New Release | The Scented Hound

May 31, 2016
by The Scented Hound 16 Comments

New Release: Geisha Vanilla Hinoki by Aroma M

WHAT I SMELL: Geisha Vanilla Hinoki opens with a bright bergamot that’s soon met with an exotic blend of lightly sweetened spices; which then quickly moves to more of a sweet and sour spiciness. There is something that is rather familiar to me in the opening and the only thing that I can think of is Lemon Pledge without the full on “lemon.” But that soon dissipates and the perfume begins to soften, but I still can’t get out of my head this association of some kind of cleaning wipe, be it a much more subtle and softer one. After 10 minutes or so, a lightly sugared lavender comes to the forefront along with a bit of creaminess. The cleaning wipe is now gone and you now have this really soft and comforting perfume that is topped with a bit of sugar and spice and it’s oh so very nice. As the perfume continues to develop, it becomes more woody with lavender becoming more powdered and radiant. At this point, the perfume has a rather masculine barber shop vibe and it reminds me of the paper neck wrap that old school barbers put on you prior to cutting your hair. Geisha Vanilla Hinoki is all warm fuzzies to me at this point. As the perfume continues to develop, the barber shop association really takes hold and the perfume begins to grow and become slightly smoky. In the end, Geisha Vanilla Hinoki is all comfort. Very nice.

From the Aroma M website:

Vanilla scents tend to have a cloying, candied effect. But not Vanilla Hinoki. Its key ingredient is a woodsy, smoky vanilla found only in Morocco.

As for the other ingredients: They kick off with light and sparkling bergamot combined with spicy, wake-up clove, cardamom, and nutmeg. These segue into more soothing mid-notes: cedarleaf, soft bergamot, and lavender. And finally the lingering drydown: exotic, animalic leather; incense-like patchouli; tropical, evergreen amyris; and cleansing, envigorating cedarwood.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: An old school barber shop; very comfortable, easy and relaxing.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE GEISHA VANILLA HINOKI: soothing, reassuring, retro

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT GEISHA VANILLA HINOKI: CaFleureBon, The Non-Blonde, Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE: Maybe you need to be a man from my generation when barber shops were where you got your hair cut, not Great Cuts. There was a very comfortable masculinity in the atmosphere that was laid back without any stress. You went in feeling a bit messy and you left feeling like a million bucks. Geisha Vanilla Hinoki brings back all the sensory aspects of this now fading business.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Maria McElroy
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $90 for 50ml Eau de Parfum

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

May 18, 2016
by The Scented Hound 18 Comments

New Release: Mugler Angel Muse

WHAT I SMELL: Angel Muse goes on the skin all sweet, nutty and über creamy; it lies on your skin as if was applied like butter to toast. The perfume is sweet, but not sugary; instead it’s more gourmand. As the perfume develops, that creamy nutty buttery concoction moves to the less creamy, but the projection begins to grow and with it the patchouli comes front and center with a pulsating rhythm of brown sugar and vetiver which helps to keep the perfume from going full on sweet. As it continues to develop, a tonka and vanilla note comes forward which helps to give the perfume some needed depth. In the end, the perfume resides in a warmed cocoon of semi sweet-comfort and ultimately after many hours, Angel Muse ends up feeling like a comfy musky vanilla pillow. But best of all Angel Muse is a bright and happy scent and that’s sure to make you smile.

From the Mugler website:

Tantalizing. Delicious. Supremely feminine. Discover ANGEL Muse, the new addictive fragrance you will #HateToLove…. Cosmic explosions collide with magnetic attraction to create an irresistible Eau de Parfum never experienced before. Get ready to lose your mind! Fragrance notes: Grapefruit, Pink Peppercorn, Hazelnut Cream, Vetiver, Patchouli.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Full House, early ’90s.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ANGEL MUSE: big, noticeable, energized

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ANGEL MUSE: Musings of a Muse, My Life Along the Lishops, Complexions Beauty Blog

BOTTOM LINE: There’s something very nostalgic and comforting about Angel Muse. Like a throwback in time, the perfume is big and bold and fits like a well-worn sweatshirt or sweater.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Vanilla
Nose: Quentin Bisch
Classification: Leans feminine and young
Expense: $70 for 1 oz. Eau de Parfum

May 16, 2016
by The Scented Hound 8 Comments

New Release: Rrose Sélavy by Maria Candida Gentile

WHAT I SMELL: Rrose Sélavy has a very herbal opening with a minted tarragon sitting on top of a vibrant deep and masculine rose. I don’t want to say that the opening is discordant, but its incredibly different and unique in a way that makes you to wonder where this perfume path is going to lead you. After a few minutes, a mentholated and camphorous warmth helps to give the perfume a pulsating heart. Here the perfume feels beautifully earthy as if there’s a great story that accompanies the wearer of the fragrance. The perfume is deep, warm, slightly spicy and completely herbal and a little goes a long way as the projection is quite big, but it still manages to remain down to earth. Even though this is a rose perfume, there’s something so darkly mysterious and beautiful about it that belies my vision of a rose. In the end, Rrose Sélavy quiets considerably, leaving you with a faint wisp of a creamy rose that feels as if it’s holding a secret.

From the Maria Candida Gentile website:

A Velvet rose, persistent and unique, dedicated to one of the leading artist of Dadaism: a homage to Marcel Duchamp and to his “double” Rrose Sélavy.

Rrose Sélavy

With Rrose Sélavy Maria Candida interprets the “double” of Marcel Duchamp, and his jeux des mots Rrose Sélavy which sounds in French like “eros, c’est la vie”, or “arroser la vie”, to make a toast to life. Maria Candida pays tribute to Duchamp, making a toast to life with her velvet, soft, fresh, just harvested, with its olfactory vibration, which fill the air and the space, tridimensional just like his art crafts. The name Sélavy emerged in 1921 in a series of photographs by Man Ray of Duchamp dressed as a woman. Through the 1920s, Man Ray and Duchamp collaborated on more photos of Sélavy. Duchamp later used the name as the byline on written material and signed several creations with it.

Notes: Rose petals, Turkish rose, May rose , Rose accord, Michelle rose, Rose stems, Rose leaves

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A Victorian parlor, full of the non-air conditioned worn wood, rugs, upholstery and books – it’s earthy, natural and comforting.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE RROSE SÉLAVY: herbal, mentholated, meditative

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RROSE SÉLAVY: Colognoisseur, perfumesilove

BOTTOM LINE: As I have said in the past, Maria Candida Gentile’s perfumes have a very MCG distinct fingerprint that is all hers. Rrose Sélavy is no exception. I find that you either really love her perfumes or you don’t and that there’s not a lot of in between. I really like her creations, they’re bold, different and incredibly unique and to me, this take on rose is wonderfully unexpected. Rrose Sélavy is a masculine perfume that melds to the feminine in the end and it perfectly fits the inspiration; the alter ego of Marcel Duchamp, Rrose Sélavy.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Maria Candida Gentile
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $195 for 100 ml or $49 for 15 ml Parfum Extrait

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