The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: Perfume


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The Random 10: Jeroen Oude Sogtoen, Creative Director for Maison Mona di Orio

Jeroen Oude Sogtoen 1 (1)

I don’t know of anyone else in the perfume industry with a haunting gaze like Jeroen Oude Sogtoen.  A creative mind, with a passion for life, art and beauty; no doubt adds to this intensity.

Portrait Mona di Orio 1 (1)

Mona di Orio

What you may not know about Jeroen is that the fragrance industry wasn’t  his original chosen profession.  Instead, he started his career in fashion design after graduating from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute and worked for ten years as a fashion designer, which then led to a transition in interior design leading to work in the hospitality industry.    It’s while working in hotel development that  he founded ZENOLOGY a lifestyle company committed to bringing hotel luxury to the home with environmentally friendly products.  In his search for a perfumer to help in this endeavor, he met Mona di Orio. In Mona, Jeroen saw an exceptional and talented artist that needed a brand to call her own.  Together they founded Maison Mona di Orio wherein Mona  became the brand’s nose and Jeroen the brand’s  eyes.  In 2004, the company launched their first fragrances, Lux, Carnation and Nuit Noire and a successful brand was born.  Tragically, in December 2011, Mona passed away leaving a legacy of launched and un-launched fragrances. After her death, Jeroen kept Mona’s legacy alive by continuing to develop and create perfumes under the Mona di Orio brand name which remain truly Monaesque; perfumes that are harmoniously balanced between the light and the dark.

In the spirit of rebirth, in 2015, Mona di Orio launched a new look in keeping with the brand’s philosophy and aesthetic by debuting a bold, yet soft, sleek and sensual, new bottle design. And just recently, Mona di Orio launched their newest creation, Bohea Bohème, created by perfumer Fredrick Dalman, a perfume designed to capture the smoldering delicacy of the distinctive and precious Bohea Tea cultivated in the Wuyi Mountains of China. Thanks to Jeroen, Mona di Orio lives on through the brand’s original iconic perfumes and new ones designed in elegance and uncompromising luxury.

So let’s see what Jeroen’s words reveal behind that haunting gaze:

  1. My favorite way to relax is …biking through big cities, having a drink at my local bar with my friends and talk about “life” (read: nothing)
  2. What drives me most crazy is…people who are not curious to learn and discover and people who lack passion.
  3. The greatest piece of advice I ever received has been …SEE what is around you and find inspiration in literally everything.
  4. What makes me smile is…young talent, like our new in-house perfume Fredrik Dalman (and of course: new shoes!)
  5. A guilty pleasure of mine is …when it’s a pleasure I don’t feel guilty, but I understand what you mean. Disco music, and since I am a very romantic guy, Romantic music of the sticky kind.
  6. My favorite food is…Asian, Chinese, Korean, Thai, and of course Japanese.
  7. When it comes to my organization skills, I…have the ability to make people enthusiastic and curious and push them the excel.
  8. My one recommendation for the fragrance industry is…make less but more relevant creations.
  9. I am hopelessly challenged by…having my own two companies – ZENOLOGY and Maison MONA DI ORIO – and to make sure that we keep on making it work.
  10. I get my fragrance industry news from…I try to stay away from getting too much information, because it can be confusing when you see so many new launches. I try to follow my own rhythm and get inspired by fashion, art, people, and traveling.

Who would have guessed that those eyes were hiding a love of disco and sappy romantic music?!  Thanks to Jeroen for revealing a little more of himself to our readers.

For more information on ZENOLOGY products and the Mona di Orio perfumes, including the newest release, Bohea Bohème, go to the websites below:

www.monadiorio.com

www.zenology.com

For more information on The Scented Hound’s Random 10, click here.


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Absolutely Sublime – Sublime by Jean Patou

WHAT I SMELL:  How can you not love a perfume’s opening when it’s rounded and buttery and topped with bergamot and orange?!  Sublime’s opening is incredibly full, rich and succulent, almost as if it’s an exotic fruit full of juice and ready to explode.   The perfume is heady without being completely over the top and the ylang-ylang is deliciously creamy.  After a few minutes, a light dust of oak moss appears, but it sits quietly under the wafting flowers and a light vanilla.  The perfume smells like it’s plucked from the heart of the Caribbean, but at the same time, there’s something incredibly cool and controlled about it that removes it from that locale.  As the perfume develops, it becomes more powdery, but no less radiant. After 20 minutes or so, the perfume softens, the florals become lighter, the powder becomes more pronounced and the warmed base becomes more prevalent.  What doesn’t change is that the perfume remains an incredible beauty.  In the end, you’re left with a golden dusty floral that is just the right amount of proper and just the right amount of pretty.

