unisex | The Scented Hound

March 11, 2012
by The Scented Hound Leave a comment

New York by Parfums de Nicolai

Fragrances have a tendency to take you back in time. Memories of your past can come rushing forward with just one whiff of a smell. New York by Parfums de Nicolai is one of those scents. This is a scent that takes me back to my younger days when I was just discovering my love of fragrance. I couldn’t afford the best, but always had a few bottles on my shelf. I don’t know which fragrance this reminds me of, but it reminds me of the early 1980s. Clean, fresh and masculine this scent opens with a rush of citrus. It doesn’t take long for that to move into a very gentle woody spice. But the citrus continues throughout as the dominant note. This is a fragrance for those men who like to feel comfortable in a scent. It won’t offend and will probably lend itself to comments of how wonderful you smell wearing it. Unfortunately it doesn’t have a “wow” factor. Overall a nice scent, just not an adventurous one.

From the Parfums de Nicolai website:

Top note : fresh, citrus, lemon, bergamot, aromatics note, lavender
Heart : spicy, woody, pepper, patchouli and cedarwood
Base : vanilla, leather and amber

Bone Rating: 3 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Woody, Oriental, Citrus
Classification: Unisex, but leans masculine
Expense: $115 for 100ml EDT

February 22, 2012
by The Scented Hound 9 Comments

L’Air du Desert Marocain by Tauer Perfumes

I really wanted to like this scent. I had read some wonderful reviews where people were raving about how distinct and special L’Air du Desert Marocain was. Maybe it’s just my body chemistry but this scent just got lost on me. In the bottle it smells amazing and when I applied it, I got an immediate rush of green in an almost medicinal sense. Then it quickly moved into an ever so slight floral…I was thinking that this may turn sweet? No, it then moved to a very dry and woody single layered scent that I found to be nice. But I need more than nice. As the day wore on, it just disappeared on me. I recently reviewed 07 Tanoke by Odin and found this to be similar, but it lacks the extra special something (maybe the tinge of sweetness?) that Odin found.

From the Tauer Perfumes Website:

Head Notes: Coriander and cumin, carefully blended with petitgrain.

Heart Notes: A warm heart note with rock rose and a hint of jasmine.

Body Notes: Dry cedar woods and vetiver, brilliantly joined on a fine ambergris background.

Powerful, sensual and pure. Laying on the bed, watching the moon raising over the sandy hills of the Saharan desert, he dreamt the fragrance of a Moroccan night.

Bone Rating: 2 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: dry, woody
Classification: Unisex but leans towards masculine
Expense: Moderately expensive – $105 for 50ml EDT intense

February 18, 2012
by The Scented Hound 1 Comment

Ambra Nera by Farmacia SS. Annunziata dal 1561

I love amber perfumes. I love their warmth, their other-worldliness and their ability to envelope. Ambra Nera is no exception. Upon application, this opens with a strong pop of cypress and eucalyptus and a slight sweetness. From the start, this is a scent that says, “here I am.” After a little while the vanilla comes out along with a light powdery finish. This is an elegant amber that transports your back in time to the Italian Renaissance. I have to say that my husband said that it makes me smell like someone’s grandmother. That comment had me worried that the scent was too feminine. I realize that everybody has their opinion, but from my end, I absolutely love this scent and the way it made me feel and how it wore on me. This is a unisex scent that has a light sweetness about it that could lean a bit feminine, but if you’re not afraid of unisex scents and embracing your feminine side, I highly recommend this perfume because it is truly a beautiful composition.

Notes: cypress, eucalyptus, amber, benzoin, vetiver, vanilla, patchouli