fragrance | The Scented Hound

May 4, 2015
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

A Goodnight Kiss by Roja Parfums

WHAT I SMELL: A Goodnight Kiss opens with a rush of aldehydes and a light powder which is like a quick wisp of a makeup brush. The opening is then quickly met with a lightly burnt floral which reminds me a bit of hairspray and of Lanvin Arpege which makes the perfume feel modernly old-fashioned and very familiar. A few minutes into the wear, the perfume becomes large and rather juicy, which is strange because there is nothing sweet nor fruity about the composition. However, the perfume is bursting at the seams with incredible florals which seem to dance around a maypole each making their way to the center. Most prevalent to me is the violet, but as soon as I say that the ylang, ylang comes into focus. In all, the florals while large, never veer from being contained and they’re very controlled and pretty in slightly masculine way. Soon enough a green powder comes into play, which takes the perfume back to the wisp of a makeup brush. In all, the perfume does feel like the many contents found on a vanity table. Finally, the masculine and lightly spiced florals then turn towards soft and cloudy when the perfume relaxes into a haze of comfort. A Goodnight Kiss is a perfume that is meant to leave a wake of a memory behind the wearer and it does so in the most beautiful of fashion.

From Roja Parfums:

Roja Dove owes his vocation to the kiss of a very special muse…“I remember vividly my mother coming to kiss me goodnight when I was about 6 years old. She was on her way out to a cocktail party and dressed in a gold lame dress, the light from the hallway illuminated her from behind, transforming her into an ethereal figure. It is an image that will always stay with me and the resonating smell of her face powder and perfume that lingered in the room once she had kissed me goodnight marked the beginning of my love for perfume” – Roja Dove

A Goodnight Kiss is the celebration of how precious a small exchange of affection can be, and the lasting effect it can have upon us. In a world where human contact is becoming increasingly digitised, the smallest acts of physical interaction seem more meaningful than ever before. The fragrant embodiment of humanity’s most intimate gesture — the soft, evanescent whisper of A Goodnight Kiss.

TOP NOTES: Aldehydes, Bergamot

HEART NOTES: Rose, Ylang Ylang, Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Carnation, May Flower, Violet

BASE NOTES: Green Accord, Cedarwood, Clove, Spice Notes, Rice Powder

DEEP BASE: Orris, Leather, Musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Perfectly named; a tender and loving goodnight kiss from mother to child.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE A GOODNIGHT KISS: memorable, comforting, thoughtful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT A GOODNIGHT KISS: No other reviews found.

BOTTOM LINE: A Goodnight Kiss is a wonderful tribute to Roja Dove’s mother; and what is even more lovely in this intimate creation is that others, like myself, will immediately recognize the familiar scents revolving around a bygone era when dressing up on a Saturday night for your mother meant wearing her finest topped off by a silken gloves. To us, our mother’s were glamour embodied and A Goodnight Kiss captures this in the most magical of way.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Roja Dove
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $1,750 for 100 ml Parfum

April 27, 2015
by The Scented Hound 13 Comments

Maria Candida Gentile Syconium

WHAT I SMELL: Syconium opens with a lightly warm and slightly creamy milk and honeyed fig. The perfume is so lovely transparent that it invites you to breathe in the airy, but juicy aroma. Fig can greatly overpower a perfume, but so far, what you get here is this gauze like film of a fig that hovers over this sheer honey accord. It’s almost like walking outside and getting a whiff of a beautiful scent that wisps past your nose, but you look for the source but can’t find where it’s coming from, it just floats along in the air. After around 10 minutes, the perfume becomes a bit more waxy which gives it slightly more depth, but it continues to remain light and radiant. After another 10 minutes, the fragrance begins to project with a warmed sandalwood which beefs up the waxy and lightly sugared fig. The fig in this perfume feels very natural and not manufactured which makes it that much more inviting. The fragrance doesn’t morph as much as it builds and in the end your left with the most lush, milky and creamy fig that’s warm, soothing and comforting.

From the Maria Candida Gentile website:

Syconium is the ripening of the fig, the best expression of what nature has to offer in the form of fruit, the richness of the flavour and of the perfume that are brought to us by a tree close to us since the earliest times. The pulp but also the milk, the peel, the scorching sun and the shadow of the great leaves.

Top notes: Honey, Milk

Heart notes: Fig

Base notes: Java Sandal Wood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The prettiest balcony garden with the wafting scent of the fig coming from below. It’s like your own special private secret garden; so safe and secure.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SYCONIUM: milky, peaceful, comforting

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SYCONIUM: Ye Olde Civet Cat

BOTTOM LINE: Syconium is one of three perfumes in the Maria Candida Gentile “Flight of the Bumblebee Collection”, along with Kitrea and Leuco. All of the creations in this collection are wonderful, but this dreamy fig creation is my favorite of the three and perfect for the coming long hot summer months.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Beeswax
Nose: Maria Candida Gentile
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $185 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum; but also available for $45 for the 15 ml travel size (thank you MCG for offering these smaller sizes with your perfumes!)

April 23, 2015
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

Dame Perfumery Desert Rose

WHAT I SMELL: Desert Rose opens with a soft and delicate peach which is quickly met with a non-sweetened citrus; add to this the fact that it’s airy and semi-bright. As it develops the perfume gains some body with an ambered base. However, even with this body, this is one of the lightest and ethereal perfumes I have worn in a long time. And that’s a good thing. Sometimes rose scents when added to the heat of the summer sun can overwhelm, but with this light composition you won’t have to worry about that. Before I get too ahead of myself, the pretty Damascenia rose begins to make its way to the front. It’s floral sweet and not candied sweet and it has a sparkling and vibrant finish to it. The peach remains, but a lovely soft vanilla joins in to give the perfume a more rounded finish as well as creating this silky smoothness. The perfume then moves away from being ethereal, yet it never reaches to the point of being too large. It instead remains vanilla sweetened and silky soft and smooth (and just a tad spicy)…almost like a rose flavored egg cream.

From the Dame Perfumery website:

The composition is a blend of Turkish rose otto and Damascenia Rose with touches of peach, Sicilian lemon, Egyptian jasmine, geranium, carnation, heliotrope, sandalwood, musk, amber and vanilla.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: How can I resist… Sting’s Desert Rose. The perfume and the song go hand in hand, pretty, ethereal, exotic and dreamily lovely.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE DESERT ROSE: bright, peach-kissed, dreamy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT DESERT ROSE: Scent of Abricots

BOTTOM LINE: I’m not a huge fan of peach notes in a perfume, but here its nicely infused with the rose. If you’re looking for something pretty and dreamy, Desert Rose would make for a nice addition to your summer scent wardrobe… and you can’t beat the price! But with Damascenia rose, it’s better to be safe than sorry, so don’t over spray to ensure that the desert rose doesn’t become a desert dragon!

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $65 for 50 ml Eau de Parfum from the Dame Perfumery website

Sample courtesy of Dame Perfumery.