The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: fragrance


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New Release: Yin & Ylang by Sonoma Scent Studio

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A little over a month ago I was reading on one of my favorite sites, CaFleureBon, that CaFleureBon editor Michelyn Camen and perfumer Laurie Erickson had teamed up to create a new perfume based on a concept developed by Michelyn.  I knew that whatever these two created was going to be incredible and was even more excited to learn that the featured note was going to be my beloved ylang-ylang.  You can read more about Michelyn’s and Laurie’s inspiration and their creative development process at CaFleureBon.  As there was a draw as part of the announcement, I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek sniff…but even better, it’s now available for sale!

WHAT I SMELL:  Yin & Ylang opens with a snappy bergamot and semi sweet blood orange, but quickly moves into with this very lovely and deepened fruitiness which then becomes moves even deeper revealing this ultra creamy and über sexy ylang ylang.  For an opening, this is surprising as it’s weighted with a layered sheen of wax which seems to pour up from the depths below.  Jasmine and tuberose take a back seat to the ylang ylang, but sit on the side revealing themselves after around ten minutes as the fragrance begins to lighten after its initial seduction. As the fragrance lightens, a hint of soured light sharpness (sandalwood?) begins to make an appearance.  However, given another twenty minutes and the fragrance looses any hint of sharpness and the creamy florals really begin to project off my skin.  The fragrance then blends so fluently with the base notes creating this dreamy and slightly honeyed backdrop for the exquisite florals.  I’m not sure what this says about me, but I find Yin & Ylang to be sensual, yet very comforting at the same time.

Fragrance Notes from the Sonoma Scent Studio website:

Bergamot, blood orange, soft aldehydes,beeswax absolute, ylang complete oil, jasmine sambac absolute, tuberose absolute, rose damascones, ginger CO2,Mysore sandalwood oil, oakmoss absolute, amber, patchouli,vanilla, musk.

seduction2WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  seduction

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE YIN & YLANG:  glorious, enraptured, lush

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT YIN & YLANG: Now Smell This, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE:  I had the pleasure of meeting Michelyn last fall at Sniffapalooza and she is lovely and charming in every way and she knows the perfume industry like few do. Knowing Michelyn, I knew upon hearing about this new creation that it would be a hit; and I was right.  Sometimes great ideas and collaborations don’t always make for a good fit.  In this case, Michelyn and Laurie have created a timeless beauty that starts off with a strong seduction and leaves you with a lasting love.

  • Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Floral
  • Classification: Feminine
  • Expense: $55 for 17ml or $100 for 34ml  from the Sonoma Scent Studio website


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PANDORA by DSH PERFUMES – VISIONS OF MERIDA

pandora_present11We just got back to the States after visiting Merida, Mexico this past week.  Merida is one of the spots that we are visiting in our search for the ideal place to retire in a few years.  We’re ready for an adventure and are both drawn to Mexico.  So after hearing wonderful things about the city, we decided to take a visit.  Merida didn’t disappoint.  Without getting too much into details, Merida is the capital city in the state of Yucatan.  It was founded over 472 years ago and is city full of culture, good restaurants and wonderful people.  We met with a real estate agent and looked at various options in the central city which is comprised of colonial homes which sit flush to the sidewalk, only to reveal high ceiling grandeur with gardens in the back.  They were stunning.  We also managed to get out of the city for a bit visiting a hacienda that was unrestored but in which you could see the magnificence that once existed as well as the Mayan ruins at Uxmal which after in the past visiting other ruins rated the best as the details on the building were very well-preserved.  Both of decided that we need to go back in the fall and do some more investigation into this Yucatan jewel.  It really felt like home.

A rare pic of the Hound!
Uxmal! Magical.
A fierce Mayan warrior god!
A picture taken at the hacienda. Ummm, no, that’s not the house, it’s the rope manufacturing plant. I think they had some money!
The yellow house is the house with the pool dividing the main house from the master bedroom. But this gives you a good idea of how the streets look in the city.
Another home we looked at. Picture is taken from the main house looking over the pool to the master bedroom. Enchanting.
One of the homes we looked at had a pool in the middle of the house!
Our Bed and Breakfast – Villa Verde. Beautiful.
Exploring the Mercado (the market) was so much fun.
Sunday dancing on the main square.

