fragrance | The Scented Hound

June 16, 2013
by The Scented Hound 21 Comments

Naomi Goodsir: Cuir Velours & Bois d’Ascese

Cuir Velours

WHAT I SMELL: The initial opening of Cuir Velours is cool and slightly astringent, but this lasts for a microsecond before it moves into a boozy rum and almost chocolately suede. It’s ever so sweet and gourmand and to me it feels like a layer of brown sugar on top of a really fine layer of suede. I love this phase, it’s completely yummy. After a bit, a light incense comes forth which pares down the light sugar. At this point Cuir Velours becomes ethereal and translucent like a light sheen of leather floating in the air. In the final drydown, Cuirs Velours gets a bit sweeter in an almost fruited way, like sniffing a full-bodied fruity red wine. Unfortunately, Cuir Velours disappears all too quickly on my skin and that’s a shame.

From the Naomi Goodsir website:

A deep & textured perfume, that evocatively encases the skin like soft velvet suede. A tobacco atmosphere supported by notes of rum, cistus labdanum, incense & fleur d’immortelle.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The prettiest pony.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE CUIR VELOURS: soft, sugared, comfy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT CUIR VELOURS: Persolaise, Smellythoughts, Perfumeniche.com

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Leather
Nose: Julian Rasquinet
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $150 for 50ml EdP

Bois d’Ascese

WHAT I SMELL: Bois d’Ascese opens smelling like wet burnt campfire wood. There is just a hint of cinnamon and whiskey to give it a bit more rounded sensation. Bois d’Ascese doesn’t transform much. The smoky incense dominates and pushes everything else to the back. To me, this needs a little more whiskey and cinnamon and less smoke. Most surprising to me though, in the end I found this very much to be a comfort scent.

From the Naomi Goodsir website:

A captivating & reassuring smoke. Notes of tobacco & whisky, are supported by cinnamon, amber & cistus labdanum. Oakmoss, smoked cade wood, almost burnt, prolong the incense of Somalia with power & elegance

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A KOA campground circa 1968.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE BOIS D’ASCESE: smoky, linear, woodsy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BOIS D’ASCESE: Now Smell This, Sorcery of Scent, The Scentualist

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Incense Woodsy
Nose: Julian Rasquinet
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $150 for 50ml EdP

BOTTOM LINE: I had not heard of Naomi Goodsir prior to Freddie from Smellythoughts providing me with these samples. Both of these fragrances are very unique in their own way and their quality in composition makes me curious about the 3rd offering this house is launching, Nuit de Bakelite, which the Naomi Goodsir website says is coming soon. BTW, the website and the packaging are par excellence.

June 10, 2013
by The Scented Hound 24 Comments

Vintage Opium Parfum by Yves Saint Laurent

WHAT I SMELL: Opium opens with a spicy bang. It’s peppered with a sweet honeyed striking bite of cloves and cinnamon with hints of citrus. It’s almost overwhelming in its richness and depth. It makes my head swirl with the intoxicating jasmine and dare I say a bit of carnation which is a much hated note by me, but in this case it’s entwined with the other notes and doesn’t dominate. When I hold my arm close to my nose, the peppery spice notes almost burn the insides of my nostrils. There’s a slight smoky incense like layer on top of the floral spice giving it increasing depth. Opium is exotic, powerful and in charge. After a while the cascading full and rounded notes start to even out and Opium becomes dryer with more amber. At this point, Opium is still a spice bomb, but it ‘s now just a bit sweeter, but this is not sweet by any means. Opium never calms all the way down but becomes a bit more woody…it wants to be taken notice for hours and that’s just fine with me.

