Jardins d’Ecrivains | The Scented Hound

September 21, 2015
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

Marlowe by Jardins d’Ecrivains

WHAT I SMELL: Marlowe opens with an almost stinging tuberose note that quickly turns to a big and bursting soured floral. I can’t say that it’s pretty, but it’s intriguing in that it feels like there’s some measure of decay involved. In a few minutes, the perfume starts to powder and blend with a dried osmanthus. Soon, all of the moisture is sucked out of the perfume making it incredibly dry. Past this point, and for the first few hours, the perfume radiates substantial layers of powdered florals that seem broken down and aged.

From the Jardins d’Ecrivains website:

This scent is dense, heady, feral, and theatrical. The top notes feature the poisonous nectar of the tuberose blended with opulent osmanthus. The middle notes of dried flowers evoke tragic poetry. Hints of powdered leather with chypre make up the base notes.

Bilbo Baggins, Alexandria, VA

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Bilbo Baggins restaurant, Alexandria, Virginia. OK, let me explain…Bilbo Baggins is a restaurant in the town where I live. The interior of the restaurant feels like it has not been updated or cleaned since 1975. It’s dusty, tired and someplace I will not return to if I can help it.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE MARLOWE: labored, tired, burdensome

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MARLOWE: Kafkaesque, The Non-Blonde, Colognoisseur

BOTTOM LINE: Marlowe is a complete miss for me. There’s something about the tired and powdered florals that just weighs it down, like a forgotten sachet in the back of your mother’s “delicates” drawer. Only hours into the wear does it soften to a point of actually being amenable.

Bone Rating: 2 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $110 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum

May 1, 2014
by The Scented Hound 12 Comments

New Release: Junky by Jardins D’Ecrivains

WHAT I SMELL: Junky opens with this tangy herbal then quickly sour rather hempish opening. It’s like marijuana sticks and buds mixed with a bit of lemon sour. It’s pungent, yet intriguing because it’s different. After a couple of minutes a flattened quality comes in, but yet it’s tinged with light bits of candied flavored Pixy Stix. So far Junky is rather woody, but soon enough, the pretty iris comes into play. Again its unusual but very pretty. There’s also this contingency of oak moss and incense that snakes its way underneath the floral. As it progresses, Junky becomes more tart and much drier. After around the 30 minute mark, the tartness starts to subside and the fragrance becomes slightly sweeter. No, wait…after another 15 minutes the sweetness dissipates and the lightly musk like vetiver graciously surrenders a peaceful and calming presence.

From the Twisted Lily website:

William Burroughs was the most experimental and avant-garde figure of the Beat Generation, the one who went furthest in developing the complexity of the novel. In his your he escaped through reading Oscar Wilde, and he went on to lead a bohemian lifestyle, delighting in extreme experiences. His first novel, Junky, describes the harsh reality of addiction. Jardins D’Ecrivains presents its new fragrance, which points to the analogous experience of olfactory addition.

Perfume has the power to take us to a higher plane and really influences our behavior. Perfume reveals something intimate to others but also to the person wearing it. This is a complex, unique fragrance.

There are three key phases in its development; the top notes include the subtlest hint of fresh hemp. The mysterious middle notes bring in the creamy scents of gardenia, iris and violet, which then mingle with the dry-wood base notes of cashmeran, cedar and cade, softened by the frankincense and sweet myrrh resins and the aroma of Javanese vetiver.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A head rush; you sniff it in and the tartness collects at the top of your nose and surges through your brain in a rush only to then leave your brain and head very happy and relaxed.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE JUNKY: unique, journeyed, different

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT JUNKY: CaFleureBon, Chemist in a Bottle, Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE: I really like Junky. It’s as unique and as much of a wild ride that I have been on for some time with a fragrance. But the great thing about it is that it’s not a weird and strange being at all. It’s rather pretty, very unisex and in the end, easy to wear.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $110 for 100ml EdP

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary

October 20, 2013
by The Scented Hound 20 Comments

Wilde by Jardins d’Ecrivains

WHAT I SMELL: Wilde opens with a bright bergamot and a very light green tea accord. It’s kind of zingy and snappy and almost a bit sweet in a green kind of way. The fig soon comes to prominence, making this fruity, but not succulent as the vetiver and oakmoss keep it from being too round and juicy. After around 10 minutes or so, a bit of warmth emerges which comforts without taking away the zestful aspects of the fragrance. In the meantime, the oak moss combined with the carnation provides for a dusty and slightly spicy backdrop from the fig. In the end Wilde leaves you with a clean, and slightly beefy vetiver that is very easy to wear.

Notes from the Jardins d’Ecrivains website:

Top notes are bergamot and grapes; middle notes are fig, carnation and tea; base notes are oakmoss and vetiver.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A zest for life… like a fig and green cornucopia of goodness.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE WILDE: lively, joyful, positive

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT WILDE: The Silver Fox, Chemist in a Bottle, Cafleurebon

BOTTOM LINE: I normally would have passed Wilde by, just by the fig and carnation notes alone. But here they don’t overwhelm, but add additional zest to this very uplifting fragrance. I am rather wild about Wilde!

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Aromatic Fruity
Noses: Anais Biguine
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $110 for 100ml EdP