review | The Scented Hound

August 16, 2013
by The Scented Hound 20 Comments

L’Ombre dans l’Eau by Diptyque

WHAT I SMELL: L’Ombre dans l’Eau opens sweet, light and pretty with black current and an emergent rose. It has a bit of a waxy finish like that of a scented candle. After a minute or so, a green emerges, its leafy and round. After around 5 minutes, the fragrance starts to really blossom and at this stage I feel like I have a small bouquet of flowers in hand which are a little wild and a little fruity. The composition doesn’t really change from the rose and the green, but it seems to grow and expand off of my skin. After about 15 minutes L’Ombre dans l’Eau starts to become sweeter… so much so that it borders on obnoxious. For an eau de toilette this has some turbo projection and power. Uggghhh, this just keeps expanding and growing and I feel there is no turning back.

From Fragrantica: L’Ombre Dans L’Eau (“Shadow in the water”) is a female fragrance from 1983, based on the unusual and beautiful harmony of black currant leaf and Bulgarian rose, which blend perfectly together.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Artificially pretty and over the top like a child beauty pageant contestant.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE L’OMBRE DANS L’EAU: toxic, overbearing, nauseating

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT L’OMBRE DANS L’EAU: Perfume-Smellin’ Things, Bois de Jasmin, peredepierre

BOTTOM LINE: L’Ombre dans l’Eau is a total scrubber to me that others seem to like. I don’t get it. To me, L’Ombre dans l’Eau smells so artificial as if its made from a chemistry set. Adding that artificiality to a whopping projection makes my head feel like I’m being struck with a rose sledgehammer! I see this better suited for a home fragrance than a personal fragrance, but even as a scented candle, this would make me want to leave the room. I’m not really familiar with the Diptyque line, but this does not make me want to explore any more.

Bone Rating: 1 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $88 for 50ml EdT from the Diptyque website

August 11, 2013
by The Scented Hound 23 Comments

Wild Bluebell by Jo Malone

I don’t get Jo Malone. I never did. Every time I walk by the Jo Malone counter at Nordstrom I just continue to walk on by. I can’t tell if it’s the bottles, the labels or the fact that they just look linen clean and rather boring. In any case, I was glad when the wonderful Undina sent me a couple of samples so that I could give this line a try. I hope I can test this without a prejudiced view but with an open mind. We’ll see…

WHAT I SMELL: Wild Bluebell opens with astringent aldehydes that burned by nose… uh, oh…my first impression is “bathtastic.” In this case it’s not because it smells soapy, but instead because it smells like something that should be used as bath beads or bath oil or some other “in the tub” kind of product. What Wild Bluebell smells exactly like is …Lily of the Valley. So much so that I’m not sure why this isn’t called Lily of the Valley instead. It’s kind of sweet, kind of leafy green and very clean. Thankfully, there is a nice light musk base that gives this fragrance some needed depth.

Wild Bluebell notes from Fragrantica:

Top notes: bluebell and cloves
Heart: lily of the valley, jasmine, rose hip
Base: white amber and musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: bath products

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE WILD BLUEBELL: girlish, simple, clean

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT WILD BLUEBELL: The Sunday Girl , London MakeUp Girl, A Touch of Blusher

BOTTOM LINE: Not my thing. I like women’s perfume, but this seems very fresh face girlish to me. It’s safe, a bit dull and just too clean. Jo Malone recommends that you try layering their fragrances. Since I also received a sample of Orange Blossom, I decided to give this layering a go ahead. Surprisingly Wild Bluebell actually improved with the layering, but not enough to get me to change my mind. Sorry Undina, I know you love Jo Malone and please don’t think that I’m not grateful for the samples, I am. This just means that there will be much more Jo Malone for you. 😉

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral Green
Classification: Unisex but leans feminine
Expense: Approximately $60 for 30ml EdC from the Jo Malone website

August 9, 2013
by The Scented Hound 21 Comments

Derby by Guerlain

About a year ago I smelled Derby at Bergdorf Goodman on paper and really liked it. However, Derby comes in this very unattractive wood bottle and that bothered me. Then I found out that it had previously come in the iconic bee bottle, but that had been discontinued in favor of the current bland boxy bottle. So of course I had to obsess about how to get my hands on a bee bottle. After searching around, including calling multiple Guerlain stores and reps, I came to the conclusion that I was not going to find my Derby bee bottle. So I finally gave up and moved on to my next perfume obsession.

Last month when I was in Chicago, I stopped by the Michigan Avenue Saks store where I asked the sales associate if they had any samples of Derby. Of course, I was given the “are you really asking me this” look and was told no. After wooing her with some charm, she managed to go to find a small decant bottle and she provided me with a 5ml decant of Derby which was more than I had expected. Note to sales associates: you’re not dispensing gold, just perfume.

WHAT I SMELL: Derby opens with bergamot and wonderful oakmoss (no wait, that’s carnation intended to mimic oakmoss) with a twist of lemon. It’s slightly sparkling and a bit powdery and dry. After a few minutes, Derby becomes a little more spicy… but it’s still fresh and clean. After that, Derby stays clean, but some wood is added to the spice. Supposedly there is leather there, but I have no idea where it is and figured that the cow must have run out of the door. I wish I could add more, but that’s really where Derby left me. It’s pleasant and pretty subdued and I found it to be a safe scent for men who don’t want to smell “out there.”

Derby Notes from Fragrantica:

Top notes are bergamot and orange; middle notes are spices, carnation and exotic woods; base notes are leather, birch, patchouli and woody notes

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Perfect for jeans, a white shirt and a blazer…easy, breezy casual, but looking great.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE DERBY: safe, neat, easy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT DERBY: A Perfume Review, Scentrist.com

BOTTOM LINE: To me this smells a lot like my vintage Givenchy III, except with a slightly more masculine tinge. I would like to smell the vintage Derby because I have heard that it’s a bit beefier and contains actual oakmoss. The carnation mimics the oakmoss well, but it’s not the same as the real thing. Do I want a full bottle of Derby? No. Wait…if someone has a bee bottle that they want to get rid of, I would gladly take it!!

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Woody
Classification: Masculine
Expense: $245 for 100ml EdT