unisex | The Scented Hound

March 25, 2012
by The Scented Hound 4 Comments

Aziyade by Parfum d’Empire

Yesterday I received my full collection of samples from Parfum d’ Empire. This was a wonderful buy in order to check out the entire collection. Very nice packaging and even a hand written note thanking me for my purchase. Good customer service as far as I’m concerned. So to start my venture in sampling, I reached into the bag and chose to wear the first offering I grabbed. So here it goes. Coca-Cola, body odor and prunes were the first things that came to mind when I sprayed Aziyade on for the first time. You wouldn’t think that by my description this would be a scent that I would favor, but in fact is wasn’t so bad. I think the thought of body odor (or maybe a better description would be a musky smell) was the coming from the cardamon and cumin. The cumin especially steps out after a bit and I rather liked it. I would describe this as spicy with a hint of sweetness as it’s not a strong overpowering spice. It is definitely a one of a kind scent. My one disappointment is that it quickly vanished and I had to reapply just a few hours later. Not that I’m complaining, because upon reapplication I quickly traveled through all the layers once again! I think this could really grow on me and become a full bottle purchase. We’ll see.

Aziyade Notes: pomegranate, crystallized date, almond, orange and prune, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, Egyptian cumin, carob, frankincense, vanilla, Madagascar vanilla absolute, patchouli, musk, cistus

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Classification: Unisex
Expense: From $75 for 50ml, EDP

March 18, 2012
by The Scented Hound 3 Comments

Pardon by Nasomatto

My oh my…this will be a short review. Yesterday I tested Pardon by Nasomatto and things went terribly wrong. I am trying to find the words to describe this and am having a hard time doing so. As a parfum extrait this went on incredibly strong. I’m not sure what I was smelling because something came to light very quickly and then became the dominant note…metallics. I have experienced this metallic smell before, but I couldn’t define when and where. After about an hour it hit me. When I was in my twenties, prior to my tonsils being pulled, I had many bouts with sinus infections. Whenever I knew that I was getting a sinus infection, I would experience this really unpleasant metallic smell. That’s what I experience with this scent (and no, I don’t currently have a sinus infection). What was making this reaction? The oud? The tonka bean? Whatever the case, I washed it off, and then washed it off again. Before going out last night I put on my favorite Pour le Soir, knowing that it be strong enough to mask this mistake. It didn’t. And the effect it had on me made me slightly nauseous. Incredibly bizarre. Please note that I only put a dab on my hand, and yet this morning I can still detect this on my skin. Funny thing is, my husband says he likes it, but he too detects the bite in the scent. He’ll be happy to know that I’m giving him the rest of the sample. I’m usually forgiving of a scent and am typically willing to give it another try. This is one of those times that I won’t be doing so.

Pardon Notes:

magnolia, oud, tonka bean, unsweetened chocolate, cinnamon, sandlewood

Bone Rating: 1 out of 5 possible bones
Classification: Unisex, but leans masculine
Expense: $165 for 30ml, Parfum Extrait

March 13, 2012
by The Scented Hound 7 Comments

Cuir Ottoman by Parfum d’ Empire

I thought it was timely that I do a review of Cuir Ottoman by Parfum de Empire as I have read some interesting reviews as of late and just received a sample myself. Now my preferences don’t lean towards the leather scents, but I have learned to be open to new avenues of fragrances. So after reading what others thought about this fragrance, I decided to give this a try. The first thing that I found when I applied this was a lovely floral note, mixed with what I found to be almost a rubber or plastic smell. Is that the leather trying to come out? Yes. The rubber smell dissipated quickly and the leather made its presence. Now this is not leather that is harsh or strong, but is more of a buttery, suede leather. The mix of floral and leather is very interesting and quite refreshing. This is a scent that stays close to the skin and is surprisingly light, a little sweet and clean and airy. Cuir Ottoman is quite different from what I think of a typical leather scent. As nice as I found this scent to be, my one disappointment was that it disappeared on me after a few hours. In the end, I found Cuir Ottoman to be an elegant surprise. For those of you who love leather scents, I recommend giving this a try.

Cuir Ottoman Notes:

jasmine, leather, iris, benzoin, balsams, resins, incense