review | The Scented Hound

November 23, 2016
by The Scented Hound 19 Comments

New Release: Arbolé Arbolé by Hiram Green

Oooooh, I love a Hiram Green perfume and can’t wait to see what this new creation has to behold…

WHAT I SMELL: Arbolé Arbolé opens with a putty like chewy patchouli that feels encased in a light rubber or elastic. It’s pretty, but also has this futuristic feel (futuristic like what we thought the future would be like in the 1960s)…as such, it has vintage futuristic vibe. Soon, the opening kick to futuristic nostalgia adds a citrus and woody edge that moves the rubberized consistency away, although there is still a bit of a putty edge to the perfume. After some more time a warmed base emerges with a chewy, thickened vanilla…and the perfume really starts to project. Once again the chewy moves away and the perfume begins to dry considerably. Here, the perfume radiates this calming lightly sweet rich vanilla that’s tamed by the tonka bean…and the perfume reminds me of something in my youth, but I just can’t put my finger on it. But I can tell you that it’s a warm fuzzy connection. Continuing on, the perfume becomes velvety smooth as if the ingredients were lightly warmed to create seamless infusion. In the end, the perfume deepens, still smooth, still creamy with a light powder. I absolutely love this perfume.

From the Hiram Green website:

Hiram Green’s latest perfume, Arbolé Arbolé, is a warm and woody fragrance that takes its name and spirit from Lorca’s eponymous poem. Ostensibly simple, yet subtly complex, this is an unashamedly romantic fragrance for those who dare to dream.

Arbolé Arbolé opens with a burst of earthy patchouli that slowly merges with rich cedar wood and velvety sandalwood. Vanilla and tonka bean anchor the fragrance and provide a sweet and powdery base.

The following is Hiram’s inspiration from Frederico Lorca:

Arbolé, Arbolé

Tree, tree
dry and green.

The girl with the pretty face 
is out picking olives. 
The wind, playboy of towers, 
grabs her around the waist. 
Four riders passed by
on Andalusian ponies, 
with blue and green jackets 
and big, dark capes. 
“Come to Cordoba, muchacha.” 
The girl won’t listen to them. 
Three young bullfighters passed, 
slender in the waist, 
with jackets the color of oranges 
and swords of ancient silver. 
“Come to Sevilla, muchacha.” 
The girl won’t listen to them. 
When the afternoon had turned
dark brown, with scattered light, 
a young man passed by, wearing 
roses and myrtle of the moon. 
“Come to Granada, muchacha.” 
And the girl won’t listen to him. 
The girl with the pretty face
keeps on picking olives 
with the grey arm of the wind 
wrapped around her waist.
Tree, tree
dry and green.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Suburban living in the 60s…family, optimism and life was good (based on my childhood memories).

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ARBOLÉ ARBOLÉ: nostalgic, reassuring, unique

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ARBOLÉ ARBOLÉ: Take One Thing Off, Jaroslav Blog (in Polish), AustralianPerfumeJunkies

BOTTOM LINE: Hiram has done it again…and I have to say as much as I loved Moon Bloom, this perfume may be my favorite yet. Some perfumers just seem to connect with you…Hiram certainly does with me. In reading “What I Smell” above, you wouldn’t think that words like “putty” and “chewy” would lead to love, but it does. Absolutely beautiful.

Bone Rating: 5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent Woody
Nose: Hiram Green
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $135 Euro for 50 ml eau de parfum. Hiram is currently running a special on his website, purchase the 50 ml bottle and get a 10 ml travel size for free. Perfect to keep for yourself, or to give as a stocking stuffer for someone you love!

Sample courtesy of Hiram Green. Opinion my own.

