unisex | The Scented Hound

September 19, 2016
by The Scented Hound 16 Comments

Adjatay cuir narcotique by The Different Company

WHAT I SMELL: This latest release from The Different Company opens with a semi-sweet and creamy orange ylang-ylang that’s lightly leathered and oh so pretty. The perfume is tinged on the top with a light burnt marshmallow coating that rests very clearly as a puffy cloud on top of the leathered floral. After a short time, the leather begins to project and bounce off the skin as the emerging tuberose restrains itself allowing for the subtle leather to take the center stage. But it’s the light and pretty understated tuberose that gives the perfume its pretty personality. Overall, Adjatay is warm and restrained…it pulls you in without begging you to do so. As the perfume continues to develop, the tonka and sandalwood deepen the fragrance with a peppered leather that seems to pulsate. The perfume ends it’s journey with a deep, warm beefy old world leather with the muted florals sweetened by the tonka wrapped up within the walls of the leather hide.

From The Different Company website:

“Tanned, flexible, grain-embossed, full-grain, varnished… I have always loved working on leather notes for their carnal facets and the infinite possibilities they offer. For “ADJATAY, cuir narcotique” I wanted to work on a full, dark and textured leather, a leather that squeaks in your hands, a leather with a debauchery sillage. To obtain these particular effects, I associated dark and spicy notes with Styrax essence, Castoreum essence and Papyrus essential oil. On this leather structure, I dropped off a subversive Tuberose from which narcotic notes get away to engulf the atmosphere. The osmosis between Leather and Tuberose is perfect, neither one gets the upper hand, they are vibrating and matching each other creating a vigorous addiction”

Perfumer Alexandra Monet

Top notes are ylang-ylang and mandarin orange; middle notes are tuberose, jasmine and heliotrope; base notes are castoreum, styrax, papyrus, tonka bean, sandalwood and musk.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: The polo club…the smell of worn leather, the dried wood of the stalls and the light sweat produced from playing under the sun while the heated and heady florals on the sidelines invade the field.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ADJATAY: care-worn, unique, confident

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ADJATAY: Megan in Saint Maxime, BL’eauOG, Colognoisseur,

BOTTOM LINE: The melding of leather and tuberose in Adjatay is brilliant and could easily be perfect for those who never thought they would like a leather or a tuberose perfume. Pretty and lightly sweet enough for woman, this works equally as well for a man. Wear it with your leather jacket and the perfume becomes dangerous…wear it with your tweeds and sweater and it becomes proper. Overall, it’s like a fine fitting leather pair of gloves that you absolutely love to wear.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Leather
Nose: Alexandra Monet
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $195 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum

September 12, 2016
by The Scented Hound 8 Comments

New Release: Mandrake by Parfums Quartana

Parfums Quartana’s collection of perfumes, Les Potions Fatales explores the treacherous beauty and intriguing lore behind nine of the world’s most poisonous flowers. At once tantalizing and perilous, these mortal fleurs have been used to nefarious ends throughout history. These flowers and the aptly named perfumes are seductive on the outside but are ultimately dark, sinister, and dangerous. The poison that wooed me and called my name was Mandrake.

WHAT I SMELL: Mandrake opens with a snappy bergamot which quickly turns to more of a ripened red apple which swiftly moves into a Bazooka bubble gum accord. But that soon turns to a soft and sweet floral that’s creamy smooth and completely comforting. The sweetness never hits a high pitch and as it develops it levels itself out, but there’s just enough sparkle to make this really delightful and engaging. The perfume begins to linger in this lightly sweetened, cotton candy and bubble gum creamed state for quite some time. That’s not a bad thing and don’t think because it’s has the bubble gum accord that this is for teenagers; it’s not. After quite some time, a bit of leather appears along with a muted spice and a light incense. At this point, the perfume is irresistible, sexy and overwhelmingly enticing. In the end, the perfume melds into a wonderful sweetened patchouli and it reminded me of Dior’s Gris Montaigne…which is a good thing!

From the Parfums Quartana website:

In biblical scripture, mandrake was referred to as ‘the love plant’ and was through to have male fertility enhancing properties; as such it was mentioned by Shakespeare in “Midsummer Night’s Dream” as a cure for erectile dysfunction. Long used in Wiccan ritual, its roots were thought to emit a fatal, supersonic scream when dug up. Because mandrake actually smells of strong red apple, we gave the fragrance a red fruity heart but grounded it with birch leaf and birch root to suggest the roots of the flower dug into the soil. We also gave the fragrance a sharp aromatic note to suggest its infamous, deadly shriek.

