The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: Twisted Lily


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The Random 10: Room 1015’s Michael Partouche

Dr. Mike - Room 1015When you say the words “fragrance” or “perfume,” most people conjure in their minds high fashion and brand names like Chanel and Dior.  Typically, one doesn’t associate rock n’ roll with perfume, unless the perfume smells like stale beer and worn leather.  Michael Partouche,  founder of Room 1015 tears down the walls of the norm with a brash attitude and a rock and roll sensibility.

Dr. Mike as he is better known, is a pharmacist by trade, but he found the routine and discipline of the pharmaceutical life a hard fit.   So he retreated to the world of psychedelic rock n roll, the place where he felt free to express himself, by becoming one with his guitar.  Eventually, Dr. Mike found his way into combining the world of lotions and potions with the glam life of rock n roll in the realm of fragrance through his brand Room 1015.

With Room 1015, Dr. Mike, along with perfumers Amélie Bourgeois and Anne-Sophie Behaghel have created perfumes that are meant for the stage, the bright lights and the electric energy brought on by the full on sounds rifting from the spellbinding and hypnotic acoustics.

Blomma Cult2So why the name Room 1015? According to legend, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards threw a TV through the bedroom window of the West Hollywood Hyatt in 1972…Room 1015.  I guess you can’t get any more rock n’ roll than that!

Given Dr. Mike’s hardcore sensibilities, let’s see how he answers his Random 10:

  1. My favorite holiday is… summer…forever…wherever.
  2. My favorite gift received was… a guitar Gibson Les Paul Standard (when I was 11) and my dog! 
  3. Those closest to me call me… Micky or Mickey.
  4. If I won the lottery, I would… go to space and probably stay there. 
  5. The one thing that most people don’t know about me is… a secret.
  6. The biggest surprise in my life has been… my 2 kids.
  7. I always have to remind myself to… enjoy the present.
  8. My proudest accomplishment was… my kids (again), my degree as a Doctor of Pharmacy, and of course, Room 1015.
  9. If I ever created a fragrance just for me, it would include the following notes… Geranium, Vetiver and Citrus.
  10. My one recommendation for the fragrance industry is… sniff it, don’t drink it…

Room 1015 has a vibrancy and esthetic that I find exciting and that kick is evident when I reviewed Blomma Cult which I found to be like a swinging red velvet blazer and was named as one of my favorite new releases for 2015.  So which Room 1015 perfume is for you?  Dr. Mike has employed a ChatBot to help you in your search.  He can be found on Facebook at Room 1015 Chatbot.

Thanks to Dr. Mike for participating in The Scented Hound’s Random 10.  Check out the full line of Room 1015 perfumes at their full-on sensorial website:  Room 1015.  The Room 1015 line is also available in the US at Twisted Lily.

Rock on!


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Introducing The Scented Hound’s Random 10 with Twisted Lily’s Eric and Stamatis

The Scented Hound is launching a new feature, “The Scented Hound’s Random 10.” The Random 10 is a list of ten fill in the blank statements designed to get better acquainted with a perfumed personality.    The Random 10 is derived from a list of 99 potential statements that are picked by random by Random.org for each interview.  Many of these statements are focused around fragrance, but many are general in nature.  Each will hopefully add some  unknown fun facts and personal insights of those in and around the industry. You can check out the full list of the 99 fill in the blank statements here.

So how better to kick off this new feature by not only highlighting one person, but two,  with the co-founders of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary, Eric Weiser and Stamatis Birsimijoglou!

Stamatis and Eric (photo credit NY.Racked.com)

Stamatis and Eric (photo credit NY.racked.com)

Who says you need to shop in Manhattan to get your hands on the best in niche perfume.  Just across the East River in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn is Eric and Stamatis’ ode to niche heaven, Twisted Lily located on Atlantic Avenue.  Since opening the store in 2013, these two have one of the most extensive selections of little known niche perfumes on the East Coast.  And it seems that every month, they add an ever-increasing mix of up and coming brands.  Selling perfumes is one thing, but Eric and Stamatis, as well as their staff, make your shopping experience an enlightening event with knowledgeable and friendly customer service.  So let’s see what they reveal in their Random 10!

STAMATIS:

  1. I can get frazzled when…My to-do list spills onto a 4th page.
  1. If I had the chance to do something over again, I would…have been a dancer because I’ve got some crazy moves.
  1. My parents always taught me to…love unconditionally, the importance of family, and the importance of being a good listener!
  1. A guilty pleasure of mine is…LOL, sorry it’s personal!
  1. My favorite food is…Seafood, Avocados and Chocolate (not together though)
  1. My idea of pure bliss is…Being on a secluded beach, the open sea only steps away, mountains in the distance, sipping some good wine, a plate of fresh fruit and sharing it all with my partner, Eric… I can see it now!
  1. I’m a hoarder when it comes to owning multiple bottles of…Apoteker Tepe’s After The Flood. There’s something very comforting about it so I need to have it everywhere.
  1. My perfume tastes vary with…My mood and the weather.
  1. One fragrance that I thought I wouldn’t like, but turned out that I love is…Rania J’s Lavande 44. I don’t know why I thought I wouldn’t like it but I wear this one all the time now. It’s one of my favorites, a classic.
  1. You can never own enough…Boots and music.

