The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.


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Amouage Meander

WHAT I SMELL:  Meander opens with a warm and lightly sweet and inviting olibanum that is quickly met with an amazingly beautiful carrot note.  It’s not carrot from the earth, but one that’s fresh and dewy and lightly nutty and surprisingly gourmand.  Soon the carrot is met with the softest of rose along with a buttery orris.  Together they provide a aura sheen that’s smooth as silk.  As Meander continues on its’ path, the perfume begins to grow and radiate.  It’s thick and rich and incredibly elegant and warm…and it’s at this point the orris feels as if it has been ladled over the luxurious Rose and Jonquille absolute.  After some time, an incense begins to hover above the orris infused florals.  It’s very light but adds just a hint of mystery to the already beautifully warmed heart.  This perfume is beyond gorgeous, it’s dreamy and quite voluminous, but so incredibly comforting while being quite grand.

Notes from the Amouage website:

A synergy of fresh Pink Pepper and vivifying Black Pepper, together with a dense, fruity and chalklike Carrot Heart bring alive the all-encompassing fogs of monsoon season.

Serene and steady, they drape over a lush landscape of emerald Jonquille Absolute and lavish Rose Absolute, before climbing over pale cliffs of earthy Orris and dark, humid groves of Cypriol.

Surreal march of white Sandalwood mists, they creep overhill and underhill until at last they meet the unending desert, still hot with the scent of dry Vetiver and balsamic Frankincense Resinoid – the unbreakable barrier.

Intricate blend of woods and flowy spices, Meander captures the exhilarating feeling of happiness when the south of Oman turns into a land of haze and running streams.

    • Top Notes: Olibanum Oil, Carrot Heart, Pink Pepper CO² & Black Pepper Oil.
    • Heart Notes: Orris, Rose Absolute, Cypriol Heart & Jonquille Absolute.
    • Base Notes: Olibanum Resinoid, Vetiver Oil, & Sandalwood Oil.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A languid nap on a warm afternoon.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE MEANDER  creamy, soothing, encompassing

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MEANDER: Carpe Odor, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE:  Meander is so warm and beautiful; it almost has a heartbreaking feel about it as it’s filled with great emotion.  At the same time it also has as dreamlike quality about it that makes you want to drift off in an embrace within its comforting arms.

  • Bone Rating:  4.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Amber Fougere
  • Nose:  Mackenzie Reilly
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $265 for 50 ml eau de parfum


3 Comments

Tom Ford Ébène Fumé

WHAT I SMELL: Ébène Fumé opens with a soft woody smokiness tinged with labdanum and leather.  It’s calming, serene and wonderfully subtle. As the perfume develops, the incense loses a bit of its sharpness and a smooth and slightly creamy cistus enters.  At this point, the perfume feels like a sheath of light leather is embracing your skin.  Hints of florals help to make the creation more rounded which helps to keep it from becoming too smoky.  Beyond that, the perfume doesn’t develop much except for the addition of a lightly sweetened guaiac woody note.  Ébène Fumé isn’t a game changing perfume, but it’s perfect for those times when you are looking for quiet reflection.

From the Tom Ford website:

ÉBÈNE FUMÉ MERGES THE PURIFYING ESSENCE OF PALO SANTO WITH NOTES OF SEDUCTIVE EBONY WOOD, AROUSING EXQUISITE CALM AND HEIGHTENED SPIRITUAL LUXURY.

ÉBÈNE FUMÉ CONJURES TRANSCENDENT SPIRITUAL CALM THROUGH THE MYSTICAL ESSENCE OF PALO SANTO SMOKE – STOKED BY THE WARM ELEGANCE OF CISTUS ABSOLUTE, ROSES, AND SEDUCTIVE NOTES OF EBONY WOOD, CAPTURED IN SLEEK, SUBLIME NOTES OF LEATHER.

Top notes are Incense, Palo Santo, Black Pepper and Violet Leaf; middle notes are Leather, Labdanum, Cade oil, Papyrus and Rose; base notes are resins, ebony tree and Guaiac Wood.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Old leather bound books which have been stored in a church rectory for hundreds of years.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ÉBÈNE FUMÉ:  serene, calming, contented

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ÉBÈNE FUMÉ:  CaFleureBon, Temptalia

BOTTOM LINE:  It is Memorial Day today in the United States.  A day that is for remembering and honoring those who have served the country since its inception.  I thought that this calming perfume would be the perfect scent to pay tribute to those who came before us and to pray for peace around the world during these trying times.  No, perfume can’t create world peace, but if anything, it can help to soothe our souls.

  • Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Amber Woody
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $270 for 50ml eau de parfum


2 Comments

Bleu Abysse – Les Parfums de Rosine

WHAT I SMELL:  Bleu Abysse opens with a salty bergamot warmed by the sun which is quickly met with a more mineral accord that is punctuated with an inviting rounded rose.  The combination of the rose and the salty mineral facets are quite interesting and I can’t say that I have ever experienced this in a perfume before.  However, as it continues to develop I realize that at this stage the perfume is much more akin to mineral salts for the bath.  And as soon as I make that connection, I wonder if that is how I would like to smell when I leave the house.  As the perfume continues to develop, Bleu Abysse seems to head out to the sea.  The brief introduction of the rose makes way for a more intense mineral sea sensation with the addition of vetiver and seaweed and a hint of oud adds a layer of sour to the mixture which seems to dull the minerals a bit.  Thankfully, a bit of sweetened patchouli helps to pull the perfume back to the shore making it a bit more approachable.  Unfortunately, shortly after a metallic note seems to sweep in bringing in an unwelcomed bite.  But apparently that made way for an evened mix of patchouli, vetiver with a light incense that is actually quite beautiful in a very serene way.  Too bad that doesn’t last all that long and in the end you’re left with salt and seaweed.

From the Les Parfums de Rosine website:

BLEU ABYSSE is a perfume of contrasting sensations: a deep, yet dry, marine-blue note. Inspired by the French rose, ‘Rosa Moschata’.

BLEU ABYSSE is a fresh fusion fragrance.

In creating BLEU ABYSSE, the young perfumer, Serge de Oliveira, sought to capture waves of euphoria that sweep over us when we are near the sea.

Top Notes – Bergamot, Elemi, Cassis; Heart Notes – Rose, Mineral accord; Base Notes – Oud, Patchouli, Vetiver, Seaweeds, Incense

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Salted seaweed.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE BLEU ABYSSE: salty, metallic, unique

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BLEU ABYSSE: Chemist in the Bottle, Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE:  I will readily admit that I am not a big fan of mineral or marine scents.  The sharpness makes me feel detached from these fragrances and it’s as if I’m wearing a “thing” vs. wearing an essence.  That said, there are some interesting twists and turns in the development of this perfume, but in the end I just get salty, sharpened seaweed.  Thankfully I live not too far from the ocean so that if I want to experience blue abyss, I can just head to the nearest beach for the real thing.

  • Bone Rating:  2.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Marine woody
  • Nose:  Serge de Oliveira
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: 150 Euros for 100 ml Eau de Parfum available from the Les Parfums de Rosine website