The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: unisex


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Ambre Fetiche by Annick Goutal

This past week has been exhausting and crazy busy.  I feel like I haven’t had a chance to really give fragrance a 2nd thought with work and now with preparing for Hurricane Sandy. But I finally had a chance to kick back a bit and I pulled out a sample of Ambre Fetiche to coincide with the cooler temperatures today.  At first I didn’t think I would like this  fragrance, but…

WHAT I SMELL:  Ambre Fetiche goes on with a plasticine rubberized strong artificial blast.  It’s amber wrapped up in air that was let out of an old tire.  It’s strong and very heavy and plastic and more plastic on top of a spiced and smoked amber.  I can’t say the opening is pleasurable because a little goes a long way.  Just a couple of spritzes managed to clog my throat as it coated and choked me a bit.  It’s not until the drydown takes place that this really becomes special.  In the end you’re left with a warm blanket of amber tinged with what to me is almost like hints of brown sugar topped with a light vanilla incense.  Curious, the notes list “leather” but I am not getting that at all!

From the Annick Goutal website:

Captivated by the Orient and its mysteries, Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen lead us, through the fragrance Ambre Fétiche, on a journey to the lands of precious essences, of shisha smoke and of marvelous opulence.  A stroll through oases, desert sands and spice markets. Ambre Fétiche belongs with Myrrhe Ardente, Encens Flamboyant and Musc Nomade to the “Orientalists” Collection. These four fragrances, equally suitable for women and men, can be worn alone or combined.

Olfactory family: Amber, Vanilla, Leather (Frankincense, labdanum, styrax – Benzoin, absolute of iris – Vanilla, geranium, patchouli, Russian leather)

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:   Starts off as a bear.  Ends up like a lamb.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE AMBRE FETICHE:  bold, strong, unwavering

 

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT AMBRE FETICHE: Olfactoria’s Travels, This Blog Really Stinks, I Smell Therefore I Am

BOTTOM LINE:  I have the feeling the next time I wear this, it will wear differently on me.  Additionally, I also have the feeling that this could get a bit tiresome to me.  Maybe it’s just because I put a little too much on and it overwhelmed me.  Remember a little goes a long, long way with Ambre Fetiche.  Oh, after about an hour after I put this on, my better half told me I stink!

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Oriental
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Nose:  Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen
  • Expense: Varies online


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1697 by Frapin

I always lament the change from summer to fall.  I could live in shorts all year round and the prospect of cold winter nights for months is not something I look forward to.  But soon enough, I wake up on a day like today (crisp, sunny, cool, refreshing) and I quickly remember the joy in the change in seasons.  The other things great about the change of seasons is the breakout of all those fragrances that are best suited for the fall.  1697 is one of them.

 

WHAT I SMELL:  1697 opens up with a carmelized booziness.  It’s sweet, slightly leathery and “yummy” in the way that you almost want to taste it.  As it dies down, out comes a thickened chocolate/cocoa goodness.  It’s very gourmand, but not too sweet and is somewhat buttery.  The drydown stays away from being too sweet and you’re left with a very nice vanilla/patchouli blanket.

1697 Notes:  cabreuva, davana, Jamaican rum, cistus, pink pepper, jasmine sambac, hawthorn, ylang ylang, clove, cinnamon, dried fruit, rose, ambergris, tonka bean, myrrh, patchouli, cedar, white musks, vanilla

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: I find that 1697 is very similar to Ineke’s Field Notes from Paris, although 1697 has a boozier finish.  It’s like an innocent cup of hot cocoa with a secret shot of whiskey!

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE 1697:  boozy, tasty, buttery

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT 1697: Grain de Musc, Now Smell This, Bois de Jasmin

BOTTOM LINE: 1697 is pleasant, but is a fragrance that I would not wear on a regular basis.  It lasts a long time and has decent sillage – it’s good, not great.

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Oriental Spicy
  • Classification: Unisex – leans a bit masculine
  • Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
  • Expense: $155 for 100ml EdP


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Sombre Negra by Yosh

I received this sample yesterday and I believe a little of it leaked out of the vial.  As soon as I opened the package, I was greeted by this incredible scent… so of course I had to sample it right away.

WHAT I SMELL: Out of the bottle, I got this warm, spicy and smoky patchouli scent.  But when I first applied it I was greeted with a smoky incense and a dry woodiness.  I thought, this was going to take me down the road via L’Air du Desert Marocain which I know many people love, but is not one of my favorites.  Luckily, that dry woodiness was matched with the warmth of the patchouli and pepper.  Sombre Negra starts to grow and become rounded; lightly sweet and lightly spicy.  The funny thing is when I first started wearing this is that when I sniffed my wrist, I would smell incense and wood…but as I was driving my car, and smelling the scent from a distance, what I was smelling was the patchouli sweetness.  I love schizophrenic fragrances!  As time wears on, Sombre Negra becomes a warm, close to the skin scent; one that you find entices you to keep sniffing your wrist as the day goes on.  Can this really be a vetiver fragrance??

Sombre Negra notes:  vetiver, patchouli, cedar, olibanum (Frankincense), pink pepperberry, black peppercorn, clove, juniper, citrus, nutmeg, cumin, tonka and orris root

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  What the beginning of Fall smells like, only a bit more exotic!

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SOMBRE NEGRA:  comfortable, metamorphosic, easy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SOMBRE NEGRA: Notable Scents, EauMG, Smellythoughts

BOTTOM LINE: This may be a keeper.  I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about this at first, but it’s really growing on me.  I just wish my tester hadn’t leaked so I could have more to play with!

  • Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Woody Vetiver
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Nose: Yosh Han
  • Expense: $130 for 50ml EdP (2011 reformulation)