The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: woody floral


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New Release: Frassaï El Sur Collection – Rosa Sacra

WHAT I SMELL:  Rosa Sacra opens with a fresh dewy rose that quickly melds into a creamy green stemmed rose that buzzes with a combination of pink pepper and minty essence of berries.  The perfume is soft, but not demure, and its creamy light gauze wraps you up in a cocoon of comfort.  After a short time, a soured note makes an appearance under the rose adding a layer of matured confidence.  As the perfume continues to slowly morph, a clean musk adds more to the gauze and haze along with a light addition of a woody pencil shaving note.  Again, this just adds to depth of the perfume in the most wonderful of ways.  In the end, the an added note of oakmoss dries the perfume to a dusty and spiced woody veil.   Rosa Sacra is a rose perfume for those who like to have their rose anchored in the ancient wisdom of the ages.

From the Frassaï website:

In the midst of South America’s fecund jungles, a delicate flower blooms. Pure and crystalline, Rosa Sacra exudes the magical scent of a radiant flower immersed in the rich biodiversity of the Argentine Yungas.

Through a soft veil of green palo santo, a sun camouflaged Yaguareté observes. Drops of sacred aguaribay, the Incan tree of life, softly caress the senses, offering both ancestral protection and intuitive wisdom.

Notes:

Top: Aguaribay (schinus molle), Black Currant

Heart: Rose Grasse, Rose Turkey

Back: Palo santo (bulnesia sarmientoi), White algarrobo (prosopis alba)

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  A Victorian rose that begins its life in the young and fresh only to mature into a confident beauty.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE ROSA SACRA:  mature, secure, dusty

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ROSA SACRA:  None found.

BOTTOM LINE:  Rosa Sacra is a perfume for those who like their roses to be mature, anchored and not sweet.  Incredibly unisex, the perfume is another beautiful creation in the Frassaï El Sur collection.

  • Bone Rating:  4 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent:  Woody Floral
  • Nose:  Irina Burlakova
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $175 for 50 ml. eau de parfum


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Guerlain Chamade Pour Homme

WHAT I SMELL:   The opening of Chamade Pour Homme is a welcomed surprise of warm sensual bergamot and dried black pepper.  It sings, it zings and it’s very debonair and rather sexy as it hits the skin.  In addition, it’s rather beefy without being heavy, but it certainly makes its presence known.  After a short time, a lightly metallic floral note emerges…neither big, nor loud; instead it provides a calming presence to the bold opening.  A nutty note is added to the florals which provides just the right amount of depth without being overly spiced.  As the perfume continues to develop, a very light soapiness and light leather wrap themselves around a brown vetiver.  Eventually, the perfume begins to powder which then brings out the floral heart again.  Here the perfume remains with the most radiant of personality.  Chamade Pour Homme is confident in its masculinity without being brutish.

From the Guerlain website:

In 1999, Jean-Paul Guerlain created this moment of love to respond to the exhilaration of Chamade pour Femme, composed in 1969, a dazzling gift for a beloved woman. This men’s fragrance with its stirring charm makes the heart quiver and the pulse race, just as the momentum of desire kindles awaited pleasure.

Top notes: Italian bergamot, black pepper.
Heart notes: hyacinth, violet leaf note, nutmeg.
Base notes: vetiver, leather, precious wood.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  The perfect 1960’s family:  what I envision the dad smells like – clean and confident, and of course he’s one helluva nice guy.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE CHAMADE POUR HOMME:  semi-tailored, approachable, easy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT CHAMADE POUR HOMME: EAUMG, WMSSL

BOTTOM LINE:  Chamade Pour Homme isn’t revolutionary, but it’s an incredibly beautiful perfume.  It’s the perfect example of a masculine perfume that doesn’t require its masculinity to be overt.  And the floral heart of the perfume provides for the right amount of softness.  But please Guerlain, can you trade in the woody and boxy perfume bottle for something more attractive?  It actually looks like something that I made in shop class in 7th grade.

  • Bone Rating: 4.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Floral Woody 
  • Classification: Masculine
  • Expense: $250 for 100 ml eau de toilette


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Guerlain Nuit d’Amour

WHAT I SMELL:   Nuit d’Amour opens softly with lightly sweetened lychee fruitiness that swiftly blends with a touch of pink pepper and a softened rose that seems to be puffed with air floating underneath.   The perfume is rather dreamy and is surrounded in a cloudy haze that hovers over the perfumed skin.  Soon enough, a soft violet blends itself in the dreamy concoction.  But here the violet is less innocent, but more knowing and rather mature.  After a short time, a sandalwood begins to form as the base.  Never heavy, it makes the perfect resting place for the lightly warmed florals.  In the end, the perfume quiets even more, leaving you in a powdery haze of light florals wrapped in musky gauze.

From the Guerlain website:

Jean-Paul Guerlain created Nuit d’Amour as a tribute to Gustav Klimt and one of his works of art: “Lady with Hat and Feather Boa.” This floral, powdery and woody fragrance recalls the stirring emotion that might strike when you encounter an unknown woman with indefinable charm.

Powdery and Woody Floral.
Sweet, moving, feminine.
Top notes: lychee, pink pepper.
Heart notes: May rose, violet.
Base notes: sandalwood, white musks, iris.

Lady With Hat and Feather Boa – Gustav Klimt (1909)

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:   I can’t argue with Jean-Paul Guerlain’s inspiration of Gustav Klimt’s “Lady with Hat and Feather Boa.”

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE NUIT D’AMOUR:  reserved, refined, soft

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT NUIT D’AMOUR:  Bois de Jasmin, Australian Perfume Junkies

BOTTOM LINE:  I so much want to love this perfume.  It’s soft, it’s pretty, but there’s just not enough of it.  It’s much too restrained to command any affection from me.  That said, it’s really nice…just really nice and that’s a shame.

  • Bone Rating:  3 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Woody Floral
  • Nose:  Jean Paul Guerlain
  • Classification:  Feminine
  • Expense:  125 ml Eau de Parfum.  Exclusively at Guerlain Boutiques as part of the Les Parisiennes collection.