Sweet | The Scented Hound

April 3, 2012
by The Scented Hound 2 Comments

Indochine by Parfumerie Generale

Intrigued by the name and intrigued by the description of this scent, I knew I had to give this fragrance a try. Indochine is as exotic as its name. Sweet in the bottle and initially sweet on the skin, the far east is emboldened in what I would imagine a Vietnamese Buddhist temple would smell like. Honey, vanilla and incense are the primary notes combined with a smoky haze. I’m a fan or oriental scents, but the incense, as mild as it is, is not a favorite of mine. Bold, without being overpowering, I would recommend this to anyone who likes deep and rich almost gourmand incense fragrances.

From the Parfumerie Generale website:

At once sweet, vanilla-scented, resinous, powdery, milky and spicy, Benzoin Siam is a resin of great olfactory richness that is rarely used as a central theme in Perfumery. Drawing on rare notes such as Kampot Pepper, Burmese Tanakha, or Laos honey, Pierre Guillaume orchestrates a luminous, smooth and airy perfume, delicately reproducing each and every facet of the unprocessed balsam. This sepia-tinged balm infuses Indochine with the radiance of platinum…

Indochine Notes:

Wood, Fresh Spice, Sweet Amber, Powder, Benzoin Siam Resin, Kampot Pepper, Ceylon Cardamom, Burmese Tanakha, Laos Honey.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $95 for 50ml EDT

March 25, 2012
by The Scented Hound 4 Comments

Aziyade by Parfum d’Empire

Yesterday I received my full collection of samples from Parfum d’ Empire. This was a wonderful buy in order to check out the entire collection. Very nice packaging and even a hand written note thanking me for my purchase. Good customer service as far as I’m concerned. So to start my venture in sampling, I reached into the bag and chose to wear the first offering I grabbed. So here it goes. Coca-Cola, body odor and prunes were the first things that came to mind when I sprayed Aziyade on for the first time. You wouldn’t think that by my description this would be a scent that I would favor, but in fact is wasn’t so bad. I think the thought of body odor (or maybe a better description would be a musky smell) was the coming from the cardamon and cumin. The cumin especially steps out after a bit and I rather liked it. I would describe this as spicy with a hint of sweetness as it’s not a strong overpowering spice. It is definitely a one of a kind scent. My one disappointment is that it quickly vanished and I had to reapply just a few hours later. Not that I’m complaining, because upon reapplication I quickly traveled through all the layers once again! I think this could really grow on me and become a full bottle purchase. We’ll see.

Aziyade Notes: pomegranate, crystallized date, almond, orange and prune, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, Egyptian cumin, carob, frankincense, vanilla, Madagascar vanilla absolute, patchouli, musk, cistus

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Classification: Unisex
Expense: From $75 for 50ml, EDP

February 20, 2012
by The Scented Hound Leave a comment

Fiori D’Ambra by Profumum

More ambers; more to love. This lovely perfume opens up with a rush of spice, I would say almost cinnamon in nature, along with a faint sweetness. Funny, my husband said that it smells like root beer. I can see that. That had me a bit worried. But once again, as time would tell, the scent transformed from that spicy blast to a nice and mellowed amber. This is neither harsh or medicinal, but an almost vanilla sweet, lightly spiced amber with great longevity. I would say that it leans a bit on the feminine side, but it is a scent that is close to the skin and therefore when walking through a crowd, no one would assume that a dowager is passing by. Light, sweet, subtle. A very nice amber indeed.

From the Profumum website:

Olfactory notes: Opium flowers, Amber, Spices