The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.


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Zenne by Nishane

WHAT I SMELL:  Zenne opens with a waxy grapefruit and blackcurrant with just a touch of green stem.  It’s just the right amount of lush without being overly sweet.  Before long, a vanilla infused rose makes it way in along with an almond undertone which gives the perfume a confectionary vibe.  Then all of the sudden a rhubarb note makes it way in, giving the perfume even more of a confectionary or dessert feel.  And underneath it all sits the vanilla that keeps the gourmand aspects of the perfume firmly set in place.  In fact, there’s even a bit of a meringue that ties all of the dessert or pie aspects together.  After quite some time, the florals move forward to help soften the perfume, but the vanilla remains and as such, it keeps Zenne in the dessert store.  Unfortunately, to me, smelling of a pies can become very tiring.

From the Nishane website:

Is a tribute to beauty, energy, self-confidence, and flirtation. Inspired by the female character in the traditional shadow puppetry, Zenne will teleport you to the enigmas of the paradise gardens full of joy and romance with a deliberate mix of the fruity and floral accords along with vanilla, ambergris and musk at the base.

TOP NOTES – grapefruit – blackcurrant – rhubarb

HEART NOTES – turkish rose  – gardenia – sandalwood

BASE NOTES – vanilla – ambergris – musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Rhubarb pie…with meringue on top.  

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ZENNE:  sweetened, filling, persistent

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ZENNENo written reviews found.

BOTTOM LINE:  If you like gourmand confectionary fragrances this might be for you.  To me it smells lovely for a few minutes, then it just seems to wear out it’s welcome.  But I have never been much for gourmand scents in the first place so my love or lack of love for Zenne is not too shocking.

  • Bone Rating: 2.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Fruity Floral Musky
  • Nose:  Jorge Lee
  • Classification: Unisex 
  • Expense: Approximately $240 for 50 ml perfume extrait.


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New Release: Noir Exquis by L’Artisan Parfumeur

Noir Exquis

WHAT I SMELL:  Noir Exquis opens slightly sour at first, quickly moving to a gourmand breaded pastry that is covered with a hazelnut glaze.  After a couple of minutes, the perfume begins to grow and it smells just like Coffee-mate Hazelnut Non-Dairy Creamer.  After a few more minutes the perfume takes on a slight hair spray note, making the perfume slightly prickly, but it also makes it feel like it’s covered in raw sugar, meaning that it’s sweet without being saccharine sweet.  After some more time, a maple syrup note creeps in and it melds with the existing nutty structure.  Thankfully, after 30 minutes, the whole structure seems to tame.  The sweetened hazelnut becomes quieter and the perfume takes on a more woody sandalwood and patchouli note tinged with a burnt amber.

From the L’Artisan Parfumeur website:

The inspiration for Noir Exquis is an unexpected rendez-vous in a French patisserie.  Two people meet over a coffee. In this delicious atmosphere of patisserie and coffee, hushed looks are exchanged. This delightful rendez-vous is the beginning of a new story with Noir Exquis.

Noir Exquis is a work of contrast and the unexpected. The addictive note of coffee, combined with the warm and comfortable notes of maple syrup, glazed chestnuts and orange blossom, brings an intriguing juxtaposition to this fragrance.
Rich and velvety, Noir Exquis connects these two persons during this moment beyond time and place.

Opulent and gourmand, Noir Exquis is a fragrance with a warm and charismatic aura.

Notes: Glazed chestnut, Coffee, Maple syrup, Macassar Wood 

Coffee-mate HazelnutWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  I can’t get this out of my head…Coffee-mate Hazelnut Non-Dairy Creamer

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE NOIR EXQUIS: creamy, sweetened, breakfasty (is that a word?)

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT NOIR EXQUIS:  Kafkaesque, Bois de Jasmin, Megan in Saint Maxime

BOTTOM LINE:  If you like flavored coffee creamers in your morning coffee and like gourmand scents, this may be for you.  Personally, I don’t want to feel like I just rubbed a breakfast pastry over myself.  In the end, the perfume does quiet down, but it still radiates this artificial creaminess.

  • Bone Rating:  2.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Oriental Vanilla
  • Nose:  Bertrand Duchaufour
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $120 for 1.7 oz. eau de parfum