review | The Scented Hound

September 3, 2013
by The Scented Hound 20 Comments

Orlando by Jardins d’Ecrivains

WHAT I SMELL: Orlando, named after the title character from the Virginia Woolf novel of the same name opens with a combination of spicy orange and ginger. There’s almost a minty quality about the opening which quickly then moves into a mentholated stage as it’s deep and thick as you breath it in. I’ve never smelled camphoric patchouli like it is here. Amber is added to the progression, but it’s not warm and fuzzy, but instead is distant and at arm’s length. After around 20 minutes, Orlando becomes lighter and begins to even out with a woody consistency. There is a tang of sour from the gaiaic wood that comes to play and a musk creates a layer of haze over the composition. Around the 30 minute mark, out comes a urinous quality that doesn’t take away from the scent, but actually adds a bit of additional mystery. Orlando becomes lighter as it wears, but by no means does it disappear and it seems to rotate the notes each time you take a sniff; sometimes spicy, sometime musky, sometimes lighter, but never too wispy or demure.

From the Jardins d’Ecrivains website:

Jardins d’Ecrivains puts its own interpretation on the fascinating Virginia Woolf fantasy. An androgynous character with eternal youth, Lord Orlando in the Elizabethan era becomes Lady Orlando in the 18th century. Quirky blends with the eclectic and timeless in a spellbinding fragrance. Irrational dreams, an eastern monarchy and a sense of the divine linger in its wake. A unusual character comes through in the first notes, before the transcendent heart of the fragrance draws you in. And the warm, soft base notes convey its delicate spirit.

Olfactive pyramid:

Top notes : Orange – Pink peppercorn – Ginger

Middle Notes : Amber – Patchouly – Cloves

Base notes : Wood of Gaiac – Musk – Balsam of Peru

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Melancholy

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ORLANDO: mysterious, conflicted, emotional

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ORLANDO: Cafleurebon, BL’eauOG

BOTTOM LINE: Orlando is a strange perfume for me. It’s a fragrance that seems to draw some very primal emotions from inside me. It’s beautiful and pensive and is not something that I could ever wear on a daily basis. However, it’s the perfect fragrance for those quiet fall and winter days when you just want to retreat into your own private world. I was lucky enough to win a full bottle of Orlando from a draw on Cafleurebon, and its the first fragrance that I have ever tried from Jardins d’Ecrivains. If they are all this beautiful, I have to try the rest. Oh, and the bottle is perfection; simple, substantial and classic.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Woody Spicy
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $110 for 100ml EdP, available at Beautyhabit.com

August 25, 2013
by The Scented Hound 61 Comments

Rouge No. 2 by M. Micallef and Special Draw!

The other day I reviewed Rouge No. 1, part of the new M. Micallef Art Collection. I loved Rouge No. 1’s floral beauty…let’s see what Rouge No. 2 has in store…

WHAT I SMELL: Rouge No. 2 opens with sweet black currant cut with bright citrus notes. It’s tangy, sparkling and zesty. You can smell a tinge of nutmeg which gives it an undercurrent of cinnamon like spice. Quickly, the florals make their way in. At first I get more violet which is then taken over by a wonderful jasmine. The base notes bring some nice depth into play with sweetened and warm vanilla and amber. After around 20 minutes, Rouge No. 2 becomes more full-bodied and begins to expand. There is almost a gourmand sugary sweetness that sits on top of the florals. It’s sweet, but not syrupy…it’s what I would call more of a sophisticated sweet. In the end, Rouge No. 2 radiates its gourmand beauty with a large projection that lasts for hours.

Rouge No. 2 Notes:

Top notes are citruses, black currant and nutmeg; middle notes are jasmine, violet and orchid; base notes are vanilla, labdanum, amber and castoreum.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Cake. Not literally; but its yummied goodness makes you want to cut off a big piece and eat it!

