rose | The Scented Hound

February 25, 2012
by The Scented Hound 2 Comments

Lumiere Noire by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Winter has come back with a vengeance today. The sun shines for a few minutes, then the sky returns to gray and the snow swirls through the heavy winds that are blowing. As it’s still February I guess this kind of weather is to be expected. But we have been spoiled by a lovely winter thus far. After reading the newspaper, feeding the cats and going for a winter walk, I put on my Saturday comfy clothes to go run my weekend errands. I thought I would check out a sample of Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Lumiere Noire pour homme that has been sitting on my shelf for a while. When first applied, I found this to be a little spicy (most likely the cumin and cinnamon), but surprisingly green at the same time. OK, I typically love heavy scents and my husband loves the lighter green scents; so I’m thinking this is nice, but not really my cup of tea. So I go to my husband and ask him what he thinks. No surprise, he loved it. So we head out of the house, run to the stores, and I could not help finding that this scent, in a lovely dry down, wafted and swirled up and around me through the wind. Lumiere Noire is a rose scent, but it is so faintly so that you don’t immediately think “roses.” Although this is for men, I do believe this easily fits into a unisex category. This is a lovely scent that I found to be clean and fresh. I would also say that this is a safe scent; you won’t offend others or yourself when you wear this. Lumiere Noire worked perfectly for a gloomy errand running winter day, so much so that I can’t wait to see what it can do for a beautiful and warm spring day. Simply lovely.

From the Maison Francis Kurkdjian website:

Olfactory family: Rose – Cumin – Cinnamon – Patchouli – Wormwood

Play of opposites for both agreements as two extremes which meet. An eau de toilette fragrance mysterious that draws up cause the abandonment of self.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Masculine or Unisex
Expense: Moderately Expensive – $155 for 70ml EDT

February 13, 2012
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Black Aoud by Montale

You would think that a scent that I would describe as going on as smelling like plastic and burning rubber would be a scent that I wouldn’t recommend. Well… when I first put this on, I was ready to wash it off right away. But as you know, things can change as time passes and indeed this is one of those times. I walked into work about 45 minutes after I applied this perfume and no sooner than I was in the door (I hadn’t even had time to remove my coat), did a co-worker lean over and ask me what I was wearing because it smelled so wonderful. Go figure. So in about an hour, I went from smelling like an old tire to smelling delicious. And yes, once the fragrance opened up, it turned into a lovely warm and musky rose scent. And don’t get scared of the idea of roses, this is not the kind of rose scent that your grandmother wore. Overall, it’s a very distinctive and original scent. In addition, it’s a scent that lasts all day. I’m just not sure that it’s a scent for me…but I’ll give it some time and will definitely give it another try; old tire smell and all!

From the Montale Website:

A magnificent Cambodian Aoud blended with Indonesian Patchouli leaves over a combination of Mandarin, Musk and Rose petals.

Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: musk, rose, patchouli
Classification: Unisex
Expense: Moderately expensive – $110 for 50ml eau de parfum

January 8, 2012
by The Scented Hound 5 Comments

Rose d’Homme by Les Parfums de Rosine

One of the hardest things about loving scents is that since you are dealing with something that cannot be seen, you have to sometimes take a leap of faith and purchase a scent that might sound interesting to you and hope that it works out. I don’t remember where I read about this fragrance but it really piqued my interest; a rose fragrance for men! I asked for and received a bottle for Christmas. I am happy to say that I am in love with this fragrance. When initially applied you smell the rose, but then as it starts to dry you have a very warm leather scent. I was worried that it would be too feminine, but it isn’t in the least. It is one of those scents that you won’t smell for a while and then all of a sudden you’ll catch a whiff of the warmth of the scent. It really is a happy surprise! Also note, that this is an eau de Parfum rather than cologne. And for a parfum it’s pretty reasonable in cost.

The following is from the Les Parfums de Rosine website:

The man who wears it belongs to a new generation of men: sophisticated, multi sensorial and free to choose his own elegance. Rose d’Homme is made with the famous “rose note” created by Rosine. It belongs to the olfactory family: Woody rose.

The perfume was created by Marie-Hélène Rogeon and François Robert in 2005.
It is sophisticated, surprising and vibrant. Rose d’Homme is not composing on a classical structure Head/Heart/Base. The Vetyver-Lavender base is combined with the opulent Rosine Rose and: Citrus, Bergamot, Patchouli, Vanilla, Herbal notes, Jasmine, Tangerine and Leather.