The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: parfum


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Tigre du Bengale by Malbrum

Malbrum Tigre du BengaleWHAT I SMELL:  Tigre du Bengale opens with a sweetened juniper which very quickly moves into a lightly incensed and peaceful labdanum.  I was expecting a leap from a tiger at first application.  Instead, the perfume moves in like a cat ready to lie down for a nap; all comfy and cozy.  The perfume is relatively close to the skin and a bit powdery, but as it starts to develop it becomes a bit more exotic with a slightly urinous note that sharpens the original softness, but not too much.  There’s a light leather note that wraps itself around the perfume, just as this strange dirty feet smell comes into play.    Thankfully, it’s not overpowering, but it does add a bit of funk to the mix.  Soon enough that bit of funk exits the mix and the perfume becomes more woody, with just a lightly sweetened edge of patchouli.  And it once again moves from a bit of sharp to the more serene and smoky.  And as soon as I say that, a salty note enters along with a light cream.  Wait….now we’re back to a serene and smoky dry leather.  It seems that there a lot of twists and turns with Tigre du Bengale, and there are, but these twists and turns morph and change like the walk of a jungle cat, slow and steady with in an incredible prowl.

From the Malbrum website:

The Bengal tiger uses its claws to barkstrip trees and urinates on the pile of woodchips as a monument of territory. The scent of this tribute transmits highly complex messages to other tigers about its sex, size and social status. This spicy leather fragrance opens with a dry-aromatic “coke” accord, gradually turning into a liquorice accord, with the heart of myrrha and labdanum absolute leading to a soft erogenous balsamic dry down.

Synthetic notes:

Toscanol, Safranal, Nimberol, Ambrofix and Suederal

Head: Juniper, cardamom,

Heart: Myrrha, labdanum

Fond: Castoreum, burley tobacco, patchouli

gloriaswanson

Gloria Swanson 1920s

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Tigre du Bengale is less tiger, but more vamp.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE TIGRE DU BENGALE:  sultry, mysterious, come-hither

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT TIGRE DU BENGALE: Colognoisseur, What Men Should Smell Like, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE:  Tigre du Bengale is one of those perfumes that each time I bring my wrist to my nose it smells different.  Sometimes, it smells more like incense, other times it’s more leather.  At other times it’s a bit sweetened.  In any case, the drydown is a winner and I can see this being a perfect fall and winter fragrance.  And maybe come the cool months, the tiger stripes will once again change and morph into something else that I have yet to experience.

  • Bone Rating:  3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Aromatic Spicy
  • Nose:   Delphine Thierry
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $170 for 30 ml parfum extrait

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary


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Tubereuse by Caron

Caron TubereuseWHAT I SMELL: Tubereuse opens with a sweetened peach like, cinnamon peppered tuberose.  It’s heady without having the thickened rubberized consistency you can sometimes find with the note.  Instead, the tuberose is mentholated without being cloying or heavy.  The fruit behind the tuberose is not rich, juicy or dominant.  Instead, it’s as if it has been dried or dehydrated.  As the perfume wears, a lovely powder blankets the composition along with the addition of a spiced jasmine.  Tubereuse is not dirty at all and not indolic, but instead is a wash of exquisite powdered herbal and lightly mentholated floral highlighted by the tuberose that’s full of life, but tinged with bits of melancholy.  Like all of the Caron parfum extraits, Tubereuse is slow to transform.  After quite some time, the florals become sharpened and aloof, but they never are removed from the protected cover of the powder.  And as more time passes, the mentholated herbal quality begins to meld gracefully into the floral mix as if a dance between the two has ended as one.  Finally, in the end, the perfume softens to a gentle powdered swath of a floral dream.

Peach tinged tuberoseWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Peach kissed tuberose.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE TUBEREUSE: sophisticated, self-assured, mature

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT TUBEREUSE: The Black Narcissus, Bois de Jasmin, EauMG

BOTTOM LINE:  Tubereuse is an underutilized perfume in my collection.  It doesn’t get the attention from me that it deserves and every time I wear it I wonder why I don’t wear it more often.  Maybe because its a bit formal and I have a penchant for wearing t-shirts and shorts.  Whatever the reason, it’s a perfume that deserves more attention from me and others.


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Byredo Gypsy Water

Gypsy WaterWHAT I SMELL:  Gypsy Water opens with a glaze of lemon tinged juniper and pine, almost like that of Lemon Pledge, but with a sweeter vanilla finish which takes it from Lemon Pledge to more of a lemon custard.  After a short time, the perfume begins to soften and them lemon becomes light and tart and slightly sour with addition of a quiet incense and wood.  I was expecting Gypsy Water to be a lively and phrenetic fragrance, but instead, it’s rather subdued and unassuming.  After around 20 minutes, the pine, amber and sandalwood come together to provide for a creamy, but lightly incensed powdered warmth.  In the end, Gypsy Water is a lightly warmed quiet woody perfume, that although unassuming, is rather mysterious.

From the Byredo website:

GYPSY WATER IS A GLAMORIZATION OF THE ROMANY LIFESTYLE, BASED ON A FASCINATION WITH THE MYTH. THE SCENT OF FRESH SOIL, DEEP FORESTS AND CAMPFIRES EVOKES THE DREAM OF A FREE, COLORFUL LIFESTYLE CLOSE TO NATURE.

TOP: BERGAMOT, LEMON, PEPPER, JUNIPER BERRIES
HEART: INCENSE, PINE NEEDLES, ORRIS
BASE: AMBER, VANILLA, SANDALWOOD

warm breezeWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A warm breeze lilting through the forest.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE GYPSY WATER:  quiet, comforting, peaceful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT GYPSY WATER: Perfume Posse, What Men Should Smell Like, Katie Puckrik Smells

BOTTOM LINE:  Gypsy Water doesn’t have a lot of projection, but is instead a really nice skin scent that is unique with its citrus and woody incense combination.  It’s perfect for the office, or for those quiet days when you want to feel special just for yourself and no one else.

  • Bone Rating:  3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Woody Aromatic
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $145 for 50 ml Eau de Parfum