The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: parfum


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New Release: Noir Exquis by L’Artisan Parfumeur

Noir Exquis

WHAT I SMELL:  Noir Exquis opens slightly sour at first, quickly moving to a gourmand breaded pastry that is covered with a hazelnut glaze.  After a couple of minutes, the perfume begins to grow and it smells just like Coffee-mate Hazelnut Non-Dairy Creamer.  After a few more minutes the perfume takes on a slight hair spray note, making the perfume slightly prickly, but it also makes it feel like it’s covered in raw sugar, meaning that it’s sweet without being saccharine sweet.  After some more time, a maple syrup note creeps in and it melds with the existing nutty structure.  Thankfully, after 30 minutes, the whole structure seems to tame.  The sweetened hazelnut becomes quieter and the perfume takes on a more woody sandalwood and patchouli note tinged with a burnt amber.

From the L’Artisan Parfumeur website:

The inspiration for Noir Exquis is an unexpected rendez-vous in a French patisserie.  Two people meet over a coffee. In this delicious atmosphere of patisserie and coffee, hushed looks are exchanged. This delightful rendez-vous is the beginning of a new story with Noir Exquis.

Noir Exquis is a work of contrast and the unexpected. The addictive note of coffee, combined with the warm and comfortable notes of maple syrup, glazed chestnuts and orange blossom, brings an intriguing juxtaposition to this fragrance.
Rich and velvety, Noir Exquis connects these two persons during this moment beyond time and place.

Opulent and gourmand, Noir Exquis is a fragrance with a warm and charismatic aura.

Notes: Glazed chestnut, Coffee, Maple syrup, Macassar Wood 

Coffee-mate HazelnutWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  I can’t get this out of my head…Coffee-mate Hazelnut Non-Dairy Creamer

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE NOIR EXQUIS: creamy, sweetened, breakfasty (is that a word?)

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT NOIR EXQUIS:  Kafkaesque, Bois de Jasmin, Megan in Saint Maxime

BOTTOM LINE:  If you like flavored coffee creamers in your morning coffee and like gourmand scents, this may be for you.  Personally, I don’t want to feel like I just rubbed a breakfast pastry over myself.  In the end, the perfume does quiet down, but it still radiates this artificial creaminess.

  • Bone Rating:  2.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Oriental Vanilla
  • Nose:  Bertrand Duchaufour
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $120 for 1.7 oz. eau de parfum


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Palo Santo by Carner Barcelona

Carner-Barcelona-Palo-SantoWHAT I SMELL:  Palo Santo opens with a milky coconut, boozy rum accord.  It’s sugared without being sweet, but it crackles with a wonderful gourmand and slightly earthy goodness.  The sugared aspect begins to retreat as the perfume starts to become a bit more woody.  Add on top of that a light burnt hue as if the woods and rum have attracted a lit fire which singed the sweetened wood.  The guaiac wood starts to become prominent as it begins to dominate the perfume.  Thankfully, the guaiac is tempered quickly by the addition of a woody vetiver which helps to bring the perfume into a more sharpened tonality.  After around 30 minutes or so, the perfume begins to blend with hints of incense and tonka bean sitting on top of a woody base that is full of cream.  Palo Santo is at first rather big, bold and in charge, but with a rather sweet demeanor.  In the end, all those elements are still there, but they settle down to more of a whisper.

From the Carner Barcelona website:

A ‘’sacred wood’’ steeped in magic and mysticism for thousands of years, releases an enchanting aromatic essence that swirls to life in a spellbinding blend that infuses earthy hints of wood and incense.

Coveted by shamans for centuries, it is believed that this spiritual wood has the power to protect and usher in good fortune. A faint misting will cleanse the mood and raise spirits, invoking the true purifying virtues of Palo Santo

top notes: Indian Davana, Rum Accord

mid notes: Warm Milk, Paraguayan Guaiacum Wood, Venezuelan Tonka Bean

base notes: Moroccan Cedar Wood, Vetyver from Haiti, Dominican Republican Amyris

brown-bear-4689WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Don’t ask me why, but for some reason this brings to mind a very happy and content brown bear.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE PALO SANTO:  milky, calming, peaceful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PALO SANTO: Chemist in the Bottle, Colognoisseur, Kafkaesque

BOTTOM LINE:  Palo Santo is smooth and creamy and full of guaiac wood which unfortunately never seems to work on my skin.  However, if you do like guaiac wood…this might just be a good fit as it softens to a nice woody glow in the end.


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New Release: Voyage by Hiram Green (Limited Edition)

Voyage

WHAT I SMELL:  Voyage opens with a Sweetart candied sweetness that very quickly moves to a soured and spiced citrus that has a undercut flattened note of what I can only describe as shoe leather that is met with a bit just a hint of rubber.  I know that my description doesn’t sound so appealing, but the combination of those ingredients are rather interesting and exotic.  After around 15 minutes, the flatness disappears to give rise to a spiced amber that seems to buzz with vibrant energy as well as helps to bolster the perfume’s projection.  The perfume at this point is rather prickly and reminds me of a large sack of exotic spices in a large burlap sack located in a hidden gem of earthly delights in an Indian street market.  As the perfume develops more, there’s a floral component (I am guessing because the notes don’t list any florals) that helps to smooth out the spice and which helps to give the perfume a more dream like quality. The real magic with Voyage for me is after about an hour into the wear when the florals, spices and vanilla begin to blend, taking off any sharp edges to create this creamy and wonderfully exotic perfume that’s perfectly fitted for the fall weather.

spice marketFrom the Hiram Green website:

An ode to the exotic mysteries of India, our new fragrance is as atmospheric and thrilling as a Mysore street market and as opulent as Octopussy’s floating palace on Lake Pichola.

Voyage is an intoxicating blend of fresh citrus top notes, a heart of warm amber and luscious suede over a smooth vanilla base.

PeacockWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Hiram has chosen the peacock as a visual representation of the perfume.  He made the perfect choice.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE VOYAGE:  spicy, exotic, mysterious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VOYAGE: Kafkaesque, Chemist in the Bottle

BOTTOM LINE:  Some perfumers have a very distinctive signature to their perfumes and once again with Voyage, this is easily identifiable as a Hiram Green perfume.  I asked Hiram if there was a note that was central to all three of his perfumes (Moon Bloom, Shangri La and of course Voyage) and he said that there was not.  Given that, all I can say is that on my skin there is a common thread…so I’ll just say that each perfume has a very distinct “Hiramism”….and that’s a good thing!

  • Bone Rating:  4 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Oriental
  • Nose:  Hiram Green
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: 135 Euros for 50 ml eau de parfum from the Hiram Green website.  Limited edition of 250 bottles.  Pre-orders ship November 2, 2015 and come with a 5 ml atomizer of your choice of Moon Bloom, Shangri La or Voyage.

Sample courtesy of Hiram Green.  Opinions and observations are my own.