review | The Scented Hound

February 23, 2015
by The Scented Hound 11 Comments

Chanel Coco Noir

WHAT I SMELL: Coco Noir opens with a brown sugared and sweetened grapefruit and bergamot. It’s light and happy, pretty and rather bouncy as the notes crackle with the brown sugar. The sugar note starts to reveal a lovely floral dominated by jasmine that starts to grow and expand. There’s something almost a bit masculine about the fragrance as the patchouli provides a woody note that keeps the florals from becoming too feminine. But as soon as I say that, the perfume continues to grow and expand and it becomes rather creamy, like it would make for a beautiful and enriching hand creme. Finally, Coco Noir finds it feminine self and the perfume radiates warm florals which are beefed up by a pulsating sandalwood. The perfume almost has a heartbeat that pulses and projects off the skin in a rhythmic manner. In the end, Coco Noir provides a powdery finish to a radiant floral that is warmed from below.

From the Chanel website:

Magnetic and uncompromising, COCO NOIR reveals a black that is intimate, seductive and intensely brilliant. Striking top notes of Grapefruit and Bergamot accentuate the floral accord, with Rose and Jasmine, while Indonesian Patchouli and Sandalwood notes add warmth.

Passion via romance novel art!

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: pulsating passion

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE COCO NOIR: tempting, self-assured, confident

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT COCO NOIR: Bois de Jasmin, Kafkaesque, Undina’s Looking Glass

BOTTOM LINE: With “noir” in the name, I was expecting Coco Noir to be a heavy oriental full of deep and dark mystery. Instead, I found a fragrance that is rather big, bold and full of passion. Coco Noir takes no prisoners and although being rather feminine, there’s enough beef here to make me think that a man could get by with wearing this with ease as well.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Woody Floral
Nose: Jacques Polge and Christopher Sheldrake
Classification: Feminine, but could work for a man
Expense: Review based on the Eau de Parfum version. $98 for 3.4 oz. Eau de Parfum.

February 18, 2015
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

Signature Fragrances Woody Conjure

WHAT I SMELL: Woody Conjure’s opening is composed of this very warm, deep and intoxicating cedar. It’s like a fine sheen of rich wood and fir. There’s an oppulance about it as if it resides within the snow covered trees in the coldest of Russia. After a few minutes, a light spice is added and just a hint of oud. There’s also a buttery quality about the perfume which adds to the elegance. As rich and handsome as this is, it remains relatively contained and I find that it’s makes for a mysterious and sexy skin scent. After another 15 minutes a woody leather emerges which helps to make the perfume grow. What began in the woods, has now moved to the confines of a classical and majestic winter house. In the end, the musk becomes more prominent leaving you with this warm, woody, musky fur blanket. The warmth and quiet power of Woody Conjure holds you captive, but with quiet resolve rather than force. Is it groundbreaking? No. But it is a nice woody masculine treat.

From the Signature Fragrances website:

RICH, MASCULINE, MYSTERIOUS, SENSUAL, SWEET

A fragrance that speaks richness and masculinity, the scent of a noble prince! This scent asserts a distinct woody note, yet is refined with exotic accents.

Top: Cedar, Lily

Heart: Sandalwood, Oud, Patchouli

Base: Amber, Palisander Wood, Musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE WOODY CONJURE: tempered, rich, honest

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT WOODY CONJURE: The Smelly Vagabond, The Perfumed Guillotine

BOTTOM LINE: Signature Fragrances debuted this past year and all of their perfumes are composed of perfumed oil and as such, a little dab will go a long way. Even though they are perfumed oils, the prices make these perfumes very accessible. And adding to the beauty of the fragrances are the lovely bottles in which the perfumes come in. Let’s face facts, a pretty bottle can make a perfume all that more special.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Wood
Classification: Masculine
Expense: approximately $32 for 6 ml perfume oil from the Signature Fragrances website

Sample courtesy of Signature Fragrances.

February 16, 2015
by The Scented Hound 17 Comments

Frederic Malle Une Fleur de Cassie

WHAT I SMELL: Une Fleur de Cassie opens with bright aldehydes which move quickly into a mimosa note that is soft, airy, slightly fuzzy and which feels like it’s lightly infused with cotton. The fragrance is rather dreamy and ethereal, but as soon as I say that, I can feel the perfume begin to grow and expand. A hay like quality becomes the dominant presence, but the straw manages to remain light even though it’s saturated with modest florals which soften the perfume. After and hour or so, the fragrance moves its attention to deeper consistency with a bit of leather and earthy rootiness making the fragrance move from the feminine to the masculine, but as soon as I say that, the tender flowers seem to dominate again. Une Fleur de Cassie is interesting in that it’s pretty, but not in a traditional sense. Instead it is a captivating beauty made from the divinity of the earth through subtle and natural components, most prominent being the mimosa. In the end, the fragrance doesn’t morph and transform all that much, but that’s perfect as Une Fleur de Cassie is simple beauty at its best.

From the Frederic Malle website:

The rare and exotic cassie flower is not easily tamed. Intoxicating and coarse, its fragrance is from another era. But the modern and infinitely precise writing of Dominique Ropion makes of Une Fleur de Cassie a very modern composition. This perfume is composed by rare ingredients such as mimosa absolute, jasmine absolute, cassia absolute and rose absolute, with carnation as a counterpoint, set upon a vanilla and sandalwood base. Rich, intricate, complex – like an haute couture gown.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Emanuelle Beart as Manon in the 1986 film “Manon of the Spring”

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE UNE FLEUR DE CASSIE: untamed, earthen, subtle

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT UNE FLEUR DE CASSIE: Perfume Posse, Smellythoughts, Grain de Musc

BOTTOM LINE: In reading the reviews cited above, I seem to have a much simpler ride with Une Fleur de Cassie than others. To me, the beauty in the fragrance is the simplicity in which it unfolds. It does seem to change and morph a bit with your body chemistry and I am wondering if this would bloom much more significantly on me when the temperatures are warm. As it stands now, it’s only 10 degrees outside leaving nothing to bloom at present! I have the feeling my sample of Une Fleur de Cassie is going to be drained within the next few weeks. Simply lovely.

Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Dominique Ropion
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $200 for 50ml Eau de Parfum