The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.


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ByBozo Rival in Love

WHAT I SMELL:  Rival in Love opens with a lightly sweetened blood orange that’s quickly met with a juicy, ripe and enticing lychee.  It’s so incredibly intoxicating in the softest of ways as there’s nothing sharp here as the perfume just lilts upon the skin with a light and soft sheath of cottony musk.  After a bit, the sweetened and soft opening moves to the more round with a lightly peppered rose making it’s entrance.  Where the opening was light and demure, the perfume is now more mature and seductive.  Here, the perfume begins to radiate and amplify, but never in a way that shouts.  As Rival in Love continues its progression, a patchouli enters grounding the florals with a buzzing woodiness.  Here, the perfume seems to be in conflict as you can tell that the patchouli is being buffered by something else that is trying to get out on top of it.  As the perfume finishes its internal fight, a sweetened vanilla and lychee come out to make the perfume the perfect mix of innocence and seductive maturity.   Rival in Love is one “love” of a perfume.

From the ByBozo website:

ByBozo Rival in Love. What next? A seductive scent of sexual energy. This is what passion smells of! It doesn’t hesitate to reveal all its emotions, so varied… Gentle and aggressive, Rival in Love opens with a sharp tango of blood orange and lychee. But in its heart dances a rose and an elegant jasmine, separated by a clove. This is a fight! The firey rain leaves behind the jealous patchouli, but it’s calmed by gentle vanilla What next?

Top Notes:  Blood orange, Lychee

Middle Notes:  Rose, Jasmine, Pepper

Base Notes:  Vanilla, Patchouli, Benzoin

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A fight for love that ends in the most beautiful of ways.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE RIVAL IN LOVE:  subtle, enticing, engaging

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RIVAL IN LOVE:  None found.

BOTTOM LINE:  Rival in Love is my first venture into the ByBozo line of perfumes and it’s a fantastic first foray.  The perfume is so well blended and is sheer and yet bold at the same time.  And for those of you who believe that bottle is just as important or as nearly as important as the perfume, ByBozo delivers with a fantastic weighty bottle and magnetic cap.

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Oriental Floral
  • Note:  Paul Emilien
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense:  Prices starting at 58 Euros for 15ml eau de parfum

Sample courtesy of ByBozo Paris.  Opinion my own.


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New Release: Puredistance No. 12

WHAT I SMELL:  No. 12 opens with a soft, buttery bergamot that’s infused with citrus and lightly sweetened florals that go on smooth as silk.  From first spritz the perfume is elegance personified as there’s nothing sharp as the now lightly warmed florals seem to infuse into your being as if the perfume isn’t just resting on your skin, but becomes part of it.  The ylang-ylang is front and center initially, but hints of rose peek through every now and then.  After some time, the perfume withdraws a bit, making it rather quiet as a slightly metallic rose makes its way in replacing the ylang-ylang as the center of attention.  The perfume still retains its buttery and silky finish as it starts to become warmer and grows in projection.  After some more time, the butter makes way for the powder which makes the florals all that more feminine.  Continuing on, No. 12 deepens and warms with a lightly weighted mix of amber and softened sandalwood.   Overall the perfume is seamless in its development and its infusion of ingredients.  As such, I’m not sure I’m giving it justice with my description.  So in the end, the best way to describe No. 12 is to envision a beauty descending slowly down a grand staircase at the start of the magnificent ball.  You can’t help but turn your head and take in the radiant grace and warmth of her spirit.  Let the festivities begin! 

From the Puredistance website:

A grand perfume that wraps around you like a cashmere veil… A perfume like no other, in many ways timeless and hard to describe with words. No.12 perfectly embodies the DNA of Puredistance: timelessly beautiful, elegant and very distinctive in character

Top Notes: Bergamot oil, Mandarin oil, Cardamom oil, Coriander oil, Ylang Ylang oil, Narcissus abs

Middle Notes: Jasmin abs, Rose oil, Geranium oil, Lily of the Valley, Orange Blossom, Osmanthus abs, Orris Butter, Heliotrope, Hedione HC

Base Notes: Vetyver, Sandalwood oil, Patchouli oil, Oak moss, Tonka, Ambrette note, Ambroxan, Vanilla, Musks.

