fragrance | The Scented Hound

November 11, 2013
by The Scented Hound 9 Comments

Finisterre & Noir Tropical by Maria Candida Gentile

FINESTERRE –

WHAT I SMELL: Finisterre has bergamot opening which quickly becomes salty and marine like. The projection is light, airy and fresh. After around the 10 minute mark a slight pine emerges along with a light sweetness combined with a dash of pepper. After the 30 minute mark, Finisterre adds just a hint of sandalwood to give it a light base, but overall the fragrance is pretty linear.

Finisterre notes:

Top Notes: marine accord

Heart Notes: heliochrsyum ( in the sunflower family) and pine

Base Notes: grey amber, sandalwood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Laundry hanging on a clothes line drying in an ocean breeze.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE FINISTERRE: fresh, easy, simple

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT FINISTERRE: CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: Finisterre’s uncomplicated nature is its strength. This is an easy wear that would help you strip away the worries and burdens of the day.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Marine
Nose: Maria Candida Gentile
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $185 for 100ml EdP

NOIR TROPICAL –

WHAT I SMELL: Noir Tropical goes on lightly sweet and it’s a bit boozy with rum and honey. But unlike other boozy fragrances, Noir Tropical remains light rather than heavy. It’s really juicy and gourmand, but the projection at the beginning is so low that you almost wonder if you have any fragrance on. After a couple of minutes, a sweetened almond and vanilla accord comes in. But again, it’s not heavy, but rather light and airy. After around 20 minutes or so, the vanilla begins to project. Noir Tropical then remains a sweetened vanilla scent that moves in whiffs of air rather than larger wafts.

Noir Tropical notes:

Top Note: bergamot

Heart Note: almond accord

Base Notes: vanilla and rum

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A soft evening breeze in the South Seas carrying a light and luscious sweet scent through the air.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE NOIR TROPICAL: seductive, sweet, semi-boozy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT NOIR TROPICAL: CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: The lighter projection of Noir Tropical is perfect since the fragrance is relatively sweet. More oomph in the scent could have made this obnoxious. As it is, it teases you with its sweet and seductive presence.

Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Maria Candida Gentile
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $185 for 100ml EdP

November 9, 2013
by The Scented Hound 17 Comments

PHI – une rose de Kandahar by Tauer Perfumes

WHAT I SMELL: PHI goes on with a rather flattened apricot with tinges of cinnamon and almond. It’s kind of a muted sweetness in that when you smell it, it seems layered with the cinnamon hovering on top. At this point, I’m thinking PHI is nice (nice = just OK), rather personal and relatively close to the skin, and more apricot than rose which I think is a bit strange. Then at about the 10 to 15 minute mark, the rose begins to bloom. And bloom it does. It’s like the rose suddenly opens its petals and unleashes its glorious fragrance. I don’t think I have ever experienced a rose fragrance that literally unfolds on my skin that way PHI does and I love it. The rose is rounded and deep, and to me more masculine than feminine and rather gourmand. But wait, we’re not done yet, after some more time, the rose becomes creamy. Still further, PHI reveals its patchouli, making the fragrance a bit sweeter and more heady as its mixed with vanilla and amber gris. Hours later, add in some tonka for a bit of a growl that helps to take the edge off of the sweetness. In the end PHI ends up big, but not loud. This rose is no wallflower, but she’s demure enough to be a bit coy.

From Tauer Perfumes:

HEAD NOTES: Phi starts with a rich fruity line of apricot. An all natural apricot extract with its surprising richness enchants and blends into a cinnamon line and hints of bitter almond, softened by bergamot essential oil.

HEART NOTES: These spices lead over to voluptuous roses in the fragrance heart: Extremely rare rose essential oil with its unique scent of spices, plums and flower petals blends into rose absolute from Bulgaria and hints of Bourbon geranium. The rose petals melt on the skin into a dark tobacco fond, built around an amazing absolute of dried tobacco leaves.

