Oriental Woody | The Scented Hound

June 24, 2015
by The Scented Hound 5 Comments

M. Micallef Style

WHAT I SMELL: Style opens wonderfully warm and herbal, accentuated by cardamom and nutmeg. Its clean and crisp, like a starched dress shirt. There’s a generous, thoughtful and inviting masculinity in the perfume. After around 5 minutes, the dried lavender starts to bring with it a rather large projection. It’s warm, dreamlike and very elegant. There’s a layer of incense that swirls below the lavender, that adds just a hint of sexiness to the rather formal composition. After some more time, the perfume becomes more woody and dry, but the incense still layers the perfume from below like the remains of a bonfire drifting in the distance. As the perfume continues to develop, the incense begins to wain and the sandalwood brings a welcomed light creaminess along with a light floral bloom to the dry and woody heart.

Notes listed from Fragrantica:

Top notes of the composition will offer a spicy blend of nutmeg, warm and gourmand cinnamon and cardamom, refreshed by luminous and sunny lemon zest. The heart of the composition accentuates floral notes of elegant jasmine and lily of the valley softened with aromatic lavender, while base notes provide us with warmth and precious woody notes of patchouli and sandalwood embraced by a mysterious veil of incense and sensual musk.

MCCREA, Joel , 1933 , RKO , Bird of Paradise,

Joel McCrea , 1933 , RKO , Bird of Paradise

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A dashing 1930’s Joel McCrea; accessible and easy masculinity.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE STYLE: classic, controlled, elegant

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT STYLE: Chemist in the Bottle, CaFleureBon, Memory of Scent

BOTTOM LINE: Style is an elegant and wonderfully controlled and easy to wear masculine perfume. This would be an easy add to any man’s wardrobe.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Nose: Jean-Claude Astier
Classification: Masculine
Expense: $110 for 30 ml Eau de Parfum

February 18, 2015
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

Signature Fragrances Woody Conjure

WHAT I SMELL: Woody Conjure’s opening is composed of this very warm, deep and intoxicating cedar. It’s like a fine sheen of rich wood and fir. There’s an oppulance about it as if it resides within the snow covered trees in the coldest of Russia. After a few minutes, a light spice is added and just a hint of oud. There’s also a buttery quality about the perfume which adds to the elegance. As rich and handsome as this is, it remains relatively contained and I find that it’s makes for a mysterious and sexy skin scent. After another 15 minutes a woody leather emerges which helps to make the perfume grow. What began in the woods, has now moved to the confines of a classical and majestic winter house. In the end, the musk becomes more prominent leaving you with this warm, woody, musky fur blanket. The warmth and quiet power of Woody Conjure holds you captive, but with quiet resolve rather than force. Is it groundbreaking? No. But it is a nice woody masculine treat.

From the Signature Fragrances website:

RICH, MASCULINE, MYSTERIOUS, SENSUAL, SWEET

A fragrance that speaks richness and masculinity, the scent of a noble prince! This scent asserts a distinct woody note, yet is refined with exotic accents.

Top: Cedar, Lily

Heart: Sandalwood, Oud, Patchouli

Base: Amber, Palisander Wood, Musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE WOODY CONJURE: tempered, rich, honest

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT WOODY CONJURE: The Smelly Vagabond, The Perfumed Guillotine

BOTTOM LINE: Signature Fragrances debuted this past year and all of their perfumes are composed of perfumed oil and as such, a little dab will go a long way. Even though they are perfumed oils, the prices make these perfumes very accessible. And adding to the beauty of the fragrances are the lovely bottles in which the perfumes come in. Let’s face facts, a pretty bottle can make a perfume all that more special.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Wood
Classification: Masculine
Expense: approximately $32 for 6 ml perfume oil from the Signature Fragrances website

Sample courtesy of Signature Fragrances.

January 27, 2015
by The Scented Hound 3 Comments

Bois 1920 Vetiver Ambrato

WHAT I SMELL: Vetiver Ambrato opens with bergamot, warmed cloves and spiced geranium; it’s very cozy and rather masculine. After a couple of minutes, the fragrance becomes almost mentholated as the lavender and vetiver blend into an amber finish with just a slight sour touch of patchouli. There’s a tobacco that makes its way into the mix and a mild booziness and a bit of finished old world leather. After 15 minutes, the fragrance lightens and become more powdery as a light vanilla adds just the right amount of sweetness without adding any heaviness. In the end, the Bois 1920 is a powdered dusting of comfort.

From the Bois 1920 website:

Elegantly and profoundly seductive.

An absolutely masculine perfume that embodies all the power and mystery of modern man.

These suggestions of the fragrant architecture of an eau de toilette make their debut with sparkling, tonic notes towards a warm and spicy middle note to conclude with a virile, provocative top note that surprises again and again.

Top: Bergamot, Lemon, Petitgrain, Cloves, Geranium, Artemisia
Heart: Patchouly, Lavender, Vetyver, Sandalwood, Cedarwood
Dry down: Tobacco leaves, Musk, Amber, Vanilla, Benzoin, Labdanum, Galbanum

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Your grandfathers favorite chair at the cabin at the lake; it’s worn and comfy and smells of pipe, wood and lots of wonderful living.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE VETIVER AMBRATO: comfy, easy-going, secure

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VETIVER AMBRATO: NotableScents, ChickenFreak’s Obsession

BOTTOM LINE: This is a vetiver scent that’s not all about vetiver and it’s an amber scent that’s not all about amber. What you get is a nice combination of muted qualities from both. So if you don’t like truly green vetiver fragrances or heavy and brown amber scents, this might be just the right fragrance for you!

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Nose: Enzo Galardi
Classification: Unisex, but leans masculine
Expense: Varies greatly per store or site. Eau de Toilette.