review | The Scented Hound

May 1, 2017
by The Scented Hound 8 Comments

Shelley Kyle Parfums Sorella

WHAT I SMELL: Sorella’s opening dances on the skin gloriously fresh and green, like fresh picked flowers off the stem. The perfume is all about the season of spring and initially it feels like walking through a meadow that is flush with dewy cooled sparkling flowers. The perfume is incredibly feminine and absolutely delightful with an incredible amount of positive energy. As such, it defies you to be in a bad mood while wearing it. After a short while, the green stems that seem to release the soft florals as if they’re being crushed under your feet like cool grass, makes way for a warm buttery note that adds a soothing layer like that of a comforting lotion. As the perfume continues to develop, the young and fresh, moves to the more mature with a rounded tuberose coming front and center. It’s waxy consistency doesn’t contain any sharp edges as it seems to glean on the skin. At the same time, it’s met with a warm amber and rapturous rose. Sorella is a lady; but a lady who isn’t demure in the least. Instead, she shines with a beautiful confidence that can’t be mistaken.

MotherDaughter From the Shelley Kyle website:

The Sorella Perfume is ideal for women who prefer floral scents that are subtle yet lingering. The combination of fresh tuberose, red roses, vintage gardenia and violet leaves provides a feeling femininity and control.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A young lady matures to womanhood.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SORELLA: gracious, enveloping, radiant

BOTTOM LINE: Wonderful perfumes don’t have to be expensive and Sorella completely exemplifies this. The perfume is wonderfully layered and it unfolds like a beautiful story. And for you Linden lovers, Shelley Kyle’s De Ma Mere is an easy to wear Linden based perfume that every time I wear it, I get multiple compliments!

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $37 for 30 ml Eau de Parfum from the Shelley Kyle website. And the great thing about Shelley Kyle products is that for each of their lines, they offer a plethora of matching products from lotions to candles and everything in between. And just in time for Mother’s Day they currently offer 10% off and free shipping on all orders!

April 27, 2017
by The Scented Hound 9 Comments

Les Parfums Louis Vuitton

I have to admit that I neglect getting to the local shops to check out new releases as I am probably the furthest from somebody who loves to go shopping…especially at the mall. But we had to head to the local Galleria (the local posh mall) this past weekend. While there, I was really curious to check out the Les Parfums Louis Vuitton collection that was released last year. Not surprisingly, the display at the store was understated and luxurious and the bottles were simple and chic (and graced with some hefty weight). What I loved most was a coffret set of all 7 of the perfumes in 10 ml bottles. It was cute, and again, packaged perfectly. The sales associate was as gracious and accommodating with my many questions and when I asked if I could get samples, stepped away and then returned with a small bag filled with the complete set. In the next couple of days, I went through all of the line and made the following determination…

the collection is nice, but nothing more. I really wanted to love each and every one of these, but all of them seemed to have been conceived in a laboratory with a void of any emotion; they just exist. I know, perfumes are meant to smell pretty…but these just lack any depth. Now, don’t get me wrong, they are pleasant enough, but I was expecting the finest, finished, smooth creations, like the most luxurious Louis Vuitton bag…instead I got a no name brand bag from Macy’s.

It’s hard writing about perfumes that you don’t love…but I will say that my favorite out of the bunch (and that’s not saying much) is Matière Noire, a woody rose combination that opens with a lovely blackcurrent note but which fades to a pleasant, but nondescript sweetened patchouli. From the Louis Vuitton website:

A blend of dark wood and white flowers ventures into a world of mystery. Exploring the universe is the ultimate travel fantasy and most thrilling adventure. Matière Noire plumbs intangible depths with a journey through the darkest, most precious woods, namely patchouli and Laos agarwood. The agarwood’s animal notes are intensified by blackcurrant and contrasted with the whiteness of narcissus and jasmine, a floral vibration that cuts the darkness like a comet. Plumes of sacred notes unfurl on the skin. The disruption is total, almost mystical.

