unisex | The Scented Hound

June 6, 2012
by The Scented Hound 4 Comments

Eccelso by Profumum

I don’t recall a fragrance that when I put it on, my husband said to me, “what are you wearing that smells great” and when I walked over to him and said, “oh, you like it” and put my arm up to his nose, he wrinkled his nose and said that it smells better from afar then up close. Strange.

To me, Eccelso smelled just OK all around. The only other 2 fragrances from the Profumum line Fiori D’Ambra and Ambra Aurea were stunners to me. Of course those were ambers and I’m not surprised that I loved them. But enough of the past, let’s go to the present…

Eccelso is a light and bitter scent, punctuated by bergamot and magnolia mixed with a light nutmeg spice and sandalwood. This is not a groundbreaking scent and I found it to be familiar. Sadly when I say familiar it kind of reminds me of what my mother’s Aqua Net hairspray used to smell like after she obliterated the bathroom with her aerosol cloud. Maybe that’s a bit to the extreme since the scent stays rather close to the skin and doesn’t take over a room like the Aqua Net did.

Bottom line for me, is that Eccelso did not hit the mark. Longevity is average. Sillage is average as well. Eccelso leans a bit masculine but is considered unisex. Unfortunately, for the cost of a 100ml bottle of Profumum, I expect a bit more.

From the Profumum website:

Elegant and nonchalant.
Walking through the vernissage’s crowd,
a haze wraps him and attraction renders
him even more mysterious than
what he seemed from far away.

Olfactory notes:

Bergamot, Nutmeg, Magnolia, Sandal wood and Musk

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Aromatic Fougere
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $280 for 100ml EDP

June 4, 2012
by The Scented Hound 3 Comments

Querelle – Parfumerie Generale Private Collection

The opening of Querelle is really lovely and very understated. So understated that I almost felt like I had to bathe in the scent to get it to stick to my skin. Funny, it’s not until this is worn for a while that the scent actually comes to the surface. But let’s get back to the opening… Querelle opens with a mild citrus and black pepper spice. This would be considered a vetiver scent, but a vetiver without screaming “I am green!”. The citrus disappears quickly and you are left with a dryness which pushes out a mild incense. The incense, pepper and a bit of amber keep this fragrance in a place where few others go. What I mean is that at times it feels like a remote and distant scent, but at other times, it swirls around up to your nostrils with an engaging warmth. And every time you lift your wrists, you’ll note that you smell something a bit different. I really like fragrances that take you on a journey. Querelle is a different scent for me and I’m surprised that it falls into my lane of liking it. This scent feels masculine to me, but it is considered unisex. It hugs close to the skin, but had great longevity. I will be visiting this scent again!

Querelle Notes: citrus, Iranian black caraway, myrrh, cinnamon, Haitian vetiver, incense, oakmoss, ambergris

Bone Rating: 3.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Spicy Oriental
Classification: Unisex, but leans masculine
Expense: $100 for 50ml EDP

May 22, 2012
by The Scented Hound 9 Comments

Muscs Koublai Khan by Serge Lutens

When I woke up this morning, it was raining and humid and I was feeling a bit ornery. I pulled out my untested samples and thought that Muscs Koublai Khan would be the right scent to match my mood as I wasn’t set for something light and airy. Of course, being one of those days I managed to spill most of the fragrance from the vial, but managed beforehand to dab myself with this interesting fragrance.

Muscs Koublai Khan went on quite sweet. The sweetness was surrounded by rubbery musk. I found it sexy and heavy. But after a time that heaviness leveled out and it turned into a familiar scent. I have been wracking my brain all day to figure out what scent it reminded me of. To this point I can’t answer that, but I do know that it goes way back. It reminds me of some powerhouse scent from the 80s. As the drydown continued, I also noticed that it has a bit of a barber shop smell to it, something similar to Brylcreem. In other words, it has a bit of a musky chemical smell.

I’m waffling on this fragrance, I have read comments where it has been compared to Frederic Malle’s Musc Ravageur, but Muscs Koublai Khan is much more subdued and doesn’t have ooomph, that Musc Ravageur hits you with. That’s not a bad thing, but it doesn’t make it quite as exciting for me. Maybe it’s just my mood… being ornery and writing a review doesn’t fair well for any fragrance!

Muscs Koublai Khan Notes:

Vegetal Musk, Roots of Costus, Labdanum Rockrose, Grey Amber, Vanilla, Patchouli, Ambrette Seeds, pure Moroccan Rose