parfum | The Scented Hound

November 17, 2016
by The Scented Hound 9 Comments

Raw Secret by Phuong Dang Perfumes

WHAT I SMELL: Raw Secret opens with a wave of muted aldehydes which are quickly met with a light tea surrounded by a leveled and flattened mandarin. After a few minutes, the perfume begins to project with the tea at the center. The tea is warmed, rounded and thickened in a chewy and slightly rubbery consistency. The perfume is absolutely dreamy and it feels like a lullaby that is rocking you softly and gently leaving you in an envelopment of content. As the perfume continues to develop, the tea moves more towards a dried lily of the valley. It’s incredibly soft and green without being dewy. Here, the lily blooms alongside a bed of delicate white flowers which feel like a floating embrace above a woodied amber radiating base. The perfume then starts to dry and lightly powder…and the gleaming flowers are magnificent in a way that makes me want to wrap the entire perfume around me. In the end, Raw Secret grows in projection to become a beautifully powdered floral hug warmed by amber that’s oh so comforting.

From the Phuong Dang website:

“You reach out to touch me. Linger… I smile because I am happy. Feel so safe in your warm embrace… I just want to hold on, so tightly. Please get closer, to know me… I am only me. And yet with you, I am so much stronger.” —Phuong Dang

Raw Secret Notes –

Top: Aldehydes, Bergamot, Mandarin, Red Pepper, Tea Leaves, Ginger

Heart: Jasmine Absolute, Lily of the Valley, Imaginary White Flowers

Base: Amber, Sandalwood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: love

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE RAW SECRET: incandescent, embracing, at peace

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RAW SECRET: None to be found.

BOTTOM LINE: Brand creator and namesake, Phuong Dang has launched a debut collection of ten perfumes, primarily created with perfumer Bertrand Duchafour. Raw Secret is the only perfume that steps outside the Duchafour collaboration and was created by perfumer Marina Jung Allegret… and it’s one of my favorite in the line. In all, the entire collection is comprised of extraits which are incredibly smooth, refined and easy to wear.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent Floral Citrus
Nose: Maria Jung Allegret
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $450 for 100 ml parfum extrait. Available exclusively at Barneys.

November 14, 2016
by The Scented Hound 17 Comments

Bucoliques de Provence by L’Artisan Parfumeur

WHAT I SMELL: Not surprisingly, Bucoliques de Provence opens with a soft cashmere iris which is soon met with a deep brown sugared and herbal lavender. It’s slightly medicinal, but very comforting; and in all it’s just so pretty and calming. Soon, a mix of herbs and spices pepper the lavender, making the perfume feel a bit chewy vs. the standard powdered dry lavender that we associate with the note. As the perfume continues to develop, it begins to flatten and it takes on a more woody consistency. At the same time, the spices really come forward…actually, in a quite caustic manner. What used to be calming, now has an unfortunate bite. After quite some time, the lavender turns to a laundry detergent familiarity and the perfume feels like it should be used as more of a bed or room spray. Supposedly there is some leather in here, but I’m not picking any of it up. Instead I am getting a dried flower kitchen witch vibe…and that’s not a good thing. After quite some time, the iris comes back in with a light powder and the kitchen witch begins to dissipate. The perfume becomes soft and kind of pretty…but unfortunately I’m left with a headache caused by the kitchen witch development

Kitchen Witch

From the L’Artisan Parfumeur website:

Bucoliques de Provence is a limited edition fragrance. It marks the beginning of a new collection inspired by different regions of France. This perfume pays homage to the history of Grasse. Perfumery in this region with its distinctive lavender fields, dates back to the 17th century and is linked to the historic production of leather. The perfumer has combined lavender and leather with iris and spices creating a soft, faceted scent. Bucoliques de Provence is modern in its pure and naturalistic approach.

Inspired by the savoir-faire of artisans in Grasse, an accord of leathery lavender, modernised by iris and spices.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A gray goose…kind of pretty, but not as pretty as a white swan, a little annoying and not as fun as a duck.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BUCOLIQUES DE PROVENCE: wannabe, wafting, cleanser

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BUCOLIQUES DE PROVENCE: The Scented Salamander, Chemist in the Bottle

BOTTOM LINE: The perfume’s opening is divine until you get to the kitchen witch in the middle which makes you want to run. In the end, the perfume does calm down and becomes a quiet powdered iris, but that’s not enough of a save to make me want to come back.

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Leather?
Nose: Fabrice Pellegrin
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $105 for 50 ml eau de parfum

November 7, 2016
by The Scented Hound 6 Comments

Gothic Angel by O’Driu

WHAT I SMELL: Gothic Angel opens like an angel with a fleeting mimosa riding on a soft bed of lavender in a manner that’s ever so subtle and contained. Quickly, the perfume begins to move towards the medicinal with a semi Band-Aid smell which makes the perfume feel a bit antiseptic. However, that Band-Aid smell is rather comforting…at least to me. After a bit more, a light wood covered in incense begins to appear. Again, the perfume is very subtle, the kind of perfume in which you smell something, but you’re not sure where it’s coming from. As the perfume continues to develop, a sweetened floral appears that’s enclosed in decay. At this point the perfume feels old, like a building that’s been sitting untouched for years. That’s not a bad thing, as it feels like it contains a story that’s been long forgotten. As Gothic Angel continues it drydown, there’s a subtle oil or petroleum edge that appears which adds to the decay. After some length of time, the decay makes way for a brighter and lighter component as the perfume begins to dry and powder which makes the perfume comforting. In the end, Gothic Angel becomes a complete angel as it becomes a soft floral and musk perfume set on top of an understated sandalwood and incense.

The fragrance features mimosa, ylang-ylang, jasmine, violet, rose, lavender, wormwood, sandalwood, musk, incense, olibanum, tobacco, grapefruit, cassis, amber and vanilla.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: An apparition.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE GOTHIC ANGEL: storied, obscure, mystical

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT GOTHIC ANGEL: None to be found.

BOTTOM LINE: Gothic Angel is my introduction into the O’Driu perfume line. Unlike the well-known Peety, this perfume, released earlier this year, is a bit unknown, but is an interesting step into the collection. I’m looking forward to testing more from the quirky perfume house which I have no doubt will take me on an interesting ride.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent Oriental
Nose: Angelo Orazio Pregoni
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $165 for 50 ml eau de parfum

Sample provided by O’Driu. Opinion my own.