Crisp Apple, Pomegranate, Birch Leaf, Birch Root, Bergamot, Mandrake Flower Accord, Rhubarb, Cardamom, Sueded Leather, Deadly Addiction Accord, Patchouli, Madagascar Vanilla, Sandalwood, Tonka

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Yesteryear cowboy…rather clean cut with just a little rugged and lots of handsome and sexy.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE MANDRAKE: inviting, tempting, satisfying

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT MANDRAKE: Colognoisseur

BOTTOM LINE: The full line of the Parfums Quartana Les Potions Fatales perfumes are each interesting in their own way and completely different and varied, from the strange and unique (Bloodflower, Wolfsbane and Midnight Datura) to the more traditional (Hemlock, Lily of the Valley) with Mandrake fitting somewhere in between. I highly recommend checking them out!

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Leather
Nose: Carlos Vinals
Classification: Marketed as masculine, but I found this to be very unisex.
Expense: $145 for 50 ml Eau de Parfum

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

September 5, 2016
by The Scented Hound 8 Comments

Timothy Han Edition Perfumes: On the Road & She Came to Stay

Based in London, Timothy Han approaches perfume making a little differently, choosing to produce perfumes in small batches called editions stating that raw fragrance materials vary year to year like grapes for wine. As such, theses variations means each run of perfume is created in a limited volume, with edition numbering to allow you to easily identify which batch of perfume your bottle came from.

Both fragrances in the collection were inspired by iconic works of literature. And each fragrance is accompanied with a numbered work of art on the box cover tied to an individual artist. Similar to differing covers that appear with each new print run of a book, each edition of a perfume will also feature new artwork by the same artist.

ON THE ROAD – WHAT I SMELL: On the Road begins it’s journey with a lush, moist muted lemon and galbanum. The perfume is a little sour in addition to having an undertone of what smells like dirty socks. In a short time, the perfume begins to feel pinched as a birch tar takes over, mixed with what feels like a plastic sole from a tennis shoe. After a few more minutes, the perfume feels as if there is a bonfire that is now lightly burning but which stemmed from a set of tires that once were raging in the flames. Quickly, that aspect of the perfumes development disappears and the perfume moves to more of a rubbery consistence. The perfume softens considerably and begins to become strangely pretty with what seems to be a sweetened patchouli and vanilla stirred into the rubbery mixture.

On the Road notes from the Timothy Han Edition website:

Top – Galbanum, Lemon, Bergamot, Lavandin
Heart – Amyris, Cedarwood, Patchouli
Base – Tonka Bean, Oakmoss, Guaicawood, Benzoin, Birch, Vanilla, Labdanum, Perou

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: On the Road feels like just that…the perfume is all about the base of sweetened rubber hitting the cooled pavement.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ON THE ROAD: modern, industrial, progressive

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ON THE ROAD: No reviews found besides feedback on Fragrantica.

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Nose: Timothy Han
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $160 for 60 ml eau de parfum

SHE CAME TO STAY – WHAT I SMELL: She Came to Stay opens up with a warm, inviting geranium topped with cloves and spices. It feels as if you’re walking into an herbal terrarium, with a breeze of lemon wafting through. The perfume however is not light; instead, all of the components feel heavy, heady and pressed with weight. After a few minutes, the perfume does begin to lighten as a metallic edge joins the herbs. This edge actually does feel like a metallic pole that is planted right at the center of the perfume. Although not bad, it does feel as if the perfume rotates lushly around this singular component. There’s a great deal of movement in the perfume and as it continues to develop a mentholated labdanum starts to emerge. Again, the perfume is warm and herbal. After some time, the warmth retreats and the herbaled lemon ends up sitting on top of a woody base with hints of cloves and nutmeg

She Came to Stay notes from the Timothy Han Edition website::

Top – Geranium, Basil, Lemon
Heart – Indonesian Clove, Nutmeg
Base – Patchouli, Vetiver, Labdanum, Oakmoss, Cedarwood

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: Wilson from Castaway. There’s something very remote about the way this perfume feels. Even though it’s warm and herbal, it feels very distant and aloof.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE SHE CAME TO STAY: herbal, removed, distant

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SHE CAME TO STAY: No reviews found besides feedback on Fragrantica.

Bone Rating: 3 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Aromatic Fougere
Nose: Timothy Han
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $160 for 60 ml eau de parfum

BOTTOM LINE: Both of these perfumes are interestingly different in their own right. On the Road is really intriguing in that it captures the post WWII age of a new generation through plastics and the automobile. It has a nostalgic vibe and in the end feels very comforting and secure.

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