unisex | The Scented Hound

June 21, 2012
by The Scented Hound 10 Comments

A Vacation From the Everyday: Fico di Amalfi Blu Mediterraneo by Acqua di Parma

It has been incredibly hot the last couple of days here in DC. In fact, today we broke the record by being 98 degrees with over 60% humidity. So basically it felt like it was about 106 degrees today. Thank God for air conditioning. I always wonder what people did before air conditioning, daily showers, etc. I guess if you had money, you covered up your stench with perfumes. Hmmmm, maybe in a past life I really stunk, thus my love of fragrance. In any case, I digress…

Since it was so hot, I thought I would pull out a fragrance from my husband’s collection, Fico di Amalfi from the Blue Mediterraneo line from Acqua di Parma. He received this as a gift last year and I have never really worn it myself. All that I can say is that the first time he wore it, it immediately took me back to our trip to Aruba last fall. Fico di Amalfi is tropical without being beachy, fruity without being too sweet and perfect for a hot summer day.

Fico di Amalfi goes on with zing. It’s really fresh and cool, with bursts of citrus and grapefruit. It’s also very zesty, like fruit that has just come off of ice or even better, a crushed ice fruit cocktail served on the beach. The opening notes are pure happiness!

After a little while that zesty freshness disappears and a light pepper musk comes to the surface. And then the fig. You are left with the fig, which is green and woody and oh so slightly fruity. It’s calming and fresh and a bit creamy and very comfortable. Fico di Amalfi would be perfect for walking around in a t-shirt and flip-flops to putting on your best linen outfit for a night out on a town.

My one disappointment with this fragrance is that late in the drydown, the scent you are left with reminds me a bit of Tide laundry detergent, but it’s not that significant to stand in my way of wearing it. However, I have to admit, I like smelling this on my husband more than on my self.

Fico di Amalfi is a beautiful fragrance that takes you on a mini-vacation from your everyday life. OK, so it’s not as a good as the real thing, but I’ll take it in the meantime.

Fico di Amalfi notes:

bergamot, lemon, grapefruit, citron, fig nectar, pink pepper, jasmine petals, fig wood, cedar wood and benzoin.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Floral Fruity
Classification: Unisex
Expense: Varied, around $60 for 60ml EdT

June 17, 2012
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

The Good, Bad and …Confused?!

THE GOOD:

It was a lovely Father’s Day weekend here in Washington DC. The weather was incredible, just perfect for being outdoors, grilling, etc. It was such a nice weekend that I can tell that you I have found a new love. No, I’m not cheating on my husband. This new love is By Kilian’s Rose Oud. I received some samples of Rose Oud upon my purchase of my other love, Incense Oud. I’m happy to say that I finally had the chance to really wear this beauty. What I love about this fragrance is that it’s understated and tasteful with a beefy richness that I have found few fragrances to have.

Rose Oud goes on boozy and with a blast of saffron and rose. There is almost a plastic and artificial rubbery sensation to the scent at the beginning. That sensation remains there throughout, however, it’s not as prominent as in the beginning and it’s not something that is disagreeable. Rose Oud doesn’t transform much after the initial few minutes. As it stands, the rose remains on top a long with a slight leather that sits below (when I say slight, it’s almost not recognizable). There is something weighty about Rose Oud. It feels substantial. It almost gives you the feeling that you are wearing a garland of large and heavy fragrant roses around your neck. It’s truly intoxicating, luxurious and perfect for a man. Perfect, because there is nothing sweet about this rose. It’s a floral scent without being too floral. I want more and am ready to go full bottle (or at least the refill to decant myself).

Rose Oud Notes:

Turkish rose, oud, saffron, cardamom

Bone Rating: 5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $395 for 50ml EDP

THE BAD:

I finally made a blind buy that I just can’t stand. I found a bottle of the discontinued Royal Pavillon by Etro on sale for an incredibly low price. After reading the reviews from others and looking at the notes, I thought why not give it a try. Actually the scent itself isn’t that bad, there’s just one note in there that really rubs me the wrong way. I think it may be the jasmine that sits on top and provides me with some nauseum. It is interesting though, as floral as this scent is, there is an underlying ingredient of civet and musk that give this floral a little dirt… but not enough dirt for me. Funny thing is that my husband has taken ownership of this scent and has worn it all weekend. I’m glad that it won’t go to waste!

Royal Pavillon Notes:

jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose, violet and mimose; middle notes are vetyver, sandalwood and oakmoss; base notes are vanille, castoreum and civetta

Bone Rating: 2 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Woody Floral Musk
Classification: Feminine
Expense: Varied from $40 to $100 for 100ml

THE CONFUSED:

The third aspect of this post as you might note, should not be “confused”, but should be “ugly”. Sorry, I don’t have any ugly to report. The confused is that I bought tickets to see Riverdance because I told my husband that I always wanted to see Riverdance and this is the last US performance that will be in town. So last night we go to the show at the lovely Wolftrap outdoor amphitheatre on a beautiful night (where I am feeling exceptionally fantastic in my trail of Rose Oud). One act into the show, my husband turns to me and said, “You know, we saw this same show about 5 years ago with some friends, here at the same venue.” It then clicked in my head. Yes, we had. Am I really getting that old and forgetful?? Tragic. At least I smelled good and the show was phenomenal! If you haven’t seen Riverdance, please go, the dancing and music is incredible!

Happy Father’s Day!

June 12, 2012
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

L’Ombre Fauve – Parfumerie Generale Private Collection

I was a little worried about the appropriateness of sampling L’Ombre Fauve on a hot and humid day. I usually associate amber and musk fragrances as winter wear. I was pleasantly surprised that this worked for today’s weather. In fact, I see it working in both summer and winter. You have to love a fragrance that you can wear comfortably year round!

L’Ombre Fauve is an unusual concoction. For an amber, it’s not sweet. For a musk, it’s not too heavy. I found it very similar to Frederic Malle’s Musc Ravageur… ok, let me articulate that thought. I would consider this to be Musc Ravageur’s little sister. Where Musc Ravageur hits you hard with its musky and animalistic characteristics, L’Ombre Fauve still retains a bit of the naughty, but for the most part it’s just really loving and nice.

L’Ombre Fauve goes on warm and a little spicy. It feels like it hugs the skin, but you find that it comes up to greet you as well… playing tricks on how it sits on your body. The amber is just so lightly sweet which makes this perfect for both men and women alike. The fragrance doesn’t change much after the initial application. But it does have great longevity and with that longevity the dry down (which seems to take a long, long time) moves into an almost light and sweet vanilla.

L’Ombre Fauve is a scent that I thought I might like, but as the day wore on, I began to think that this might be a keeper. Sometimes little sisters can be a pain in the butt, but sometimes they’re just fun to hang out with!

L’Ombre Fauve Notes:

amber, musk, woods, incense, patchouli