ERIC:

  1. When I’m looking for quiet time, I…Meditate – anything that helps me shut off my mind for 15 minutes, also getting a therapeutic massage is like heaven on earth!
  1. My favorite fragrance house / brand is…Changes like the weather.  I’ve learned to appreciate most brands.
  1. The phrase I always overuse is….Don’t bullshit me! (It comes in handy when you run your own business)
  1. My biggest challenge so far in life has been…Learning to balance my personal life and my career
  1. The animal that best represents who I am is…An independent, yet cuddly and loyal canine.
  1. My favorite food is…Anything delectably spiced that makes my taste buds dance!
  1. My most vivid scent memory is…Walking around the spice bazaar with Stamatis in Istanbul. Cardamom, Coriander, Pepper, Turmeric
  1. The fragrance I most dislike is…Very heavy Ouds. Of course I appreciate Oud and know when it’s perfect for someone, it just doesn’t work very well with my chemistry. I also find that they’re a heavy commitment.
  1. Before I go to bed, I always…Have a full-on conversation with my dog. Making up ridiculous stories and rubbing her belly.
  1. My perfume tastes vary with….Whatever shoes and belt I’m wearing.

Thanks to Eric and Stamatis for breaking the ice with this inaugural post of The Scented Hound’s Random 10.  Please check out their website, twistedlily.com or stop by their store to see all the fantastic products they offer.  And if you’re in the Brooklyn area THIS weekend definitely pay them a visit to take advantage of special in-store only offerings for the holiday weekend. What a way to kick off the Memorial Day weekend…hot dogs, hamburgers, beer and a new bottle of perfume!


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New Release: Rrose Sélavy by Maria Candida Gentile

rrose_fla_fronteWHAT I SMELL:  Rrose Sélavy has a very herbal opening with a minted tarragon sitting on top of a vibrant deep and masculine rose.  I don’t want to say that the opening is discordant, but its incredibly different and unique in a way that makes you to wonder where this perfume path is going to lead you.   After a few minutes, a mentholated and camphorous warmth helps to give the perfume a pulsating heart.  Here the perfume feels beautifully earthy as if there’s a great story that accompanies the wearer of the fragrance.  The perfume is deep, warm, slightly spicy and completely herbal and a little goes a long way as the projection is quite big, but it still manages to remain down to earth.  Even though this is a rose perfume, there’s something so darkly mysterious and beautiful about it that belies my vision of a rose.  In the end, Rrose Sélavy quiets considerably, leaving you with a faint wisp of a creamy rose that feels as if it’s holding a secret.

From the Maria Candida Gentile website:

A Velvet rose, persistent and unique, dedicated to one of the leading artist of Dadaism: a homage to Marcel Duchamp and to his “double” Rrose Sélavy.

Rrose Sélavy

Rrose Sélavy

With Rrose Sélavy Maria Candida interprets the “double” of Marcel Duchamp, and his jeux des mots Rrose Sélavy which sounds in French like “eros, c’est la vie”, or “arroser la vie”, to make a toast to life. Maria Candida pays tribute to Duchamp, making a toast to life with her velvet, soft, fresh, just harvested, with its olfactory vibration, which fill the air and the space, tridimensional just like his art crafts. The name Sélavy emerged in 1921 in a series of photographs by Man Ray of Duchamp dressed as a woman. Through the 1920s, Man Ray and Duchamp collaborated on more photos of Sélavy. Duchamp later used the name as the byline on written material and signed several creations with it.

Notes:  Rose petals, Turkish rose, May rose , Rose accord, Michelle rose, Rose stems, Rose leaves

Victorian ParlorWHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A Victorian parlor, full of the non-air conditioned worn wood, rugs, upholstery and books – it’s earthy, natural and comforting.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE RROSE SÉLAVY:  herbal, mentholated, meditative

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT RROSE SÉLAVY: Colognoisseur, perfumesilove

BOTTOM LINE:  As I have said in the past, Maria Candida Gentile’s perfumes have a very MCG distinct fingerprint that is all hers.  Rrose Sélavy is no exception.  I find that you either really love her perfumes or you don’t and that there’s not a lot of in between.  I really like her creations, they’re bold, different and incredibly unique and to me, this take on rose is wonderfully unexpected.  Rrose Sélavy is a masculine perfume that melds to the feminine in the end and it perfectly fits the inspiration; the alter ego of Marcel Duchamp, Rrose Sélavy.

  • Bone Rating:  4 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Floral
  • Nose: Maria Candida Gentile
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $195 for 100 ml or $49 for 15 ml Parfum Extrait

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary.  Opinion my own.