fragrance | The Scented Hound

August 29, 2016
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

La Belle Hellene by Parfums MDCI

WHAT I SMELL: Madame Hellene is true to the dessert honoring her name as it opens with bright aldehydes and a sweet pear. The perfume is lush, juicy and dripping with a warmed honeyed tone of citrus. It’s also rich, opulent and almost too much to drink in. The pear is nectarous as if it’s coated in simple syrup and it’s also served with a fruity osmanthus. I can’t get over the dizzying spectacle of the whirling fruit and florals which seem to bounce off the skin like whirling dervishes. In a bit the perfume softens, but just slightly as the sweetened florals take on just a bit of powder, which reduces the ripe and wet which led the path at the beginning. After some time, the perfume’s fruity florals are met with a warmed sandalwood and light musk which helps to even the fragrance out. At this point, La Belle Hellene is as pretty as her name and the perfume develops this radiant powder with this delicious hint of licorice which is unexpected, but completely delightful. Licorice notwithstanding, the perfume really starts to dry as it settles down into a powdered memory of ripened pear.

Top notes : pear, aldehydes, tangerine, lemon flower

Heart notes : Bulgarian rose, osmanthus, mimosa, ylang ylang, iris, hawthorn, mirabelle plum

Bottom notes : myrrh, vetiver, patchouli, cedar, amber, sandalwood, oak foam, white musk, licorice

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A lavish dessert buffet.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE LA BELLE HELLENE: succulent, ravishing, fruited

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LA BELLE HELLENE: Olfactoria’s Travels, The Black Narcissus, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: This pretty lady leaves me rather conflicted. On the one hand it’s too sweet and gourmand for my tastes; at the same time it’s so proper and ladylike with just a hint of licorice making this unique enough to strike my fancy. However, each time I have worn it, it does seem to test my patience a bit as it wears on me and becomes somewhat tiresome.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Chypre Fruity
Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $250 for 75 ml eau de parfum (non-bust edition)

August 24, 2016
by The Scented Hound 16 Comments

New Release: Baptême du feu by Serge Lutens

WHAT I SMELL: Wow…Baptême du feu has a wonderful opening that’s cool to the touch, incredibly juicy and vibrant with a blast of bright citrus and bergamot. The perfume begins to warm quickly and the juiciness subsides to reveal a ripened osmanthus along with an orange rind like sourness. After 10 minutes or so, a ginger note begins to surface along with a wafting incense. What was joyous and bright has moved to a mysterious tonality. The perfume then takes another turn and the incense disappears and the perfume become fully ginger…and it grows exponentially in projection. But of course, Uncle Serge needs to contradict my words and once again, a wafting incense reveals itself. The ginger makes the perfume a little sweet, but not too much as there’s a light herbal base that resides under the candied root. After an hour, the perfume begins to dust and powder with a metallic edge as the candied aspects are lessened. In the end you’re left with a woody powdered ginger dustiness.

From the Serge Lutens website:

My emotions are fluid. Like liquid wax poured into a mould, they determine what seduces me—like this gingerbread heart. – Serge Lutens

The fragrance features gingerbread, powdery notes, tangerine, castoreum, osmanthus and woody notes.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Pippi Longstocking…it starts off bright, juicy and full of candied ginger…but as it wears it loses its initial gloss and becomes rather tiresome.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BAPTÊME DU FEU: semi-sweet, pleasant, semi-interesting

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BAPTÊME DU FEU: Persolaise, Kafkaesque, Perfume Posse

BOTTOM LINE: For the first 45 minutes of wear, I loved this perfume as its full of life and absolutely delightful. After that, its pleasant enough. Ho-hum.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $150 for 50 ml eau de parfum

August 22, 2016
by The Scented Hound 4 Comments

The Random 10: Room 1015’s Michael Partouche

When you say the words “fragrance” or “perfume,” most people conjure in their minds high fashion and brand names like Chanel and Dior. Typically, one doesn’t associate rock n’ roll with perfume, unless the perfume smells like stale beer and worn leather. Michael Partouche, founder of Room 1015 tears down the walls of the norm with a brash attitude and a rock and roll sensibility.

Dr. Mike as he is better known, is a pharmacist by trade, but he found the routine and discipline of the pharmaceutical life a hard fit. So he retreated to the world of psychedelic rock n roll, the place where he felt free to express himself, by becoming one with his guitar. Eventually, Dr. Mike found his way into combining the world of lotions and potions with the glam life of rock n roll in the realm of fragrance through his brand Room 1015.

With Room 1015, Dr. Mike, along with perfumers Amélie Bourgeois and Anne-Sophie Behaghel have created perfumes that are meant for the stage, the bright lights and the electric energy brought on by the full on sounds rifting from the spellbinding and hypnotic acoustics.

So why the name Room 1015? According to legend, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards threw a TV through the bedroom window of the West Hollywood Hyatt in 1972…Room 1015. I guess you can’t get any more rock n’ roll than that!

Given Dr. Mike’s hardcore sensibilities, let’s see how he answers his Random 10:

My favorite holiday is… summer…forever…wherever.
My favorite gift received was… a guitar Gibson Les Paul Standard (when I was 11) and my dog!
Those closest to me call me… Micky or Mickey.
If I won the lottery, I would… go to space and probably stay there.
The one thing that most people don’t know about me is… a secret.
The biggest surprise in my life has been… my 2 kids.
I always have to remind myself to… enjoy the present.
My proudest accomplishment was… my kids (again), my degree as a Doctor of Pharmacy, and of course, Room 1015.
If I ever created a fragrance just for me, it would include the following notes… Geranium, Vetiver and Citrus.
My one recommendation for the fragrance industry is… sniff it, don’t drink it…

Room 1015 has a vibrancy and esthetic that I find exciting and that kick is evident when I reviewed Blomma Cult which I found to be like a swinging red velvet blazer and was named as one of my favorite new releases for 2015. So which Room 1015 perfume is for you? Dr. Mike has employed a ChatBot to help you in your search. He can be found on Facebook at Room 1015 Chatbot.

Thanks to Dr. Mike for participating in The Scented Hound’s Random 10. Check out the full line of Room 1015 perfumes at their full-on sensorial website: Room 1015. The Room 1015 line is also available in the US at Twisted Lily.

Rock on!