The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.


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Roja Parfums Burlington 1819

With the Queen’s Jubilee celebration this past weekend and with Father’s Day in a couple of weeks, I thought that this would be a perfect time to head to England…and who better to represent these grand and intimate affairs, but Roja Dove!

WHAT I SMELL:  Burlington 1819 opens with a bright and juicy combination of grapefruit and lime that’s quickly met with a minty freshness making it light with a subdued brilliance.  Soon after, a ginger note enters along with touch of rum making the perfume slightly soured and it’s here that the perfume begins to flatten and anchor itself to a more woody persona as it stays rather close to the skin making it more of a whisper than a shout.  As it continues to develop, the mint seems to make a return along with a lightly sweetened tobacco which helps to dissipate any remnants of the earlier sourness.  After some time, Burlington 1819 begins to take on an ambered warmth and this is where it unfolds and radiates.  An added patchouli brightens the tobacco and makes for a beautiful finish.  Burlington 1819 is a wonderfully muted perfume that creates for an easy masculinity.

From the Roja Parfums website:

“1819 celebrates 5 years of London’s Burlington Arcade being home to the flagship Roja Parfums boutique. An iconic British institution for over 200 years, the Burlington Arcade is an unparalleled destination for the discovery of opulence. Every step down the Arcade is a chance to discover something new. 1819 – the year it opened to the public – pays homage The Burlington Arcade being the perfect home for our award-winning perfumery, where the finest fragrances in the world wait to be discovered.” – ROJA DOVE.

KEY INGREDIENTS: Grapefruit, Lime, Mint, Ginger, Saffron, Oakmoss, Rum, Tobacco, Casmir Wood, Benzoin

Burlington Arcade linking Piccadilly with Bond Street showing fashionable society about to sample the delights of the arcade’s shops. Date: 1828.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  I won’t argue with Roja Dove’s inspiration as I can imagine the sights and sounds of the Burlington Arcade from days gone by.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BURLINGTON 1819:  inviting, warm, quietly-confident

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BURLINGTON 1819:  No written reviews found.

BOTTOM LINE:  Burlington 1819 is a masculine perfume that is subtle and classic and very easy to wear and I love that it’s rather quiet and unassuming.  And as a Father’s Day gift, you can’t go wrong.  A couple of sprays and dad will smell like a million bucks.  Oh, and that bottle…fantastic!

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Amber
  • Nose:  Roja Dove
  • Classification: Masculine
  • Expense:  $380 for 100 ml eau de parfum


3 Comments

Tom Ford Ébène Fumé

WHAT I SMELL: Ébène Fumé opens with a soft woody smokiness tinged with labdanum and leather.  It’s calming, serene and wonderfully subtle. As the perfume develops, the incense loses a bit of its sharpness and a smooth and slightly creamy cistus enters.  At this point, the perfume feels like a sheath of light leather is embracing your skin.  Hints of florals help to make the creation more rounded which helps to keep it from becoming too smoky.  Beyond that, the perfume doesn’t develop much except for the addition of a lightly sweetened guaiac woody note.  Ébène Fumé isn’t a game changing perfume, but it’s perfect for those times when you are looking for quiet reflection.

From the Tom Ford website:

ÉBÈNE FUMÉ MERGES THE PURIFYING ESSENCE OF PALO SANTO WITH NOTES OF SEDUCTIVE EBONY WOOD, AROUSING EXQUISITE CALM AND HEIGHTENED SPIRITUAL LUXURY.

ÉBÈNE FUMÉ CONJURES TRANSCENDENT SPIRITUAL CALM THROUGH THE MYSTICAL ESSENCE OF PALO SANTO SMOKE – STOKED BY THE WARM ELEGANCE OF CISTUS ABSOLUTE, ROSES, AND SEDUCTIVE NOTES OF EBONY WOOD, CAPTURED IN SLEEK, SUBLIME NOTES OF LEATHER.

Top notes are Incense, Palo Santo, Black Pepper and Violet Leaf; middle notes are Leather, Labdanum, Cade oil, Papyrus and Rose; base notes are resins, ebony tree and Guaiac Wood.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Old leather bound books which have been stored in a church rectory for hundreds of years.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE ÉBÈNE FUMÉ:  serene, calming, contented

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ÉBÈNE FUMÉ:  CaFleureBon, Temptalia

BOTTOM LINE:  It is Memorial Day today in the United States.  A day that is for remembering and honoring those who have served the country since its inception.  I thought that this calming perfume would be the perfect scent to pay tribute to those who came before us and to pray for peace around the world during these trying times.  No, perfume can’t create world peace, but if anything, it can help to soothe our souls.

  • Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Amber Woody
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $270 for 50ml eau de parfum


2 Comments

Bleu Abysse – Les Parfums de Rosine

WHAT I SMELL:  Bleu Abysse opens with a salty bergamot warmed by the sun which is quickly met with a more mineral accord that is punctuated with an inviting rounded rose.  The combination of the rose and the salty mineral facets are quite interesting and I can’t say that I have ever experienced this in a perfume before.  However, as it continues to develop I realize that at this stage the perfume is much more akin to mineral salts for the bath.  And as soon as I make that connection, I wonder if that is how I would like to smell when I leave the house.  As the perfume continues to develop, Bleu Abysse seems to head out to the sea.  The brief introduction of the rose makes way for a more intense mineral sea sensation with the addition of vetiver and seaweed and a hint of oud adds a layer of sour to the mixture which seems to dull the minerals a bit.  Thankfully, a bit of sweetened patchouli helps to pull the perfume back to the shore making it a bit more approachable.  Unfortunately, shortly after a metallic note seems to sweep in bringing in an unwelcomed bite.  But apparently that made way for an evened mix of patchouli, vetiver with a light incense that is actually quite beautiful in a very serene way.  Too bad that doesn’t last all that long and in the end you’re left with salt and seaweed.

From the Les Parfums de Rosine website:

BLEU ABYSSE is a perfume of contrasting sensations: a deep, yet dry, marine-blue note. Inspired by the French rose, ‘Rosa Moschata’.

BLEU ABYSSE is a fresh fusion fragrance.

In creating BLEU ABYSSE, the young perfumer, Serge de Oliveira, sought to capture waves of euphoria that sweep over us when we are near the sea.

Top Notes – Bergamot, Elemi, Cassis; Heart Notes – Rose, Mineral accord; Base Notes – Oud, Patchouli, Vetiver, Seaweeds, Incense

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  Salted seaweed.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE BLEU ABYSSE: salty, metallic, unique

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BLEU ABYSSE: Chemist in the Bottle, Now Smell This

BOTTOM LINE:  I will readily admit that I am not a big fan of mineral or marine scents.  The sharpness makes me feel detached from these fragrances and it’s as if I’m wearing a “thing” vs. wearing an essence.  That said, there are some interesting twists and turns in the development of this perfume, but in the end I just get salty, sharpened seaweed.  Thankfully I live not too far from the ocean so that if I want to experience blue abyss, I can just head to the nearest beach for the real thing.

  • Bone Rating:  2.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Marine woody
  • Nose:  Serge de Oliveira
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: 150 Euros for 100 ml Eau de Parfum available from the Les Parfums de Rosine website