So what does this have to do with DSH’s Pandora?  Well, let’s just say that it became my Merida Mexico perfume of choice.  A few days prior to leaving for Mexico I received my order from DSH with my order of Pandora.  After reading some wonderful reviews by Kafkaesque, I wondered why I hadn’t sought DSH out before so I gave their website a spin and for some reason, was drawn towards Pandora.  Have you ever been drawn into a perfume because of its name?  I don’t believe I have in the past, but this time the name was the key!  I must do this more often, because like Merida, Pandora is a jewel.

WHAT I SMELL:  Opens with this beautiful lightly sugared suede along with this rounded deep floral mix that’s deeply soothing and strangely intoxicating and exotic.  After some time, Pandora starts to reveal its oakmoss, but without drying the fragrance too much, and as such, the otherworldly quality that gives the Pandora its mystery remains intact.  The fragrance doesn’t much morph beyond this, but what it does is radiate off your skin like a living force field that mixed with your body heat, will grow and pulse to match your warmth.

Pandora’s Notes:

Top notes: Aldehyde/Aldehydic, Bergamot, Cassis Bud, Davana, Green Peppercorn, Ozone, Pink Peppercorn, Ruby Red Fruits (botanical accord), Spice Notes, Violet Leaf Absolute.

Middle notes: Cabreuva Wood, Centifolia Rose Absolute, Green Tea Absolute, Juhi Jasmine Absolute, Linden Blossom Absolute, Orris Root, Yerba Mate Absolute.

Base notes: Ambergris Tincture, Australian Sandalwood, Cyperus, Fossilized Amber, Green Oakmoss, Mousse de Saxe no.1 (botanical accord), Muhuhu, Patchouli co2, Tonka Bean Absolute, Vanilla Absolute, Vetiver co2.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Sexiness.  This was well suited for the warm Mexican nights and for dining al fresco at Merida’s lovely restaurants.  It made me feel alive, confident and surprisingly sexy.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE PANDORA:  warm, deep, soulful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PANDORA: The Perfume Critic, Scent Hive, EauMG

BOTTOM LINE:  This is so good that the 10ml bottle that I purchase has now been reduced to around 3 remaining mls.  I must have more.  Pandora has me under her spell!  Now, I must have the parfum extrait!

  • Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Chypre Floral
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $63 for 10ml EdP from the DSH Perfumes website.  It should be noted that the picture above is for the 15ml parfum extrait which sells for $227 (sorry, I couldn’t find a picture of the EdP version!)


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ROSAE MVNDI by PROFVMVM

Rosae MvndiWHAT I SMELL: Rosae Mvndi has a sweet and tarty rose opening that smells like candy (Sweethearts), and it  has this cotton candy consistency, like rose spun sugar.  Even though it’s rosy sweet it’s light enough not to make it oppressive.  A woody patuchouli lurks underneath to help bring the spun sugar down to a more earthly existence.  After around 15 minutes a slight sourness comes in I believe from the vetiver which kind of gives the fragrance a salty edge.  After another 10 minutes or so, Rosae Mvndi begins to smell exactly like Bazooka Bubble Gum.  It almost has that sweet and juicy first bite into the gum feel.  After some more time, the fragrance deepens, although it has that Bazooka edge, the warmth and woodiness starts to make it diminish and instead, it beefens up the fragrance.  Wait… after almost an hour, the fragrance went into sugar overdrive, like someone spilled sugar all over it.  In the end Rosae Mvndi is a woody rose fragrance that is sweet, but not overly shiny and bright.

Rosae Mvndi Notes:  rose, patchouli, vetiver, cedar wood

BazookaWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Of course, Bazooka Bubble Gum (OK, not through the entire life, but enough of it to warrant the comparison).

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ROSAE MVNDI:  sugary, sweetened, candy-coated

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ROSAE MVNDI:  Scent for Thought, AustralianPerfumeJunkies

BOTTOM LINE:  I don’t love it.  I don’t hate it.  I can tell you that a little goes a long way and this is probably more suited for cooler months as the sugary sweetness would probably become extremely cloying in the heat and sun.

  • Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Floral
  • Classification: Leans Feminine
  • Expense: $265 for 100ml EdP