floral | The Scented Hound

January 21, 2014
by The Scented Hound 14 Comments

French Cancan by Caron

It’s cold and wintry outside and I just am wishing that I was back in Mexico basking in the sun. Well that may not be possible, but at least I can be inside basking in the glow of a beautiful fragrance. So in my 2 Year Anniversary Post, I mentioned that it seems that 2014 is going to be the “Year of the Woman” and that I have been leaning towards some lovely traditional floral scents. For some reason, the perfume gods were calling me towards a blind buy purchase of Caron’s French Cancan. I’m glad they came calling…

WHAT I SMELL: French Cancan goes on big and rich with an almost honeyed jasmine. It’s deep and warm like a heavy veil that’s made of fine spun silk. After just a short time, the slight powderiness of the fragrance adds a sophisticated gauze to the heady concentration. French Cancan doesn’t morph much and beside the jasmine, the notes are indistinguishable, and some might even say that the jasmine isn’t all that pronounced over the rose and other florals. Finally, towards the end, the warmth settles into the base and there is a bit of spice and dryish oakmoss that peppers up the fragrance to give it a bit of an edge so that’s it not just left as plain and pretty. The only downside to this lovely fragrance is the short life span. My body doesn’t usually eat up fragrances but for some reason this does. I do believe that it may something with Caron fragrances as the same thing happens to me with my beloved Nuit de Noel.

From Luckyscent:

This floral fragrance’s name alone fashioned a traditional image of Paris: Lighthearted and joyful. Created in 1936, this scent is a seducing burst of white flowers.

Notes: Jasmine, lilac, violet, lily of the valley, rose, orange blossom, patchouli, iris, sandalwood, amber and oakmoss

Dottie and Jim are out on the town with Midge and Bob. Dottie is wearing her new perfume, French Cancan. How suburbansophisticated of her!

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: I know that French Cancan should induce images of what it’s named for. To me a fragrance that is titled French Cancan would be over the top and more out of control. This on the other hand reminds me of one of those fragrances that a woman in the 1950s or 1960s would buy because of what the name entails. French Cancan is something a bit bigger, bolder and naughtier for the general housewife, but is still safe enough to wear without causing too much of a ruckus.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE FRENCH CANCAN: pretty, happy, suburbansophisticated

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT FRENCH CANCAN: Bois de Jasmin, The Black Narcissus, Eiderdown Press

BOTTOM LINE: I love it. French Cancan is nothing remarkable or groundbreaking. What it is though is pretty, accessible and just plain fun to wear. Oh, and I love that little perfume bottle oh so much!!!

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Ernest Daltroff
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $100 for 7.5ml Parfum

November 11, 2013
by The Scented Hound 9 Comments

Finisterre & Noir Tropical by Maria Candida Gentile

FINESTERRE –

WHAT I SMELL: Finisterre has bergamot opening which quickly becomes salty and marine like. The projection is light, airy and fresh. After around the 10 minute mark a slight pine emerges along with a light sweetness combined with a dash of pepper. After the 30 minute mark, Finisterre adds just a hint of sandalwood to give it a light base, but overall the fragrance is pretty linear.

Finisterre notes:

Top Notes: marine accord

Heart Notes: heliochrsyum ( in the sunflower family) and pine

Base Notes: grey amber, sandalwood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Laundry hanging on a clothes line drying in an ocean breeze.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE FINISTERRE: fresh, easy, simple

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT FINISTERRE: CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: Finisterre’s uncomplicated nature is its strength. This is an easy wear that would help you strip away the worries and burdens of the day.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Marine
Nose: Maria Candida Gentile
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $185 for 100ml EdP

NOIR TROPICAL –

WHAT I SMELL: Noir Tropical goes on lightly sweet and it’s a bit boozy with rum and honey. But unlike other boozy fragrances, Noir Tropical remains light rather than heavy. It’s really juicy and gourmand, but the projection at the beginning is so low that you almost wonder if you have any fragrance on. After a couple of minutes, a sweetened almond and vanilla accord comes in. But again, it’s not heavy, but rather light and airy. After around 20 minutes or so, the vanilla begins to project. Noir Tropical then remains a sweetened vanilla scent that moves in whiffs of air rather than larger wafts.

Noir Tropical notes:

Top Note: bergamot

Heart Note: almond accord

Base Notes: vanilla and rum

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A soft evening breeze in the South Seas carrying a light and luscious sweet scent through the air.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE NOIR TROPICAL: seductive, sweet, semi-boozy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT NOIR TROPICAL: CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: The lighter projection of Noir Tropical is perfect since the fragrance is relatively sweet. More oomph in the scent could have made this obnoxious. As it is, it teases you with its sweet and seductive presence.

Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Maria Candida Gentile
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $185 for 100ml EdP

August 4, 2012
by The Scented Hound 13 Comments

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