The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: fragrance


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Juliette Has a Gun Magnolia Bliss

WHAT I SMELL:  Magnolia Bliss pulls you in with a fresh and fruity enhanced bergamot that is quickly met with a gorgeous magnolia and a ripe and juicy plum and peach.  It’s lusciously smooth and oh so inviting.  The mixture of florals and fruits are intoxicating and it’s full of vibrant sunshine and a happy demeanor.  After a short time, the rounded fruit and florals begin to tame and move from full juiciness to a sweetened creamy silkiness.  Here the perfume seems to drift happily off the skin with some wonderful projection leaving a trail of positive energy in its wake.  As the perfume continues to settle, a warmed musk adds a wrap of comfort around the pretty magnolia.  Magnolia Bliss is exactly that… pure unadulterated bliss!

From the Juliette Has a Gun website:

Peace in a Bottle:  Here comes Magnolia Bliss, a floral fruity composition, the perfect blend of a Magnolia essence, a juicy Mirabelle Plum, and a fresh Bergamot Essence.
Inspired by the 70’s, freedom, and beach summer sunsets…Peace!

Top note:  Bergamot

Heart Note:  Magnolia Essence, Mirabelle Plum

Bottom Notes:  Musks, Ambroxam

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Sun drenched pink magnolias.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE MAGNOLIA BLISS:  fresh, joyful, delightful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MAGNOLIA BLISS:  CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE:  Magnolia Bliss is just that…pure bliss.  It’s not complicated nor full of surprise developments, but it’s easy to love.  This is a perfume that would work no matter the time of year if you just need to add a bit of positive energy into your life.  

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Floral Fruity
  • Classification: Leans feminine
  • Expense: $105 for 50 ml eau de parfum. Also available in 100 ml size.

* Sample provided by Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary.


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New Release: Puredistance M V2Q

WHAT I SMELL:   M V2Q explodes on the skin with a dry and smooth lavender and an electric pink peppercorn.  In all, it’s a surprisingly big opening.  In quick manner the perfume dries and powders and seemingly expands.  As it does, the perfume starts reaching to the depths with a warmed cinnamon tinged leather and begins to move to the more creamy with the addition of a beautiful jasmine sambac.  I was a little worried from the start because the perfume was so dry that when I smelled it literally constricted my nostrils, but my worries dissipated with the growing creaminess and the beautiful floral heart.  At this stage, the perfume is warm and inviting and increasingly sensual.  The perfume seems to infuse itself into ones’ skin as one making it more of an essence than a layer of fragrance.  As the perfume continues to develop, the cream begins to subside making way for a sharper mix of patchouli and tonka.  Here M V2Q seems to flex its muscle with a nicely masculine beefiness that is not shy in the least.  But once again the perfume seems to roll on out to the smooth and creamy as it settles from the more provocative to the more sublime.  M V2Q is a handsome devil of a perfume.

From the Puredistance website:

M V2Q is utterly smooth and refined. Welcome to a world of soft leather charm. This perfume is comfortable, powerful and bright at the same time. And true to the carefully curated collection of Puredistance, M V2Q is an extrait with excellent projection and longevity.

Top Notes: Orange blossom, Pink peppercorn, Lavender essence 

Middle Notes: Cinnamon, Cypriol, Pine tar, Jasmine Sambac

Base Notes: Patchouli, Vanilla, Labdanum, Tonka, Cedarwood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Daniel Craig as 007.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE M V2Q:  confident, smooth, intriguing

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT M V2Q:  The Plum Girl, Parfumistans blogg, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE:  Puredistance has discontinued their masculine masterpiece M and replaced it in their collection with M V2Q due to the unavailability of some of the ingredients based on new IFRA regulations.  Instead of trying to re-create the magic of M, they decided to work with perfumer Antoine Lie to bring new life to the perfume by modernizing it but within the same vein as the original.  M was inspired by the iconic James Bond 007…M V2Q is inspired by the latest Bond, Daniel Craig.  And it completely works.  For you lovers of the original M, there will be no worries moving to M V2Q.

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Leather
  • Nose:  Antoine Lie
  • Classification: Leans masculine
  • Expense: Starting at 175 Euros for 17ml parfum extrait (28% perfume oil).

 


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New Release: Maison Francis Kurkdjian – 724

WHAT I SMELL:  724 opens with a clean, fresh, floral infused bergamot tinged with sunny aldehydes.  It’s soft, slightly fuzzy and very airy.   It’s been quite some time where I have smelled a perfume that feels like it wasn’t introduced to the skin, but instead seems to float two to three inches off of the skin in a luminescent manner.    As the perfume develops the bergamot begins to fade and the florals seem to dance lightly in a ballet of tender and quiet beauty.  Even though 724 has a quiet demeanor, it does have a great deal of light and energy.  After some additional time, a metallic note comes forward and creates a base for the light and sunny florals.  And after some more time, the perfume begins to grow as the jasmine takes it’s place at the center of the perfume along with what smells to me like lily of the valley although I don’t see it mentioned as a note.    It’s here that the perfume turns more to the humidity of the bath and with the addition of a sandalwood the whole creation begins to warm.  In the end, 724 lies lightly sweetened on the skin with beautiful countenance.

From the Maison Francis Kurkdjian website:

In the light of a pure sky rising over the city ascends the elegant silhouette of 724. Urban landscapes and their surrounding architecture overtly influenced the graphic aesthetic of this musky floral eau de parfum. Luminous, vibrant and comfortably addictive, 724 invites you to feel the city rhythm. In the top notes, a fresh, urban accord is perceived. It is the sensation of clean, energizing freshness, formed of bergamot from Italy and the verticality of aldehydes with sophisticated, slightly metallic, effervescent facets. At the heart of this fragrance lies an airy aura conveyed by a bouquet of flowers structured by jasmine absolute from Egypt, sweet pea and mock orange. In the base notes, this universe of whiteness surrenders to an enveloping, comforting sensation thanks to a sandalwood and white musk accord.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  I realize the inspiration for this perfume is the city, but to me, with it’s light and and happy aura, it’s pure “dancing fairies.”

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE 724:  airy, uncomplicated, delightful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT 724:  Grazia

BOTTOM LINE:  724 is pure delight with its fresh and light florals that are just so easy to love.  I could see this being a love for both men and women for an all-occasion easy to wear perfume.

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary.