fragrance | The Scented Hound

January 21, 2013
by The Scented Hound 18 Comments

Elixir Charnel Oriental Brulant by Guerlain

Maybe it’s the time of the year or maybe it’s because I have the winter blues; in any case, I seem to be reaching out for comfort scents. Thankfully, I had a large sample of Oriental Brulant to keep me company this past week.

WHAT I SMELL: Oriental Bulant opens with a warm and spicy balminess. The top note are listed as tangerine, but I got that for about one second as it turned balmy. There is a hint of soapiness (which I typically abhor), but here it’s very light and reminds me what my mother’s bathroom smelled like right after she took a bath. After a bit, the vanilla’d almond comes more to the front. This is not an overly sweet almond, but one that is rounded and warm. Oriental Brulant is pretty linear and sits close to the skin. It’s about as ethereal a fragrance that is to my liking as it’s a warmish vapor that rises so slightly above your skin.

Oriental Brulant Notes: top note is tangerine; middle note is almond; base notes are tonka bean, styrax and vanilla.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Maybe it’s the pink color of the juice, but I think of pretty cirrus clouds backed up to a lovely pink sky.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ORIENTAL BRULANT: wispy, pretty, peaceful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ORIENTAL BRULANT: Perfume Shrine, Olfactoria’s Travels, AustralianPerfumeJunkies

BOTTOM LINE: For the time being, I am in love with this fragrance, but I think come the spring I could grow tired of its lovely balminess. This is a vanilla for non-vanilla lovers and leans feminine. I have to admit though that this is the perfect “bed-time” scent for me as it helps to create those pretty pink clouds in my head that the sheep can jump over.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $260 for 75ml EdP

January 13, 2013
by The Scented Hound 26 Comments

Krigler Reviews: Oud for Highness 75 & Established Cognac 66

OUD FOR HIGHNESS 75

WHAT I SMELL: I swore I was putting on Montale’s Black Aoud when I first applied Oud for Highness 75. Not for the faint of heart, but unlike Black Aoud, I didn’t get the burning tire sensation. What I did get a huge blast of agarwood and a sweet, sweet saffron. It smells rather like rose, but I don’t see any rose listed in the notes. I have to admit that I was worried that this would be too loud, but as time goes on, the “in your face” aspects of the perfume move to the side and you’re left with a very sweet, yet cozy ambered honey. This is a bit sweeter than I would normally like, but I do like it.

From the Krigler website:

Custom Made fragrance created in 1975. Joining again the collection in 2010. Oud For Highness 75 has been created in honor of its Royal Highness of Jordan combining Crushed Royal Asian Oud, Amber, Sandalwood, Saffron and Honey. Combining cultures and traditions, this fragrance is a Royal testimony to Oud.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A cheerful majesty.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE OUD FOR HIGHNESS 75: sweet, happy, dignified

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT OUD FOR HIGHNESS 75: Cafluerbon, dbeauty Junkie, Perfume-SmellinThings

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $305 for 50ml EdP

ESTABLISHED COGNAC 66

WHAT I SMELL: Established Cognac’s opening is an odd combination of a strong cognac sweetened with what smells like a bit of cotton candy. Very quickly the sharp cognac alcohol turns to a spiced and surprisingly dry herbaceous oak. I would have expected that this fragrance would be moist, but instead it’s very dry. I don’t get much sillage from this, nor is it long-lasting. After a couple of hours this completely disappeared on me.

From the Krigler website:

The quintessentially London classic since its creation. Men have it, women desire it! Simple audacity, world-class composition offers a perfect blend of Cognac, Apple, Indian Tagette, Caramel, Oak…
Distinctly masculine woody undertones; an eternal favorite.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: An old library with musty books.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ESTABLISHED COGNAC 66: oaky, musty, worn

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ESTABLISHED COGNAC 66: I couldn’t find any reviews, except for a few comments on Fragrantica.