My second choice would be Turbulences, an earthy and big and bold tuberose perfume that gets taken over by a musky jasmine that quickly fades away. From the Louis Vuitton website:

An extreme tuberose to stir the heart. Discovering faraway lands can sometimes feel like soaring among the clouds. Inspired by a feeling akin to love at first sight, the perfume Turbulences pays tribute to the most narcotic of flowers: the tuberose. Here, it fuses with the most precious petals of jasmine. A light touch of leather, and you swoon. Intensely. Deliciously.

Overall, I would give the collection a 3 bone rating. Nothing bad, but nothing great. The perfumes, for a rather hefty price, seem to fade rather quickly. Overall, this was a big disappointment to me as there was so much promise with the launch of this collection.

You can learn about the full collection at the Louis Vuitton website. Each perfume costs $240 for 100 ml eau de parfum. The cute coffret set is $290.

What others are saying about the Les Parfums Louis Vuitton collection: Perfume Posse, Kafkaesque

April 24, 2017
by The Scented Hound 13 Comments

Vintage Guerlain Vol de Nuit

When we were over to a friend’s house for dinner a couple of weeks ago, the conversation turned to perfume as their neighbor was talking about how she missed the old Opium from the 1980s. My friend had mentioned before that she loved perfume, but since developing allergies related to fragrance years ago she had to give up wearing it…along with now having to use fragrance free detergents, soaps, etc. She walked me up to her bedroom and said that her signature perfume was Guerlain’s Vol de Nuit. She pulled out an old bottle that was 1/2 full, a bottle that looked to be from the 1980s. I put a little on my wrist and it was heaven. She took a sniff and loved it as much as I did, but immediately she could feel it overtake her throat. I was thinking how horribly sad it was that she would never again be able to enjoy this perfume she loved so much. She saw how much I loved the perfume so she reached to the back of her dresser and pulled out a box that contained an unopened new bottle that she has been hanging on to since the 1990s and she proceeded to give it to me. I balked at first, but then she said that she would rather the perfume go to someone who would truly love and appreciate it as much as she did. An incredibly lovely gesture, I was humbled and still am by this generous and thoughtful gift. I have many perfumes, and a few vintage perfumes as well…but this perfume will always occupy a special place in my heart.

WHAT I SMELL: Vol de Nuit opens with a warm, encompassing dried galbanum and a subdued bergamot. The perfume is light, but it has a strange depth to it as it’s slightly spicy and lightly earthy. The perfume tingles my skin as it begins to powder and dry with a wonderful layer of oakmoss and dried flowers. After some time, the perfume begins to lighten to reveal a soft and tender, but earthy and lightly leathered iris. The whole composition is extremely subdued and it wears very close to the skin, but unlike the other early 20th Century nod to aviation, Caron’s En Avion that is thickened with the dirt spattered first flights, Vol de Nuit is ultimately more romantic and dreamy. The drydown is a slow and soft ride, but it’s the wait that’s worthwhile as the perfume glides in a hazy state of pure, but restrained bliss.

The top notes are bergamot, galbanum and petit grain; the heart reveals jasmine, daffodil and spices; the base combines earthy woods, iris, vanilla, amber and woodsy notes.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A romantic night flight above the clouds.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE VOL DE NUIT: positive, subdued, dreamy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VOL DE NUIT: Bois de Jasmin, The Non-Blonde, The Black Narcissus

BOTTOM LINE: Vol de Nuit isn’t about the grandeur of other Guerlain classics like Shalimar and Mitsouko. Instead, it has a quiet heart that sings softly. If the eau de toilette is this beautiful, I can only imagine what the extrait is like. Let the hunt begin. Thank you Paula for letting me fly above the clouds!

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Woody
Nose: Jacques Guerlain
Classification: Feminine, but easily worn by a man
Expense: Varied. Review based on the EdT version.