Opium Notes from Fragrantica:

Top notes are coriander, plum, citruses, mandarin orange, pepper, jasmine, cloves, west indian bay and bergamot; middle notes are carnation, sandalwood, patchouli, cinnamon, orris root, peach, lily-of-the-valley and rose; base notes are labdanum, tolu balsam, sandalwood, opoponax, musk, coconut, vanilla, benzoin, vetiver, incense, cedar, myrrh, castoreum and amber.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Whoever named this perfume, named it perfectly. It’s intoxicating and habit-forming and I can’t get enough.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE OPIUM: mysterious, seductive, passionate

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT OPIUM: Kafkaesque, Perfume Fountain, Yesterday’s Perfume

BOTTOM LINE: Once again I can point the finger at Kafkasesque for leading me down the eBay path to buy this beauty. I think I have put some on now for the past 5 days in a row and I continue to fall in love with it. Now mind you, I think you can find some good deals on the EdT versions on eBay, but the vintage parfum is a bit pricier. Even though I paid a lot for this love, it was still a relatively good deal at the price I got. I have done some research and it seems that my version is from somewhere between 1995 and 1999.

Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Spicy
Nose: Jean Amic and Jean-Louis Sieuzac
Classification: Feminine
Review based on vintage parfum
Expense: Varies on eBay

June 9, 2013
by The Scented Hound 16 Comments

Zelda by En Voyage Perfumes

If you have ever wondered if people make blind purchases based on a blogger’s review; look no further, because this is one of those cases. Recently Freddie from Smellythoughts posted a review based on a sample of Zelda. His description was so compelling that it made me quickly run to place my order. Trust me, that was a bold move because as much as I love my dear Freddie’s reviews, we don’t always see eye to eye in our fragrance loves. So what do I think of my blind buy?

WHAT I SMELL: Zelda, named after the legendary Zelda Fitzgerald, goes on green. The galbanum and bergamot make this feel like spring has sprung. Just hidden under that green surface is a bit of warmth though which quickly moves Zelda from spring to summer. After a bit, the florals start to arrive, bringing with them an elegant refrain of honeyed depth. I’ll admit that as a man I love a good floral fragrance as long as it’s not too sweet, but like in this case, is beefy and rich and substantial. After around 15 minutes or so, the magnolia really starts to appear. It’s thick and rich and at first it almost smells like coconut suntan oil (something that I was noticing and which was validated by my partner). This made me a bit worried, but the coconut suntan oil subsided after a while and the creaminess of the magnolia was met with a smoky aura which is incredibly intoxicating. Zelda takes a long time to transform, but continuing on, the magnolia which still remains centered, is met with a wash of vetiver. At this point, Zelda is better smelled from afar. What I mean is that is smells more harmonic when you’re not sniffing your arm directly. This doesn’t surprise me though, as I lived in Atlanta, Georgia for years and the magnolia blossoms smell wonderfully at a distance, but when you go up to a flower, it doesn’t have that same sweetened creamy smell that permeates the air. Zelda requires that distance as well. As Zelda continues its drydown there is a slight bitter bite which again, from a distance adds to the layers of the fragrance. In the end, Zelda becomes more woody, but the spiced magnolia is ever-present. Zelda also seems to transform with the environment. As such, it’s not going to smell the same in the hot sun as is does inside in the air conditioning.

Zelda notes from the En Voyage website:

TOP NOTES: Spiced Italian Bergamot, Spices, and Iranian Galbanum

HEART NOTES: Creamy Magnolia Blossom and Garden Florals

BASE NOTES: Smoky Amber, Vintage Musks, Vanilla, Balsams, Sandalwood and Vetiver, Cedarwood, and Mousse de Chêne

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A hot summer night in Montgomery, Alabama (Zelda Fitzgerald’s hometown).

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ZELDA: creamy, dense, waxy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ZELDA: Smellythoughts, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: This was a lovely blind buy. I find that Zelda is pretty feminine so it won’t be something that I wear to work. Instead, Zelda will reside in my collection as a comfort scent that I will wear at home and in the evenings. Thanks to Freddie to introducing me to this fragrance and to En Voyage perfumes which I had not heard of before. I received some other En Voyage Perfume fragrance samples along with my new purchase. If they are as good as Zelda is, I think I’ll be placing some more orders!

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental
Nose: Shelley Waddington
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $55 for 17ml at the En Voyage website