spicy | The Scented Hound

March 6, 2012
by The Scented Hound 11 Comments

Ambre Sultan by Serge Lutens

All perfumistas have gone through the process of making a purchase smell unseen. For the most part when I have done this I come away with a great product. A couple of months ago, I blindly purchased Ambre Sultan based on reviews that I read and I am thrilled to say that I love this fragrance. And as an added bonus, I always receive compliments whenever I have this on. This is not a fragrance for the timid and shy. Strong and almost medicinal when first applied, it warms to a nice dry, spicy and woody enveloping scent. This is amber without the sweetness. Amber Sultan is perfect for a winter’s day…I can only imagine how it will wear in the heat of the summer! You can definitely understand the “sultan” in Ambre Sultan thanks to the exotic incense spiciness of this most perfect fragrance. Where’s my magic carpet?

Ambre Sultan Notes:

coriander, amber, oregano, bay leaf, myrtle, angelica root, sandalwood, patchouli, benzoin, vanilla

Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $100 for 50ml

February 28, 2012
by The Scented Hound 3 Comments

Armani Prive’ Ambre Soie by Armani

You will notice that I have been reviewing a lot of amber scents as of late. Last month, I ordered a Men’s Amber sample pack from The Perfumed Court. If you’re not familiar with them, they offer decant service on an incredible variety of fragrances, including hard to find ones. But I digress. One of the samples that was part of this group was Ambre Soie. I was very excited to try this and found that I wasn’t disappointed. I found this to be an incredibly luxurious scent. Upon application, I was first greeted with a beautiful combination of ginger, pepper and spices. It then moved on to a lovely creamy and ethereal amber and patchouli. Ambre Soie is a very calming and elegant fragrance. I just wish I had more than what I have in my small vial. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to spray this gem on!

From the Giorgio Armani Beauty website:

Amber’s voluptuousness and depth appealed to Giorgio Armani. He re-interpreted this rare olfactive essence using the light of wood and eastern spices. It is a blend of Cinnamon and Clove, a hint of Ginger which rustles on the waves of Patchouli. The light touch of spices and liquorice wood venture deliciously into the amber. More weighty: Artist and magician, Giorgio Armani transforms the amber into a golden fluid, silky and smooth, revealing the skin, the ultimate elegance of exposure. The top, inspired by the most sumptuous amber stone reveals its transparency with golden, coppery tones. Its warmth echoing its sensual and radiant energy.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental
Classification: Unisex
Expense: Expensive – $200 for 100ml

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