New Release | The Scented Hound

November 17, 2014
by The Scented Hound 12 Comments

New Release: Copal Azur by Aedes de Venustas

WHAT I SMELL: Copal Azur’s opening is wonderfully spicy, yet sparkling, like sunshine evaporating the moistness of the early day. A salty note is mixed with a fresh pine, but the pine is not a cool weather northwest pine, but a warmer pine that feels like it’s grounded to the windswept Caribbean shore. There’s a distinct patchouli note which is woody and light and after around 15 minutes, a creamy sweetness enters all the while an incense radiates from above. Around the 30 minute mark, the fragrance lightens to a radiant incense with the pine, patchouli and tonka breezily anchoring the shore below. Overall, there is a brightness about Copal Azur that’s extremely appealing. In addition, the perfume is full of positive energy and inner warmth. Copal Azur is a magical Mayan beauty.

From the Aedes de Venutustas website:

Mayan incense, rising from age-old temples. Lashes of sea spray and whiffs of the jungle where the jaguar lurks… Copal Azur exhales the lush, spiritual vibes of sacred Tulum.

The Muse: Copal, the Mayan incense

The vibrant hues of the Mayan Riviera filter through milky, pine-scented wreaths of burning resin. Blue, for the Caribbean Sea and the limpid depth of the cenotes, the subterranean fresh-water pools that riddle Yucatan: a cool breeze of ozonic and salty notes. Green, for the lush Mexican jungles: a flash of cardamom glinting in the moist, woody undergrowth of patchouli and myrrh. White, for the purest quality of copal and the pristine beaches of Tulum: a lick of almond-scented tonka bean smoothed into creamy notes. Amber for the Jaguar God of Terrestrial Fire – the fire that burns the sacred copal… Hypnotic, spiritual and forceful, Copal Azur might well indeed open the “Gate to Heaven”.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The magic of Tulum, Mexico.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE COPAL AZUR: positive, sun-touched, energized

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT COPAL AZUR: Chemist in the Bottle, Colognoisseur

BOTTOM LINE: I guess it’s fitting after just returning from the Yucatan on vacation to complete a review on a fragrance that was inspired by a Mayan incense. What I love about this fragrance is that as an incense perfume, the incense is subtle, like it’s lightly whipping over the cliffs of Tulum (in other words, an incense perfume for those who typically aren’t incense perfume lovers). Copal Azur is a lovely addition to the Aedes de Venutas collection of perfumes which are each unique and wonderful in very different ways. I can’t wait to see what their next release will be!

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental
Noses: Bertrand Duchaufour
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $245 for 100ml Eau de Parfum

Sample courtesy of Beauty Entreprise.

October 16, 2014
by The Scented Hound 18 Comments

New Release: Gardenia by Robert Piguet

WHAT I SMELL: Gardenia opens with a mix of heady florals with thick and rich rather brown sugared ylang-ylang. This is everything I love in a floral, so deep and rich that when you draw the scent in, it coats the back of your throat. The florals are low to the ground and feel weighted as if the flowers crushed under your feet. An earthy raw dirt component adds a realness that makes the perfume even more inviting. After around 15 minutes there are peaks of a lighter flower that start to come through as if they are able to make their way through the crushed dirt. The florals are lighter, but no less intoxicating as they’re mixed with a delicious and exuberant vanilla. The fragrance seems to experience a rebirth with this 2nd wave of florals which bursts out with golden energy. But Gardenia manages to contain itself as the burst levels to more of a golden warm haze. The fragrance is now feminine, seductive and alluring. It calls you in and you can’t let go of its beauty. After an hour, there’s a slight woody greenish quality that makes it way in making it less feminine, but more unisex. In the end, you’re left with a subtle warm gardenia fragrance that is creamy, comforting, classic and incredibly peaceful in its beauty.

From Robert Piguet Parfums:

Soft, flowery Ylang Ylang embraces the sweet and bold fleur de lis for a bold, sparkling beginning. The sensuous white gardenia scintillates the heart as it grows richer and more complex with black leather, Madagascar Vanilla, and cashmeran warming to a sultry base.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The perfect gay wedding fragrance; floral and handsome without being too feminine.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE GARDENIA: embracing, divine, magnificent

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT GARDENIA: AustralianPerfumeJunkies, Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE: I don’t really get any gardenia from the perfume until the fragrance begins to work its way into the drydown. But throughout the fragrance’s development, the florals are intoxicating, beautiful and just the right cup of tea for this lover of white floral fragrances. Gardenia softens to a whisper and some might want it to project a bit more, but to me, it radiates perfectly as a glowing floral forcefield.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Aurelien Guichard
Classification: Feminine to Unisex
Expense: $175 for 100ml Eau de Parfum

August 21, 2014
by The Scented Hound 22 Comments

New Release: Sotto la Luna GARDENIA by Tauer Perfumes

WHAT I SMELL: Sotto la Luna GARDENIA’s opening is green and slightly sharp along with being big and bold with a semi-vintage vibe. The initial opening is met quickly with a gourmand sweetness like almond extrait that’s layered under a spiced rose. And soon enough a creaminess develops that helps to radiate this incredible floral warmth as the notes begin to bounce around like a symphony of full-bodied petals. How can you not love a big, bold floral like this? Sotto la Luna GARDENIA is sweet with its gourmand almond and vanilla, but there’s a depth that keeps it from becoming saccharine as the sandalwood and tonka keep it leveled. As Sotto la Luna GARDENIA continues to develop, it deepens and the florals project off the skin like they’re about to burst. The sweetness then begins to dissipate to be taken over by a more earthy component, like the heavy flowers are being plucked from the ground. At this point, the fragrance is heady, intoxicating and dreamy. After some more time, the florals retreat and the vanilla comes to the forefront and it’s creamy, lush and it swirls off the skin. After about an hour, Sotto la Luna GARDENIA begins to settle and calm. At this point the drydown is DIVINE, as it’s smooth, warm, lightly almond sugared and lightly powdered. In the end Sotto la Luna GARDENIA is incredibly comforting; so much so that it makes me want to purr like a kitten!

From the Tauer Perfumes website:

Sotto la Luna®, inspired by white flowers blooming under the moon.

Head Notes: The spicy freshness of gardenia budding under a bright moon.

Heart Notes: The green floral delicacy of gardenia in full bloom with a gentle rose.

Body Notes: The powdery mossiness of ripe gardenia with a hint of jasmine, in a bed of sandalwood, tonka and vanilla.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Riding a Crescent Moon

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SOTTO LA LUNA GARDENIA: creamy, luscious, narcotic

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SOTTO LA LUNA GARDENIA: Is it possible that there aren’t any reviews of this yet?

BOTTOM LINE: If you are looking for a straight up Gardenia fragrance, Sotto la Luna GARDENIA is not for you. However, if you are looking for a deeply delicious rounded floral that makes your head dizzy with intoxication, this IS for you (and of course, for me!)

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Andy Tauer
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $145 for 50ml (Available via pre-order through Twisted Lily and Indigo Perfumery with shipping in early September)