Oriental Woody | The Scented Hound

May 1, 2014
by The Scented Hound 12 Comments

New Release: Junky by Jardins D’Ecrivains

WHAT I SMELL: Junky opens with this tangy herbal then quickly sour rather hempish opening. It’s like marijuana sticks and buds mixed with a bit of lemon sour. It’s pungent, yet intriguing because it’s different. After a couple of minutes a flattened quality comes in, but yet it’s tinged with light bits of candied flavored Pixy Stix. So far Junky is rather woody, but soon enough, the pretty iris comes into play. Again its unusual but very pretty. There’s also this contingency of oak moss and incense that snakes its way underneath the floral. As it progresses, Junky becomes more tart and much drier. After around the 30 minute mark, the tartness starts to subside and the fragrance becomes slightly sweeter. No, wait…after another 15 minutes the sweetness dissipates and the lightly musk like vetiver graciously surrenders a peaceful and calming presence.

From the Twisted Lily website:

William Burroughs was the most experimental and avant-garde figure of the Beat Generation, the one who went furthest in developing the complexity of the novel. In his your he escaped through reading Oscar Wilde, and he went on to lead a bohemian lifestyle, delighting in extreme experiences. His first novel, Junky, describes the harsh reality of addiction. Jardins D’Ecrivains presents its new fragrance, which points to the analogous experience of olfactory addition.

Perfume has the power to take us to a higher plane and really influences our behavior. Perfume reveals something intimate to others but also to the person wearing it. This is a complex, unique fragrance.

There are three key phases in its development; the top notes include the subtlest hint of fresh hemp. The mysterious middle notes bring in the creamy scents of gardenia, iris and violet, which then mingle with the dry-wood base notes of cashmeran, cedar and cade, softened by the frankincense and sweet myrrh resins and the aroma of Javanese vetiver.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A head rush; you sniff it in and the tartness collects at the top of your nose and surges through your brain in a rush only to then leave your brain and head very happy and relaxed.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE JUNKY: unique, journeyed, different

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT JUNKY: CaFleureBon, Chemist in a Bottle, Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE: I really like Junky. It’s as unique and as much of a wild ride that I have been on for some time with a fragrance. But the great thing about it is that it’s not a weird and strange being at all. It’s rather pretty, very unisex and in the end, easy to wear.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $110 for 100ml EdP

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary

March 17, 2014
by The Scented Hound 5 Comments

THIRTY THREE by EX IDOLO

WHAT I SMELL: Thirty Three opens with a deep rose and oud in that plasticine way that sometimes oud can project. It’s exotic, smooth, lush and it’s tinged with hints of spice. After a couple of minutes a bit of leather is added giving it a rather burnished finish, like a saddle that has been rubbed with some expensive oils to keep it soft and subtle. But just as soon as I think this is turning leathery, those aspects fade away. Interesting, the fragrance has a wonderful way of bouncing off my skin. One minute I think it’s retreating and soon afterwards it seems to project significantly off my skin. I just put a couple of drops on my wrist and trust me, those couple of drops are going a long way. After around the 30 minute mark, Thirty Three begins to soften and dry out and after around an hour, it becomes almost smoky. In the end, Thirty Three is pretty linear, but that’s fine as it’s big, bold, yet thankfully rather handsome too; and there’s nothing wrong with that.

From the Ex Idolo Perfumes website:

Thirty-three is a fragrance crafted from very special ingredients. The soul of the fragrance is built around a vintage oud – distilled in 1980 and aged until its release in 2013. It is also the only modern perfume to use a significant amount of wild-harvested Chinese oud oil and natural Chinese rose oil to build the scent profile. Contrary to most ouds however, Thirty-three is a surprisingly soft and velvety fragrance, and genuinely fits in an innovative space in terms of the wider oud category. Thirty-three is a deep and dark unisex fragrance, with dry and cold facets

TOP NOTES: Soft black pepper, Candied mandarin, Caoutchouc

HEART NOTES: Chinese white tea, Chinese rose, Taif rose, Orris, Damascus steel

BASE NOTES: Rare, natural vintage ouds, Aged patchouli, Heliotropin

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Confidence

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE THIRTY THREE: persistent, deep, warmed

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THIRTY THREE: Kafkaesque (thanks for the sample), Olfactoria’s Travels, The Perfume Chronicles