BODY NOTES: The animalic, leathery and woody tobacco opens the ground for a generously dosed layer of patchouli in the base of Phi. Here, woody and gourmand notes melt into hints of animalic lines. Vetiver, vanilla and tonka add richness and brilliance. A generous dose of exclusive musk and amber gris round the body of the fragrance and encircle the roses.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A rose inside a box. As soon as you open the box, the beautiful aroma of the rose is unleashed as a wonderful fragrant present.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE PHI – UNE ROSE DE KANDAHAR: complex, rich, journeyed

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PHI – UNE ROSE DE KANDAHAR: I Scent You a Day

BOTTOM LINE: PHI is one of Tauer Perfumes “Collectible” perfumes which means that product availability is tied specifically to access to the raw materials and as such, PHI is not guaranteed to be available at all times. And note that at present, PHI can only be purchased exclusively from the Tauer Perfumes website. So, if you want to experience this blooming rose, you may only have a limited time to do so. Pre-orders are currently being taken for shipment sometime in mid-November. That’s perfect timing for making this a Christmas rose!

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Andy Tauer
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $141 for 50ml EdP, exclusively available from the Tauer Perfumes website

November 6, 2013
by The Scented Hound 21 Comments

Atelier Cologne: Gold Leather & Silver Iris

GOLD LEATHER

WHAT I SMELL: Gold Leather opens with a warm and boozy rum. It’s juicy and it heats the back of your throat when you drink in the fragrance. The rum is tinged with sugar and cinnamon and its so good you want to eat it, like a decadent sugared rum frosting on the best cake you’ve ever tasted. In a bit, the leather starts to make an appearance , but it’s nice and soft. There’s nothing screaming with this leather, it’s like a purring pussycat. Gold Leather is big in that it’s beefy, not loud. The fragrance feels substantial and somewhat gourmand and it’s a fragrance that when you wear it, it makes you feel bold. The warm leather and boozy stage of the fragrance lasts for a long time. Only after a few hours, does the fragrance become a bit more woody and dryer. Gold Leather is destined to be one of my favorites for this fall and winter!

Notes from the Atelier Cologne website:

Top notes : bitter orange from Seville, Indian saffron, Jamaican rum

Heart notes : plum, davana from India, eucalyptus from California

Base notes : fraction of gaiac wood from India, fraction of cedarwood from Texas, leather & oud accord

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A matador in the center of a sun filled stadium.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE GOLD LEATHER: confident, sexy, bold

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT GOLD LEATHER: Chemist in a Bottle, Scents of Self, Men’s Journal

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Leather
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $175 for 100ml Cologne Absolue

SILVER IRIS

WHAT I SMELL: It’s funny, out of the bottle, Silver Iris smells ungodly sweet, like sugar that has been freeze-dried. However, when it’s applied on my skin something completely different happens. Silver Iris goes on with this flattened layer of woodiness…it’s almost devoid of any depth, but instead is this singular layer of muted musk. After a bit, a slight leather appears, but again, it sits on this muted layer that I wonder is ever going to progress to anything else. After about 5 minutes I note a bit of iris and violet. But these florals are anchored in the ground, although they aren’t rooty, but are earthy in the sense that you see them as derived from a field rather than a gorgeous bouquet. After some additional time, a bit of pepper makes an appearance and the fragrance begins to bloom. The flattened opening starts to disappear like a bottle top has been opened and the genie has been let out of the bottle. As Silver Iris starts to grow it becomes bigger, spicier and a bit sweeter. There is an edge of sugar to the fragrance, but it’s more a sprinkle mixed with spice. After around 40 minutes or so, the sweetness takes over, but the fragrance never throws off too much power that it overwhelms. I wore this to the office the other day and it was the perfect scent for mild projection without objection. Silver Iris to me is one of those fragrances that smells better from afar which means, it smells better when my wrist is not up to my nose for a close up sniff.

Notes from the Atelier Cologne website:

Top notes : tangerine from Italy, pink pepper from China, blackcurrant from Burgundy

Heart notes : violet leaves from Grasse, iris Pallida from Tuscany, mimosa from Grasse

Base notes : patchouli from Indonesia, white amber, tonka bean from Brazil

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: An iris cupcake.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SILVER IRIS: sweet, cheerful, likable

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SILVER IRIS: Perfume Posse, Bois de Jasmin, CaFleureBon

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $175 for 100ml Cologne Absolue

BOTTOM LINE: Both of these “Collection Metal” fragrances are winners and both in very different ways. Recently released, both of these are suited well for the cooler weather and will no doubt be used heavily by me this fall and winter.