floral citrus | The Scented Hound

WHAT I SMELL: Moscow Mule kicks off with a zesty, but subtle bergamot which then amps up to a wonderfully delicious ginger and lime. It’s like a little bit of happiness in a spritz. I love this opening so much that I wish the perfume would remain in this realm forever, but unfortunately it continues it’s journey past the zesty jubilance. But no worries, Moscow Mule continues its progression to reveal a green apple note that keeps the perfume bright and light. There’s just a hint of a hairspray note on top of the apple, but it’s not enough to overpower or take away from the green fruit. This is where the perfume resides and wonderfully so as it’s fresh and breezy and an easy wear. A bit of ambroxan gives the perfume a little depth beneath the apple, but the overall star is the apple. Finally after quite some time, a clean and cottony woodsy musk wraps up the fruitful journey.

From the Juliette Has A Gun website:

Moscow Mule’s olfactory trail hypnotizes its audience, as if it were inviting everyone to share, over a glass of something, a timeless moment, where tongues are loosened and bodies scolding hot. A twist of ginger for the sexy side, a zest of lemon for the punch! A limitless pleasure to be consumed without moderation.

Top notes: Bergamot, Ginger, Lime

Heart notes: Apple Essence, Jasmine

Bottom notes: Ambretolide, Ambroxan, Norlimbanol

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Moscow Mule is a happy mule.

THREE WORD S THAT DESCRIBE MOSCOW MULE: refreshing, delightful, positive

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MOSCOW MULE: CaFleureBon, EauMG, Colognoisseur

BOTTOM LINE: Moscow Mule is a great summer splash of a perfume. It’s completely unisex and is perfect to wear as an everyday fragrance. The only downside is that the perfume wears into a rather generic woody musk, but that just means you just have to spritz more of it on which would be just like having a second cocktail. And is that such a bad thing?

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral Citrus
Nose: Romano Ricci
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $100 for 50 ml eau de parfum

WHAT I SMELL: Raw Secret opens with a wave of muted aldehydes which are quickly met with a light tea surrounded by a leveled and flattened mandarin. After a few minutes, the perfume begins to project with the tea at the center. The tea is warmed, rounded and thickened in a chewy and slightly rubbery consistency. The perfume is absolutely dreamy and it feels like a lullaby that is rocking you softly and gently leaving you in an envelopment of content. As the perfume continues to develop, the tea moves more towards a dried lily of the valley. It’s incredibly soft and green without being dewy. Here, the lily blooms alongside a bed of delicate white flowers which feel like a floating embrace above a woodied amber radiating base. The perfume then starts to dry and lightly powder…and the gleaming flowers are magnificent in a way that makes me want to wrap the entire perfume around me. In the end, Raw Secret grows in projection to become a beautifully powdered floral hug warmed by amber that’s oh so comforting.

From the Phuong Dang website:

“You reach out to touch me. Linger… I smile because I am happy. Feel so safe in your warm embrace… I just want to hold on, so tightly. Please get closer, to know me… I am only me. And yet with you, I am so much stronger.” —Phuong Dang

Raw Secret Notes –

Top: Aldehydes, Bergamot, Mandarin, Red Pepper, Tea Leaves, Ginger

Heart: Jasmine Absolute, Lily of the Valley, Imaginary White Flowers

Base: Amber, Sandalwood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: love

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE RAW SECRET: incandescent, embracing, at peace

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RAW SECRET: None to be found.

BOTTOM LINE: Brand creator and namesake, Phuong Dang has launched a debut collection of ten perfumes, primarily created with perfumer Bertrand Duchafour. Raw Secret is the only perfume that steps outside the Duchafour collaboration and was created by perfumer Marina Jung Allegret… and it’s one of my favorite in the line. In all, the entire collection is comprised of extraits which are incredibly smooth, refined and easy to wear.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent Floral Citrus
Nose: Maria Jung Allegret
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $450 for 100 ml parfum extrait. Available exclusively at Barneys.