BOTTOM LINE: To me, Thirty Three isn’t an office scent as it could easily overpower if you weren’t careful with your application. But if you’re looking for something that makes a bold statement without beating up others with that statement, this might be a great choice.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Classification: Unisex, but to me it leans masculine
Expense: $120 for 30ml EdP

December 12, 2013
by The Scented Hound 6 Comments

Ecstasy and White Fire by Tiziana Terenzi

ECSTASY

WHAT I SMELL: Ecstasy opens with a honeyed pine, quickly followed by a nice hefty patchouli that has a top coat of rose. It’s a bit spicy and rather golden. After around five minutes, the pine which disappeared quickly before, comes back to the front. However, this time the pine is more pine fir, meaning that it’s more woody like that of a fresh-cut Christmas tree. Then after a couple more minutes in comes a warmer sandalwood. Ecstasy seems to have a great deal a movement to it which I rather like. After around the 15 minute mark, Ecstasy adds an almost sweet oudish tinge to the mix, but I think it’s just the pine that is playing some tricks on my nose…or just maybe just the pine and tonka bean combination that feels that way. After a few more minutes, add a little tobacco to the mix as the fragrance now smells like sweet pipe tobacco. It’s all rather intoxicating. In the end, Ecstasy dries down to a sweetened dried wood that reminds me somewhat of the drydown of Cuir Noir by Armani Prive’.

From the Tiziana Terenzi website:

The most intense journey into the “sacred fire”of the soul, in search of total authenticity in the suspended gravity of absolute beauty. It is an encompassing, mystical fragrance: original and with a strong personality. This fragrance was created the day of the death of Padre Evelino, in a kind of creative delirium inspired by the power of eternal and surreal feelings. The emotion and transformation of these moments are captured in an indelible and cathartic memory describing the sudden spiritual transition from boyhood to manhood. It is a fragrance which strikes you immediately and completely, with the same force as a punch in the face. This is thanks to the powerful, rich top notes of frankincense; immediately after, though, it slowly opens in a loving embrace and inner awareness to the chanting of white floral notes, the mystic power of Bakhoor, and fine wood. At that moment, you sense the power of the timeless love of someone dear, a love that merges with our soul in a religion of memory that gives a new sense of security and eternal strength. Your ego merges with the great cosmic one. In your soul there is “click” as in an instant you open up to the full dimension of being “grown up”.

Top notes: pine, spruce, stone powder

Middle notes: incense, patchouli, rose, violet

Base notes: sandalwood, amber, cistrose, tonka, forest land, ancient wood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A cozy cabin in the middle of the woods.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ECSTASY: woody, comforting, content

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ECSTASY: I only found a couple of comments on Fragrantica.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $125 – 145 for 100ml Parfum Extrait

WHITE FIRE

WHAT I SMELL: White Fire opens with bergamot and a somewhat artificial green that almost smells to me like I was smelling wax florals sprayed with a faux scent. Soon enough some jasmine comes in with some clean linen smelling musk. And there it sits.

From the Tiziana Terenzi website:

The silence of the snow; its dazzling white brought alive and sparkling by the flickering flames. The good,clean fragrance is simple and silvery, like the carefree laughter of a child, and innocent and gentle as a loving caress. The high elevation campfire on a glacier in the Italian Alps; one phase of an adventurous and arduous ascent to the summit of Mount Cevedale; the excitement of waking up at sunrise to the wild and immense silence of the Dolomites. The crisp clean air, the energising fresh smell of snow, the intoxicating oxygen, and the dampened smell of fire on ice, all in the glow of the first light of dawn. This fragrance embodies the unique power and beauty of nature, crystal clear in our eyes, hearts, and our most intimate olfactory memories.

Top notes: green leaves, fresh ice, oxygen

Middle notes: Chinese jasmine, fern, white amber

Base notes: sandalwood, amber, musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Clean sheets that have been hanging to dry on a clothesline.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE WHITE FIRE: musky, clean, safe

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT WHITE FIRE: I only found a couple of comments on Fragrantica.

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Woody Aquatic
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $125 – 145 for 100ml Parfum Extrait

BOTTOM LINE: Ecstasy was a pleasant surprise. I liked it, but found in the end that the drydown became a bit tedious, but for many that probably won’t be the case. Funny, I was expecting something named Ecstasy to be over the top and outrageous, but instead it turned out to be a comfort scent. As for White Fire…nice, but boring. The prices are pretty good for extraits though!