review | The Scented Hound

May 8, 2013
by The Scented Hound 16 Comments

Jinx by Tommi Sooni

Have you ever been attracted to a perfume bottle so much that you weren’t worried about the scent? Tommi Sooni bottles are like a siren song for me. Don’t ask me for an explanation, it is what it is. Jinx is my first foray into the Tommi Sooni line.

WHAT I SMELL: Jinx opens with a large rounded aldehydic opening mixed with fig. It almost seems like there is a tea note in there too (tea is not my favorite, but this blends nicely rather than overtakes the fragrance). Jinx is surprisingly not sweet, nor too fruity and the floral aspects are subdued like they are just warming slightly in the sun. The fragrance is quite linear and does not develop much after the floral warmth. That said, in the end Jinx reveals itself to be a very close hugging slightly green warm floral musk that’s very calming and lightly radiant.

From the Tommi Sooni website (which is well done btw):

Artists fall on the inspiration of a muse to create beauty with passion.

Jinx the eau de parfum by Tommi Sooni, created for celebrated designer Vanessa Leyjonhelm.

Vanessa traces her bloodline back to the islands of Greece, the land of ancient myths where Jinx the perfume was born.

A light touch of Jinx on your skin opens with the full and bursting fruits of a fig tree under a clear Grecian sky.

Shaded afternoon breezes drift through the green vine leaves and carry their scent to the sea.

Fragrant traces of crushed basil on the palms of an adoring father as he embraces Vanessa, the precious child.

A scented arrangement of flowers for our muse, and you, to envelope in: jasmin, lily of the valley, rose and ylang ylang.

For depth and strength of character we introduce moss, vetiver, rock rose and white musk. The flashes of genius we see in Vanessa’s creations are here too in the guise of crystallized ginger.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A warming halo.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE JINX: I’ve never seen a company provide three adjectives as I would to describe a fragrance until now. Therefore, I can’t refuse using their words: original, striking, alluring

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT JINX: The Non-Blonde, Indieperfumes, AustralianPerfumeJunkies,

BOTTOM LINE: Jinx is really lovely and completely understated. This makes me look forward to sampling some of the others in the line. And those bottles? Love them!

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Soft Floral/Aldehydic Floral
Nose: Brett Schlitter
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $180 for 50ml EdP

Disclosure: Sample for review provided courtesy of Tommi Sooni.

May 6, 2013
by The Scented Hound 34 Comments

Puredistance M

I’m the first to admit that I am a sucker for luxury; be it high count egyptian cotton sheets and sumptuous towels to high-end luxury vehicles. It’s amazing how elegant and finely tailored products can make you to purr like a kitten when you’re wrapped in their comfort. Puredistance M to me is one of those products.

WHAT I SMELL: M opens with a citrus blast that lasts for mere minutes. It’s a bit of a strange opening like that of a lemon sour cocktail. After a few more minutes you start to detect the cinnamon note. If I didn’t know it was cinnamon, I would say that it’s almost like cumin. This is when it really becomes interesting as M starts to turn up the spice. It’s exotic and mysterious and I keep expecting that at some point I’m going to be hit with a blast of something unknown. But M stays subdued and smooth as silk. True to its luxuriousness, it knows it’s an Aston Martin and not a Chevrolet. I love how M slowly builds. It’s in no hurry to develop and it takes a bit of time but eventually the leather comes forward in a smoky aura. As you know I’m not a big fan of leathers, but M’s leather is so ethereal. It’s like a thin layer at the bottom of the spice. Added to the layers of leather and spice is a slightly sweet patchouli with just a bit of oakmoss to give a dry powdery edge. M is not big on sillage, but hugs close to the skin. But I don’t care, it’s for me, not for anyone else.

From the Puredistance website:

Created in London by Roja Dove, M is a leather chypre of classic proportions… with an unexpected oriental twist. Sumptuous and complex, noble and sophisticated.

M Notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Rose, Jasmine, Cinnamon, Mosses, Cistus, Vetiver, Patchouli, Vanilla, Leather, Musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Self-assurance. M is a fragrance for the man who doesn’t need to shout to the world that he has arrived. He never arrived. He was always there.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE M: sophisticated, confident, elegantly-understated

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE M: Kafkaesque, From Top to Bottom – Perfume Patter, Perfume-Smellin’ Things

BOTTOM LINE: M is a quiet treasure. Puredistance has created a fragrance that is elegantly understated for the man who likes the finer things in life. In addition to the beautiful scent, the packaging is exceptional as the 17.5ml cylinder comes in a silk lined box. How much more luxurious can you get than that?

Note to my readers, the wonderful Kafkaesque has teamed with Puredistance to offer samples of M and Opardu to 10 lucky readers of her blog. The draw ends on May 13th, so be sure to give her a visit.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Leather Chypre
Nose: Roja Dove
Classification: Unisex – but leans masculine
Expense: $198 for 17.5ml or $330 for 60ml Perfume Extrait

Disclosure: Product for review provided courtesy of Puredistance.

May 1, 2013
by The Scented Hound 19 Comments

The Infidels by Agonist

WHAT I SMELL: The Infidels goes on with a citrus/cloved combination that’s exotic and almost Indian in its essence. Quickly it moves into a floral stage that’s tinged with patchouli. The patchouli floral combination is earthy and sweetly rich. It then starts to morph into this earth mama hippie phase that I just can’t handle. To me it’s not nauseating, but there is nothing pleasurable about the sickly sweet tones which to me are kind of dirty and skanky. Mind you, this fragrance isn’t heavy and it stays pretty close to the skin. Finally, The Infidels sits in a lightly floral arena with an almost a chocolately vibe in the final drydown which is sweet, but not thick. The fragrance after a few hours becomes so ethereal and after about 5 hours all but disappeared on me. Fine with me.

The Infidels Notes:

Top Notes: Pink Pepper Corn, Sicilian Lemon, Cloves, Indian Davana and Elemi

Body Notes: May Rose, Turkish Rose, Sambac Jasmine, Egyptian Jasmine, Burmese Magnolia, Iris, Comoros Ylang Ylang, Somali Myrrh, Opoponax

Base Notes: Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Cistus, Peruvian Balm, Lebanese Cedarwood, Virginia Cedarwood, Indian Amber, Bourbon Vanilla

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The most prevalent smell is that of a local earthy crunchy store filled with scented soaps that smell of exotic oils that’s somewhat hippieish. I feel like I should be wearing some kind of long earth mama skirt to enjoy this. To me, this is not pleasurable.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE THE INFIDELS: hippieish, sweetened, semi-skanked

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE INFIDELS: That Smell, Scentsory Meltdown

BOTTOM LINE: As you can tell, I’m not a big fan. For the cost of this fragrance, I feel like I could go and purchase a $10 tin of solid fragrance at the local Whole Foods Market and smell the same.

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $195 for 50ml EdP