The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: EDP


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Mitsouko by Guerlain

Every once in a while there is a fragrance that for some reason calls to me like some siren song begging me to check it out.  Mitsouko by Guerlain is one of those scents.   I am certainly not the target market for this fragrance but that’s not going to stop me.  Maybe it’s the bottle, it seems very old-fashioned and stylish, but whatever reason here it goes…

WHAT I SMELL:  Mitsouko goes on herbal and medicinal, it’s very strong and rounded.  It then moves into a warmer phase that is hard to describe,  still herbal, a little sour and eucalyptus like with hints of Jasmine and Peach.  Mitsouko’s drydown sits in this light and powdery spiced peachy understated chypre stage that is soft and subtle.  I have to admit, this is really a hard fragrance to describe.  The blended notes are masterfully composed into a scent that is very unusual and distinct.

From the Guerlain website:

Fruity chypre Mysterious, Balanced, Velvety.  A masterpiece of balance and originality, Mitsouko marries a fruity note of peach with jasmine flowers and May rose. The mysterious dry-down of the fragrance blends spicy notes with those of underbrush and vetiver.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  When I first put this on, for some reason it reminded me of my dentist office growing up.  Maybe someone there wore this or something similar or maybe it is that medicinal edge that first comes out.  But at the time, the dentist office was already an older building from the 1930s so it had this kind of deco feel about it.  Mitsouko also had that feeling of being from a bygone era.  My hubby said it smelled like an old lady.   I don’t know if I agree, but it definitely is a scent for the more mature.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE MITSOUKO: exotic, unique, full-bodied

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MITSOUKO: Bois de Jasmin, I Smell Therefore I Am, Scentsate 

BOTTOM LINE: I will revisit this scent again.  I can’t say that I love it, but I do believe that Mitsouko has stood the test of time for almost 100 years for a very good reason.  It’s not for everybody, but I know that if I wore this on the right day, it would be perfect.

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Chypre Fruity
  • Classification: Feminine
  • Expense: Varied, in EdT and EdP (review based on the EdP version)


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Billet Doux by Fragonard

It may be a surprise to my readers, but not a surprise to those around me, that I can be a bit obsessive compulsive.  So in my last posting I started obsessing about Billet Doux by Fragonard.  However, I wasn’t obsessing about the fragrance itself, I was obsessing about the bottle in came in.  No longer able to control my obsession, I headed back to Old Town Alexandria and Patricks to see if the perfume itself (only tested on paper thus far) was worth buying the bottle.

WHAT I SMELL:  Immediately upon application you smell alcohol.  I haven’t put on a fragrance in a long time that smelled so strong of astringent.  But thankfully that disappeared rather quickly and out came a lightly spicy floral…hard to distinguish initially.  It then morphed a bit more and out came a warm and inviting carnation.  Very comforting and genteel.  Unfortunately, the base came out way to quickly and Billet Doux became a very sweet and long-lasting, strong carnation scent.  Carnation and more carnation with a hint of sweet vanilla with no warmth remaining.   I am not digging this fragrance at all.  In fact, even the bottle lost is luster with the dislike of this perfume.  To me, this requires scrubbing.

From the Fragonard website:

Re-created from a historic Fragonard Perfume, Billet doux, pays homage to the most beautiful flowers of the French Riviera: Sweet William carnation, peony and frangipani blended with bergamot, lemon and mandarin on a background of cedar and vanilla.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  What I envision is what a proper, yet simple Victorian young lady would smell like.  Not too adventurous and designed not to offend.  You should know that Billet Doux means “love letters” in French which to me conjures up pictures of a pressed carnation in a letter to a beau.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE BILLET DOUX: sweet, unsophisticated, simple

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BILLET DOUX: The Scented Salamander, Olfactory Obsessed, The Smelly Kitty

BOTTOM LINE:  Obviously I passed on a purchase and I realize that I am not the target market for this fragrance.  However, if I smelled this on a woman, I would not be praising her for fragrance choice.

  • Bone Rating: 2 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Floral
  • Classification: Feminine
  • Expense: Approximately $70 for 50ml EdP


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Ciel Man by Amouage

It’s always a good sign when you walk into the office and no sooner than you sit at your desk a co-worker comes over and says to you, “you always smell great, but today, whatever you’re wearing is incredible.”  To me, Ciel is not groundbreaking, but it’s a very well crafted fragrance that is easy to wear and offers incredible quality.  But I just had a feeling that someone was going to compliment me on wearing it.  Maybe I’m psychic?!

WHAT I SMELL: Ciel introduces itself with a refreshing blast of bergamot.  This is a scent that will wake you up if you’re a bit sleepy.  Listed as part of the top notes are rose and lily of the valley.  I’m not getting much rose, but I can sense the lily of the valley behind the bergamot.  As it wears a bit, the frankincense starts to become more prominent.

As I was driving to work, what I noticed about Ciel is that it was almost two scents in one.  From a distance, it smelled incredibly fresh, almost breezy.  But as my arm would get nearer to my nose, that freshness was taken over by the incense which made what seemed to be a simple scent into something that was more mysterious, complex and spicy (and a little sour, but not in a bad way).  It stays in this middle phase for a long time and this is where the fragrance resided when I received my lovely compliment.

In the end the fragrance settles into a nice and comfortable, slightly bitter sandalwood.  For an Amouage scent the longevity is average, but the sillage is good.

From the Amouage website:

This fragrance bursts alive with the freshness of rich floral scents. Like a rain shower on a hot summer’s day it cools and invigorates. Using the intensity of silver frankincense and sensual woods it leaves an inner sense of serenity and softness, reflecting the warmth of the sun.

Top notes: rose, bergamot, lavender, lily of the valley.

Heart notes: peach, jasmine, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange blossom.

Base notes: frankincense, vetiver, patchouli, cedarwood, sandalwood.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A very masculine and powerful almost metallic fragrance that epitomizes strength without being unapproachable.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE CIEL MAN:  modern, traditional, mysterious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT IO CIEL MAN:  Launched in 2003, I didn’t find any bloggers with recent reviews.  Comments can be found on Basenotes and Fragrantica.

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Aromatic Spicy
  • Classification: Masculine
  • Expense: $265 for 100ml EdP