fragrance | The Scented Hound

August 4, 2013
by The Scented Hound 21 Comments

China White by Nasomatto

WHAT I SMELL: At first application, I get some sweet wood, a few aldehydes and then in fast succession an incredibly light rose and some incense which starts to dry out the scent rather quickly. Funny, the fragrance almost retreats after putting it on and you’re left wondering if it’s going to just quickly fade away. After 10 minutes, all I get from China White is lightly sweet and sharp woody incense. After 20 minutes, thankfully, the floral aspects start to come back making this more palatable in my book by giving it more dimension. Oh wait, they just went away again…or are they back again?? China White can’t seem to make up its mind. After about 30 minutes, add something that smells a bit like hair spray. I’m not quite sure if that’s really necessary!

China White Notes – The Nasamatto website doesn’t list the fragrance’s notes. Fragrantica doesn’t list the notes as well, but provided the following: Nasomatto China White was presented in 2008 as a floral-woody fragrance for women, composed of powdery notes of fresh flowers and woody accords.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Comme des Garcon Avignon’s little cousin who is a bit more shy and just a tad sweeter.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE CHINA WHITE: quiet, restrained, light

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT CHINA WHITE: Eiderdown Press , Worse Than Weeds, Nathan Branch

BOTTOM LINE: I like it and I don’t like it. China White makes me feel a bit schizophrenic. Every time I sniff my wrist it’s either all incense (I don’t just like incense) or its a combination of floral and incense (I like it like this)… but enough already, make up your mind so I can love it or leave it.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral Woody Musk
Nose: Alessandro Gualtieri
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $165 for 30ml Parfum Extrait

August 3, 2013
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

gs02 by biehl parfumkunstwerke

The other day I was lucky enough to receive some samples of the biehl parfumkunstwerke line of fragrances. They recently have been made available in the US market and I had yet to have any introduction to them, so I was excited to check them out. My plan was to provide a review on biehl parfumkunstwerke’s gs03 which is their newest release, but for some reason I was strangely drawn to sample gs02 (released in 2007) instead. Maybe notes like castoreum and descriptors like “erotic” had something to do with it!

WHAT I SMELL: gs02 opens with an herbal orange/citrus note which is clean and somewhat astringent. Quickly, gs02 begins to develop a bit of a sour note and in the background there lurks some castoreum, which gives the fragrance a bit of dirtiness…but it remains in the background. I keep waiting for the leather, but it’s not quick to make its appearance and when it does, it too lurks in the background unwilling to really pounce. After about 15 minutes, gs02 becomes more woody and after almost 30 minutes, the fragrance warms and becomes more radiant. It’s funny, gs02 blends seamlessly and it’s incredibly restrained which makes this a wonderfully mysterious and hypnotic scent.

From the biehl parfumkunstwerke website:

charisma. determination. arrogance can be erotic after all.

head: aromatic, spicy.
the liveliness and elegance of absinth, Campari, orange, thyme, angelica roots

heart: leather perfectly combined with castoreum, rounded off very erotically with

base: ambergris, tonka been, vanilla

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A sly fox.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE gs02: sexy, subtle, confident

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT gs02: That Smell (I couldn’t find any others)

BOTTOM LINE: gs02 is lovely and a bit sexy, but very subtle. I believe this would be a good fit if you need a great office scent that would translate well into the after work happy hour.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Leather
Nose: Geza Schon
Classification: Unisex – but leans masculine
Expense: $195 for 100ml EdP

Sample provided by Hypoluxe, official distributor of biehl parfumkunstwerke products.

July 28, 2013
by The Scented Hound 31 Comments

Noontide Petals by Tauer Perfumes

WHAT I SMELL: Noontide Petals opens with seriously bright aldehydes and almost Pixy Stix like candied sweetened bergamot. Finally, that bright opening which feels to me like temporary blindness when the sun is caught in your car’s rear view mirror, gives way to a creamy florals with ylang-ylang in the forefront. After about 10 minutes or so, the various notes start to blend seamlessly with a warm sandalwood which deepens the fragrance into an all-encompassing well. Added to the warm blend is a slight powder which give this an old-fashioned and classic feel. In the end, Noontide Petals resides in this nice, even, warm and slightly powdered patchouli deliciousness.

From the Tauer Perfumes website:

Head Notes: A glittering opening: Bergamot, sparkling aldehydes softened by Bourbon geranium.

Heart Notes: A seductive chord of bright petals: Finest rose, ylang, tuberose, jasmine.

Body Notes: A supple and sensuous gleam: Patchouli, frankincense, vanilla, sandalwood, iris, with a hint of styrax and vetiver.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: 1962

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE NOONTIDE PETALS: nostalgic, warm, classic

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT NOONTIDE PETALS: I Scent You a Day, Chemist in a Bottle, I Smell Therefore I Am

BOTTOM LINE: I was worried that I would never find an Andy Tauer fragrance that I liked. What I have sampled thus far has been challenging at best. Noontide Petals breaks that mold and I could seriously see myself with a full bottle in the future. Thanks Andy!

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral Aldehyde
Nose: Andy Tauer
Classification: Unisex – but leans feminine
Expense: $120 for 50ml EdT