012
by The Scented Hound 14 Comments

Fougere Bengale by Parfum d’Empire

It had been a while since I purchased a full bottle of any perfume. Fall is on it’s way (very evident today with highs in the 50s) and I felt the need for a new fragance, one that had a big personality that would put me in the mood. It’s been a while since I had last sampled Fougere Bengale, but I knew that it was the perfect scent to put me in the spirit of the change of season.

WHAT I SMELL: Strong lavender, mint and ginger which combined smells like curry (Immortelle?). It’s very medicinal and masculine. This is not an unassuming scent and a little goes a long way. After this initial rush to the senses, Fougere Bengale becomes almost thick in its form. It gets heavier and turns to a slight syrup; it’s spicy, curried and green and ready to bite. The drydown is the best part, like many of the Parfum d’Empire perfumes, the oakmoss leaves a light dustiness to the fragrance which is left without the sharp top notes, but still remains exotic and spicy but much calmer thanks to the vanilla and patchouli mixed with the tobacco. Fougere Bengale is a truly unique fragrance.

Fougere Bengale notes: lavender, tea, ginger, mint, hay, tobacco, pepper, oakmoss, patchouli, vanilla and tonka bean

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: To me this is not heavy and hot India sweltering in the sun, but instead India after a cool spell where the rain and a good breeze has tamed the land.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE FOUGERE BENGALE: spicy, exotic, forceful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT FOUGERE BENGALE: Memory of Scent, The Non-Blonde, Ars Aromatica

BOTTOM LINE: This is an either you love it or hate it perfume. I can’t get enough of it, my better half HATES this and doesn’t like for me to be around him when I’m wearing it. Also, a little goes a long way and I have to be very cognizant of how I apply it. Parfum d’Empire once again makes it very easy for me to love them with this creation!

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Aromatic Fougere
Classification: Masculine
Nose: Marc-Antoine Corticchiato
Expense: $75 for 50ml EdP

September 30, 2012
by The Scented Hound 32 Comments

Portrait of a Lady by Frederic Malle

If it had not been for the wonderful Undina, I would have probably never have thought about sampling this fragrance. Thankfully, she sent me a vial of this wonderful jewel.

WHAT I SMELL: Portrait of a Lady opens with an herbal and minty full-bodied musky rush. With the name, I would have thought that this was going to be an over the top big floral. What a surprise. It start off very masculine and medicinal. I had no idea where this was going. After a while, out comes a very dusty and understated rose with black current along with a tempered cedar woody note. There are many notes at play here, fruity and somewhat jammy mixed with wood in a way that’s all very subtle and really lovely. I find that it’s proper and refined and seems like something from another era.

From the Frederic Malle website:

Portrait of a Lady is a new breed of oriental rose, a baroque perfume. It is based on an accord of benzoin, cinnamon, sandalwood and, above all patchouli, musk and frankincense. It takes off with an excessive dosage of the best Turkish rose essence that Dominique Ropion linked to the rest of the formula, thanks to a red berries and spice accord.

After hundreds of trials needed to balance such an excessive formula (Portrait of a Lady is undoubtedly the perfume containing the strongest dosage of rose essence and patchouli heart), a rare symphonic perfume appeared: a new oriental rose, a sensuous beauty that attracts people like a magnet, a modern classic: Portrait of a Lady.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Gillian Anderson in “The House of Mirth.” Yes, I know this is fragrance is based on a Henry James novel, but The House of Mirth is what popped up in my mind!

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE PORTRAIT OF A LADY: subdued, discreet, controlled

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PORTRAIT OF A LADY: Scentsate, Katie Puckrik Smells, 1000 Fragrances

BOTTOM LINE: This is definitely full bottle worthy. I just wish Frederic Malle’s perfumes weren’t so on the high-end of cost. And don’t let the name fool you, this can easily be worn by men or women. Thank you Undina for this wonderful discovery.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Classification: For women, but I believe this is easily unisex
Nose: Dominique Ropion
Expense: $225 for 50ml EdP