fragrance | The Scented Hound

October 6, 2014
by The Scented Hound 5 Comments

The Architects Club by Arquiste

WHAT I SMELL: The Architects Club opens with a bright juniper and a soured lemon, like the fizz of a gin and tonic. It’s snappy and sparking, like a lively conversation between friends. Soon enough a woodiness develops, but the wood is sleek and it’s lightened with air making it feel rather like a balsa wood airplane. After some more time, the vanilla sweetened guaiac wood takes center stage. However, the fragrance never becomes heavy and throughout The Architects Club’s development, it maintains its bubbly personality. The fragrance doesn’t change much past this point, but retains this air of just the right amount of a “devil-may-care” attitude.

From the Arquiste website:

Cocktail time, March 1930, London.

A group of architects gather for cocktails at Mayfair’s smartest Art Deco smoking room. As they settle in the warm interior of dark woods, leather and velvet, London’s bright young things burst in, frosted martinis in hand, surrounded by a cloud of laughter, white smoke and fine vanilla.

Notes include: Juniper berry oil, Angelica root, Lemon peel oil, Bitter Orange, Pepperwood, Guaiac wood, Oakwood, Vanilla Absolute and Amber.

Cocktails Anyone?

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Arquiste’s official descriptor above fits the fragrance perfectly.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE THE ARCHITECTS CLUB: sophisticated, bubbly, snappy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE ARCHITECTS CLUB: CaFleureBon, irideScents, Chemist in the Bottle

BOTTOM LINE: What I like about this fragrance is that it feels like it doesn’t take itself seriously. It’s light, airy, sophisticated and quite handsome and it could be worn with a tuxedo just as well as a comfortable pair of jeans.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Woody Amber
Nose: Yann Vasnier
Classification: Leans masculine, but can easily fit a woman.
Expense: $190 for 100ml Eau de Parfum

October 2, 2014
by The Scented Hound 2 Comments

Hindu Honeysuckle by Providence Perfume Co.

WHAT I SMELL: Hindu Honeysuckle (how can you not love that name) opens with a rich, radiating and seductive heady, but not heavy, jasmine that is head spinning in its concentration. It’s sweet, but in the way a flower on a vine is sweet and its as if the vine is going to wrap itself around you pulling you in as your captor. After a bit, the fragrance begins to become more green but with tinges of spice lurking below. I love the spice as it makes for an interesting balance between the sweetness of the floral, making it more exotic and earthy. After around 15 minutes, Hindu Honeysuckle is met with a layer of musk that creates a more flattened presence, but the beautiful florals continue to pulse and radiate as if to let you know that they the star of the show. After around 45 minutes the fragrance becomes more comfortable as if the florals are now saying “ok, you know that I’m pretty, now just love me softly” and it stays there softly letting you know it’s there and that everything is OK with the world.

From the Providence Perfume Co. website:

From India With Love . . . Revered for its lush aroma, honeysuckle symbolizes generosity and kindness. Notes of sweet Indian Jasmine Sambac meld with green vetivert, musk ambrette, rose and coriander. Crisp bergamot belies the sweetness of honeysuckle.

Indian Rollers on Honeysuckle, Sean Milne

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Beautiful, colorful and vibrant wild honeysuckle that takes your breath away.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE HINDU HONEYSUCKLE: dizzying, captive, seductive

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT HINDU HONEYSUCKLE: EauMG, CaFleureBon, ScentHive

BOTTOM LINE: I was going to complete a review on a fall fragrance, but I’m I just couldn’t give up on summer yet. Hindu Honeysuckle is a great transitional perfume that could be worn in the summer and also in the winter when you want to chase the blues away.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Charna Ethier
Classification: Leans feminine, but could work for a man.
Expense: $125 for 1 oz. Eau de Parfum

September 29, 2014
by The Scented Hound 4 Comments

Ambra di Venezia by Montgomery Taylor

WHAT I SMELL: Ambra de Venezia opens with a soft delicate floral citrus in gauze-like sheerness; it feels like perfume that’s sitting upon fluffy light cotton balls. Hidden beneath the cotton balls is a warm sandalwood that after around 10 minutes becomes lightly soapy. Thankfully, around this same time, the projection pick up steam because in the first 10 minutes I almost felt like this was going to fade away on my skin. After another 15 minutes, it begins to project some more and the soapiness has for the most part, left the scene. What exists now is a lightly spiced jasmine warm floral that’s really very pretty. And here your journey ends…the fragrance stays in this pretty floral warmth for the rest of the ride.

Ambra di Venezia Notes: a blend of French narcissus, jasmine, mandarin orange, mango, lime and sandalwood.

The Gondolier, Venice – Guy Rose 1894

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A Venitian gondolier ride at the end of a lovely summer day.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE AMBRA DI VENEZIA: soft, uncomplicated, semi-radiant

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT AMBRA DI VENEZIA: Nathan Branch

BOTTOM LINE: A very nice perfume when you don’t want to wear something that’s going to be a roller coaster of a ride. There’s not a lot of projection in play here so it would be a great office scent because it’s not going to offend anyone around you. My review is based on the parfum extrait version, but there’s also an eau de parfum that is almost as pretty, but lighter and without the depth of the parfum extrait version.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Rayda Vega
Classification: Leans feminine, but could work for a man.
Expense: $130 for 1 oz. Parfum Extrait