leather | The Scented Hound

November 14, 2016
by The Scented Hound 17 Comments

Bucoliques de Provence by L’Artisan Parfumeur

WHAT I SMELL: Not surprisingly, Bucoliques de Provence opens with a soft cashmere iris which is soon met with a deep brown sugared and herbal lavender. It’s slightly medicinal, but very comforting; and in all it’s just so pretty and calming. Soon, a mix of herbs and spices pepper the lavender, making the perfume feel a bit chewy vs. the standard powdered dry lavender that we associate with the note. As the perfume continues to develop, it begins to flatten and it takes on a more woody consistency. At the same time, the spices really come forward…actually, in a quite caustic manner. What used to be calming, now has an unfortunate bite. After quite some time, the lavender turns to a laundry detergent familiarity and the perfume feels like it should be used as more of a bed or room spray. Supposedly there is some leather in here, but I’m not picking any of it up. Instead I am getting a dried flower kitchen witch vibe…and that’s not a good thing. After quite some time, the iris comes back in with a light powder and the kitchen witch begins to dissipate. The perfume becomes soft and kind of pretty…but unfortunately I’m left with a headache caused by the kitchen witch development

Kitchen Witch

From the L’Artisan Parfumeur website:

Bucoliques de Provence is a limited edition fragrance. It marks the beginning of a new collection inspired by different regions of France. This perfume pays homage to the history of Grasse. Perfumery in this region with its distinctive lavender fields, dates back to the 17th century and is linked to the historic production of leather. The perfumer has combined lavender and leather with iris and spices creating a soft, faceted scent. Bucoliques de Provence is modern in its pure and naturalistic approach.

Inspired by the savoir-faire of artisans in Grasse, an accord of leathery lavender, modernised by iris and spices.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A gray goose…kind of pretty, but not as pretty as a white swan, a little annoying and not as fun as a duck.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BUCOLIQUES DE PROVENCE: wannabe, wafting, cleanser

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BUCOLIQUES DE PROVENCE: The Scented Salamander, Chemist in the Bottle

BOTTOM LINE: The perfume’s opening is divine until you get to the kitchen witch in the middle which makes you want to run. In the end, the perfume does calm down and becomes a quiet powdered iris, but that’s not enough of a save to make me want to come back.

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Leather?
Nose: Fabrice Pellegrin
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $105 for 50 ml eau de parfum

September 19, 2016
by The Scented Hound 16 Comments

Adjatay cuir narcotique by The Different Company

WHAT I SMELL: This latest release from The Different Company opens with a semi-sweet and creamy orange ylang-ylang that’s lightly leathered and oh so pretty. The perfume is tinged on the top with a light burnt marshmallow coating that rests very clearly as a puffy cloud on top of the leathered floral. After a short time, the leather begins to project and bounce off the skin as the emerging tuberose restrains itself allowing for the subtle leather to take the center stage. But it’s the light and pretty understated tuberose that gives the perfume its pretty personality. Overall, Adjatay is warm and restrained…it pulls you in without begging you to do so. As the perfume continues to develop, the tonka and sandalwood deepen the fragrance with a peppered leather that seems to pulsate. The perfume ends it’s journey with a deep, warm beefy old world leather with the muted florals sweetened by the tonka wrapped up within the walls of the leather hide.

From The Different Company website:

“Tanned, flexible, grain-embossed, full-grain, varnished… I have always loved working on leather notes for their carnal facets and the infinite possibilities they offer. For “ADJATAY, cuir narcotique” I wanted to work on a full, dark and textured leather, a leather that squeaks in your hands, a leather with a debauchery sillage. To obtain these particular effects, I associated dark and spicy notes with Styrax essence, Castoreum essence and Papyrus essential oil. On this leather structure, I dropped off a subversive Tuberose from which narcotic notes get away to engulf the atmosphere. The osmosis between Leather and Tuberose is perfect, neither one gets the upper hand, they are vibrating and matching each other creating a vigorous addiction”

