floral | The Scented Hound

May 4, 2015
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

A Goodnight Kiss by Roja Parfums

WHAT I SMELL: A Goodnight Kiss opens with a rush of aldehydes and a light powder which is like a quick wisp of a makeup brush. The opening is then quickly met with a lightly burnt floral which reminds me a bit of hairspray and of Lanvin Arpege which makes the perfume feel modernly old-fashioned and very familiar. A few minutes into the wear, the perfume becomes large and rather juicy, which is strange because there is nothing sweet nor fruity about the composition. However, the perfume is bursting at the seams with incredible florals which seem to dance around a maypole each making their way to the center. Most prevalent to me is the violet, but as soon as I say that the ylang, ylang comes into focus. In all, the florals while large, never veer from being contained and they’re very controlled and pretty in slightly masculine way. Soon enough a green powder comes into play, which takes the perfume back to the wisp of a makeup brush. In all, the perfume does feel like the many contents found on a vanity table. Finally, the masculine and lightly spiced florals then turn towards soft and cloudy when the perfume relaxes into a haze of comfort. A Goodnight Kiss is a perfume that is meant to leave a wake of a memory behind the wearer and it does so in the most beautiful of fashion.

From Roja Parfums:

Roja Dove owes his vocation to the kiss of a very special muse…“I remember vividly my mother coming to kiss me goodnight when I was about 6 years old. She was on her way out to a cocktail party and dressed in a gold lame dress, the light from the hallway illuminated her from behind, transforming her into an ethereal figure. It is an image that will always stay with me and the resonating smell of her face powder and perfume that lingered in the room once she had kissed me goodnight marked the beginning of my love for perfume” – Roja Dove

A Goodnight Kiss is the celebration of how precious a small exchange of affection can be, and the lasting effect it can have upon us. In a world where human contact is becoming increasingly digitised, the smallest acts of physical interaction seem more meaningful than ever before. The fragrant embodiment of humanity’s most intimate gesture — the soft, evanescent whisper of A Goodnight Kiss.

TOP NOTES: Aldehydes, Bergamot

HEART NOTES: Rose, Ylang Ylang, Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Carnation, May Flower, Violet

BASE NOTES: Green Accord, Cedarwood, Clove, Spice Notes, Rice Powder

DEEP BASE: Orris, Leather, Musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Perfectly named; a tender and loving goodnight kiss from mother to child.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE A GOODNIGHT KISS: memorable, comforting, thoughtful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT A GOODNIGHT KISS: No other reviews found.

BOTTOM LINE: A Goodnight Kiss is a wonderful tribute to Roja Dove’s mother; and what is even more lovely in this intimate creation is that others, like myself, will immediately recognize the familiar scents revolving around a bygone era when dressing up on a Saturday night for your mother meant wearing her finest topped off by a silken gloves. To us, our mother’s were glamour embodied and A Goodnight Kiss captures this in the most magical of way.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Roja Dove
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $1,750 for 100 ml Parfum

April 23, 2015
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

Dame Perfumery Desert Rose

WHAT I SMELL: Desert Rose opens with a soft and delicate peach which is quickly met with a non-sweetened citrus; add to this the fact that it’s airy and semi-bright. As it develops the perfume gains some body with an ambered base. However, even with this body, this is one of the lightest and ethereal perfumes I have worn in a long time. And that’s a good thing. Sometimes rose scents when added to the heat of the summer sun can overwhelm, but with this light composition you won’t have to worry about that. Before I get too ahead of myself, the pretty Damascenia rose begins to make its way to the front. It’s floral sweet and not candied sweet and it has a sparkling and vibrant finish to it. The peach remains, but a lovely soft vanilla joins in to give the perfume a more rounded finish as well as creating this silky smoothness. The perfume then moves away from being ethereal, yet it never reaches to the point of being too large. It instead remains vanilla sweetened and silky soft and smooth (and just a tad spicy)…almost like a rose flavored egg cream.

From the Dame Perfumery website:

The composition is a blend of Turkish rose otto and Damascenia Rose with touches of peach, Sicilian lemon, Egyptian jasmine, geranium, carnation, heliotrope, sandalwood, musk, amber and vanilla.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: How can I resist… Sting’s Desert Rose. The perfume and the song go hand in hand, pretty, ethereal, exotic and dreamily lovely.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE DESERT ROSE: bright, peach-kissed, dreamy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT DESERT ROSE: Scent of Abricots

BOTTOM LINE: I’m not a huge fan of peach notes in a perfume, but here its nicely infused with the rose. If you’re looking for something pretty and dreamy, Desert Rose would make for a nice addition to your summer scent wardrobe… and you can’t beat the price! But with Damascenia rose, it’s better to be safe than sorry, so don’t over spray to ensure that the desert rose doesn’t become a desert dragon!

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $65 for 50 ml Eau de Parfum from the Dame Perfumery website

Sample courtesy of Dame Perfumery.

April 13, 2015
by The Scented Hound 14 Comments

Neela Vermeire Creations Mohur Extrait

WHAT I SMELL: Mohur Extrait opens with this deep and dreamy lightly peppered and spice haze. The notes dance and swirl in an incredible kinetic motion, but in the most mysterious way. It’s as the perfume want to make itself hidden until it decides it’s time to reveal its true self. In other words, the perfume is incredibly quiet in its opening and it’s impossible to pick out individual notes. The dancing notes bring forward ambered floral and exotic spices all the while remaining dreamy and enticing you with subtle whisps of temptation. The warm florals mixed with the subtle spices are as intoxicating as I have ever experienced. After some time, the mysteriously quiet kinetics begin to open. But this box of jewels will not open quickly; a case of jewels might blind one if opened without care. After some more time, a light creaminess is added to the mix of the spiced florals. And soon enough, a lovely spiced rose quietly moves to the center of the mix. It’s creamy, warm and dreamily enrapturing. In the end, Mohur Extrait wraps you in this warm embrace of lightly powdered radiating spiced rose wrapped up in the most exquisite sandalwood. How come the perfumes that I love so much are so hard to describe? Maybe it’s because their beauty defies words.

Mohur Extrait Notes: Cardamom, coriander, ambrette, carrot seeds, pepper, elemi, iris, jasmine, rose, violet, almond, leather, sandalwood, amber, woody notes, patchouli, agarwood (oud), benzoin, vanilla, and tonka bean.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The loveliest pearl; majestic, luminescent and a beauty to behold.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE MOHUR EXTRAIT: quiet, thoughtful, cultured

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MOHUR EXTRAIT: Perfume Shrine, CaFleureBon, EauMG

BOTTOM LINE: The original Mohur Eau de Parfum is incredible; but this limited edition Mohur Extrait is utterly divine and a testament to the incredible art of creating a great perfume. Neela and Bertrand once again have created magic. If only this came in a smaller size so more people could experience it.

Bone Rating: 5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
Classification: Unisex towards feminine
Expense: $445 for 50 ml parfum extrait

Sample courtesy of Neela Vermeire Creations.