green | The Scented Hound

May 10, 2012
by The Scented Hound 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

April 18, 2012
by The Scented Hound 8 Comments

Voyage d’Hermes by Hermes

I purchased Voyage d’Hermes a couple of years ago and somewhere along the line it ended up being a hand me down to my partner who found it more enticing than I did. I like it. He loves it. Voyage d’Hermes is a wonderful summer scent. It’s refreshing and light; masculine while still being soft and pretty. This scent is green with hints of citrus, green tea, florals and light spice. And there’s just a hint of musk to warm it, keeping it close to the skin. As you wear it, that warmth and musk come more to the surface, but it always maintains its freshness. As nice as this scent is, the one outstanding item about this scent is the bottle. The bottle is placed on a silver plated swivel carrier that when not in use, the sprayer is concealed on the bottom. It’s a small masterpiece in bottle engineering. This is considered unisex, but I see this as more of a man’s fragrance.

Voyage d’Hermes Notes:

Lemony Notes, Spicy Notes, Cardamom Note, Tea Note, Floral Notes, Hedione, Green Notes, Musky Notes, White Woods

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent Type: Woody – Floral Musk
Classification: Unisex

April 14, 2012
by The Scented Hound 2 Comments

Colonia Assoluta In Villa by Acqua di Parma

In Villa has been sitting on my shelf for several years. It’s has remained in the back of my collection for a long time. I thought I should dust off the bottle and give it another chance. There are a couple of things to note about this fragrance:

1. It comes with a bulb atomizer. If my recollection is correct, that was a huge selling point. It seems very glamorous. The reality is that it’s awkward to use.

2. This only comes in 200ml bottles. As a result, I have enough of In Villa to last 2 lifetimes.

OK, past that, what does In Villa smell like? It’s green. When applied, you get hints of citrus, and lots of cypress. The citrus quickly disappears and you just get the cypress. I am confused a bit, because the notes list cedar and to me cedar is more woody than green and as such, I think cypress, not cedar. According to the Acqua Di Parma website, this scent is rounded off with warm spicy notes. These spicy notes help to balance out the green to lessen the sharpness of the scent. In Villa is a very old-fashioned scent. It reminds me of scents from the 1970’s and has hints of barber shops smells. It’s pretty linear, lasts a long time and is a cologne that will not offend. That said, I find it a bit boring. Would I purchase this again (if I didn’t have a 200ml bottle)? Probably not.

In Villa Notes:

Top notes: lemon, bitter orange, bergamot, and cardamom
Middle notes: chilli pepper, jasmine, ylang ylang and rose
Base notes: white musk and cedar