Perfume Review | The Scented Hound

February 14, 2023
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Amouage Opus XII Rose Incense

What would Valentine’s Day be without the obligatory review of a rose perfume? I aim to please, so let’s see what Amouage has in store for us on this special day dedicated to love…

WHAT I SMELL: Rose Incense opens with a lightly warmed incensed rose that quickly starts to bloom with a metallic edge. It’s as if a full bodied red rose has been sliced with an ancient sword and with such deft and swift action it has left remnants of the metal infused with the rapturous rose. The perfume is full of depth and mystery as it continues to enfold itself in an aura of light incense. The rose, metal and smoke seem to smolder with an ambery warmth, but I feel at this time as if it is a prelude of what is to come. But that transition is slow to come, or should I say that the journey is a thoughtful and meditative one. The perfume does sweeten just a little with hints of vanilla weaving in and out, but that seems to evade me because it feels as if sometimes it’s there and other times it doesn’t reveal itself. However, what does happen in the end is that the vanilla begins to meld into the perfume to make for the most delicious creamy rose and incense forcefield. The vanilla, along with a beautiful sandalwood help to escort out the metallic note which to me makes for a much more soft and welcoming wear.

Notes from the Amouage website:

ODE TO CHILDHOOD INNOCENSE

I should like a Rose, crimson and joyous. Velvety petals draped in clear, religious Elemi and coated in the sensual smoke of Olibanum Hyperabsolute – they remind me of our pure emotions, as we fell in love for the first ever time. I remember of Damascus Rose Water, flawless like our smiles; and caramel-coloured Incense Absolute, sweet like those hours lost in the depths of our imaginations.

What remains when our lives come to pass?

With bewitching and metallic streaks of Black Ink, I shall write down the memories of our love.

Moments, images and sensations of bitter Myrrh.

Vanilla is sweet, Sandalwood takes me to heavens of silk but Cedarwood reminds me of reality, dry, brittle and dense like Suede.

Inspired by the uncertainty of the ‘Rosebud’ mystery in ‘Citizen Kane’, Rose Incense is an ambery and pointilliste constellation of gleaming moments whose beauty compels us to believe that only childhood memories are real.

Perfumer: Bruno Jovanovic

- Top Notes: Elemi, Olibanum (Frankincense) Hyper Absolute, Black Ink Accord.
- Heart Notes: Damascena Rose Water Essential, Suederal, Frankincense Absolute.
- Base Notes: Myrrh, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Cedarwood.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The perfumer’s Citizen Kane inspiration is perfect with a beautiful rose, the metallic blades from the sled and the incense to magnify the sled’s destruction…ROSEBUD.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ROSE INCENSE: calm, serious, mysterious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT INCENSE: The Velvet Life

BOTTOM LINE: As part of the Library Collection, Rose Incense is a perfume that may not be incredibly unique. However, like most Amouage perfumes it is a rose cut above the rest with quality and an execution that far surpasses many of the other rose/incense combinations that you will find on the market. Any Valentine would be so lucky to be wearing this today.

- Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
- Scent: Floral Amber
- Nose: Bruno Jovanovic
- Classification: Unisex
- Expense: $360 for 100 ml eau de parfum

February 7, 2023
by The Scented Hound 3 Comments

Jusbox Perfumes Spring Dance

Winter here in the Yucatan of Mexico is heaven. Low humidity, moderate temperatures and lots of sun make for perfect indoor/outdoor living. For some reason, this year, the weather is acting a bit strange just as it seems to be for others around the world. Today, albeit cool, it’s rainy and overcast and just a bit gloomy. So I thought why not “think spring” and review a perfume that sounds perfect for the upcoming season. Let’s see if it does the trick to lighten the mood of the day…

WHAT I SMELL: Spring Dance opens with a lightly sweet lemony grapefruit that quickly turns to neroli. I don’t see neroli within the notes, but it seems to be there front and center. There’s a softness to the perfume where right from first spritz there’s a dusting of musk that blankets the perfume and keeps the citrus and the subsequent florals wrapped in fuzzy warmth. As the perfume develops, a full bodied and rounded jasmine begins to emerge. It’s very pretty and I find it to be rather comforting. After some more time, a honeysuckle squeezes its way in. What was once soft and inviting now has a bit of a bite, but that’s not a bad thing because it makes the perfume just a little more interesting. The perfume then settles in to a lightly warmed jasmine infused musk. Spring Dance did a fine job in lifting my spirits, but the sun just came out too.

