New Release | The Scented Hound

October 11, 2016
by The Scented Hound 15 Comments

New Release: Amouage Lilac Love

WHAT I SMELL: Not surprisingly, Lilac Love opens with a soft sweet powdery lilac which quickly turns to cocoa…which smells like milk covered Count Chocula cereal. But that only lasts for few minutes as it moves towards a powdered floral that’s quite dusty and dry. After some more time, the perfume gains a lightly sharp sandalwood bite. The cocoa that was once front and center now seems to pop in and out of the perfume which makes the perfume much more alluring and moves the fragrance away from the gourmand. As Lilac Love continues to develop, a soft sweetened patchouli appears that’s pretty and rather demure. Without any big twists and turns in the development, Lilac Love leaves with you with very little lilac, but instead, you get a soft and powered slightly sweet sandalwood perfume. Lilac Love, like many Amouage perfumes, lasts a long time…but what’s different with this release is that it’s not a powerhouse. And that’s a pleasant surprise.

Notes from the Amouage website:

Top notes: lilac accord, gardenia, peony and heliotrope

Heat notes: orris, cacao and tonka bean

Base notes: sandalwood, patchouli and vanilla

Parmalee by Sophie Gamand

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Puppies and purple flowers*

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE LILAC LOVE: soft, fuzzy, ladylike

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LILAC LOVE: Colognoisseur, Kafkaesque, Brooklyn Fragrance Lover

BOTTOM LINE: I found the cocoa opening a bit disjointed, but eventually the blending of the florals and the chocolate are more in sync. What started off as a little strange, ends up being a soft and light sweet dream.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Leans feminine
Expense: $400 for 100 ml eau de parfum

* I’m not sure why visuals pop up in my head with a fragrance, but they do. With Lilac Love, my first impression was of labrador puppies romping in a field of purple flowers. In trying to find such a picture in Google Images, I ran across some wonderful pictures of pit bulls in flowered headdresses which then led me to the website of photographer Sophie Gamand. Sophie created a series of photographs entitled “Flower Power, Pit Bulls of the Revolution.” This series was designed to provide a softer look at the much maligned pit bull. Each of the photographed subjects is/was up for adoption. For more information on this series, as well as Sophie’s cause, check out her website at: www.sophiegamand.com. Seeing these beautiful creatures memorialized with such love, respect and warmth will bring a smile to your face and joy to your heart.

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.

August 24, 2016
by The Scented Hound 16 Comments

New Release: Baptême du feu by Serge Lutens

WHAT I SMELL: Wow…Baptême du feu has a wonderful opening that’s cool to the touch, incredibly juicy and vibrant with a blast of bright citrus and bergamot. The perfume begins to warm quickly and the juiciness subsides to reveal a ripened osmanthus along with an orange rind like sourness. After 10 minutes or so, a ginger note begins to surface along with a wafting incense. What was joyous and bright has moved to a mysterious tonality. The perfume then takes another turn and the incense disappears and the perfume become fully ginger…and it grows exponentially in projection. But of course, Uncle Serge needs to contradict my words and once again, a wafting incense reveals itself. The ginger makes the perfume a little sweet, but not too much as there’s a light herbal base that resides under the candied root. After an hour, the perfume begins to dust and powder with a metallic edge as the candied aspects are lessened. In the end you’re left with a woody powdered ginger dustiness.

From the Serge Lutens website:

My emotions are fluid. Like liquid wax poured into a mould, they determine what seduces me—like this gingerbread heart. – Serge Lutens

The fragrance features gingerbread, powdery notes, tangerine, castoreum, osmanthus and woody notes.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Pippi Longstocking…it starts off bright, juicy and full of candied ginger…but as it wears it loses its initial gloss and becomes rather tiresome.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BAPTÊME DU FEU: semi-sweet, pleasant, semi-interesting

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BAPTÊME DU FEU: Persolaise, Kafkaesque, Perfume Posse

BOTTOM LINE: For the first 45 minutes of wear, I loved this perfume as its full of life and absolutely delightful. After that, its pleasant enough. Ho-hum.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $150 for 50 ml eau de parfum