The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: Jorge Lee


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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 ZENNE:  No 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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Ricardo Ramos – SacroMonte

WHAT I SMELL:  SacroMonte opens brightly with sunny grass tinged with basil.  It’s very comforting in a familiar way; its as if you just finished mowing your lawn when your yard smells so green, clean, fresh and tailored.  Soon, a very light note of fig leaf helps to lift the perfume from the ground up towards the sky.   And shortly after, a soapy jasmine enters where it sits nicely above the grass along with a light spice.  The perfume at this point begins to dry and the grass moves more towards a hay that has been sitting in the sun.  But as soon as I say that the perfume turns more towards the green, but this time with the help of lily of the valley.  SacroMonte is really beautiful at this juncture.  I find it to be incredibly approachable and interestingly pretty in a very unisex way.  In the end, SacroMonte settles into a sweetened ambered musk which is lovely, but not nearly as interesting as the perfume was along the journey.  Nonetheless, SacroMonte is an easy to love perfume.

Notes from the Ricardo Ramos website:

Legend has it that the treasures of the expelled Nasrid nobility were hidden in the mountains where today is the idyllic and picturesque Granada’s neighborhood. SacroMonte is a vital fragrance which transports us to a natural environment with a dry and fruity effect of freshness.

Top notes: Freshly cut grass, fig leaf, basil; Heart notes: Lily of the valley, jasmine, plum, fig; Background: White musk, dry amber, hay.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Sunshine summertime.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SACROMONTE:  comforting, familiar, subtle

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SACROMONTE:  Notetaking

BOTTOM LINE:  SacroMonte is a perfume that can be worn anytime without having to give it any thought.  No matter the occasion, it will make you feel fresh and clean.  Groundbreaking no; but delightful all the same.

  • Bone Rating:  3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Aromatic Fruity
  • Nose:  Jorge Lee
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: 125 Euros for 50 ml eau de parfum


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Hacivat by Nishane

WHAT I SMELL:  At first sniff Hacivat opens with a quiet and slightly chalky bergamot topped with a soft and lightly sweetened pineapple with hints of citrus.  I thought the perfume would go on loud, but instead it’s beautifully muted and contained.  Along with the sweetened notes, there’s an underlying smell of pencil shavings that gives the opening some depth.  The perfume stays in this mild sweetness for some time and that’s perfectly fine with me, because it’s incredibly calm and reassuring in it’s essence.  After some time, the citrus makes way for the woody.  Now it’s time for the perfume to grow as every minute it seems to build with a warm and lightly floral cedar.  What was soft and reassuring in the beginning is now bolder and rather masculine with a patchouli note that seems to dominate.  Here the perfume turns to a slightly sugared, but rather flat wood.  After a great while longer, the perfume begins to project and dry with some powder.  Overall, Hacivat’s development to me was a mixed bag:  the opening was incredible, the middle stage had me worried, but in the end the perfume begins to redeem itself with a softness that’s rather elegant and again, rather reassuring.  But as I say that, out comes a soured note that leaves me a little cold.

From the Nishane website:

Is a tribute to elegance, kindness, competence, and love of art. Inspired by the traditional shadow play character, this eau cypre will help you live in your best dreams by the everlasting sparkles of its joyful structure made of the stimulating notes of pineapple and bergamot backed with the genuine woody notes. Enjoy being loved!

TOP NOTES – bergamot – pineapple – grapefruit

HEART NOTES – jasmine – patchouli – cedarwood

BASE NOTES – clearwood – oakmoss – dry timberwood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Ambivalence.  I love it…I like it…I don’t like it.  Every sniff leaves me with a different feeling.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE HACIVAT:  secure, even-tempered, safe

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT HACIVAT:  BL’eauOG, That Luxurious Feeling

BOTTOM LINE:  As mentioned above, every time I wear this perfume I get a little something different from it, but the one consistent aspect is that I kind of like it, but am not anywhere near loving it.  And that to me that’s rather disappointing.

  • Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Citrus Chypre Woody
  • Nose:  Jorge Lee
  • Classification: Unisex, but leans masculine
  • Expense: Approximately $240 for 50 ml perfume extrait.