Bone Rating: 2 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Aromatic
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $175 for 50ml EdP

BOTTOM LINE: I am intrigued by this line. I’m not sure if it’s because of its exclusivity or the fact that they have been around since 1904. In any case, you can purchase their fragrances either online on their website or at one of their two retail locations; one in the Plaza Hotel in NYC and the other in Monte Carlo! Anyone want to take a trip to Monaco?

January 10, 2013
by The Scented Hound 55 Comments

The Scented Hound Turns 1 Year Old with a Birthday Draw!

A year ago this week, The Scented Hound was born. What started as an interest has turned into a wonderful passion that has grown and blossomed in the last year. I can still recall buying my first niche perfume, Carner D600 from Min NY in the fall of last year and then finding all the other wonderful blogs and sites that gave me inspiration to jump in. I can clearly remember too, that a couple other bloggers started their sites at the same time and I’m happy to say that Katherine from Mad Perfumista and Freddie from Smellythoughts are still running strong aside me with wonderful insight and commentary on their love of fragrance.

I have learned a lot in the last year and would like to share with a few thoughts on this first year of my endeavor:

Blogging is fun, but it can be tough. You go through spurts of creativity while at other times your creative juices just run dry. I look back at some of my first posts and cringe at what I have written…and to be honest I still do that! I wonder if other bloggers never feel satisfied with their posts?
It’s easy to write reviews on perfumes that you love. The words just flow. Actually the same can be said for those fragrances that you hate too. I don’t like criticizing anybody’s creation…but again, it’s just my opinion. But the love and hate posts seem to generate the most views!
You can’t keep up with all of the new launches. This industry is constantly churning out new product and it’s impossible to keep up with it all. So you have to search out those products which pique your interest and then continue searching out established products that you want to sample and not worry about all of the new.
My wallet suffers from too much love. I have spent so much money on perfume this year, but as my wonderful husband said, “don’t worry about spending on your passion, at least you’re not passionate about cars…now that would cost some money.” Note to perfumers: If you offered more 30ml and 50ml product, I would spend even more money.
I wish I had the mind of many of you out there. I read and speak to people who can recall and compare and name off perfumes and ingredients and notes with detailed accuracy like people who can recall football game and player statistics. That’s an art that I just don’t possess.
I have sooooo much to learn about fragrance, which I guess makes sense since this endeavor is only 1-year-old. I consider myself a novice.
The best part of this whole experience is sharing and communicating with all the wonderful people in this community. And without a doubt, this community is all about sharing and support…it truly is the number one thing that keeps me going with this blog. Thank You!

And as a special thanks to you, my wonderful friends at Penny Lane Perfumes have offered as a draw, a 100ml bottle of E. Cordray Ambre et Vanille to one of my lucky readers. Ambre et Vanille is a luscious vanilla wrapped up in amber which makes for a snuggly sweater for these cold winter nights. The draw will be open until 11:59 pm Eastern Time, Wednesday, January 16, 2013 and is open to all US and non-US readers. A winner will be drawn at random using random.org. To enter in the draw, please check out pennylaneperfumes.com and leave a comment on this post telling me what product from their stock you wished you owned or are curious about. Or, if there is something in their stock that you already own and absolutely love, share that love in a comment. Penny Lane Perfumes carries Amouage, Serge Lutens, Mona di Orio and many other wonderful brands.

But wait, there’s more (that sounds like an infomercial doesn’t it); for the first 50 people who make a purchase from their site, Penny Lane Perfumes will give you $25.00 off of your order. All you have to do is put 2013 in the coupon box. However, this offer is valid for US customers only as they currently do not ship overseas. I am thinking that I may have to make a little purchase of Serge Luten’s Chergui myself! I think my friends at Penny Lane Perfumes are pretty awesome, don’t you?!

In the end, thank you for all of your support. I look forward the year ahead and the perfume experiences to come. And since I’m a big boy now, I’m passing a bone to some new wonderful bloggers who are just starting out as pups, please check them out: Kafkaesque, Scent Bound, The Other Scent.