fragrance | The Scented Hound

February 25, 2015
by The Scented Hound 11 Comments

Hand in Hand by Ramon Monegal

WHAT I SMELL: Hand in Hand opens with this warm mentholated spiced rose, that feels like the rose petals have been tinged in a fire with incense. The oud is smoky and strong and minute by minute the smoke grows in intensity, as if the smoke is being pushed through a pumping bellow. Thankfully, after around the 10 minute mark, the smoke and oud start retreating behind the rose, which now is much cleaner than in the opening. The rose, sanitized by the musk begins to become powdery and very dry. But as it becomes dry, the incense and oud spar with the rose for domination. Eventually, they pair up to share the stage, but the rose, combined with the musk make for this lightly candied cotton candied concoction topped with smoke. Unfortunately, after around an hour, you’re left with a light rose musk dryer sheet.

Notes: Bulgarian rose, oud, spicy notes and musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Hanging laundry in the Casbah. It’s the smell of clean sheets washed with rose water that is met by the smell of spice and incense from the city below.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE HAND IN HAND: conflicted, smoky, over-musked

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT HAND IN HAND: I couldn’t find any other reviews.

BOTTOM LINE: To me, this is one of those perfumes that I didn’t wear, but it wore me instead. What started off as rather interesting (yet, kind of discordant), ended up being something that was rather bland and boring. Hand in Hand feels like two hands that clearly missed the handshake.

Bone Rating: 2 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $200 for 50 ml Eau de Parfum

February 23, 2015
by The Scented Hound 11 Comments

Chanel Coco Noir

WHAT I SMELL: Coco Noir opens with a brown sugared and sweetened grapefruit and bergamot. It’s light and happy, pretty and rather bouncy as the notes crackle with the brown sugar. The sugar note starts to reveal a lovely floral dominated by jasmine that starts to grow and expand. There’s something almost a bit masculine about the fragrance as the patchouli provides a woody note that keeps the florals from becoming too feminine. But as soon as I say that, the perfume continues to grow and expand and it becomes rather creamy, like it would make for a beautiful and enriching hand creme. Finally, Coco Noir finds it feminine self and the perfume radiates warm florals which are beefed up by a pulsating sandalwood. The perfume almost has a heartbeat that pulses and projects off the skin in a rhythmic manner. In the end, Coco Noir provides a powdery finish to a radiant floral that is warmed from below.

From the Chanel website:

Magnetic and uncompromising, COCO NOIR reveals a black that is intimate, seductive and intensely brilliant. Striking top notes of Grapefruit and Bergamot accentuate the floral accord, with Rose and Jasmine, while Indonesian Patchouli and Sandalwood notes add warmth.

Passion via romance novel art!

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: pulsating passion

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE COCO NOIR: tempting, self-assured, confident

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT COCO NOIR: Bois de Jasmin, Kafkaesque, Undina’s Looking Glass

BOTTOM LINE: With “noir” in the name, I was expecting Coco Noir to be a heavy oriental full of deep and dark mystery. Instead, I found a fragrance that is rather big, bold and full of passion. Coco Noir takes no prisoners and although being rather feminine, there’s enough beef here to make me think that a man could get by with wearing this with ease as well.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Woody Floral
Nose: Jacques Polge and Christopher Sheldrake
Classification: Feminine, but could work for a man
Expense: Review based on the Eau de Parfum version. $98 for 3.4 oz. Eau de Parfum.

February 18, 2015
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

Signature Fragrances Woody Conjure

WHAT I SMELL: Woody Conjure’s opening is composed of this very warm, deep and intoxicating cedar. It’s like a fine sheen of rich wood and fir. There’s an oppulance about it as if it resides within the snow covered trees in the coldest of Russia. After a few minutes, a light spice is added and just a hint of oud. There’s also a buttery quality about the perfume which adds to the elegance. As rich and handsome as this is, it remains relatively contained and I find that it’s makes for a mysterious and sexy skin scent. After another 15 minutes a woody leather emerges which helps to make the perfume grow. What began in the woods, has now moved to the confines of a classical and majestic winter house. In the end, the musk becomes more prominent leaving you with this warm, woody, musky fur blanket. The warmth and quiet power of Woody Conjure holds you captive, but with quiet resolve rather than force. Is it groundbreaking? No. But it is a nice woody masculine treat.

From the Signature Fragrances website:

RICH, MASCULINE, MYSTERIOUS, SENSUAL, SWEET

A fragrance that speaks richness and masculinity, the scent of a noble prince! This scent asserts a distinct woody note, yet is refined with exotic accents.

Top: Cedar, Lily

Heart: Sandalwood, Oud, Patchouli

Base: Amber, Palisander Wood, Musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE WOODY CONJURE: tempered, rich, honest

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT WOODY CONJURE: The Smelly Vagabond, The Perfumed Guillotine

BOTTOM LINE: Signature Fragrances debuted this past year and all of their perfumes are composed of perfumed oil and as such, a little dab will go a long way. Even though they are perfumed oils, the prices make these perfumes very accessible. And adding to the beauty of the fragrances are the lovely bottles in which the perfumes come in. Let’s face facts, a pretty bottle can make a perfume all that more special.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Wood
Classification: Masculine
Expense: approximately $32 for 6 ml perfume oil from the Signature Fragrances website

Sample courtesy of Signature Fragrances.