The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.


5 Comments

A Scented Hound Tip – Perfumed Magazine Ads & Inserts

You open up a magazine and flip through the pages.  You run into a fragrance ad with the perfume strip, one that you have seen a million times before; but what’s the first thing that you do?  You open the strip and smell the fragrance!  OK, that used to be me.

Magazines with perfume ads and inserts that fall out with perfume strips are a staple in publications these days, especially around the holidays.  Typically, the fragrances that are marketed aren’t the ones that I  plan on purchasing, but I’m always going to be attracted to pleasant smelling things.  As a good environmentalist and recycler I try not to waste. About 10 years ago, I spilled something in my car.  I thought I cleaned it pretty well, but it started to stink.  I needed something to freshen my car and I hated all of the deodorizer and rearview mirror fresheners that were out there in the marketplace.  I decided to take one of those ads with the perfume strip and place it in my car.  Amazingly in such a small area, it really freshened up the interior!  Ever since then, I have avoided ripping open the strip and wasting a perfectly good scent.  Every week or two, I’ll replace the one that’s sitting in my car’s side door pocket with a fresh ad.  It’s free, smells great and is my car’s answer to aromatherapy (very much-needed in Washington DC traffic).

So what else can you do with these ads?  They also make great sachets for your dresser drawers.  My sock and underwear drawers smell wonderful.  I also found this great “how to” article on how you can use the ads to create scented present bows…ingenious.  To learn how to make a scented bow click here.

Do you have any great ideas on uses for perfume strip ads?


6 Comments

06 Amanu by Odin

06 Amanu recently won the Fragrance Foundation’s 2012 Fifi “Indie” Fragrance Award.  Given such high regard, I had to check this fragrance out.  I loved 07 Tanoke, and since this is an award winner, I was sure I was going to like this as well.  Hmmmm, not sure what the fuss is all about.

06 Amanu is a light and airy fragrance.  It goes on almost a bit salty and then quickly turns floral and lightly sweet.  I can smell the blood orange and the jasmine along with a light musk.  As time goes on, the musk and amberwood warm 06 Amanu a bit, reducing the original sweetness.  This is about as discreet of a fragrance that you can find.  It hugs close to the skin and feels very personal, almost bath like in its composition.  To me, that means that I could have just emerged from taking a bath with some pretty bath salts and would have smelled the same.  06 Amanu is marketed as unisex, but I do think this leans more feminine.  I’m not digging it on me and would have a hard time seeing other men wear this.

For an award winner, I was expecting something more daring.  This scent is pretty safe… and not for me.

From the Odin website:

The primitive ambiance of southern Mediterranean peaks combined with the ancient fertility of Anatolian soils brings forth a herbaceous blend of verdant galbanum and raw lentisque. The cortex of Amanu revolves around the woody rusticity of cedarleaf and the heady complexity of jasmine sambac. Rooting textures of amberwood, musk and live moss endow this earthy scent with a lush maturity.

Top: Blood Orange, Green Galbanum, Lentisque
Middle: Aged Cedarleaf, Jasmin Sambac, Magnolia
Bottom: Amberwood, Sheer Musk, Live Moss

  • Bone Rating:   3 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent:  Woody – aromatic
  • Classification:  Unisex but leans feminine
  • Expense:  $125 for 100ml EDT


5 Comments

Roadster by Cartier

I purchased Roadster for my better half because I love to smell him in it.  I think of this as his “power” scent, telling him to wear it when he has an important meeting.  Funny thing is that I have never worn it myself so I thought I would give it a spin.  Unfortunately, as much as I love it on him, I didn’t find wearing it myself so appealing.  Don’t get me wrong though, this is a great fragrance.

Roadster goes on with a fresh blast of mint.  This is not a super green mint, but one that’s more tailored.  It has a spicy edge that makes is smooth and masculine.  Roadster has a wonderfully commanding presence that runs the line between being green yet warm.  And to boot, it has great sillage and is long-lasting.  Perfect for when you need to wear a “power” scent!

Roadster Notes: Bergamot, Spearmint, Peppermint, Cashmere Wood, Patchouli, Cistus Labdanum, Vanilla

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent Type: Aromatic – Fougere
  • Classification: Masculine