Perfume | The Scented Hound

May 5, 2014
by The Scented Hound 12 Comments

New Release: Tango by Masque

WHAT I SMELL: Tango opens with a spicy bergamot that dances with pepper followed soon with this wonderful cardamon which gives it a slight medicinal herbal hue. After a few more minutes, a rather boozy almost whiskey like note is introduced and the fragrance begins to get a bit tangy and sharper which helps to lighten the rather deep opening. It feels like its revving itself up like pistons in an engine getting ready for the fragrance to take off. There’s a little sweetness that lurks underneath the spicy elements of the fragrance that help it to be more playful than sedate. The amber provides for a consistent warmth for the base that makes Tango oh so comfortable, yet incredibly sexy like a form-fitting dress that reveals every curve. After around 30 minutes, Tango becomes pure sex. The heady florals matched with the warm base just oozes off your skin. It’s intoxicating and breathtaking.

Tango note from the Masque website:

Head notes: bergamot, black pepper, cardamom

Heart notes: Sambac jasmine abs, Damascena rose oil, patchouli

Base notes: vanilla bean, tonka bean, melilot abs, amber accord, leather accord, benzoin, muscs

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: As the seductive dance between two lovers; Tango is named perfectly!

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE TANGO: lively, nocturnal, peppery

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT TANGO: Colognossieur, CaFleureBon, The Non-Blonde

BOTTOM LINE: Wow! Tango took me by surprise and whipped me up into a carnal frenzy. Tango isn’t a fragrance that’s meant for the office, but is perfect for when you’re prowling the streets at night. Trust me, you’ll be noticed.

Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Cecile Zarokian
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $240 for 100ml EdP

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary

May 1, 2014
by The Scented Hound 12 Comments

New Release: Junky by Jardins D’Ecrivains

WHAT I SMELL: Junky opens with this tangy herbal then quickly sour rather hempish opening. It’s like marijuana sticks and buds mixed with a bit of lemon sour. It’s pungent, yet intriguing because it’s different. After a couple of minutes a flattened quality comes in, but yet it’s tinged with light bits of candied flavored Pixy Stix. So far Junky is rather woody, but soon enough, the pretty iris comes into play. Again its unusual but very pretty. There’s also this contingency of oak moss and incense that snakes its way underneath the floral. As it progresses, Junky becomes more tart and much drier. After around the 30 minute mark, the tartness starts to subside and the fragrance becomes slightly sweeter. No, wait…after another 15 minutes the sweetness dissipates and the lightly musk like vetiver graciously surrenders a peaceful and calming presence.

From the Twisted Lily website:

William Burroughs was the most experimental and avant-garde figure of the Beat Generation, the one who went furthest in developing the complexity of the novel. In his your he escaped through reading Oscar Wilde, and he went on to lead a bohemian lifestyle, delighting in extreme experiences. His first novel, Junky, describes the harsh reality of addiction. Jardins D’Ecrivains presents its new fragrance, which points to the analogous experience of olfactory addition.

Perfume has the power to take us to a higher plane and really influences our behavior. Perfume reveals something intimate to others but also to the person wearing it. This is a complex, unique fragrance.

There are three key phases in its development; the top notes include the subtlest hint of fresh hemp. The mysterious middle notes bring in the creamy scents of gardenia, iris and violet, which then mingle with the dry-wood base notes of cashmeran, cedar and cade, softened by the frankincense and sweet myrrh resins and the aroma of Javanese vetiver.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A head rush; you sniff it in and the tartness collects at the top of your nose and surges through your brain in a rush only to then leave your brain and head very happy and relaxed.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE JUNKY: unique, journeyed, different

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT JUNKY: CaFleureBon, Chemist in a Bottle, Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE: I really like Junky. It’s as unique and as much of a wild ride that I have been on for some time with a fragrance. But the great thing about it is that it’s not a weird and strange being at all. It’s rather pretty, very unisex and in the end, easy to wear.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $110 for 100ml EdP

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary

April 22, 2014
by The Scented Hound 21 Comments

New Release: Yin & Ylang by Sonoma Scent Studio

A little over a month ago I was reading on one of my favorite sites, CaFleureBon, that CaFleureBon editor Michelyn Camen and perfumer Laurie Erickson had teamed up to create a new perfume based on a concept developed by Michelyn. I knew that whatever these two created was going to be incredible and was even more excited to learn that the featured note was going to be my beloved ylang-ylang. You can read more about Michelyn’s and Laurie’s inspiration and their creative development process at CaFleureBon. As there was a draw as part of the announcement, I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek sniff…but even better, it’s now available for sale!

WHAT I SMELL: Yin & Ylang opens with a snappy bergamot and semi sweet blood orange, but quickly moves into with this very lovely and deepened fruitiness which then becomes moves even deeper revealing this ultra creamy and über sexy ylang ylang. For an opening, this is surprising as it’s weighted with a layered sheen of wax which seems to pour up from the depths below. Jasmine and tuberose take a back seat to the ylang ylang, but sit on the side revealing themselves after around ten minutes as the fragrance begins to lighten after its initial seduction. As the fragrance lightens, a hint of soured light sharpness (sandalwood?) begins to make an appearance. However, given another twenty minutes and the fragrance looses any hint of sharpness and the creamy florals really begin to project off my skin. The fragrance then blends so fluently with the base notes creating this dreamy and slightly honeyed backdrop for the exquisite florals. I’m not sure what this says about me, but I find Yin & Ylang to be sensual, yet very comforting at the same time.

Fragrance Notes from the Sonoma Scent Studio website:

Bergamot, blood orange, soft aldehydes,beeswax absolute, ylang complete oil, jasmine sambac absolute, tuberose absolute, rose damascones, ginger CO2,Mysore sandalwood oil, oakmoss absolute, amber, patchouli,vanilla, musk.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: seduction

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE YIN & YLANG: glorious, enraptured, lush

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT YIN & YLANG: Now Smell This, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: I had the pleasure of meeting Michelyn last fall at Sniffapalooza and she is lovely and charming in every way and she knows the perfume industry like few do. Knowing Michelyn, I knew upon hearing about this new creation that it would be a hit; and I was right. Sometimes great ideas and collaborations don’t always make for a good fit. In this case, Michelyn and Laurie have created a timeless beauty that starts off with a strong seduction and leaves you with a lasting love.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $55 for 17ml or $100 for 34ml from the Sonoma Scent Studio website