floral | The Scented Hound

September 21, 2015
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

Marlowe by Jardins d’Ecrivains

WHAT I SMELL: Marlowe opens with an almost stinging tuberose note that quickly turns to a big and bursting soured floral. I can’t say that it’s pretty, but it’s intriguing in that it feels like there’s some measure of decay involved. In a few minutes, the perfume starts to powder and blend with a dried osmanthus. Soon, all of the moisture is sucked out of the perfume making it incredibly dry. Past this point, and for the first few hours, the perfume radiates substantial layers of powdered florals that seem broken down and aged.

From the Jardins d’Ecrivains website:

This scent is dense, heady, feral, and theatrical. The top notes feature the poisonous nectar of the tuberose blended with opulent osmanthus. The middle notes of dried flowers evoke tragic poetry. Hints of powdered leather with chypre make up the base notes.

Bilbo Baggins, Alexandria, VA

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Bilbo Baggins restaurant, Alexandria, Virginia. OK, let me explain…Bilbo Baggins is a restaurant in the town where I live. The interior of the restaurant feels like it has not been updated or cleaned since 1975. It’s dusty, tired and someplace I will not return to if I can help it.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE MARLOWE: labored, tired, burdensome

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MARLOWE: Kafkaesque, The Non-Blonde, Colognoisseur

BOTTOM LINE: Marlowe is a complete miss for me. There’s something about the tired and powdered florals that just weighs it down, like a forgotten sachet in the back of your mother’s “delicates” drawer. Only hours into the wear does it soften to a point of actually being amenable.

Bone Rating: 2 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $110 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum

September 3, 2015
by The Scented Hound 14 Comments

Tubereuse by Caron

WHAT I SMELL: Tubereuse opens with a sweetened peach like, cinnamon peppered tuberose. It’s heady without having the thickened rubberized consistency you can sometimes find with the note. Instead, the tuberose is mentholated without being cloying or heavy. The fruit behind the tuberose is not rich, juicy or dominant. Instead, it’s as if it has been dried or dehydrated. As the perfume wears, a lovely powder blankets the composition along with the addition of a spiced jasmine. Tubereuse is not dirty at all and not indolic, but instead is a wash of exquisite powdered herbal and lightly mentholated floral highlighted by the tuberose that’s full of life, but tinged with bits of melancholy. Like all of the Caron parfum extraits, Tubereuse is slow to transform. After quite some time, the florals become sharpened and aloof, but they never are removed from the protected cover of the powder. And as more time passes, the mentholated herbal quality begins to meld gracefully into the floral mix as if a dance between the two has ended as one. Finally, in the end, the perfume softens to a gentle powdered swath of a floral dream.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Peach kissed tuberose.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE TUBEREUSE: sophisticated, self-assured, mature

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT TUBEREUSE: The Black Narcissus, Bois de Jasmin, EauMG

BOTTOM LINE: Tubereuse is an underutilized perfume in my collection. It doesn’t get the attention from me that it deserves and every time I wear it I wonder why I don’t wear it more often. Maybe because its a bit formal and I have a penchant for wearing t-shirts and shorts. Whatever the reason, it’s a perfume that deserves more attention from me and others.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Richard Fraysse
Classification: Leans feminine
Expense: Review based on the parfum extrait version which can be purchased via the Phyto Universe Caron Boutique, NYC.

August 26, 2015
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

New Release: La Cologne de Rosine by Les Parfums de Rosine

WHAT I SMELL: La Cologne de Rosine opens up with a bright and fresh citrus that feels like it’s splashed with a refreshing tonic. In a few minutes, a bright clean rose and violet combo give the perfume a pretty persona. For being a pretty girl, the perfume has some pretty powerful projection, but there’s nothing heavy about La Cologne de Rosine because the “big” is as light as a feather. After some more time, a light musk and wood bring a clean and slightly “bathtastic” brush stroke of powder to the beaming florals which are warmed with the lightest of amber. In the end, La Cologne de Rosine is a pretty rose tinged with freesia that is lit with rays of sunshine.

From the Les Parfums de Rosine website:

Notes: Bergamot, Citrus, Tangerine, Rose Essence, Freesia, Violet, Cedar Wood, White Musk, Amber

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Large white fluffy cumulus clouds moving quickly across the backdrop of the bluest sky.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE LA COLOGNE DE ROSINE: uncomplicated, clean, easy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LA COLOGNE DE ROSINE: EauMG, Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE: If you’re looking for a perfume that is clean with a floral radiance, La Cologne de Rosine is the perfect solution.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Leans feminine
Expense: 105 Euros for 100 ml Eau de Parfum available from the Les Parfums de Rosine website