oriental floral | The Scented Hound

February 8, 2016
by The Scented Hound 8 Comments

A Perfume Made for Valentine’s Day: Baccarat Rouge 540 by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

WHAT I SMELL: Baccarat Rouge 540 opens with a striking warm and luxurious jasmine that feels soaked and saturated with saffron. It’s heady, exotic, spicy and mysterious. It’s also incredibly sexy and erotic. There’s a very slight incense and smoke that feels like an extinguished candle that moves off the skin. And the perfume itself seems to live a couple of inches off of the body. After some time, a woody base which was there all along, comes more to the forefront, with the radiant jasmine and saffron still pulsating. As the perfume continues to develop, the perfume becomes more of an ambered spice. In the end, the fragrance evens itself out and your left with a nicely spiced and lightly sweetened cedar and amber perfume that lingers with the memory of the passionate flame that burned when the perfume first hit the skin.

From the Maison Francis Kurkdjian website:

Luminous and sophisticated, Baccarat Rouge 540 lays on the skin like an amber, floral and woody breeze. A poetic alchemy. A graphic and highly condensed signature.

Notes: Jasmine, Saffron, Cedar wood, Ambergris

Marilyn Red Velvet, 1949

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A sexy and erotic boudoir scent.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BACCARAT ROUGE 540: lustful, erotic, sexy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BACCARAT ROUGE 540: No reviews to be found outside comments on Fragrantica.

BOTTOM LINE: Baccarat Rouge 540 is a collaboration between Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Baccarat, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the iconic crystal house. As such, I was expecting a big, bold and proper perfume. Instead, I found the perfume to be highly sensual, and erotic…which makes this the perfect perfume to tempt your Valentine with.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Francis Kurkdjian
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $300 for 70 ml Eau de Parfum

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary

January 27, 2016
by The Scented Hound 15 Comments

Vanille Charnelle by Les Absolus d’ Annick Goutal

WHAT I SMELL: Vanille Charnelle opens with a sparkling pepper which is soon met with a vanilla gourmand rather almond-ish ylang-ylang. It’s sweet without being sugary and it smells like a baking rack full of cooling almond cookies. But there’s a bit of sour from either the ylang-ylang or the tonka that keeps the perfume from being too confectionary. The opening had me a bit worried that the perfume was going to rise up and scream. But thankfully, after a few minutes the fragrance begins to contain itself. The vetiver begins to come forward and with it comes a welcomed reedy woodiness that begins to dry out the vanilla. But even as it continues to dry out, the vanilla almond is front and center; albeit less sugared. After some time, the perfume journeys into a more floral realm and moves from gourmand to oriental. It really is beautiful in a richly opulent and exotic way. The notes are beefy and amped up and what was turning dry becomes ripened. Vanille Charnelle then moves to a decaying spiced floral that’s wrapped up in vanilla.

Top notes are ylang-ylang and pepper; middle notes are vanilla, tonka bean and white musk; base notes are vanilla absolute and vetiver.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: There’s something very nostalgic and 1970s about this perfume…very Annie Hall.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE VANILLE CHARNELLE: charming, noticable, sentimental

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VANILLE CHARNELLE: Fashion for Lunch, Perfume Shrine, Alice in Beautyland

BOTTOM LINE: Vanille Charnelle is a wonderfully spiced floral vanilla perfume the makes me want to reach for my tweed jacket. A little of the perfume goes a long way, so when spritzing, do sparingly.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $280 for 75 ml eau de parfum

Sample courtesy of Lucky Scent.

January 20, 2016
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

Chloé Eau de Parfum

WHAT I SMELL: Chloé opens up warm, with a slightly bathtastic rose and peony combination mixed with a restrained honey accord. My first thought is that the perfume is incredibly romantic and sensual, but it also feels very carefree without seeming juvenile. Soon in the development, there’s a magnolia note that adds a welcomed floral pop that provides a lovely compliment to the rose and peony. After around 10 minutes, a light woody accord seems to weave in and out of the perfume which helps to balance out the sweetness of the florals. As the perfume continues to develop, the projection begins to grow as does the sweetness and the powder. But by no means does the perfume overwhelm. Instead, it maintains this pretty peony spring like freshness. Chloé is an easy to wear perfume that would be the perfect perfume for any occasion.

From the Chloé website:

The heart of a blooming rose

This rose blooms with confidence and individuality, free from the usual codes. She is the original Chloé girl – warm, playful and seductive.

Chloé Eau de Parfum is our signature scent. Combined with magnolias and generous peonies, it is both honey-like and powdery on the skin. Cheeky, free and sophisticated, it vibrates with a woody tone, a touch of ambergris and a sheen of cedar scent.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Pink peonies and sunshine.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE CHLOÉ EAU DE PARFUM: bright, easy, effortless

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT CHLOÉ EAU DE PARFUM: Diary of a Perfume Addict, Mostly Sunny, Cute and Mundane

BOTTOM LINE: Chloé was a wonderful surprise for me. The understated prettiness and ease of wear makes this an anywhere and anytime perfume. As I write this review on a cold and dreary day, Chloé is a much-needed ready-made prelude to spring!

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Noses: Amandine Marie and Michel Almairac
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $105 for 1.7 oz. Eau de Parfum