November 17, 2016
by The Scented Hound 9 Comments

Raw Secret by Phuong Dang Perfumes

WHAT I SMELL: Raw Secret opens with a wave of muted aldehydes which are quickly met with a light tea surrounded by a leveled and flattened mandarin. After a few minutes, the perfume begins to project with the tea at the center. The tea is warmed, rounded and thickened in a chewy and slightly rubbery consistency. The perfume is absolutely dreamy and it feels like a lullaby that is rocking you softly and gently leaving you in an envelopment of content. As the perfume continues to develop, the tea moves more towards a dried lily of the valley. It’s incredibly soft and green without being dewy. Here, the lily blooms alongside a bed of delicate white flowers which feel like a floating embrace above a woodied amber radiating base. The perfume then starts to dry and lightly powder…and the gleaming flowers are magnificent in a way that makes me want to wrap the entire perfume around me. In the end, Raw Secret grows in projection to become a beautifully powdered floral hug warmed by amber that’s oh so comforting.

From the Phuong Dang website:

“You reach out to touch me. Linger… I smile because I am happy. Feel so safe in your warm embrace… I just want to hold on, so tightly. Please get closer, to know me… I am only me. And yet with you, I am so much stronger.” —Phuong Dang

Raw Secret Notes –

Top: Aldehydes, Bergamot, Mandarin, Red Pepper, Tea Leaves, Ginger

Heart: Jasmine Absolute, Lily of the Valley, Imaginary White Flowers

Base: Amber, Sandalwood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: love

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE RAW SECRET: incandescent, embracing, at peace

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RAW SECRET: None to be found.

BOTTOM LINE: Brand creator and namesake, Phuong Dang has launched a debut collection of ten perfumes, primarily created with perfumer Bertrand Duchafour. Raw Secret is the only perfume that steps outside the Duchafour collaboration and was created by perfumer Marina Jung Allegret… and it’s one of my favorite in the line. In all, the entire collection is comprised of extraits which are incredibly smooth, refined and easy to wear.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent Floral Citrus
Nose: Maria Jung Allegret
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $450 for 100 ml parfum extrait. Available exclusively at Barneys.

November 14, 2016
by The Scented Hound 17 Comments

Bucoliques de Provence by L’Artisan Parfumeur

WHAT I SMELL: Not surprisingly, Bucoliques de Provence opens with a soft cashmere iris which is soon met with a deep brown sugared and herbal lavender. It’s slightly medicinal, but very comforting; and in all it’s just so pretty and calming. Soon, a mix of herbs and spices pepper the lavender, making the perfume feel a bit chewy vs. the standard powdered dry lavender that we associate with the note. As the perfume continues to develop, it begins to flatten and it takes on a more woody consistency. At the same time, the spices really come forward…actually, in a quite caustic manner. What used to be calming, now has an unfortunate bite. After quite some time, the lavender turns to a laundry detergent familiarity and the perfume feels like it should be used as more of a bed or room spray. Supposedly there is some leather in here, but I’m not picking any of it up. Instead I am getting a dried flower kitchen witch vibe…and that’s not a good thing. After quite some time, the iris comes back in with a light powder and the kitchen witch begins to dissipate. The perfume becomes soft and kind of pretty…but unfortunately I’m left with a headache caused by the kitchen witch development

Kitchen Witch

From the L’Artisan Parfumeur website:

Bucoliques de Provence is a limited edition fragrance. It marks the beginning of a new collection inspired by different regions of France. This perfume pays homage to the history of Grasse. Perfumery in this region with its distinctive lavender fields, dates back to the 17th century and is linked to the historic production of leather. The perfumer has combined lavender and leather with iris and spices creating a soft, faceted scent. Bucoliques de Provence is modern in its pure and naturalistic approach.

Inspired by the savoir-faire of artisans in Grasse, an accord of leathery lavender, modernised by iris and spices.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A gray goose…kind of pretty, but not as pretty as a white swan, a little annoying and not as fun as a duck.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BUCOLIQUES DE PROVENCE: wannabe, wafting, cleanser

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BUCOLIQUES DE PROVENCE: The Scented Salamander, Chemist in the Bottle

BOTTOM LINE: The perfume’s opening is divine until you get to the kitchen witch in the middle which makes you want to run. In the end, the perfume does calm down and becomes a quiet powdered iris, but that’s not enough of a save to make me want to come back.

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Leather?
Nose: Fabrice Pellegrin
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $105 for 50 ml eau de parfum