The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: floral fruity


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Hermetica Eterniris

WHAT I SMELL:  Eterniris opens with a soft suede that’s lightly sugared and slightly creamy as the iris makes its way in with a buttery finish.  It’s incredibly soothing, yet full of life.  An herbal tone adds a dimension that moves the perfume towards the forest as a cedarwood follows right behind the mixture of herbs.  At this point, the perfume begins to warm and radiate and deepen.   As the journey towards the forest continues, the perfume moves more to the chypre with a dry powder that pushes the perfume off of the skin.  The perfume is unique, absolutely intoxicating and a rather stunning forcefield of a perfume because it seems to wrap you up in its enticing elixir.  After quite some time, a quiet and subdued rose pulses occasionally from the middle of the fragrance adding a floral note as the iris seems to be cocooned in the middle of the wood.  But lily of the valley is the floral center that keeps the perfume in the pretty with it’s soft and demure persona.  Much later, a light smoky incense oud begins to line the bottom of the wood.  Ever so soft, it provides the perfect base for the beautiful florals making Eterniris a serenely beautiful creation.

From the Hermetica website:

ETERN(ITY): endless time, a boundless, perpetual expanse, an unknown voyage. For a fragrance, it is about continually prolonging the olfactory thrill, patiently accompanying it with a trail, never losing the thread of iris, stretching it out. Eternity on the horizon, Eterniris immortalises a powdery, woody, refined, sensual ideal on the skin. As if in slow motion, suspended, radiating a magnetic force, ever so gently.

The Eau de Parfum Eterniris leads you in a most surprising composition: the concrete of iris plays a totally new duet with the oud oil. this perfume shows all its uniqueness and richness by revealing a white bouquet thanks to the lily of the valley molecule.

Complementary notes: pepper, bulgarian rose oil, jasmine, raspberry, cedarwood, geranium, orris, nutmeg, clove, musk, amber, vetiver, vanilla, tonka, myrrh, patchouli oil

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  An ancient wooden boat that has been infused with the smells of years of the selling of herbs, spices and flowers.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ETERNIRIS:  serene, wise, stunning

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ETERNIRIS:  None found.

BOTTOM LINE:  Eterniris is an incredibly beautiful perfume.  Its’ soft florals supported by serene incensed wood is just what’s needed for these continually chaotic times.

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Floral Fruity
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense:  Starting at $100 for 50 ml eau de parfum

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary.


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Byredo Pulp

WHAT I SMELL:   Pulp’s opening is a pleasant one with a sparkling fresh bergamot.  That fresh sparkle is quickly met with a warmed blackcurrent which is ripe and juicy and pretty and lush without being overly aggressive.  Soon, the other fruits begin to come in to meet the blackcurrent with the fig and red apple seemingly taking turns at coming to the forefront.  Eventually, they blend together to make a stronger alliance as the perfume begins to expand and project.  In short time, the tiare and peach flower begin to take over and the perfume increases in volume.  There’s an artificiality about the perfume that begins to mimic the characteristics of the notes.   Eventually, the perfume settles in as a fruity floral with nondescript wood sitting underneath.  Pulp is big, but not too big; fresh, but not too fresh; fruity without being too fruity….you get my drift.

From the Byredo website:

In Pulp, a compilation of exotic and Swedish influences create an international fruit basket.  A dramatic composition focused on the idea of ripe, sweet, shapeless mass of fruit, an unruly and intense savor.

Notes:  

Top – bergamot, blackcurrent, cardamom

Heart – fig, red apple, tiare

Base – cedarwood, peach flower, praline

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Pulp isn’t soapy, but it does remind me of those tenacious shampoos from the 1970s where 8 hours after you washed your hair it still smelled as if it was just washed.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE PULP: abundant, artificially fresh, vibrant

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PULP:  Musings of a Muse, Colognoisseur, AustralianPerfumeJunkies

BOTTOM LINE:   Pulp is pleasant enough in a very non-offensive way.  Its artificial freshness makes for a pretty easy wear, but to me, it does grow rather tiresome as it eventually (after a couple of hours) turns to a cottony musk.

  • Bone Rating:  3 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Floral Fruity
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense:  Approx $110 for 50 ml eau de parfum

Footnote:  After completing my writing of this post in its entirety, I read what I wrote and I found that the review seemed to have been “phoned in”.  So what does that mean?  Well, the post doesn’t flow all to well and it seems to be lacking any real effort or oomph.  I thought about cleaning the post up and doing some edits, but then decided…no.  Pulp, although being nice enough of a perfume, it too feels “phoned in”…so there you go.


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New Release: Arielle Shoshana Eau de Parfum

What’s the next thing you do after you’ve opened the first perfume shop dedicated to niche perfumery in the Washington DC area?  Well, if you’re the petite dynamo, Ari Weinberg, proprieter of Arielle Shoshana, you team up with perfumer Cécile Hua to create your very own branded perfume.

WHAT I SMELL:  Arielle Shoshana opens with a blend of zesty, fresh grapefruit and ripe passion fruit.   It’s citrusy (is that a word??), completely refreshing and applying it gives you the sensation as if you sprayed the most delightful summer cocktail on your skin.  After a bit, the initial zing of the perfume settles down, but the tangy and slightly sour fruity and citrus aspects still remain, as if the sun has evaporated the cool juice off of your skin.  At the same time, a very interesting cardamon note lurks underneath, giving it a more mysterious feel…almost as if the tangy and juicy passion fruit holds a bit of poison.  A dulled rhubarb note then arrives along with a slight soured sandalwood which gives the perfume a dimension of carnality.  In the end, the perfume quiets, but leaves and indelible wake of fruited passion.

From the Arielle Shoshana website:

Perfumer Cécile Hua used a proprietary CO2 extraction technique to create the first natural passion fruit extract in perfumery history. Cécile’s gorgeous passion fruit material was already practically a perfume in itself, but the unexpected tang of saffron elevates Arielle Shoshana Eau de Parfum into a fragrance worthy of the Arielle Shoshana mission statement: “fragrances as interesting as you are.” Sandalwood, ambroxan, and vanilla give the drydown fullness and warmth. 

Notes: Passion Fruit, Grapefruit, Rhubarb, Mandarin, Peach, Saffron, Pink Pepper, Cardamom, Magnolia, Sandalwood, Ambroxan, Vanilla, Vetiver Bourbon, Iris, Musk

Forbidden Fruit Dinner Party by Chris Antemann

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Forbidden fruit.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ARIELLE SHOSHANA EAU DE PARFUM:  zesty, refreshing, naughty

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ARIELLE SHOSHANA EAU DE PARFUM: Now Smell This, Colognoisseur

BOTTOM LINE:  Ari and Cécile have created a wonderful perfume as an initial launch for this brand.  It’s the perfect antidote for the hot summer months.  And even better, the perfume could have been a simple take on citrus and passion fruit, but instead there’s an added depth making it more interesting than a summer splash.  I have no doubt that this will be the debut perfume in the Arielle Shoshana line….with, many, many more to come.

  • Bone Rating:  4 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Floral Fruity
  • Nose: Cécile Hua
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $125 for 3.4 oz. eau de parfum via Arielle Shoshana.