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ROUGE NO. 2: big, sugared, gourmand

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ROUGE NO. 2: Olfactoria’s Travels, Cafluerebon

BOTTOM LINE: Where Rouge No. 1 sits more on the sophisticated side, Rouge No. 2 sits more on the wild side. Its full-bodied sweetened goodness doesn’t allow for it to be shy.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $245 for 100ml EdP

THE DRAW: The good folks at Hypoluxe, the U.S. distributor of M. Micallef fragrances have offered 10 5ml sets of Rouge No. 1 and Rouge No. 2 to my lucky U.S. readers. That means all winners will get one of each! Each 5ml fragrance comes in its own cute little bottle and accompanying bag! To enter, please leave a comment as to which M. Micallef Art Collection perfume, Rouge No. 1 or Rouge No. 2 , intrigues you the most and why. Also, be sure to state that you are a resident of the United States. The drawing will close at midnight Eastern Standard Time on August 31, 2013. The 10 winners will be chosen at random. Good luck with getting your rouge on!!

August 18, 2013
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

Revisiting Jo Malone: Dark Amber & Ginger Lily and Amber & Patchouli

Last week I reviewed my first Jo Malone fragrance, Wild Bluebell, and was completely underwhelmed not only with the fragrance itself, but with the way the fragrances don’t speak to me via their marketing or their store presence. After some prodding by others, I was told to give the Jo Malone line another chance, specifically their Cologne Intense line. Since I had to return a purchase to my local Nordstrom store this weekend, I thought it would be a good opportunity to check out some of the other Jo Malone fragrances. Surprisingly, my local Nordstrom store has a large space dedicated to Jo Malone, but I still don’t find their display captivating as it is quite sterile and uniform. After giving a few sniffs of the various Cologne Intense fragrances on paper, I settled on samples of the Dark Amber & Ginger Lily and Amber & Patchouli.

DARK AMBER & GINGER LILY –

WHAT I SMELL: Opens with an astringent cardamom, which then quickly lightens and sweetens with an almost buttery undertone. Funny, the sweetness only stays for a minute and then it evens out into this wonderful ginger with the cardamom sitting beneath almost smelling like cedar. After about 10 minutes Dark Amber & Ginger Lily becomes very light but with a nice warm amber base, with a hint of incense. This is nice, but very light and close to the skin. After around 20 minutes the fragrance doesn’t morph much, but it really is lovely in its light presence.

From Fragrantica:

Dark Amber & Ginger Lily includes aromas of black cardamom, ginger and pink pepper in the top notes; the middle notes are jasmine, orchid, water lily and rose; while the base notes encompass leather, sandalwood, kyara incense, patchouli, black amber.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A hint of Fall.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE DARK AMBER & GINGER LILY: meditative, mellow, peaceful

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT DARK AMBER & GINGER LILY: Call it Beauty, Perfume Posse, The Scented Salamander

Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Classification: Marketed to women, but easily worn by a man
Expense: $145 for 100ml Cologne Intense

AMBER & PATCHOULI –

WHAT I SMELL: Opens with a big astringent blast of patchouli. The patchouli is sweet, not earthy and rather pretty. After a few minutes you can detect a bit of sour guaiac wood which starts to pull some of the moisture out of the fragrance making this more woody… and woody in the way of the smell of old barn planks. But that quickly moves to the background as the sweet patchouli takes center stage… with the amber and the wood keeping this dry and slightly powdery and flattened in a linear sense.

From Fragrantica:

Amber & Patchouli is a rich woody – spicy scent of amber, patchouli and guaiac wood.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The perfumed cotton/silk lining of a 1960s patent leather coat.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE AMBER & PATCHOULI : semi-sweet, semi-musty, pretty

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT AMBER & PATCHOULI : The Scent Critic, London Makeup Girl

Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $145 for 100ml Cologne Intense

BOTTOM LINE: Will these two fragrances make me run to Jo Malone in the future? Probably not. But they also won’t make me discount the line as a whole either. Nicely done Jo Malone!