Perfume Review | The Scented Hound

September 5, 2016
by The Scented Hound 8 Comments

Timothy Han Edition Perfumes: On the Road & She Came to Stay

Based in London, Timothy Han approaches perfume making a little differently, choosing to produce perfumes in small batches called editions stating that raw fragrance materials vary year to year like grapes for wine. As such, theses variations means each run of perfume is created in a limited volume, with edition numbering to allow you to easily identify which batch of perfume your bottle came from.

Both fragrances in the collection were inspired by iconic works of literature. And each fragrance is accompanied with a numbered work of art on the box cover tied to an individual artist. Similar to differing covers that appear with each new print run of a book, each edition of a perfume will also feature new artwork by the same artist.

ON THE ROAD – WHAT I SMELL: On the Road begins it’s journey with a lush, moist muted lemon and galbanum. The perfume is a little sour in addition to having an undertone of what smells like dirty socks. In a short time, the perfume begins to feel pinched as a birch tar takes over, mixed with what feels like a plastic sole from a tennis shoe. After a few more minutes, the perfume feels as if there is a bonfire that is now lightly burning but which stemmed from a set of tires that once were raging in the flames. Quickly, that aspect of the perfumes development disappears and the perfume moves to more of a rubbery consistence. The perfume softens considerably and begins to become strangely pretty with what seems to be a sweetened patchouli and vanilla stirred into the rubbery mixture.

On the Road notes from the Timothy Han Edition website:

Top – Galbanum, Lemon, Bergamot, Lavandin
Heart – Amyris, Cedarwood, Patchouli
Base – Tonka Bean, Oakmoss, Guaicawood, Benzoin, Birch, Vanilla, Labdanum, Perou

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: On the Road feels like just that…the perfume is all about the base of sweetened rubber hitting the cooled pavement.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ON THE ROAD: modern, industrial, progressive

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ON THE ROAD: No reviews found besides feedback on Fragrantica.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Nose: Timothy Han
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $160 for 60 ml eau de parfum

SHE CAME TO STAY – WHAT I SMELL: She Came to Stay opens up with a warm, inviting geranium topped with cloves and spices. It feels as if you’re walking into an herbal terrarium, with a breeze of lemon wafting through. The perfume however is not light; instead, all of the components feel heavy, heady and pressed with weight. After a few minutes, the perfume does begin to lighten as a metallic edge joins the herbs. This edge actually does feel like a metallic pole that is planted right at the center of the perfume. Although not bad, it does feel as if the perfume rotates lushly around this singular component. There’s a great deal of movement in the perfume and as it continues to develop a mentholated labdanum starts to emerge. Again, the perfume is warm and herbal. After some time, the warmth retreats and the herbaled lemon ends up sitting on top of a woody base with hints of cloves and nutmeg

She Came to Stay notes from the Timothy Han Edition website::

Top – Geranium, Basil, Lemon
Heart – Indonesian Clove, Nutmeg
Base – Patchouli, Vetiver, Labdanum, Oakmoss, Cedarwood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Wilson from Castaway. There’s something very remote about the way this perfume feels. Even though it’s warm and herbal, it feels very distant and aloof.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SHE CAME TO STAY: herbal, removed, distant

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SHE CAME TO STAY: No reviews found besides feedback on Fragrantica.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Aromatic Fougere
Nose: Timothy Han
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $160 for 60 ml eau de parfum

BOTTOM LINE: Both of these perfumes are interestingly different in their own right. On the Road is really intriguing in that it captures the post WWII age of a new generation through plastics and the automobile. It has a nostalgic vibe and in the end feels very comforting and secure.

Samples courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary. Opinion my own.

August 29, 2016
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

La Belle Hellene by Parfums MDCI

WHAT I SMELL: Madame Hellene is true to the dessert honoring her name as it opens with bright aldehydes and a sweet pear. The perfume is lush, juicy and dripping with a warmed honeyed tone of citrus. It’s also rich, opulent and almost too much to drink in. The pear is nectarous as if it’s coated in simple syrup and it’s also served with a fruity osmanthus. I can’t get over the dizzying spectacle of the whirling fruit and florals which seem to bounce off the skin like whirling dervishes. In a bit the perfume softens, but just slightly as the sweetened florals take on just a bit of powder, which reduces the ripe and wet which led the path at the beginning. After some time, the perfume’s fruity florals are met with a warmed sandalwood and light musk which helps to even the fragrance out. At this point, La Belle Hellene is as pretty as her name and the perfume develops this radiant powder with this delicious hint of licorice which is unexpected, but completely delightful. Licorice notwithstanding, the perfume really starts to dry as it settles down into a powdered memory of ripened pear.

Top notes : pear, aldehydes, tangerine, lemon flower

Heart notes : Bulgarian rose, osmanthus, mimosa, ylang ylang, iris, hawthorn, mirabelle plum

Bottom notes : myrrh, vetiver, patchouli, cedar, amber, sandalwood, oak foam, white musk, licorice

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A lavish dessert buffet.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE LA BELLE HELLENE: succulent, ravishing, fruited

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LA BELLE HELLENE: Olfactoria’s Travels, The Black Narcissus, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: This pretty lady leaves me rather conflicted. On the one hand it’s too sweet and gourmand for my tastes; at the same time it’s so proper and ladylike with just a hint of licorice making this unique enough to strike my fancy. However, each time I have worn it, it does seem to test my patience a bit as it wears on me and becomes somewhat tiresome.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Chypre Fruity
Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $250 for 75 ml eau de parfum (non-bust edition)

August 24, 2016
by The Scented Hound 16 Comments

New Release: Baptême du feu by Serge Lutens

WHAT I SMELL: Wow…Baptême du feu has a wonderful opening that’s cool to the touch, incredibly juicy and vibrant with a blast of bright citrus and bergamot. The perfume begins to warm quickly and the juiciness subsides to reveal a ripened osmanthus along with an orange rind like sourness. After 10 minutes or so, a ginger note begins to surface along with a wafting incense. What was joyous and bright has moved to a mysterious tonality. The perfume then takes another turn and the incense disappears and the perfume become fully ginger…and it grows exponentially in projection. But of course, Uncle Serge needs to contradict my words and once again, a wafting incense reveals itself. The ginger makes the perfume a little sweet, but not too much as there’s a light herbal base that resides under the candied root. After an hour, the perfume begins to dust and powder with a metallic edge as the candied aspects are lessened. In the end you’re left with a woody powdered ginger dustiness.

From the Serge Lutens website:

My emotions are fluid. Like liquid wax poured into a mould, they determine what seduces me—like this gingerbread heart. – Serge Lutens

The fragrance features gingerbread, powdery notes, tangerine, castoreum, osmanthus and woody notes.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Pippi Longstocking…it starts off bright, juicy and full of candied ginger…but as it wears it loses its initial gloss and becomes rather tiresome.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BAPTÊME DU FEU: semi-sweet, pleasant, semi-interesting

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BAPTÊME DU FEU: Persolaise, Kafkaesque, Perfume Posse

BOTTOM LINE: For the first 45 minutes of wear, I loved this perfume as its full of life and absolutely delightful. After that, its pleasant enough. Ho-hum.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $150 for 50 ml eau de parfum