parfum | The Scented Hound

June 23, 2014
by The Scented Hound 4 Comments

Farnesiana by Caron

WHAT I SMELL: Farnesiana opens with a thickened warmed mimosa that smells like woody plastic. The mimosa floral is dryish at the beginning only to open up to become rounder in a couple of minutes. There’s a subtle sweetness about Farnesiana that seems to be derived from a light almond like vanilla. It’s very dreamy early on and it feels very fluid. After around the 15 minute mark a hay like dusty quality makes an appearance which brings the fragrance more down to earth. At this point, the fragrance has an almost Play-Doh smell about it which sounds like something you wouldn’t want in a perfume, but it’s not full on Play-Doh, it just has a similarity. On top of the hay, there also seems to be a light layer of incense, which gives just a slight bite to the fragrance as it seems to waft in an out ever so slightly. After around an hour, the mimosa really comes full force and Farnesiana blooms into this very comfortable and pretty Mimosa bouquet that has a bit of projection, but not too much. Like many of the Caron parfum extraits, it takes a least an hour for the fragrance to settle into its beauty and when it does, its stunningly pretty.

From the Caron website:

Created in 1947, Farnesiana was, at the time, one of the most exceptional and unique interpretations of mimosa on the market.

Sweet acacia is a lesser known variety of mimosa, whose Latin name “Acacia Farnesiana” provided the inspiration for its name. It is reminiscent of Rome’s Farnèse Palace and the art of sweet, refined Mediterranean living.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A Roman beauty.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE FARNESIANA: subdued, classic, original

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT FARNESIANA: I Smell Therefore I Am, The Non-Blonde, Pink Manhattan

BOTTOM LINE: Farnesiana is very different; I can’t say that there is another fragrance out there to which I can compare it to probably because I’m not familiar with Mimosa as a primary note. In any case, it is a stunner for sure.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $100 for 7.5ml Parfum Extrait

June 19, 2014
by The Scented Hound 15 Comments

Black Gemstone by Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777

WHAT I SMELL: If you smell Black Gemstone out of the bottle it smells of boozy rum and leather. When sprayed, what you get is an initial blast of leather and this deep resinous sourish wood. It’s really pretty in a masculine way and it’s rather comforting as well. And what I really like is that the leather feels rich and smooth rather than hard and rugged. There’s also a bit of sweetness that sits on top of the leather, as if the boozy rum is rising as it evaporates off of the leather. I have no idea why this fragrance is making me feel happy, but it is. After around the 10 minute mark, the myrrh starts filing the fragrance with an incredible roundness. At this point, Black Gemstone has left my happy zone, and it is starting to turn more mysterious. There’s a lot of projection at this point and it’s very smooooooth and it’s starting to become very sexy. At the twenty-minute mark, the olibanum make itself known and Black Gemstone has a rather boozy pipe tobacco feel to it. It’s still big and still sexy, though it has moved into being more woody. After around an hour, a smokiness appears as if it’s combined with ash rising from a campfire. All of the sudden, the fragrance went from being on big and sexy to something more primeval. No wait, it just made another turn and when back to pipe tobacco! In the drydown, Black Gemstone remains in this smooth and confident sweet and smoky state. Incredible.

Black Gemstone from Fragrantica:

Top notes are lemon and cedar; middle notes are myrrh and resins; base notes are teak wood, olibanum and tonka bean.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Paul Bunyan; handsome, rugged and larger than life.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE BLACK GEMSTONE: masculine, sexy, big

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BLACK GEMSTONE: CaFleureBon, Kafkaesque

BOTTOM LINE: Black Gemstone is so out of the norm from my flower power lovin perfumes I’m surprised that I love it, but I do. It’s just so smooth and darn right delicious that I can see this becoming rather addictive.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental
Nose: Stéphane Humbert Lucas
Classification: Unisex, but leans masculine
Expense: $340 for 50ml EdP

Sample courtesy of Osswald Parfumerie.

June 14, 2014
by The Scented Hound 19 Comments

Vintage Molinard de Molinard

WHAT I SMELL: Molinard de Molinard’s opening is all smoke and incense on top of bergamot and a muted fruit. This is quite the contradiction in notes, but somehow it really works and makes the kick off incredibly interesting. After around 5 minutes the florals start to brush away the smoke and incense (but not too much though) to reveal a rather bright undercurrent filled with my favorites, ylang-ylang and rose (somehow that combination always seems to work for me). The fragrance is quite large and at times seems more fruity than floral but the one consistent is the veil of incense that seems to glide and move around the other notes. There’s a strange mix of cool and warmth with this; the base is warm but there is this sheered gauze above that seems to be a bit cooler. This is one of the fragrances that when sniffed you can feel the movement of the molecules running under your nostrils. As the fragrance begins to settle, the movement dies down and the incense calms to a whisper and the fragrance becomes golden warmth. It’s incredibly sensuous and very womanly, a real radiant beauty. After a few hours, you’re left with a lightly sweetened fruity comforting dream.

Molinard de Molinard notes via Fragrantica:

Top notes are black currant, fruity notes, green notes, asafoetida, lemon, bergamot and cassis; middle notes are jasmine, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-valley, Bulgarian rose and narcissus; base notes are labdanum, amber, musk, vetiver, incense and patchouli.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Beautiful and mysterious, like an early 1930s Myrna Loy when she was still playing “exotics” prior to becoming a star.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE MOLINARD DE MOLINARD: mysterious, sensuous, radiant

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MOLINARD DE MOLINARD: Post Modern Perfume (the only review I could find and which was based on the EdT version which was a very different experience from my Parfum Extrait version)

BOTTOM LINE: I found this little 7.5ml beauty at an estate sale and only wish that I had more. I don’t wear it often, but when I do, I always ask myself, why I don’t. Part of it is that I hide it away in a cabinet like a precious jewel that I just don’t ever want to lose. Oh, and what a little jewel it is…the bottle is an exquisite Lalique beauty.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Fruity Floral
Classification: Feminine
Expense: Varied for vintage. Review based on the Parfum Extrait version.