Perfume | The Scented Hound

December 21, 2015
by The Scented Hound 5 Comments

Rose of No Man’s Land by Byredo

WHAT I SMELL: Rose of a No Man’s Land opens with a sweet and citrus candied rose that sparkles with a refreshing and dewy and slightly “bathtastic” glow. The perfume goes on clean, fresh and pretty without being too girly as there is a heftiness to the rose that is topped by a lightly jammy raspberry. After a few minutes, the sparkling fruitened rose is met with a warm and radiant amber with just a hint of light spice. The perfume remains clean and fresh, but much more tame as it feels as if it begs to exist quietly rather than be pushed to the forefront in a noticeable way. After another 10 minutes, a layer of suede pulls itself over the composition. I really like the perfume at this point as the combination of rose and leather pulls the fragrance in and out of the masculine and feminine. After a few more minutes, the suede begins to fade and the rose begins to grow and project. Rose of a No Man’s Land is a comfort scent that wraps itself around the wearer with a clean, warm easy to wear rose.

From the Byredo website:

Rose of No Man’s Land is a tribute to the nurses (often referred to by soldiers as “Rose of No-Man’s Land”) who saved thousands of lives on the front lines of WWI, their story is one of selflessness and compassion.

Top notes are pink pepper and turkey red rose; middle notes are turkey red rose and raspberry bloom; base notes are papyrus and white amber.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: An Angora sweater…not heavy, rather fluffy, and all comfort.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ROSE OF A NO MAN’S LAND: easy, comfortable, clean

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ROSE OF A NO MAN’S LAND: EauMG, Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE: The opening of the perfume is divine…very fresh and full of life and the perfume matures beautifully and is lovely. Actually, what I like about it best is that it doesn’t scream to be noticed but instead quietly does its job in a very unassuming way.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Spicy
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $145 for 50ml Eau de Parfum

December 14, 2015
by The Scented Hound 16 Comments

Christmas Countdown…a few more last minute shopping ideas!

I know I already posted my 2015 Holiday Gift Guide, but if you’re like me, you wait until the last-minute to do your shopping. So I found some more exciting gift ideas that I would like to pass on. But don’t wait too long, Christmas will be here before you know it.

PUREDISTANCE PERFUME GIFT SETS

Puredistance is my favorite perfume house; there isn’t a perfume in the line that doesn’t make my heart sing. From the beautiful radiant floral green Antonia to the sophisticated and gentlemanly M, there’s something for everyone. Through January 10th, Puredistance is offering three sample sets (2 ml each) of their pure perfumes for an incredible 125 Euros. Included in the sample set are: Antonia, Black, I, M, Opardu and White. This is the perfect way to introduce the Puredistance line to your loved ones…and with 3 sets, you can keep one for yourself!

But if you’re already in love with the line like myself, Puredistance has whole set of gift promotions that would make any perfumista ecstatic. One of my favorite gift sets includes a 60 ml perfume of your choice combined with a 17.5 ml bottle of your choice. Choose the same perfume; one for home and one for your travels, or choose a combination of any two. All this for only 350 Euros. Santa, take note, I would like a 60 ml bottle of White and a 17.5 bottle of Antionia! Of course, all this is packaged in the utmost of luxury.

For more information on all of the gift sets and special promotions, check out the Puredistance website.

DAME PERFUMERY SOLIFLORE ROLLERBALLS

I LOVE rollerball perfumes! They’re perfect for traveling and they make for the ultimate perfumed stocking stuffer. Dame Perfumery continues to create incredibly beautiful perfumes at a very affordable cost. For 10 ml at $35 each, you can afford to buy one or all of these soliflores: Gardenia, Tuberose, Rose de Mai, Mimosa, Osmanthus and Narcissus. And if the soliflores are a bit too feminine for your liking, check out Musk Man, which was just named as a Fragrantica’s Reader’s Choice best perfumes of 2015! Another winner, Dark Horse was named as an Editor’s Choice best perfume of 2015…oh and the Gardenia soliflore was too. Given all that, a perfumed gift from Dame Perfumery is a no brainer!

For more information go to the Dame Perfumery website to see these and other offerings.

NEST BIRCHWOOD PINE HOME FRAGRANCE COLLECTION

Sitting on the table next to my couch is a Nest Birchwood Pine 3 wick candle. I can’t tell how much it brings to life the warmth and magic of the season to the house.

From the Nest Fragrances website:

The aroma of a majestic winter forest is created by blending white pine, fir balsam and birchwood over a base of rich musk and amber.

Besides the 3 wick candle, Nest offers a full line of Birchwood Pine products to choose from, including diffusers and sprays. And the really wonderful thing about the Birchwood Pine home fragrance collection is that it’s more true to winter than just Christmas. So once the tree comes down for the season, you can still hold on to the warmth of this scent all through winter!

For more information on the Birchwood Pine collection as well as all the Nest Fragrance offerings, check out their website!

Remember, Christmas is less than two weeks away, so it’s time to get your Prancer on and get your shopping finished so that you can enjoy the wonder of the holiday season.

All the best to you and yours this holiday season from The Scented Hound!

December 2, 2015
by The Scented Hound 3 Comments

Beaufort London East India

WHAT I SMELL: East India opens with a rush of cardamom and sharp black pepper which is quickly met with a moistened burnt wood, like a campfire that has just been extinguished by water. The perfume feels as if it has been aged in an oak cask like a fine liquor waiting to be released only until the peak of perfection. And soon enough, that characteristic is met with a combination of light dry whiskey mixed with a very organic tobacco. There’s nothing sweet about the perfume, but a light leather and oak stained tobacco give a slight impression that there is a semi-sweetness lurking in the recesses of the cask. As the perfume develops, it starts to dry out and the burnt birch really takes hold in addition to a slightly soured oud that wafts in on top of this increasingly large plume of smoke. Thankfully, the smokiness begins to recede and mellow to more of a burnt hue. In the end, East India mellows to a very comforting dry and slightly mysterious smoky wood.

East India Notes:

Cardamom, Black Pepper, Tea Leaf, Whisky, Incense, Opium, Tobacco, Birch, Oud

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A trading ship full of the never before seen exotic and magical spices, liquors and tobaccos from the Far East.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE EAST INDIA: masculine, adventurous, smoke-swept

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT EAST INDIA: The Black Narcissus, Fashion for Lunch, The Grooming Guide

BOTTOM LINE: One of three perfumes in the “Come Hell or High Water” collection, East India captures the majesty and mystery of the high seas and the adventure that came with exploring the Far East. The perfume goes on strong, but then mellows to a smoky haze. But because of the smokiness, it’s probably not best suited for the office. However, after hours, it would work well for making some of your own swashbuckling adventures.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Woody Oriental
Classification: Leans masculine
Expense: $140 for 50ml Eau de Parfum. Available at Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary.