fragrance | The Scented Hound

June 5, 2013
by The Scented Hound 18 Comments

Vintage Arpege by Lanvin

WHAT I SMELL: Arpege opens with a large blast of aldehydes with an herbal essence, but immediately shows its floral beauty with rose, jasmine and ylang-ylang infused with a warm and soothing light amber musk. Arpege unfolds seamlessly making it very hard to pick apart the notes and that’s a good thing. I can tell you that there’s a bit of peach hiding inside just enough to give it a slightly sour flavor, but one that’s not offsetting. Instead it gives it just tad bit of a bite to make this a more than a run of the mill floral fragrance. There’s a graceful beauty in Arpege that keeps it’s notes grounded in mystery rather than in light. Not that Arpege is shy by any means, its projection is great and its bold without being loud.

Arpege notes from Fragrantica:

Top notes: bergamot, aldehyde, peach, orange bloom, honeysuckle, orris

Heart notes: rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, coriander, sensitive plant, tuberose, violet, and geranium

Base notes: sandal, vetiver, patchouli, vanilla and musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Arpege is a lady. Not a woman, not a dame, but a lady.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ARPEGE: proper, poised, serious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ARPEGE: Yesterday’s Perfume, The Non-Blonde, Perfume-Smellin’ Things

BOTTOM LINE: There is nothing playful about Arpege. It’s wonderfully elegant and very staid. It’s what you think vintage perfumes should smell like and I love it. And don’t get me wrong, even though I say that Arpege is a lady, there is a masculine edge about the fragrance which bodes well with me. Do I wear it at the office?…no. But I often wear it when I do my Saturday errands, it makes the drudgery of going to the dry cleaners and grocery store so much more palatable.

I do have to say that I originally purchased a 7.5ml bottle of extrait on eBay and that’s when I fell in love. So much so that I saw a good deal on a 30ml extrait bottle (again on eBay) so I snatched it up as well. As with any vintage perfumes, depending on storage, etc. the fragrance can wear differently. In this case, the 7.5 ml bottle is deeper and richer and maybe a bit creamier (don’t get me wrong, this is not a creamy fragrance) right from the beginning which says to me that the top notes may be a bit lost. The 30ml bottle goes on greener with more bergamot, but then moves into wonderful heart notes. But both are wonderful and I’m thrilled that they’re part of my collection.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral Aldehyde
Classification: Feminine
Review based on: vintage parfum extrait
Expense: Varies, but can be found on eBay for what I think is a reasonable cost

May 27, 2013
by The Scented Hound 44 Comments

Kiki Parfum Extrait & Rubj EdP by Vero Profumo

KIKI PARFUM EXTRAIT

WHAT I SMELL: Kiki opens with a heady lavender doused in cream. It’s gourmand and smells like a topping that you would want on top of ice cream or some other dessert. There’s a caramel quality that gives it substance and depth which makes it slightly sweet but more of a rich and substantial sweet rather than a sugary sweet, if that makes sense. Kiki is lightly warm and very cozy. After a bit, a fruitiness appears that gives Kiki a kick of brightness. As Kiki continues to morph the fragrance swirls and whirls while radiating off your skin. I wore this the other night out to dinner and couldn’t stop sniffing myself and was paying more attention to the perfume than to my meal. Finally Kiki becomes a lavender dream wrapped up in a light musk…am I in heaven? Overall, Kiki transforms little and is pretty linear, but it is beautiful from the first drop.

Kiki Parfum Extrait Notes – lavender, caramel, musk, fruits

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Louise Brooks circa 1928

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE KIKI PARFUM EXTRAIT: heavenly, bright, lush

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PARFUM EXTRAIT: Smellythoughts, Olfactoria’s Travels, Scent for Thought

BOTTOM LINE: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Kiki. I haven’t felt a love for a fragrance like this in a long time and that’s very exciting. But the cost…oh my!!! The parfum extrait is $220 at Luckyscent, which I believe has been raised from $185. Why are the gods against me??

Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones (trust me I am tempted to give this 5.5 bones!)
Scent: Aromatic Fruity
Nose: Vero Kern
Classification: Leans slightly feminine
Expense: $220 for 7.5ml Parfum Extrait

RUBJ EdP

WHAT I SMELL: Rubj opens with a bergamot blast mixed with white florals including tuberose ( I typically hate tuberose but here it doesn’t dominate so I don’t mind it at all.) After the initial blast of its opening, Rubj is slightly herbal, slightly fruited and slightly floral…nothing is dominating at this point and I wonder soon if Rubj will transform or if it will stay in this kind of netherworld of personality. After a bit Rubj starts to get slightly tangy, but it’s a tang from the basil and the cedar which give the scent a greener feel. After a while longer the cumin starts to come to the surface. I know that many people don’t care for cumin in a fragrance, but I am not one of them. To me it’s earthy and exotic and wonderfully masculine. Rubj is warm and its herbal essence to me is incredibly comforting.

Rubj EdP Notes –

Bergamot, mandarin, neroli, passion fruit, cumin, orange flower absolute, tuberose, basil, cedar, oak moss, musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: An herbal/floral garden.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE RUBJ EdP: spicy, green, snappy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RUBJ EdP: Perfume Posse, Kafkaesque, All About Scent

BOTTOM LINE: Suprisingly, I find Rubj to be a comfort scent. I find it easy to wear and I like the fact that it’s slightly exotic. Beautiful.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Vero Kern
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $220 for 50ml EdP

BOTTOM, BOTTOM LINE: Thanks to the sweet and wonderful Freddie from Smellythoughts for sending me these samples. There is now a new Vero Profumo fan in the house and I am itching to sample her other creations as I have the feeling that they are all masterfully terrific. Thankfully the line isn’t too large, but this could be bad for my wallet!

May 23, 2013
by The Scented Hound 19 Comments

Vintage Samsara by Guerlain

WHAT I SMELL: Samsara contains a lovely thickened and slightly sweet creaminess which to me becomes cravable. Yummy! Fragrantica lists the top notes as bergamot, lemon, ylang-ylang and peach. They exist, but only for a few seconds. Samsara quickly moves into the lovely stage where the subtle florals are seamlessly entwined in a way that makes it hard to distinguish between the notes. It’s warm and intoxicating. If I didn’t know this was a classic fragrance, I would say that it is. After a bit, a woodiness arrives with almost what I would call a hint of a hair spray smell, but it doesn’t detract nor is it noticeable unless you’re really trying to sniff it out. Samsara finally warms to a wonderful sandalwood where it becomes incredibly calming with just a lightly spiced floral. It doesn’t take long for Samsara to reach it’s destination, but all roads lead to loveliness!

Samsara Notes (from Fragrantica):

The top notes are juicy and fresh: bergamot, lemon, ylang-ylang, peach and green notes. The heart is blooming in opulent flowers: elegant jasmine, cold woodsy iris, luscious narcissus, violet and delicate rose. The base is composed of sandal wood, vanilla, Tonka bean, amber, and musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A luxurious and exotic scarf.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SAMSARA: smooth, elegant, timeless

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SAMSARA: Bois de Jasmin, Perfume Shrine, Yesterday’s Perfumes

BOTTOM LINE: I picked this beauty up on eBay and managed to get a great deal on an unopened bottle at a great price. I have no regrets and I have the feeling when this small bottle is emptied, a larger one will be on my list of “to buys”.

Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Classification: Leans feminine
Expense: Varies. Review based on vintage EdP.