From the Jean Patou website:

SUBLIME is a joyous floral explosion, rich and rounded in contour and soft in texture. Its secret resides in the heart notes where floral notes are played against each other – rose and jasmine are combined with lily-of-the-valley and orange blossom, enhanced by warm notes of vetiver, sandalwood and oak moss. A vibrant cocktail of orange and mandarin provides sparkle and freshness, married with Ylang-Ylang from the Comoro Islands. The femininity and sensuality of Sublime gently emerges in the Vanilla base note.

Flight: Bergamot, Mandarin, Orange, Ylang Ylang
Fullness: Rose, Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Orange Blossom
Wake: Madagascar Vanilla, Amber, Sandalwood

Ellen Farner Umbrellas of CherbourgWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Ellen Farner as Madeleine in the “Umbrellas of Cherbourg”…an unassuming classic beauty.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SUBLIME: gorgeous, contained, sublime

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SUBLIME: The Non-Blonde, AustralianPerfumeJunkies

BOTTOM LINE:  Sublime seems to take the back seat to Jean Patou’s Joy and 1000; but this understated floral beauty should be second to none.  Not as big as 1000 and not as taut at Joy, Sublime is a perfectly named perfume that in my book is an easier wear than both 1000 and Joy.

  • Bone Rating:  4.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Oriental Floral
  • Nose: Jean Kerleo
  • Classification: Feminine
  • Expense: Prices vary greatly online, but can be found for around $50 for 1.7 oz. eau de parfum.  Review based on current eau de parfum version.


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Shalini Parfum by Shalini

shalini-parfum-lalique-flacon_1024x1024WHAT I SMELL:  Shalini opens beautifully with an initial rush of neroli that’s lush, juicy and lightly sun sweetened.  A lovely tiare buzzes above a lightly sharpened hair spray note of sandalwood and there’s a slight soapiness that encompasses the somewhat large, but rather tame florals.  The perfume lives in this slightly soapy, lightly warm cocoon for some time.   After around 20 minutes, the perfume seems to warm considerably, as if the heat of skin is a catalyst to start a chemical reaction.  The tuberose then starts to make its entrance, but in a very soft and deliberate manner as if it’s in no rush.  The tuberose is restrained with all its pungent attributes removed and what you’re left with is the soft and comforting light waxiness from the flower.  At the same time, Shalini starts to turn towards the green as the floral stems add just the right amount of color to make the perfume feel as if it’s a bouquet rather than just a collection of flowers.  As the perfume slowly progresses, the neroli comes forward once again with a light dew to rest on the green.  Here the perfume resides, so restrained, so beautiful and so refined.  Shalini is a lady in every sense of the word.

From Shalini Parfums:

A bouquet of white flowers – tuberose, neroli and tiare – this precious fragrances evokes an intoxicating sensuality.  The rare and pure scent of neroli blooms above the heart of tuberose and tiare while the depth and mystery of sandalwood and musk permeate the senses.

Saks 5th Avenue, Los Angeles- 1940

Saks 5th Avenue, Los Angeles- 1940

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Beautiful, classic Hollywood interiors.  Architectural masterpieces designed for creating dramatic settings.  The scene:   Sak’s 5th Avenue, Los Angeles, 1940… in comes a beautifully dressed, regal and gracious lady and all eyes are transfixed.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SHALINI:  warm, approachable, refined

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SHALINI:  CaFleureBon, Perfume-Smellin’ Things

BOTTOM LINE:  Shalini is an ethereal beauty that glides into a room.  The perfume doesn’t develop as much as it transcends.  Shalini is like a dream.

  • Bone Rating:  4.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Floral
  • Nose: Maurice Roucel
  • Classification: Feminine.  Confession:  As feminine as this is, it’s a beauty that I would have no problem wearing myself.
  • Expense: $3,000 for the limited edition Lalique flacon pictured above.  $250 for 10 ml version.  Parfum extrait.