From the Jusbox website:

Spring Dance is an olfactory concert that celebrates life as an expression of beauty and power, in the moment of its inception. Spring Dance is an emotional composition in which the top notes of grapefruit and LMR Tunisian rosemary open to an ensemble of LMR jasmine sambac absolute and honeysuckle, extolling the blossoming of flowers that saturate the air with a fragrance that is both powerful and gentle at its heart. The elegant rhythms of dry amber and musk are the base notes in an olfactory harmony in which wellbeing and balance are the libretto of an extraordinary opera. Spring Dance is an olfactory counterpoint that interweaves the canon of perfumery art with a contemporary and innovative technique. The allegro of the top notes, which are clean, fresh, soft and discreet, is inserted in a structured and very persistent olfactory intrigue.

Perfume Notes:

Top: Grapefruit, LMR Tunisian rosemary

Heart: Honeysuckle accord, LMR jasmine sambac absolute

Bottom: Dry amber, musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A green gauze wrap.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SPRING DANCE: safe, pretty, innocuous

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SPRING DANCE: None to be found.

BOTTOM LINE: Spring Dance is pretty, it’s pleasant, it’s nice…

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral Musky
Nose: Dominique Ropion
Classification: Unisex, but leans feminine
Expense: Approximately $165 for 78 ml eau de parfum.

*Jusbox is an exclusive range of perfumes whose concept is based on the similarity between perfume and music. Music is the key inspiration for all of their fragrances. Each of the perfumes is accompanied by a playlist of music associated with the perfume. In the case of Spring Dance, Vivaldi comes to life. To play the playlist, go to the Spring Dance page on the Jusbox website.

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary.

November 28, 2022
by The Scented Hound 2 Comments

My Perfumed Christmas List 2022

In the past I’ve created holiday shopping suggestions for perfume, perfume related items and just some other fun random things thrown into the mix. And every year, coming up with gift suggestions becomes harder, partly because of living in Mexico and being away from shopping in person. But mostly as I get older I don’t actively seek out the new and exciting because I’m not the target market and because at this stage in my life getting a lot of presents just doesn’t matter. OK, so now I’m sounding like Scrooge. Far from it. I do have wishes and wants, but they are fewer and farther in between. So this year, my suggestions are comprised of a listing of perfumes that I think are amazing and of which I obsess over because they are what my perfumes dreams are made of. Some are in my collection and some I hope to be in my collection in the near future. So here we go…

Click on each title for the full review.

Hera by Papillon Perfumes

Hera is a perfume that I have completely obsessed about since first sniff. It’s a new fragrance with the soul of a vintage perfume and it’s absolute perfection.

No. 12 by Puredistance Perfumes

Puredistance can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned. Their collection of 12 perfumes consists of modern classics that deliver incredible beauty to the wearer. To me, their crowning glory was the introduction of No. 12 which is so absolutely breathtaking that it’s the one perfume that I reach for every time I need something special and spectacular to wear.

Shalini by Shalini Parfums

Once again, the house of Shalini along with Maurice Roucel has created a collection of perfumes that stand out above the rest. However, the original Shalini to me is the best of the lot. It’s quiet beauty makes my heart sing every time I wear it. To me, it’s absolutely unique and absolutely beautiful.

Chanel Boy

When I first wore Boy, I really liked it. But as time wore on, I found it to be a wonderfully easy fougere to love. It’s lavender heart isn’t too bold which makes this a perfect perfume to wear on any occasion. Boy has fallen into my “I don’t know what to wear today, so I’ll wear something that is a perfect fit every time” group of perfumes. To me, Chanel makes some of the best clean and fresh scents that are excellent for every day wear.

Enslaved by Roja Parfums

Unfortunately, I found out that Enslaved has been discontinued by Roja Parfums. This modern take on Molinard’s Habinita is big, bold, thick and heady and completely rapturous. I do believe there are still bottles to be found out there and if I was not living in Mexico I would buy myself another since I have just a few drops left in my bottle.

And for those of you who love vintage perfumes (you can find them all on eBay and Etsy and the current formulations can be found via other sources)…

Caron Narcisse Blanc

I have had this perfume in my collection for years, but for some reason it has once again become an obsession and I wear it constantly. It’s thick, creamy and completely joyous and you can’t help but love it. Narcisse Blanc seems to fall to the wayside of it’s more famous sister Narcisse Noir, but this brighter narcissus fragrance is to me, a much easier wear.

Ysatis by Givenchy

The 1980s are alive and well in this over-the-top beauty. You can’t help not be noticed when you’re wearing it. I don’t really wear it out, but sometimes when I’m sitting around the house it transports me back to a time when big perfume, big hair and big shoulders were the norm. This is one time that bigger is indeed better.

Magie Noire by Lancome