The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: oriental


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Eight & Bob – Egypt

WHAT I SMELL:  Rather than a dry heat rising from the Sahara, Egypt opens with warm nutty lavender that quickly begins to fizz with a mellow lemon citrus coating.  It’s warm, but at the same time rather crisp and slightly formal, while projecting a casual vibe.  The lemon and nutmeg make for a light gourmand presence…slightly sugared, but never sweet.   The patchouli enters rather quickly, but instead of taking over, it glides underneath the nuttiness.  Here the perfume really begins to project and it’s warm and inviting and rather sexy as its self-assured.  As the perfume continues to develop the patchouli comes front and center with a sandalwood that tries to keep the scent from becoming to sweet.  But unfortunately on my skin, Egypt turns into a patchouli bomb…that’s not bad, but I would have liked to experience some more of the leather, which only appears after an hour or so and with barely a whisper.

Notes from the Eight & Bob website:

Top Notes: Lavender, Lemon, Moss

Heart Notes:  Cardamom, Nutmeg

Base Notes:  Leather, Patchouli, Sandalwood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Early 20th Century Egypt…a blending of old with the new.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE EGYPT:  Semi-sweet, semi-formal, semi-modern

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT EGYPT:  CaFleureBon, Perfume Posse

BOTTOM LINE:  I want to like this perfume, but the patchouli is just a bit too radiant for my taste.  Too bad because otherwise it’s a lovely fragrance.

  • Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Oriental
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $183 for 100 ml eau de parfum


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Atelier des Ors Iris Fauve

WHAT I SMELL:  Iris Fauve glides on the skin with a smooth and silky bergamot that is quickly met with a cashmere and rather putty like iris.  The perfume is creamy, weighted and it feels like “waving in the wind” silk gliding across the skin.  There’s an interesting cinnamon note that provides just a hint of sparkling sweetness; it’s a really nice touch that gives it a special brightness that rides on top of the silkiness. After a bit, that cinnamon note begins to retreat and the perfume begins to flatten, but with a deep and rounded consistency.  This perfume is pretty without being too feminine.  Instead, there’s a wonderful masculine edge, most likely coming from the labdanum, that provides this unexpected beefiness for an iris perfume.  As the perfume continues to develop the cinnamon seems to come forward once again, along with a mysterious myrhh.  Iris Fauve is beautifully bewitching.

Top notes are bergamot, cinnamon and iris; middle notes are patchouli, haitian vetiver and cypriol oil or nagarmotha; base notes are myrrh, musk, labdanum and liatris.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Trading on the Silk Road.  The combination of exotic flowers and spices make for a mysterious and exotic perfume.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE IRIS FAUVE: enchanting, fluid, enticing

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT IRIS FAUVE: CaFleureBon, Kafkasesque, AustralianPerfumeJunkies

BOTTOM LINE:  Iris Fauve is an iris perfume that’s not cool to the touch.  Instead, it’s a beautiful, spicy and exotic presentation of iris that feels modern, yet which stems from the old world.  And who can resist those bottles and the gold flakes?  Heaven.

  • Bone Rating:  4 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Oriental
  • Nose: Marie Salamagne
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $275 for 100 ml eau de parfum


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Black Magic by Sebastiane Parfumes

WHAT I SMELL:  Black Magic casts a spell with an initial big blast of tonka that is sweetened with a green blackberry and jammy rose.  One spritz is all that is needed as Black Magic has some incredible projection. Very quickly, the perfume warms with the addition of a light amber.  The perfume is a buzz with a mix of fruity florals that when combined smell a bit like grape jelly.  At this point, the perfume is all fruit…with grape and blackberry front and center and in combination are juicy without being too thick.  After some time, a woody note and light leather start to appear which pulls back the overt sweetness.  But as soon as I mentioned this, the fruit comes back full force.  Here the perfume remains for a long time…full, rich and full of juice.  Finally, in the end, the perfume turns to more of a sweetened patchouli, topped with a grassy vetiver.  Spell cast.

From the Sebastiane website:

Top notes are tonka bean, vanilla and amber; middle notes are jasmine, rose, blackberry and frangipani; base notes are patchouli, leather, grass and vetiver.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A grape cocktail.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BLACK MAGIC:  big, bountiful, juicy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BLACK MAGIC:  None to be found except for the comments on Fragrantica.

BOTTOM LINE:  Black Magic is full on fruit, make no bones about it.  As such, don’t expect a perfume that’s quiet and demure…it’s big, fun and not shy in the least.

  • Bone Rating:  3 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Oriental
  • Nose: Robert Elder
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $85 for 60 ml eau de parfum available from the Sebastiane website and other retailers.