review | The Scented Hound

March 11, 2014
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

VINTAGE REVIEW: PARURE by GUERLAIN

WHAT I SMELL: Parure starts off deep and when first sniffed it hits the back of your throat with an initial blast of heavy plum with a layer of bergamot on top. It’s somewhat medicinal and rather antiseptic, like what you expect a cleaning product for a doctor’s office would smell like. After a few more minutes it becomes almost lemony and fizzy and it begins to grow larger in its projection. To me, it’s very warm and cool at the same time as the green keeps it cool, but the rose and amber keep it warmed on the bottom. After around 15 minutes the fragrance loses the coolness and the oakmoss comes to the surface drying out the scent with it’s familiar woody powder. Add that to a very noticable, but sudued rose and that’s very pretty and a bit spicy. Funny, after around 30 minutes or so, the warm base begins to retreat but the fragrance retains the floral spiciness. In the end, it’s a very calming and pretty floral chypre that is not too dry. Wait!!! After around almost 1.5 hours the oakmoss really dries the fragrance out, but no worries, it’s still pretty and rather proper. Parure is perfect for the coming spring as I don’t really see that as a winter fragrance.

Parure Notes from Fragrantica: plum, bergamot, green notes; lily of the valley, rose, iris, lilac, jasmine, narcissus; and oak moss, spices, amber, rose and patchouli in the base.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A pretty spring day, where there’s a dry breeze flowing through the flowers.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE PARURE: calming, pretty, reserved

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT PARURE: Yesterday’ Perfume, Eiderdown Press, Perfume Shrine

BOTTOM LINE: I have read so much about this discontinued Guerlain treasure and since I love my chypres I had to seek it out. I’m not disappointed as I love the fact that it’s not an uber chypre, but instead it is wonderfully subdued. Why did they discontinue it? Who knows, but I’m glad I got my hands on some. Now all I need to do is to find some of the parfum extrait!

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Chypre Fruity
Classification: Leans feminine
Expense: Varied through eBay and other sources. Review is based on the Eau de Toilette version.

March 9, 2014
by The Scented Hound 24 Comments

NEW YORK MUSK by BOND NO. 9

Let me first say that I have avoided Bond No. 9 fragrances. I don’t know what it is, the plastic looking bottles with garish and bright colors? Or could it be that they seem to be like rabbits wherein they breed and multiply as quickly as you can turn your head. In any case, I really have had no desire to check them out. But as it would happen, a lovely friend sent me a nice size sample of New York Musk, so of course I had to check it out.

WHAT I SMELL: New York Musk opens with juicy black currant tinged with a slight citrus. It’s not quite edible, but extremely pleasant, yet seems somehow manufactured, like a smell that is part wood and part plastic like the inside of a shipping container…no, it smells a bit like a new outdoor jute rug…no, kind of like the inside a tweed coat. Whatever the case, it didn’t last all that long. I was expecting the opening to be overwhelming, but instead it’s relatively subdued. After a few minutes the patchouli really starts to flourish along with a hint of cocoa. At this point, New York Musk is nice and soothing. After around the ten minute mark, the fragrance starts to build in projection and the patchouli boldly takes center stage. The vetiver woodiness keeps the patchouli in line, not allowing it to completely explode. What I like is that there is a just a hint of nutty sugar that sits on top that makes it slightly gourmand. However, I do think to myself that if it stays in this state wearing it could tire me out. But after around an hour, the gourmandish patchouli makes way for the linen like musk which tends to flatten the overall fragrance, and also gives a slight wet and dirty tube sock finish. Unfortunately, in the end you’re left with a pretty pungent sour musk.

New York Musk Notes: grapefruit, black currant, osmanthus flower, green lilies, nutmeg, musk, patchouli, sandalwood and vetiver

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A wig. Why? Because this sits on top of your skin, it’s pleasant, adds some dimension, and like the right wig, it adds a nice finish to your ensemble. But then a wig can also sit on your head slightly askew and that means it’s just not quite right.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE NEW YORK MUSK: dichotomous, innocuous, semi-sugared

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT NEW YORK MUSK: Scentrist, CaFleureBon

BOTTOM LINE: I can’t really figure out what’s going on here. I like part of it, don’t mind some of it, and am left scratching my head with the dull dirty sock like finish. In other words, I’m not running to the Bond No. 9 counter any time soon to check out more of the line.

Bone Rating: 2 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral Woody Musk
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $260 for 50ml EdP

March 3, 2014
by The Scented Hound 24 Comments

Hard Leather by LM Parfums

Let me start off this post by saying that it’s not my intent to offend. So please forgive me if I do! OK, given that…

WHAT I SMELL: Back in the mid-to-late 90s a group of my friends would head down to New Orleans during the Labor Day holiday season. At that time of year, the heat and humidity are oppressive. Combine that with small bars that are packed to the rafters mixed with sweat and alcohol, our group line was that “New Orleans smells like ass!” Hard Leather “smells like ass.” Yes, the opening is about as fecal as I have ever smelled. It smells like the back of a dirty bar where the mix of leather, urine and all other kinds of debauched happenings are going on. Does that mean that Hard Leather is horrific? No, it’s just real. After around 20 minutes a light honey comes out which helps to break the “hard” from the hard leather. But don’t get me wrong, this is all leather, it’s just not quite as dirty as it was. After that, Hard Leather get’s just a tad sweeter with the inclusion of some vanilla. But just when I thought the progression was over, Hard Leather becomes dryer, rather smoky and it loses any hint of sweet, but it still remains all leather, there is no doubt!

From the LM Parfums website:

This fragrance opens with a masculine soaring of rum associated with leather tonalities. The heart reveals the elegance of iris supported by the intoxicating honey.

The rich and spicy base notes of sandalwood, cedarwood, oud, frankincense, styrax and vanilla exude strength and Styrax,Vanilla depth .

Top Notes: Rum, Leather
Heart Notes: Iris, Honey
Base Notes: Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Oud, Frankincense, Styrax,Vanilla

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A hot sweaty dance floor.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE HARD LEATHER: semi-tough, strapping, potent

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT HARD LEATHER: Kafkaesque

BOTTOM LINE: This is a Saturday night guys night out on the town kind of fragrance. I’m not sure where else I would wear this unless I added a layer of my favorite feminine floral fragrance on top to make it my own personal “angel with a dirty face” scent!

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Leather
Classification: Masculine
Expense: 295 Euros or approximately $400 for 100ml Parfum Extrait

Thanks to Kafkaesque and LM Parfums for the 10ml bottle I received via a Kafkaesque sample draw.