review | The Scented Hound

June 29, 2015
by The Scented Hound 2 Comments

Stercus by Orto Parisi

WHAT I SMELL: Stercus opens rather funkalicious, with a biting citrus and earthy wood that has a burnt edge to it. Actually, I was expecting a more roughened opening, but even though there’s a bite and sharpness and saltiness to the perfume, it’s not the monster that I was expecting. The sharpness starts to fade in a few minutes and it feels as if the perfume does as well. After 5 minutes, it’s all but a whisper. Hmmmm, I have the feeling that there’s more in store, I just have to be a little patient. Just as I expected, after around 10 minutes, the perfume starts to grow. It’s much saltier, and slightly sour. It’s also a bit green and reminds me of weedy stems. According to the Twisted Lily website, Stercus is the latin word for feces. Interesting, I’m getting less feces and getting more sweaty armpit. What I always find interesting about perfumes that are intended to mimic or represent bodily fluids, functions, etc. are never repulsing (for the most part), but instead are intriguing, magnetic and primal. While Stercus is interesting, as it continues to develop it becomes more woody and the salty and carnal nature of the perfume is rather sexy. It’s not a big perfume however, instead it’s rather like a subdued force field of pheromones. I wonder if this was worn by a large Buck, how many Does it would attract?! Wait, did I say that this perfume is not big? After over an hour it really begins to project and when I smelled it, it coats the back of my throat…to include a rather celeryish vegetal smoky edge. Interesting indeed. Finally, after a couple of hours, the perfume mellows to a slightly salty and slightly powdery floral musk while maintaining a healthy projection. What an interesting ride this has been.

The Orto Parisi website doesn’t list any notes. However, check out their site as it’s rather intriguing.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Sexy, sweaty skin.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE STERCUS: salty, pheromonal, intriguing

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT STERCUS: Kafkaesque, The Sartorial Silhouette, Pierre de Nishapur

BOTTOM LINE: Perfumer Allesandro Gualtieri’s vision for Orto Parisi, like the Nasomatto brand, intrigues me and I was very interested in sampling the line. So far, the only other perfume in the line to make its way past my nose is Brutus, which is an interesting take on citrus and wood. I can’t wait to check out the others!

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral Woody Musk
Nose: Allesandro Gualtieri
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $195 for 50 ml Parfum Extrait

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary

June 24, 2015
by The Scented Hound 5 Comments

M. Micallef Style

WHAT I SMELL: Style opens wonderfully warm and herbal, accentuated by cardamom and nutmeg. Its clean and crisp, like a starched dress shirt. There’s a generous, thoughtful and inviting masculinity in the perfume. After around 5 minutes, the dried lavender starts to bring with it a rather large projection. It’s warm, dreamlike and very elegant. There’s a layer of incense that swirls below the lavender, that adds just a hint of sexiness to the rather formal composition. After some more time, the perfume becomes more woody and dry, but the incense still layers the perfume from below like the remains of a bonfire drifting in the distance. As the perfume continues to develop, the incense begins to wain and the sandalwood brings a welcomed light creaminess along with a light floral bloom to the dry and woody heart.

Notes listed from Fragrantica:

Top notes of the composition will offer a spicy blend of nutmeg, warm and gourmand cinnamon and cardamom, refreshed by luminous and sunny lemon zest. The heart of the composition accentuates floral notes of elegant jasmine and lily of the valley softened with aromatic lavender, while base notes provide us with warmth and precious woody notes of patchouli and sandalwood embraced by a mysterious veil of incense and sensual musk.

MCCREA, Joel , 1933 , RKO , Bird of Paradise,

Joel McCrea , 1933 , RKO , Bird of Paradise

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A dashing 1930’s Joel McCrea; accessible and easy masculinity.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE STYLE: classic, controlled, elegant

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT STYLE: Chemist in the Bottle, CaFleureBon, Memory of Scent

BOTTOM LINE: Style is an elegant and wonderfully controlled and easy to wear masculine perfume. This would be an easy add to any man’s wardrobe.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Nose: Jean-Claude Astier
Classification: Masculine
Expense: $110 for 30 ml Eau de Parfum

June 22, 2015
by The Scented Hound 16 Comments

Afrika-Olifant by Nishane

WHAT I SMELL: Afrika-Olifant opens like an interesting incense and smoky mystery. I can’t help think of a wrestler walking through clouds of smoke at a WWE event as they walk in the arena. It’s spicy, rather sour and in your face without being heavy-handed. However, there’s a primal male sexuality that’s powerfully overt. The perfume screams SEX. After a few minutes, the leather makes it way in, but as if like a stranger snuck in through the back alley, come up behind you and you feel their presence but can’t see them. That initial rush of smoldering sex, starts to tone down after 10 minutes, but that doesn’t mean the perfume is any less provocative or subdued. The animalic, smoky, spiced and civet laden creation smolders like burning embers. The heat is there and if you get to close you’re going to get burned. After 30 minutes, the musk comes to the forefront, adding another layer of pure sex. Yes…this perfume is all about sex. And as I try to find in my mind descriptors, I just end up back with “damn this is pure sex.” In the end, Afrika-Olifant dries out to leave this layer of burning ash hinting at the power that came before but is now subtle, subdued, but still all that magnetic.

From the Nishane website:

Stimulates hidden desires… The fragrance opens with frankincense and myrrh. As animalic notes castoreum and civet settle down, leather and oud dominate the battlefield. Timid and audacious at the same time…

TOP NOTES: ambergris, frankincense, myrrhe, labdanum

HEART NOTES: castoreum, civet, leather, oud

BASE NOTES: muscenone, thibetone, muscone, civetone

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: As you can see from above, this perfume is all SEX. So many images conjure in my mind, but I’ll go for the G-rated version: the power, the leather, and the viral men of 300!

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE AFRIKA-OLIFANT: smoldering, sexy, primal

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT AFRIKA-OLIFANT: Fashion Lifestyle, Pierre de Nishapur

BOTTOM LINE: Afrika-Olifant is not an office scent and it’s not a fragrance for going on a picnic. It is for wearing when you’re out on the prowl or if you want to create an aura of mystery. In the end, the perfume leaves just enough of a trail to leave those around you wondering where that incredibly sexy smell is coming from. This is my first introduction to the Nishane line, a niche brand from Istanbul, but it won’t be my last because they have some incredible varying perfumes in the line. Duft Bluhten, an beautiful magnolia and gardenia creation is the polar opposite of Afrika-Olifant, but equally as wonderful. Actually, the pretty floral is probably more my style than this perfume which would be on my full bottle list if I was still single and needed to add a layer of testosterone to my Saturday night bar hopping wardrobe.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental
Nose: Jorge Lee
Classification: Classified as unisex, but to me, this is completely masculine.
Expense: $230 for 50 ml parfum extrait. Sold exclusively at Twisted Lily in the U.S.