The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: New Release


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Amouage Meander

WHAT I SMELL:  Meander opens with a warm and lightly sweet and inviting olibanum that is quickly met with an amazingly beautiful carrot note.  It’s not carrot from the earth, but one that’s fresh and dewy and lightly nutty and surprisingly gourmand.  Soon the carrot is met with the softest of rose along with a buttery orris.  Together they provide a aura sheen that’s smooth as silk.  As Meander continues on its’ path, the perfume begins to grow and radiate.  It’s thick and rich and incredibly elegant and warm…and it’s at this point the orris feels as if it has been ladled over the luxurious Rose and Jonquille absolute.  After some time, an incense begins to hover above the orris infused florals.  It’s very light but adds just a hint of mystery to the already beautifully warmed heart.  This perfume is beyond gorgeous, it’s dreamy and quite voluminous, but so incredibly comforting while being quite grand.

Notes from the Amouage website:

A synergy of fresh Pink Pepper and vivifying Black Pepper, together with a dense, fruity and chalklike Carrot Heart bring alive the all-encompassing fogs of monsoon season.

Serene and steady, they drape over a lush landscape of emerald Jonquille Absolute and lavish Rose Absolute, before climbing over pale cliffs of earthy Orris and dark, humid groves of Cypriol.

Surreal march of white Sandalwood mists, they creep overhill and underhill until at last they meet the unending desert, still hot with the scent of dry Vetiver and balsamic Frankincense Resinoid – the unbreakable barrier.

Intricate blend of woods and flowy spices, Meander captures the exhilarating feeling of happiness when the south of Oman turns into a land of haze and running streams.

    • Top Notes: Olibanum Oil, Carrot Heart, Pink Pepper CO² & Black Pepper Oil.
    • Heart Notes: Orris, Rose Absolute, Cypriol Heart & Jonquille Absolute.
    • Base Notes: Olibanum Resinoid, Vetiver Oil, & Sandalwood Oil.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A languid nap on a warm afternoon.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE MEANDER  creamy, soothing, encompassing

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MEANDER: Carpe Odor, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE:  Meander is so warm and beautiful; it almost has a heartbreaking feel about it as it’s filled with great emotion.  At the same time it also has as dreamlike quality about it that makes you want to drift off in an embrace within its comforting arms.

  • Bone Rating:  4.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Amber Fougere
  • Nose:  Mackenzie Reilly
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $265 for 50 ml eau de parfum


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New Release: Victoria by Frassaï

WHAT I SMELL:  Victoria opens with a sparkling and warmed pettigrain which is quickly met with a bubblegummed pink lychee that becomes a bit chewy with the addition of a rich and rounded tuberose.  The perfume radiates wonderfully in this semi-sweet fashion with the thickened and creamy tuberose at the forefront along with a soft rose which helps to even out any of the strong facets associated with tuberose.  After some time, the perfume begins to quiet and the florals seem to float above your skin.  Underneath, there’s a slight projection that smells rather like cocoa, but only in the faintest of ways.  The perfume continues to slowly soften with a quiet and seemingly powdered oud settling underneath the creamy florals adding for a lightly earthy dimension.  What I really love about Victoria is that it’s rather tropical in nature without succumbing to being loud or garish and it wears wonderfully smooth without any sharp edges.  Victoria is a beauty that is secure in its femininity without having to overcompensate on being girlish.

From the Frassaï website:

Victoria is inspired by Argentine essayist and editor Victoria Ocampo.  Victoria was a patron of the arts and the first woman to be admitted to the Argentine Academy of Letters (1976). She was “the quintessential Argentine woman” according to famed Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges.  Her circle included some of the most relevant artists and intellectuals of the twentieth century.

VICTORIA is a fragrance of depth and sophisticated strength, a bold contrast between creamy tuberose and opulent oud.

Notes:

Top: Petitgrain, Litsea Cubeba, Pink Lychee Jungle EssenceTM
Heart: Tuberose Absolute, Styrax, Morning Rose
Base: Oud, Patchouli, Olibanum, Castoreum

Victoria Ocampo (Anselmo Miguel Nieto, 1922)

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  I’ll stick with the perfumer’s inspiration, Victoria Ocampo.  The following is a link to a Vogue Mexico overview on the life of Victoria Ocampo (article in Spanish).

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE VICTORIA:  serene, sublime, secure

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VICTORIA:  None found.

BOTTOM LINE:  I would say that Victoria is one of the best perfumes in the Frassaï collection; and that’s saying a lot since they are all fantastic in their own right.  Here, Victoria is wonderfully feminine without being overtly so and the tuberose is perfectly controlled and contained. There’s also tropical feel to the perfume that manages to live on the edge of the tropics which makes it more approachable.  To me, Victoria is absolutely divine.

  • Bone Rating:  4.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Floral Woody Musk
  • Nose:  Irina Burlakova
  • Classification: Leans feminine, but easily unisex.
  • Expense: $190 for 50 ml. eau de parfum.  Also available in 7.5 ml travel size for $47.  Pre-orders available on a limited run of 500 bottles via the Frassaï website.

 

Sample courtesy of Frassaï.  Opinion my own. 


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New Release: Le Jardin Retrouvé Mousse Arashiyama

WHAT I SMELL:  Mousse Arashiyama opens with a warmed and softly bright bergamot highlighted with a brush of incense.  It’s comfort right from the start as the bergamot soon settles into a beautifully radiant fig with hints of soft and lightly creamy moss.  Here, the perfume feels like a lullaby with hushed and quiet tones as it has been sung for hundreds of years.  The perfume then moves from the branches above to the ground below as an earthy base settles softly under the fig.  Here, the fresh overturned soil makes Mousse Arashiyama feel rooted in time.  At the same time, rising above the warmed earth is a combination of fig, incense, moss and wood in a radiant but weighted manner.  And with it, just a tinge of greenish vetiver to give the effect of rays of sunshine peaking at the grounded root.  From beginning to end, Mousse Arashiyama is a dream of a perfume.

From the Le Jardin Retrouvé website:

You walk in this forest as in a sacred place. Cradled by the softness of the moss, your steps obey an old instinct, a deep intuition. At the bend of the trail, your eyes finally meet this powerful tree you know, but whose name you do not remember. Your soul, freed from gravity, subtly separates itself from the ground and lingers to savor the scents of oak moss, patchouli, lentiscus and frankincense.

Inspiration: Arashiyama Garden, Kyoto, Japan

Top Notes:  bergamote , encens, lentisque

Middle Notes:  notes aquatique, accord figue

Base Notes: mousse de chêne, vétiver , cèdre

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Victorian Japan.  Connecting the ancient to the modern.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE MOUSSE ARASHIYAMA:  reflective, calming, grounded

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MOUSSE ARASHIYAMA:  CaFluereBon, The Sniff, I Sniff Before I Sleep

BOTTOM LINE:  Mousse Arashiyama is a beautiful perfume comprised of peace, harmony and reflection.  The last couple of unsettling years have seemed to blend into this new year.  Thankfully, Mousse Arashiyama will bring you back to the center and with it, promises of hope for 2022.  Thank you Le Jardin Retrouvé.

  • Bone Rating:  5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Aromatic Green
  • Nose: Maxence Moutte
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: 98 Euros for 50 ml eau de parfum.  Also available in 15 ml and 3 ml.   Available exclusively from the Le Jardin Retrouvé website.

Perfume sample provided by Le Jardin Retrouvé.  Opinion my own.