Lady in waiting of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (wife on Nicholas I) by Gavril Yakovlev, 1850′s.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Royal blue.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE No. 12:  grand, graceful, classic, warm, inviting, rapturous…ok, so that’s more than three words, but I probably could add another 20 and in the end it wraps up to just one word…gorgeous.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT No. 12The Plum Girl, PerfuManiac, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE:  No. 12 is the last entry into the Puredistance Magnificent XII collection of perfumes.  And what a way to seal off an already amazing set of fragrances.  With No. 12, perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer has created a classic that harkens back to the day when perfumes were created that were simple in their beauty while also being fantastically grand.  I have always stated that White was my favorite perfume in the Puredistance collection, but I am thinking that No. 12 may have just changed my mind.  No worries though as I can love them both!

  • Bone Rating: 5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Nose: Nathalie Feisthauer
  • Classification:  Leans feminine
  • Expense: Starting at 175 Euros for 17ml parfum extrait (25% perfume oil).


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Chanel Allure Homme

WHAT I SMELL:  Allure Homme opens with a fresh and intoxicating herbal mandarin and lavender that is peppered with hints of brown sugar.  It goes on sexy, invigorating and completely approachable.  The perfume soon mellows a bit from its’ exciting entrance, but it remains delightfully confident in it’s persona.   As the perfume continues to settle, the tonka and a light vanilla are the radiant center and help to create a smooth and creamy aura that begins to radiate ever so subtly.  After some time, the perfume matures a bit with a buzzing pepper coming into play along with a soft, but sweetened patchouli.  Allure is neither for the young or the old, but for any man who just wants to smell clean and fresh…and just fantastic.

From the Chanel website:

Difficult to define, impossible to resist. Crisp and clean, warm and sexy, ALLURE HOMME is the expression of a man’s charisma and inner strength. A fresh, spicy and woody composition that reveals the presence of the man who wears it.

Vigorous, fresh top notes of Mandarin and Coriander, subtly spiced, blend into clean, intense notes of Cedar. Venezuelan Tonka Bean and Cistus Labdanum combine for a sensual trail that’s heightened by Black Pepper from Madagascar.

Top notes:  Lemon, Peach, Ginger, Mandarin Orange, Lavender and Bergamot

Middle notes:  Pepper, Cedar, Patchouli, Vetiver, Brazilian Rosewood, Rose, Jasmine, Gardenia, Freesia and Anise

Base notes:  Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Coconut, Sandalwood, Amber, Benzoin, Leather, Musk and Oakmoss

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Allure Homme is aptly named.  But I can’t help but call this fragrance a “go-getter” as there’s some real positive energy in the perfume and that when you wear it, it makes you feel as if you really can accomplish anything.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ALLURE HOMMEaffirmative, energized, easy-to-wear

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ALLURE HOMME:  I only found one review online, but the site was so full of obnoxious pop-ups that I won’t subject anyone to it.  I did find plenty of reviews for Allure flankers, but since this was introduced over 20 years ago in 1999, I guess it’s not that surprising that the buzz about Allure has long since passed.  Too bad, it’s such a wonderful perfume.

BOTTOM LINE:  Allure Homme is a good anytime perfume, which means it can be dressed up or down depending on your mood or situation.  And no matter how it’s used, you’ll always smell fresh and fantastic.  Plus, it’s not an “in your face” perfume which means that you’ll leave a quiet trail behind you when you wear it without offending anyone.  A perfume doesn’t always have to be groundbreaking to be wonderful.  Allure Homme is a perfect case in point.

  • Bone Rating:  4 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Amber Woody
  • Nose:  Jacques Polge
  • Classification: Leans masculine
  • Expense: Starting at $80 for 50 ml eau de toilette