Limited Edition | The Scented Hound

WHAT I SMELL: Voyage opens with a Sweetart candied sweetness that very quickly moves to a soured and spiced citrus that has a undercut flattened note of what I can only describe as shoe leather that is met with a bit just a hint of rubber. I know that my description doesn’t sound so appealing, but the combination of those ingredients are rather interesting and exotic. After around 15 minutes, the flatness disappears to give rise to a spiced amber that seems to buzz with vibrant energy as well as helps to bolster the perfume’s projection. The perfume at this point is rather prickly and reminds me of a large sack of exotic spices in a large burlap sack located in a hidden gem of earthly delights in an Indian street market. As the perfume develops more, there’s a floral component (I am guessing because the notes don’t list any florals) that helps to smooth out the spice and which helps to give the perfume a more dream like quality. The real magic with Voyage for me is after about an hour into the wear when the florals, spices and vanilla begin to blend, taking off any sharp edges to create this creamy and wonderfully exotic perfume that’s perfectly fitted for the fall weather.

From the Hiram Green website:

An ode to the exotic mysteries of India, our new fragrance is as atmospheric and thrilling as a Mysore street market and as opulent as Octopussy’s floating palace on Lake Pichola.

Voyage is an intoxicating blend of fresh citrus top notes, a heart of warm amber and luscious suede over a smooth vanilla base.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Hiram has chosen the peacock as a visual representation of the perfume. He made the perfect choice.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE VOYAGE: spicy, exotic, mysterious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VOYAGE: Kafkaesque, Chemist in the Bottle

BOTTOM LINE: Some perfumers have a very distinctive signature to their perfumes and once again with Voyage, this is easily identifiable as a Hiram Green perfume. I asked Hiram if there was a note that was central to all three of his perfumes (Moon Bloom, Shangri La and of course Voyage) and he said that there was not. Given that, all I can say is that on my skin there is a common thread…so I’ll just say that each perfume has a very distinct “Hiramism”….and that’s a good thing!

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental
Nose: Hiram Green
Classification: Unisex
Expense: 135 Euros for 50 ml eau de parfum from the Hiram Green website. Limited edition of 250 bottles. Pre-orders ship November 2, 2015 and come with a 5 ml atomizer of your choice of Moon Bloom, Shangri La or Voyage.

Sample courtesy of Hiram Green. Opinions and observations are my own.

WHAT I SMELL: An Air of Despair opens with a warmed cedar and a wonderfully peppered saffron as well a white musk linen that sits right underneath the spiced wood. It’s quite close to the skin and slightly mysterious. In a short while, the perfume does begin to grow and project as it becomes more blended. After some more time there’s a slight rubbery consistency that comes forward, but for the most part, the perfume lives in this cedar box wrapped up in a dry gauzy musk.

From the Imaginary Author’s website:

When Vivian Gwyn’s parents mysteriously disappear one month before her eighteenth birthday it foils an elaborate plan she had to kill them herself. In her search for clues as to their whereabouts she finds an elegant mink coat and a safe full of valuables in her mother’s cedar closet. Keeping the coat but selling everything else, she embarks on a glamorous adventure that takes her from the small Tennessee town where she grew up to luxurious penthouses in Manhattan, runways in Milan, and finally the castle in Switzerland from which she learns she is a descendant. No expense is spared in Viv’s valiant quest to shake the sadness that plagued her upbringing and she quickly learns it’s not riches that bring happiness but happiness that brings riches.

NOTES: Cedar, Saffron, Musk & Sadness

WHEN TO WEAR: Embrace your summertime sadness. An Air of Despair will lift you up inside while keeping the outward despondency that makes you so desirable in tact. @allbaddays #eternallybummed

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The official perfume of Twin Peak’s Laura Palmer.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE AN AIR OF DESPAIR: Northwestern, boxy, singular

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT AN AIR OF DESPAIR: CaFleureBon, Brooklyn Fragrance Lover

BOTTOM LINE: Josh Meyer’s limited summer release makes you feel that fall is just around the corner and that the cool, bleak rain stained sky will soon be upon us. I guess An Air of Despair actually is the perfect name isn’t it?!

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral Woody Musk
Nose: Josh Meyer
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $55 for 30 ml Limited Release Eau de Parfum

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary