The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: parfum


by 11 Comments

Luberon by Maria Candida Gentile

LuberonWHAT I SMELL:  Luberon opens with a deep and earthy lavender bouquet.  It starts off a bit dry, but then it is met with a light mint which sweetens and moistens the fragrance.  It’s surprisingly refreshing but warm at the same time.  After around 20 minutes or so, there’s almost a light layer of caramel or honey on top of the mint .   After a bit more, the oakmoss starts to make its appearance, which then brings out a bit of dryness to make Luberon slightly powdered.  Funny, after a while, the drydown reminds me somewhat of vintage Miss Dior.  In the end, Luberon retreats to a lovely subtle dry and earthy powdered light lavender.

From the Maria Candida Gentile website:

Luberon is a composition which comes directly from the natural valleys of the south of France in spring.  It carries the gently relaxing and comforting scents of this beautiful and happy region, the Luberon.  The delicate fresh herbs are blended with an oak musk.

Top note:  Mediterranean lavender

Heart note:  May Rose

Base note:  Oak Musk

provence lavenderWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  What I think Provence smells like…old, earthy, rural and beautiful.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE LUBERON:  comfortable, earthen, warm

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LUBERON: Scent for Thought, Notable Scents

BOTTOM LINE:   Luberon is another solid fragrance from Maria Candida Gentile that in this case is not earth shattering, but clearly is a fragrance of quality.  My one regret that as a parfum extrait, the fragrance seems to disappear on me rather quickly.  However, I do notice that even though it vanishes, I do find traces of it still clinging to me in the morning.

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent:  Aromatic, Flower, Citrus
  • Nose:   Maria Candida Gentile
  • Classification:  Unisex
  • Expense:  $165 for 30ml Parfum Extrait


by 32 Comments

Sideris by Maria Candida Gentile

SiderisWHAT I SMELL:  Sideris opens with a deep warm breath of saffron, incense and myrrh.  It smells like it’s from another world; like it’s been around for ages only to reveal itself again.  Sideris sits in a haze.  You feel that it’s there, but somehow it exists in aura around you rather than directly on you.  Sideris takes its time to transform and when it does, it doesn’t do so in a dramatic fashion.  Everything is seamless and it mixes so perfectly that you can easily miss the differences; but they’re there.   After about 30 minutes, the light sweetness of the rose makes a rather subdued appearance in a manner that you barely notice.  To me this is not “rose,” but a veil of earthen rose shrouded by incense.  Sideris then becomes more creamy and yet woody which sounds contradictory, but trust me it’s not.  As Sideris continues to progress, the incense from the early stages starts to subside, and the benzoin starts to become prominent and along with the rose and sandalwood, the fragrance becomes a bit sweeter.  Sideris is a fragrance that I feel like I just can’t give enough justice to… It’s all too beautiful and sometimes words are just too hard to convey.

Notes from the Maria Candida Gentile website:

Top notes:  Incense, Cysts, Corsican Myrrh, White Pepper, Saffron

Heart notes:  Turkish Rose, Rose Ayrshire Splendens

Base notes:  Sandalwood, Benzoin, Waxed Woods

Sideris 429px-Diego_Velázquez_057WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Lady with a Fan by Spanish painter Diego Velázquez

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SIDERIS:  dreamy, serious, classical

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SIDERIS:  Scent for Thought, Cafleurebon, The Non-Blonde

BOTTOM LINE:   Sideris is unique and incredibly beautiful.  I’ve only been introduced to two of Maria Candida Gentile’s fragrances thus far, Cinabre and this.  I have the feeling I need to explore some more.

  • Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent:  Aromatic Spicy
  • Nose:   Maria Candida Gentile
  • Classification:  Unisex
  • Expense:  $180 for 100ml EdP


by 24 Comments

Onda EdP by Vero Profumo

OndaWHAT I SMELL:  Onda opens with a rush of warm and medicinal herbal coriander and basil.  It’s  almost minty and slightly chocolate and very gourmand.  When you put your nose to your arm, you’ll easily open your sinuses with its powerful menthol.  In a short bit, the herbs start to feel like they are beginning to be covered in salt.  Onda sits in this mentholated stage for some time and it’s big and strong and must be applied with discretion because a little goes a long way.  After around a half hour or so, Onda becomes slightly honeyed and slightly sweet with a bit of funkified fruitiness that seems to be peppered with a bit of ginger.  Onda’s a bit strange in that it’s warm, but there’s a cool quality about it that keeps the wearer at a distance.  After many, many hours In the end, Onda leaves you with a  light and honeyed earthy dried vetiver.  And trust me, this has some lasting power.  24 hours after wearing Onda you’ll still know that she’s there.

Onda Notes (from Luckyscent):  bergamot, citron, mandarin, ginger, coriander, basil, passion fruit, iris, ylang-ylang, honey, vetiver bourbon, patchouli, musk, cedar wood

Jute rugWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A jute rug.  That’s not a bad thing, but if you have ever laid on a jute rug you’ll know exactly what I mean.  It smells like it’s from the earth.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ONDA:  herbal, potent, sharp

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ONDA:  Smellythoughts, Kafkaesque, Indieperfumes

BOTTOM LINE:  Freddie from Smellythoughts passed me a sample a while back.  As a sample, I dabbed it on and found it incredibly interesting.  Enough so that I decided I had to have a bottle for myself.  When I received my purchase, I spritzed some on and thought…”what have I done???!!!”  For the price point, Onda is not something you want to have sitting on the shelf.  So after a couple of days, I went back to it.  Maybe I had spritzed too much on the first time, but the second time I liked it more.  And now I have days when there isn’t anything else that I want to wear!   However, Onda is one of those perfumes that you have to wear when you are in just the right mood and right frame of mind.  Today I was driving around in the convertible with the top down on a sunny day that wasn’t too hot.  Onda did her job well 🙂

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent:  Woody Spicy
  • Nose:   Vero Kern
  • Classification:  Unisex
  • Expense:  $200 for 50ml EdP