Perfumer Alexandra Monet

Top notes are ylang-ylang and mandarin orange; middle notes are tuberose, jasmine and heliotrope; base notes are castoreum, styrax, papyrus, tonka bean, sandalwood and musk.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The polo club…the smell of worn leather, the dried wood of the stalls and the light sweat produced from playing under the sun while the heated and heady florals on the sidelines invade the field.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ADJATAY: care-worn, unique, confident

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ADJATAY: Megan in Saint Maxime, BL’eauOG, Colognoisseur,

BOTTOM LINE: The melding of leather and tuberose in Adjatay is brilliant and could easily be perfect for those who never thought they would like a leather or a tuberose perfume. Pretty and lightly sweet enough for woman, this works equally as well for a man. Wear it with your leather jacket and the perfume becomes dangerous…wear it with your tweeds and sweater and it becomes proper. Overall, it’s like a fine fitting leather pair of gloves that you absolutely love to wear.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Leather
Nose: Alexandra Monet
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $195 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum

September 12, 2016
by The Scented Hound 8 Comments

New Release: Mandrake by Parfums Quartana

Parfums Quartana’s collection of perfumes, Les Potions Fatales explores the treacherous beauty and intriguing lore behind nine of the world’s most poisonous flowers. At once tantalizing and perilous, these mortal fleurs have been used to nefarious ends throughout history. These flowers and the aptly named perfumes are seductive on the outside but are ultimately dark, sinister, and dangerous. The poison that wooed me and called my name was Mandrake.

WHAT I SMELL: Mandrake opens with a snappy bergamot which quickly turns to more of a ripened red apple which swiftly moves into a Bazooka bubble gum accord. But that soon turns to a soft and sweet floral that’s creamy smooth and completely comforting. The sweetness never hits a high pitch and as it develops it levels itself out, but there’s just enough sparkle to make this really delightful and engaging. The perfume begins to linger in this lightly sweetened, cotton candy and bubble gum creamed state for quite some time. That’s not a bad thing and don’t think because it’s has the bubble gum accord that this is for teenagers; it’s not. After quite some time, a bit of leather appears along with a muted spice and a light incense. At this point, the perfume is irresistible, sexy and overwhelmingly enticing. In the end, the perfume melds into a wonderful sweetened patchouli and it reminded me of Dior’s Gris Montaigne…which is a good thing!

From the Parfums Quartana website:

In biblical scripture, mandrake was referred to as ‘the love plant’ and was through to have male fertility enhancing properties; as such it was mentioned by Shakespeare in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” as a cure for erectile dysfunction. Long used in Wiccan ritual, its roots were thought to emit a fatal, supersonic scream when dug up. Because mandrake actually smells of strong red apple, we gave the fragrance a red fruity heart but grounded it with birch leaf and birch root to suggest the roots of the flower dug into the soil. We also gave the fragrance a sharp aromatic note to suggest its infamous, deadly shriek.

Crisp Apple, Pomegranate, Birch Leaf, Birch Root, Bergamot, Mandrake Flower Accord, Rhubarb, Cardamom, Sueded Leather, Deadly Addiction Accord, Patchouli, Madagascar Vanilla, Sandalwood, Tonka

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Yesteryear cowboy…rather clean cut with just a little rugged and lots of handsome and sexy.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE MANDRAKE: inviting, tempting, satisfying

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MANDRAKE: Colognoisseur

BOTTOM LINE: The full line of the Parfums Quartana Les Potions Fatales perfumes are each interesting in their own way and completely different and varied, from the strange and unique (Bloodflower, Wolfsbane and Midnight Datura) to the more traditional (Hemlock, Lily of the Valley) with Mandrake fitting somewhere in between. I highly recommend checking them out!

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Leather
Nose: Carlos Vinals
Classification: Marketed as masculine, but I found this to be very unisex.
Expense: $145 for 50 ml Eau de Parfum

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary. Opinion my own.