Parfumerie Generale | The Scented Hound

October 29, 2012
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

Intrigant Patchouli by Parfumerie Generale

WHAT I SMELL: Opens almost medicinal and like Vick’s vapor rub which then moves quickly to a civet and castoreum phase… I am hoping to God that this gets better. Finally, this moves to a honeyed ambered patchouli that is not too sweet, but not my cup of tea. How come this reminds me of Tauer’s Orange Star? Both have patchouli in them but not other similar notes but somehow the combination just hits me wrong in the worst possible way. I could go on with descriptors but I think you already got my point: I don’t like it!

Intrigant Patchouli Notes: ginger, animal patchouli, Mysore’s Sandal Wood, Benzoin, Amber and Musk.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: What I envision Courtney Love early 90’s to smell like; dirty and grungy and trying to smell like a 60’s hippie (don’t get me wrong, I love Courtney Love and Hole big time, I just don’t want to smell like her).

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE INTRIGANT PATCHOULI: scrubbable, strong, wrong

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT INTRIGANT PATCHOULI: Fragrance Bouquet, Smellythoughts, Pour Monsieur

BOTTOM LINE: I am finding that I do like patchouli as a note. However, this takes patchouli down the wrong path for me. Uggghhh, I need to go wash this off now as it’s making my stomach turn.

Bone Rating: 2 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Animalic Chypre
Nose: Pierre Guillaume
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $100 for 50ml EdP

June 12, 2012
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

L’Ombre Fauve – Parfumerie Generale Private Collection

I was a little worried about the appropriateness of sampling L’Ombre Fauve on a hot and humid day. I usually associate amber and musk fragrances as winter wear. I was pleasantly surprised that this worked for today’s weather. In fact, I see it working in both summer and winter. You have to love a fragrance that you can wear comfortably year round!

L’Ombre Fauve is an unusual concoction. For an amber, it’s not sweet. For a musk, it’s not too heavy. I found it very similar to Frederic Malle’s Musc Ravageur… ok, let me articulate that thought. I would consider this to be Musc Ravageur’s little sister. Where Musc Ravageur hits you hard with its musky and animalistic characteristics, L’Ombre Fauve still retains a bit of the naughty, but for the most part it’s just really loving and nice.

L’Ombre Fauve goes on warm and a little spicy. It feels like it hugs the skin, but you find that it comes up to greet you as well… playing tricks on how it sits on your body. The amber is just so lightly sweet which makes this perfect for both men and women alike. The fragrance doesn’t change much after the initial application. But it does have great longevity and with that longevity the dry down (which seems to take a long, long time) moves into an almost light and sweet vanilla.

L’Ombre Fauve is a scent that I thought I might like, but as the day wore on, I began to think that this might be a keeper. Sometimes little sisters can be a pain in the butt, but sometimes they’re just fun to hang out with!

L’Ombre Fauve Notes:

amber, musk, woods, incense, patchouli

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Woody Oriental
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $100 for 50ml EDP

June 4, 2012
by The Scented Hound 3 Comments

Querelle – Parfumerie Generale Private Collection

The opening of Querelle is really lovely and very understated. So understated that I almost felt like I had to bathe in the scent to get it to stick to my skin. Funny, it’s not until this is worn for a while that the scent actually comes to the surface. But let’s get back to the opening… Querelle opens with a mild citrus and black pepper spice. This would be considered a vetiver scent, but a vetiver without screaming “I am green!”. The citrus disappears quickly and you are left with a dryness which pushes out a mild incense. The incense, pepper and a bit of amber keep this fragrance in a place where few others go. What I mean is that at times it feels like a remote and distant scent, but at other times, it swirls around up to your nostrils with an engaging warmth. And every time you lift your wrists, you’ll note that you smell something a bit different. I really like fragrances that take you on a journey. Querelle is a different scent for me and I’m surprised that it falls into my lane of liking it. This scent feels masculine to me, but it is considered unisex. It hugs close to the skin, but had great longevity. I will be visiting this scent again!

Querelle Notes: citrus, Iranian black caraway, myrrh, cinnamon, Haitian vetiver, incense, oakmoss, ambergris