Perfume Review | The Scented Hound

May 18, 2016
by The Scented Hound 18 Comments

New Release: Mugler Angel Muse

WHAT I SMELL: Angel Muse goes on the skin all sweet, nutty and über creamy; it lies on your skin as if was applied like butter to toast. The perfume is sweet, but not sugary; instead it’s more gourmand. As the perfume develops, that creamy nutty buttery concoction moves to the less creamy, but the projection begins to grow and with it the patchouli comes front and center with a pulsating rhythm of brown sugar and vetiver which helps to keep the perfume from going full on sweet. As it continues to develop, a tonka and vanilla note comes forward which helps to give the perfume some needed depth. In the end, the perfume resides in a warmed cocoon of semi sweet-comfort and ultimately after many hours, Angel Muse ends up feeling like a comfy musky vanilla pillow. But best of all Angel Muse is a bright and happy scent and that’s sure to make you smile.

From the Mugler website:

Tantalizing. Delicious. Supremely feminine. Discover ANGEL Muse, the new addictive fragrance you will #HateToLove…. Cosmic explosions collide with magnetic attraction to create an irresistible Eau de Parfum never experienced before. Get ready to lose your mind! Fragrance notes: Grapefruit, Pink Peppercorn, Hazelnut Cream, Vetiver, Patchouli.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Full House, early ’90s.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ANGEL MUSE: big, noticeable, energized

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ANGEL MUSE: Musings of a Muse, My Life Along the Lishops, Complexions Beauty Blog

BOTTOM LINE: There’s something very nostalgic and comforting about Angel Muse. Like a throwback in time, the perfume is big and bold and fits like a well-worn sweatshirt or sweater.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Vanilla
Nose: Quentin Bisch
Classification: Leans feminine and young
Expense: $70 for 1 oz. Eau de Parfum

May 16, 2016
by The Scented Hound 8 Comments

New Release: Rrose Sélavy by Maria Candida Gentile

WHAT I SMELL: Rrose Sélavy has a very herbal opening with a minted tarragon sitting on top of a vibrant deep and masculine rose. I don’t want to say that the opening is discordant, but its incredibly different and unique in a way that makes you to wonder where this perfume path is going to lead you. After a few minutes, a mentholated and camphorous warmth helps to give the perfume a pulsating heart. Here the perfume feels beautifully earthy as if there’s a great story that accompanies the wearer of the fragrance. The perfume is deep, warm, slightly spicy and completely herbal and a little goes a long way as the projection is quite big, but it still manages to remain down to earth. Even though this is a rose perfume, there’s something so darkly mysterious and beautiful about it that belies my vision of a rose. In the end, Rrose Sélavy quiets considerably, leaving you with a faint wisp of a creamy rose that feels as if it’s holding a secret.

From the Maria Candida Gentile website:

A Velvet rose, persistent and unique, dedicated to one of the leading artist of Dadaism: a homage to Marcel Duchamp and to his “double” Rrose Sélavy.

Rrose Sélavy

With Rrose Sélavy Maria Candida interprets the “double” of Marcel Duchamp, and his jeux des mots Rrose Sélavy which sounds in French like “eros, c’est la vie”, or “arroser la vie”, to make a toast to life. Maria Candida pays tribute to Duchamp, making a toast to life with her velvet, soft, fresh, just harvested, with its olfactory vibration, which fill the air and the space, tridimensional just like his art crafts. The name Sélavy emerged in 1921 in a series of photographs by Man Ray of Duchamp dressed as a woman. Through the 1920s, Man Ray and Duchamp collaborated on more photos of Sélavy. Duchamp later used the name as the byline on written material and signed several creations with it.

Notes: Rose petals, Turkish rose, May rose , Rose accord, Michelle rose, Rose stems, Rose leaves

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A Victorian parlor, full of the non-air conditioned worn wood, rugs, upholstery and books – it’s earthy, natural and comforting.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE RROSE SÉLAVY: herbal, mentholated, meditative

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RROSE SÉLAVY: Colognoisseur, perfumesilove

BOTTOM LINE: As I have said in the past, Maria Candida Gentile’s perfumes have a very MCG distinct fingerprint that is all hers. Rrose Sélavy is no exception. I find that you either really love her perfumes or you don’t and that there’s not a lot of in between. I really like her creations, they’re bold, different and incredibly unique and to me, this take on rose is wonderfully unexpected. Rrose Sélavy is a masculine perfume that melds to the feminine in the end and it perfectly fits the inspiration; the alter ego of Marcel Duchamp, Rrose Sélavy.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Maria Candida Gentile
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $195 for 100 ml or $49 for 15 ml Parfum Extrait

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

May 11, 2016
by The Scented Hound 15 Comments

Vintage Chaldée by Jean Patou

WHAT I SMELL: Vintage Chaldée opens with a deep warm full-bodied floral bouquet. I’m not sure if the top notes are still there as the perfume sets very quickly into the resin based floral presentation. The perfume is thick and rich with a deep lilac presenting itself as the floral star. But the lilac isn’t soft and gentle, instead its thickened with the opoponox. After a while, a dust covers the base of the perfume, giving it a vintage feel without making it feel like it belongs in another time. The dust then turns to more of a cotton and for some reason it reminds me if the smell of brand new white tube socks. After around 20 minutes, the vanilla brings an ever so slight sweetness to the warmed florals. Funny, after around 1/2 hour, a little bit of civet seems to creep in giving the perfume an added depth and dimension. Finally, the perfume ends it’s journey in this warmed and flattened bouquet that projects this beautiful and confident persona.

Top notes: orange blossom and hyacinth. Heart: jasmine, lilac and narcissus. Base: opoponax, amber and vanilla.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A grand hat from a bygone era.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE CHALDÉE: warm, contained, deep

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT CHALDÉE: Now Smell This, Perfume Shrine, I Smell Therefore I Am

BOTTOM LINE: For an eau de toilette, vintage Chaldee has a large personality and is incredibly long-lasting. I recently had a chance to test the newly reissued version in eau de parfum concentration and it opened up grand and glorious much like the original. I was ecstatic. However, surprisingly enough, it didn’t have the lasting power and it turned rather dark on me. I do need to give it another chance though…but the vintage….oh my, beautiful. Thanks to Holly for this beautiful gift!

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Henri Almeras in 1927
Classification: Leans feminine, but could be unisex
Expense: Prices vary on eBay.