The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.


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Zoologist Cockatiel

WHAT I SMELL:  Cockatiel opens with a combination of muted fruit and tangy champagne which quickly moves to a warmed powder.  It’s lightly sweet and lightly candied as if it was concocted from an old confectioner of years past that can now only be found in tourist centric candy stores in mid-America.  As Cockatiel flaps its wings, an undercurrent of musk pushes out from the center to the bottom of the perfume.  It has a bit of a dull feel accentuated by a woody vanilla.  Here, the perfume smells a bit like wet socks that have been sprinkled with powder.  But that quickly dissipates and turns wholly to a soured spicy powder.  Cockatiel is different, but I’m not sure if different in this case is a good thing.

From the Zoologist Perfumes website:

Australian spring arrives, bearing dazzling frocks of yellow blossoms to dress the bare golden wattle trees. Clouds of sweet honeyed fragrance, caught upon the breeze, carry an invitation inland, where a flock of cockatiels happily take up the celebration. Emerging from dusty nests, the birds are ready to preen and prance. On a wobbly stage of branches, vivid crests bop to the rhythm of their joyous songs. After a final encore, the flock takes flight. Alighting in a nearby field they share a delightful brunch, buzzing with the thrill of their stunning recital.

Zoologist Cockatiel exudes joy. A sunny burst of yellow acacia offers a friendly welcome. Dots of raspberry and tart rhubarb suggest a hint of mischief, like a pair of rosy cheeks beneath a golden plume. Finally, soft notes of musk and vanilla enfold the vibrant Cockatiel, like downy feathers cushioning the brashness of this cheeky bird.

Top Notes: Champagne, Raspberry, Rhubarb
Heart Notes: Acacia, Powdery Notes, Cashmeran
Base Notes: Guaiac, Patchouli, Vanilla, Musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Ye Olde Candy Shoppe.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE COCKATIEL:  soured, confectionary, muted

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT COCKATIEL: No written reviews found.

BOTTOM LINE:  Cockatiel is an interesting perfume in that the first half of its development it does provide the wearer with this mix of muted sugar and powder that gives the feeling of a bird flapping its wings.  However, the drydown becomes flat, somewhat sour and a little dull.

  • Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Floral Woody Musk
  • Nose: Sven Pritzkoleit
  • Classification:  Unisex
  • Expense:  $175 for 60 ml eau de parfum.  Also available in 10 ml travel spray.


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Roja Parfums APEX

WHAT I SMELL:  APEX opens with a combination of muted bergamot and citrus…it’s fresh and not sweet and it’s as if it’s wrapped in a pineapple and amber cocoon of warmth.  After this wonderful introduction, this masculine leaning perfume moves quickly to the sensual with a mix of amber tinged green notes.  There’s no way to distinguish one note from another and instead the perfume invokes more of a sense of feeling and being.  The greenish amber feels secure and with the addition of some incense creates for a sensation of being centered and right with the world.   As APEX settles further, you are met with a vetivered sandalwood as the perfume becomes ever so slightly soapy.  But in the end, APEX is less about the notes and instead is like an aura that surrounds you with a warmed leather-lite amber that seems to mix with your own persona to create a one-of-a kind perfume that’s just for you.

From the Roja Parfums website:

“Harnessing the infinite power of nature, Apex connects us to Earth and its spiritual energies, unleashing instincts and abilities that lay dormant within each of us. Grounded in inspiration from the world’s Apex animals, this creation was designed to unearth your connection to nature’s most powerful creatures, pushing you to challenge your limits and open your eyes to new opportunities. Only when we embrace our connection to nature and our innermost instincts can we reach the Apex of our potential, becoming the best version of ourselves.” – Roja Dove.

Top Notes: Lemon, Bergamot, Red Mandarin, Orange

Heart Notes: Jasmine, Cistus, Pineapple

Base Notes: Galbanum, Elemi, Patchouli, Oakmoss, Rum, Tobacco, Cypress, Fir Balsam, Juniper Berry, Casmir Wood, Sandalwood, Benzoin, Amber, Frankincense, Labdanum, Leather, Ambergris, Musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  meditation

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE APEX:  contented, introspective, confident

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT APEX:  I Fragrance, CaFleureBon, Fashion for Lunch

BOTTOM LINE:  APEX is gorgeous with a small application which makes it beautifully warm and masculine in a very personal way.  However, too much of a good thing is really true here.  With a heavy hand, APEX can take the meditative to a sledgehammered scream.

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Chypre
  • Nose:  Roja Dove
  • Classification: Masculine
  • Expense:  $345 for 100 ml eau de parfum

Review based on the eau de parfum version.  Also available in parfum extrait.


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1000 by Jean Patou

WHAT I SMELL:    1000 opens with warm peachy aldehydes that quickly meld into a blend of violets and rose.  The combination of the osmanthus and the florals make for a heady, overly ripened, thickened and metallic perfumed football helmet.  Once the helmet’s on, there’s also a buzzing layer of sandalwood that provides an aura of hair spray.  But not to worry as a little more passing time reveals a softer side with a more creamy rose taking center stage.  1000 is big, actually bigger than big.  Its florals are magnified with an intensity that doesn’t allow you to look away.  At the heart of the perfume, tucked underneath is the muted shadow of Patou Joy.  Joy tends to be remote and aloof, but 1000 is easily the the more outgoing and gregarious cousin.  But the DNA is unmistakable.  After some time, 1000 begins to lose some of her exuberance and the metallics and sharpened edges fall away and it makes 1000 more elegant and more wearable.  In the end, 1000 leaves us with a big and warmed floral heart.

From Fragrantica:

Top notes are Osmanthus, Violet and Apricot; middle notes are Rose, Jasmine, Geranium and Lily-of-the-Valley; base notes are Sandalwood, Patchouli and Oak.

Pretty Woman – 1990

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Hooker with a heart of gold.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE 1000:  heady, out-there, gregarious

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT 1000: Perfume Smellin’ Things, I Smell Therefore I Am, Bois de Jasmin

BOTTOM LINE:  1000 is a perfume that seems to get lost in the sea of big florals.  To me, it’s one of those perfumes that you really need to be in the mood for and that said, the mood just doesn’t come along all that often.   I really want to love her…but she’s a bit too “sharp” for me.   In any case, 1000 requires that you are light to the touch with your application.   But the true bottom line is that Jean Patou perfumes have been discontinued and are no longer in production.  Luckily, you can find them on some of discount sites, but for how long?

  • Bone Rating:  3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Floral
  • Nose:  Jean Kerleo
  • Classification: Feminine
  • Expense:  Varies

Review based on the 2014 eau de parfum version.