The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: patchouli


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Santa Maria Novella Patchouli

WHAT I SMELL:   Patchouli’s opening is warm, with musty and thickened earthy patchouli that increasingly radiates off of the skin at every breath you take in.  There’s also a medicinal quality that is a cross between herbaceous and mentholated.  In a short time, Patchouli becomes woody, rather dry and it feels like the perfume was dug out from the bottom of a forest.  This is not a pretty patchouli, nor one of sweet youth, but a patchouli that reins from ancient times and one that has been fermenting in a cask until ready to be released after years of careful curation.  As the perfume develops in slow, deliberate and small nuances, it quietly settles in a woody, musky and dried, yet creamy crush of patchouli.  Patchouli would be perfect for those cool and rainy contemplative days when you don’t want to be troubled by current events.

From the Santa Maria Novella website:

The Patchouli perfume from the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica of Santa Maria Novella is a bouquet of oriental woody notes, which evoke the homonymous plant’s homeland: Malaysia and India. In the regions of origin, the unmistakable smell of patchouli pervades public and domestic environments, as traditional medicine believes that it acts on the physical balance and has a positive effect on the psyche.

Olfactory Notes:  Woody notes

Top: floral note

Heart: rosewood

Base: patchouli, sandalwood, oak moss

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  An abandoned Italian villa with remnants of ancient memories still lingering in the air.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE PATCHOULI:  ancient, earthy, serious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PATCHOULI:  Take One Thing Off, Perfume Smellin’ Things

BOTTOM LINE:  Patchouli is beautiful without being loud, funky or sweet in any way.  Although not an everyday perfume, it’s one that you’ll go back to again and again when the mood is just right.  For those of you who love patchouli, this is one for your collection.

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Oriental Woody
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense:  $125 for 100 ml eau de cologne


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Vintage Dior Dioressence

Dioressence

WHAT I SMELL:  Dioressence opens with a warm and bold patchouli combined with a tad of vanilla. It’s pretty, warm and inviting.  That initial blast of patchouli starts to diminish to reveal a creamy floral mix punctuated with a spicy carnation.  After 10 minutes, the perfume begins to dry and become lightly powdered which is great because it helps to pull the perfume away again from being dominated by the patchouli.  After another 20 minutes the softens a bit more, but at the heart of Dioressence is a warm and inviting patchouli that tops a rounded and rather beefy mix of florals.  Dioressence is radiant, slightly carnal and very in control.

Notes from Fragrantica:

Top notes are aldehydes, orange, fruity notes, patchouli, green notes and bergamot; middle notes are carnation, tuberose, cinnamon, violet, orris root, jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose and geranium; base notes are musk, patchouli, benzoin, vanilla, oakmoss, vetiver and styrax.

Central Park - FallWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Central Park NYC in the Fall.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE DIORESSENCE:  secure, confident, sensual

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT DIORESSENCE: Now Smell This, I Scent You a Day, The Non-Blonde

BOTTOM LINE:  As with many vintage perfumes, the top notes are first to go, so I didn’t experience any aldehyde and bergamot rush in the opening.  But that doesn’t mean this isn’t a beauty.  Au contraire…it’s very pretty.  Actually, it reminds me greatly of the discontinued MPG George Sand.  No wonder I like it so much!

  • Bone Rating:  3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Chypre Floral
  • Nose:  Guy Robert
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: Varies.  Review based on vintage Eau de Toilette


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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