patchouli | The Scented Hound

February 28, 2012
by The Scented Hound 3 Comments

Armani Prive’ Ambre Soie by Armani

You will notice that I have been reviewing a lot of amber scents as of late. Last month, I ordered a Men’s Amber sample pack from The Perfumed Court. If you’re not familiar with them, they offer decant service on an incredible variety of fragrances, including hard to find ones. But I digress. One of the samples that was part of this group was Ambre Soie. I was very excited to try this and found that I wasn’t disappointed. I found this to be an incredibly luxurious scent. Upon application, I was first greeted with a beautiful combination of ginger, pepper and spices. It then moved on to a lovely creamy and ethereal amber and patchouli. Ambre Soie is a very calming and elegant fragrance. I just wish I had more than what I have in my small vial. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to spray this gem on!

From the Giorgio Armani Beauty website:

Amber’s voluptuousness and depth appealed to Giorgio Armani. He re-interpreted this rare olfactive essence using the light of wood and eastern spices. It is a blend of Cinnamon and Clove, a hint of Ginger which rustles on the waves of Patchouli. The light touch of spices and liquorice wood venture deliciously into the amber. More weighty: Artist and magician, Giorgio Armani transforms the amber into a golden fluid, silky and smooth, revealing the skin, the ultimate elegance of exposure. The top, inspired by the most sumptuous amber stone reveals its transparency with golden, coppery tones. Its warmth echoing its sensual and radiant energy.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental
Classification: Unisex
Expense: Expensive – $200 for 100ml

February 13, 2012
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Black Aoud by Montale

You would think that a scent that I would describe as going on as smelling like plastic and burning rubber would be a scent that I wouldn’t recommend. Well… when I first put this on, I was ready to wash it off right away. But as you know, things can change as time passes and indeed this is one of those times. I walked into work about 45 minutes after I applied this perfume and no sooner than I was in the door (I hadn’t even had time to remove my coat), did a co-worker lean over and ask me what I was wearing because it smelled so wonderful. Go figure. So in about an hour, I went from smelling like an old tire to smelling delicious. And yes, once the fragrance opened up, it turned into a lovely warm and musky rose scent. And don’t get scared of the idea of roses, this is not the kind of rose scent that your grandmother wore. Overall, it’s a very distinctive and original scent. In addition, it’s a scent that lasts all day. I’m just not sure that it’s a scent for me…but I’ll give it some time and will definitely give it another try; old tire smell and all!

From the Montale Website:

A magnificent Cambodian Aoud blended with Indonesian Patchouli leaves over a combination of Mandarin, Musk and Rose petals.

Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: musk, rose, patchouli
Classification: Unisex
Expense: Moderately expensive – $110 for 50ml eau de parfum

February 9, 2012
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L’Hetre Reve by Nez a Nez

I love good surprises. I am always hesitant with scents that are comprised with elements of leather. I know as a man, I should embrace that rustic side of me, but I usually find that the leather is just too heavy. When I first applied this to my skin, the leather was clearly present, but it mixed wonderfully with the spices of cinnamon and clove. I can live with that kind of leather. As a unisex perfume, I thought at first that this was a decidedly a masculine scent; manly but warm and very enveloping. By the time I arrived at work, the magic continued but on a whole other level. Still warm, but now sweet. The leather dissipated and out came the light floral elements, a tinge of musk and a tinge of powder. I noticed that as the day went on, depending on what I was doing, sitting at my desk quietly or running to a meeting very busily, the scent changed… warm, cool, sweet, powdery, musky. It was like I was applying a new scent throughout the day. My one downside is that by the time I got home, the scent had pretty much disapearred on me. Well, I guess that just means that I’ll have to apply some more!

Notes:

Star anise, mandarin, cinnamon, clove, sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli, plum, wisteria, cedarwood, gaiacwood, jacaranda, leather, musk, port