parfum | The Scented Hound

August 20, 2013
by The Scented Hound 12 Comments

Rouge No. 1 by M. Micallef

This past June, M. Micallef launched two fragrances as part of their Art Collection; Rouge No. 1 and Rouge No. 2. It’s always good to start at the beginning, so today I’ll be reviewing Rouge No. 1.

WHAT I SMELL: Rouge No. 1 opens with a tangy peach that is quickly overtaken by beautiful ylang-ylang. The peach keeps the florals slightly at bay with a bit of a bite. But Rouge 1 is not shy and it eventually starts pumping out a milky warm and inviting floral bouquet that is thick and almost slightly honeyed, which I believe is the vanilla at play. Wrap this all up with a white musk base and you have a fragrance that doesn’t develop all that much, but provides you with a floral loveliness with some lasting longevity and some pretty big projection.

From the 2013 M. Micallef Art Collection press release:

Head note: peach, tangerine – Heart note: ylang-ylang, rose, jasmine – Base note: white musk, vanilla, benzoin.

Floral-fruity eau de parfum, Rouge n°1 combines delicious yellow fruits and a generous bunch of flowers heart, warmed by the vanilla and white musk base.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The large bouquet in a formal foyer of a beautiful home. It’s beautiful, inviting and welcomes the visitor in.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ROUGE NO. 1: proper, elegant, warm

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ROUGE NO. 1: As the Micallef Art Collection was released this past June, I was not able to find any other reviews.

BOTTOM LINE: Another beautiful perfume from the house of M. Micallef. There is some similarity here with one of my all time loves, Givenchy Ysatis, although Rouge No. 1 seems to exist in more of a subdued gauzy haze vs. the louder and sharper edges of Ysatis.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral Fruity
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $245 for 100ml EdP

Sample provided by Hypoluxe, official distributor of M. Micallef products.

August 4, 2013
by The Scented Hound 21 Comments

China White by Nasomatto

WHAT I SMELL: At first application, I get some sweet wood, a few aldehydes and then in fast succession an incredibly light rose and some incense which starts to dry out the scent rather quickly. Funny, the fragrance almost retreats after putting it on and you’re left wondering if it’s going to just quickly fade away. After 10 minutes, all I get from China White is lightly sweet and sharp woody incense. After 20 minutes, thankfully, the floral aspects start to come back making this more palatable in my book by giving it more dimension. Oh wait, they just went away again…or are they back again?? China White can’t seem to make up its mind. After about 30 minutes, add something that smells a bit like hair spray. I’m not quite sure if that’s really necessary!

China White Notes – The Nasamatto website doesn’t list the fragrance’s notes. Fragrantica doesn’t list the notes as well, but provided the following: Nasomatto China White was presented in 2008 as a floral-woody fragrance for women, composed of powdery notes of fresh flowers and woody accords.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Comme des Garcon Avignon’s little cousin who is a bit more shy and just a tad sweeter.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE CHINA WHITE: quiet, restrained, light

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT CHINA WHITE: Eiderdown Press , Worse Than Weeds, Nathan Branch

BOTTOM LINE: I like it and I don’t like it. China White makes me feel a bit schizophrenic. Every time I sniff my wrist it’s either all incense (I don’t just like incense) or its a combination of floral and incense (I like it like this)… but enough already, make up your mind so I can love it or leave it.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral Woody Musk
Nose: Alessandro Gualtieri
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $165 for 30ml Parfum Extrait

June 10, 2013
by The Scented Hound 24 Comments

Vintage Opium Parfum by Yves Saint Laurent

WHAT I SMELL: Opium opens with a spicy bang. It’s peppered with a sweet honeyed striking bite of cloves and cinnamon with hints of citrus. It’s almost overwhelming in its richness and depth. It makes my head swirl with the intoxicating jasmine and dare I say a bit of carnation which is a much hated note by me, but in this case it’s entwined with the other notes and doesn’t dominate. When I hold my arm close to my nose, the peppery spice notes almost burn the insides of my nostrils. There’s a slight smoky incense like layer on top of the floral spice giving it increasing depth. Opium is exotic, powerful and in charge. After a while the cascading full and rounded notes start to even out and Opium becomes dryer with more amber. At this point, Opium is still a spice bomb, but it ‘s now just a bit sweeter, but this is not sweet by any means. Opium never calms all the way down but becomes a bit more woody…it wants to be taken notice for hours and that’s just fine with me.

Opium Notes from Fragrantica:

Top notes are coriander, plum, citruses, mandarin orange, pepper, jasmine, cloves, west indian bay and bergamot; middle notes are carnation, sandalwood, patchouli, cinnamon, orris root, peach, lily-of-the-valley and rose; base notes are labdanum, tolu balsam, sandalwood, opoponax, musk, coconut, vanilla, benzoin, vetiver, incense, cedar, myrrh, castoreum and amber.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Whoever named this perfume, named it perfectly. It’s intoxicating and habit-forming and I can’t get enough.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE OPIUM: mysterious, seductive, passionate

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT OPIUM: Kafkaesque, Perfume Fountain, Yesterday’s Perfume

BOTTOM LINE: Once again I can point the finger at Kafkasesque for leading me down the eBay path to buy this beauty. I think I have put some on now for the past 5 days in a row and I continue to fall in love with it. Now mind you, I think you can find some good deals on the EdT versions on eBay, but the vintage parfum is a bit pricier. Even though I paid a lot for this love, it was still a relatively good deal at the price I got. I have done some research and it seems that my version is from somewhere between 1995 and 1999.

Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Spicy
Nose: Jean Amic and Jean-Louis Sieuzac
Classification: Feminine
Review based on vintage parfum
Expense: Varies on eBay