fragrance | The Scented Hound

February 13, 2014
by The Scented Hound 11 Comments

Cuir Mauresque by Serge Lutens

WHAT I SMELL: Cuir Mauresque opens oddly sweet and tangy, like soured candy sprinkled in sugar and it’s as if that layer of sweet rests on an orange like plastic. Actually, more precisely, this smells like something sealed in plastic that when the seal is broken, the chemical plastic odors that were trapped inside are released. After a few minutes, a sour note appears, like ripened apricot. After a few more minutes, the leather starts to appear. It’s rather faint and not harsh, but there is a sharp edge to it that makes the back of my tongue curl. After another five minutes or so, the jasmine takes center stage and the fragrance begins to bloom and thankfully, that helps to push out the sour. Unfortunately, the sour is pushed out but the sweet comes on very strong. It keeps building and it smells artificial and manufactured. Thankfully, after around the 30 minute mark, Cuir Mauresque becomes slightly more muted, but not enough to make me love it more.

From Fragrantica:

Cuir Mauresque (Moorish leather) is a perfume launched in 1996. It represents a blend of leather wrapped up in jasmine and sweet spices to make a true Arabian aroma. Notes: amber, myrrh, burnt styrax, incense, cinnamon, aloe wood, cedar, civet, nutmeg, clove, cumin, musk, mandarin peel and orange blossom.

When I typed in “floral candy” in Google Images, this is what came up. I had to use it as her top, the headband and the cotton candy just somehow aren’t quite right, just like the fragrance.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Floral candy.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE CUIR MAURESQUE: odd, confused, sweet n’ sour

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT CUIR MAURESQUE: Kafkaesque, What Men Should Smell LIke, Notable Scents

BOTTOM LINE: This is one of the Serge Lutens that you don’t hear much about and if it wasn’t for the wonderful Kafkaesque I probably wouldn’t have bothered to check it out. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t meant for me. In the end, it evens out, but this is one odd duck that I can do without.

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Leather
Nose: Christopher Sheldrake
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $140 for 50ml EdP

February 11, 2014
by The Scented Hound 17 Comments

Vintage Review – Caron Infini

WHAT I SMELL: Infini goes on thick to the skin with a layered sheen, it opens quickly with aldehydes and then warms with a wonderful almost cinnamon like sandalwood. It’s rich and round with jasmine in the foreground, followed closely by a non-waxy tuberose (thankfully). This is big floral that’s slightly animalic, and the kind of perfume that makes me infinitely happy as it’s a woman’s perfume that’s unapologetic in its pomp. After around 10 minutes, the fragrance begins to lighten just slightly and it retreats to become a bit softer, a tad bit soapy with just an ever so slight hint of oakmoss. However, the gorgeous warm florals remain front and center. Infini doesn’t develop much which is fine because it doesn’t have to. It’s beautiful enough as it is.

From Fragrantica:

Infini by Caron was created in 1912 but In 1970, the perfume was reformulated. To echo and reflect the rhythm, futurism and speed of the early 70’s, Caron created a completely, original, revolutionary aroma with a base of tuberose, hyacinth and lily of the valley, all composed with notes of vetyver and sandalwood. Since it was the era of astronauts, the perfume was baptized “Infini” in honor of outer space. Its bottle, an asymmetrical sculpture designed by Serge Mansau, is hollowed out in the middle and is inspired by the mathematical sign for infinity.

A slight variation from Fragrantica, Yesterday’s Perfume posts the notes as:

Top notes: Aldehyde complex, bergamot, peach, neroli, coriander

Heart notes: Rose centifolia, jasmine, lily of the valley, orris, ylang-ylang, carnation

Base notes: Sandalwood, vetiver, ambrein, tonka, musk, civet

A napping cat in the sun…very warm and happy.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: I’m not getting the outer space connection besides the bottle design because this feels incredibly classic rather than futuristic….so I’ll bypass that analogy. Instead, Infini makes me feel “warm and happy.” And don’t get the wrong impression from the picture, this is about as sophisticated and beautiful floral feminine fragrance that is geared to the mature woman that you can get. But to me, it makes me “warm and happy!”

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE INFINI: warm, substantial, elegant

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT INFINI: The Black Narcissus, Yesterday’s Perfume, Australian Perfume Junkies

BOTTOM LINE: This is another Caron beauty that I have fallen in love with. Again though, like with the other Caron’s I have tried, the lasting power could be a bit longer. Oh well, that means I’ll just have to use more.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral Aldehyde
Nose: Gerard Lefortis
Classification: Feminine
Expense: Review based on Parfum Extrait. Various prices and vintage concentrations can be found on eBay and through other sources.

February 9, 2014
by The Scented Hound 12 Comments

A Valentine Rose: Une Rose Chypree by Tauer Perfumes

WHAT I SMELL: Une Rose Chypree opens with bergamot and lemon with a quick move to orange, then back to a “Lemon Pledge” smell. It’s rather cool, like a spring breeze going through an orange grove. After a couple of minutes, it warms and the fragrance begins to harmonize. What I mean by that is that the notes, rather than acting in a singular fashion, start blending together. After around 5 minutes, I begin to get hints of rose, but it’s so muted that it feels like it could be a combination of any floral. After around 10 minutes or so, the rose begins to bloom, and it’s mixed with a deep and almost caramel base. It actually feels a bit gourmand at this point, almost like it would be perfect to add as a mix to sweeten a cup of coffee. But as soon as I have those thoughts, it then turns slightly lighter and the fragrance becomes a bit dryer with a layer of oak moss and powder. It’s at this point that the fragrance reminds me a bit of Amouage’s Fate Woman, which is a good thing since I love Fate Woman so much. After a short while, Une Rose Chypree moves out of the Fate Woman stage and the fragrance moves from the light to a deeper and richer stage. I find the fragrance glorious at this point. It feels vintage and extremely well blended. This is a rose that doesn’t say rose as much as it says warm floral. Wait….here, I thought the progression of the fragrance was complete, instead it gets a little spicier but in the end, the spice is tamed by the vanilla for a nice creamy (but yet dusty with the oakmoss) finish.

From the Tauer Perfumes website:

Head Notes: Soft bay and hot cinnamon complemented by bergamot, lemon peel and clementine.

Heart Notes: A rich rose chord with Bulgarian rose oil and rose absolute, and Bourbon geranium.

Body Notes: Dark and resinous labdanum, oak moss, patchouli, vetiver and vanilla.

No, my mother was not Lady Bird Johnson…but you get the point.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: My mother all glammed out in 1965 to include the white gloves.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE UNE ROSE CHYPREE: substantial, beautiful, proper

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT UNE ROSE CHYPREE: Smellythoughts, Kafkasesque, Nathan Branch

BOTTOM LINE: I think of this as a rose for those who don’t want their rose scents to scream “ROSE.” It’s muted, contained, proper and pretty without being girly. This is my kind of Valentine rose!

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Chypre Floral
Nose: Andy Tauer
Classification: Feminine, but fine for a man.
Expense: $140 for 30ml EdP