The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Tag Archives: woody


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The Library Collection – Opus VI by Amouage

I really hate it when fragrances don’t mix well with your body chemistry.  Well, that’s what I am assuming since I have read some really lovely reviews of Opus VI.  On me, well, lovely has a sour side.  I have sampled this fragrance a couple of times and each time the same thing happens.

The promise of Opus VI’s opening is one of a beautiful invitation.  It goes on warm, but light.  There’s a rich buttery note that sits at the top.  So pretty and inviting.  I love ambers and they typically love me.

Well, after the first 2 minutes of that lovely opening, the dark side of this scent comes out.  Metal.  A metal component that is sharp and sour soon takes over. It’s still warm however and a mellow wood accentuates the base.  But I still can’t get past that metallic edge.  Nasomatto’s Pardon did the same thing on me.  However, the Opus VI metallics aren’t nearly as strong as Pardon’s were.  I was looking at both sets of ingredients to see if there was something similar that could be making this happen.  The only ingredient I found the same was sandalwood which normally would not create such a sensation on me.  The mystery continues.

I really can’t say anything more.  Once the metal smell takes over I can’t get past the other elements of the fragrance.  This really makes me sad, considering yesterday I was in love with my Parfum d’Empire scents.

Opus VI Notes:

Sichuan Pepper, Frankincense, St Thomas Bay, Periploca, Cypriol, Patchouli, Ambranum, Z11, Sandalwood, Cistus.

  • Bone Rating: 2 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent: Spicy Oriental
  • Classification: Unisex
  • Expense: $325 for 100ml EDP


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06 Amanu by Odin

06 Amanu recently won the Fragrance Foundation’s 2012 Fifi “Indie” Fragrance Award.  Given such high regard, I had to check this fragrance out.  I loved 07 Tanoke, and since this is an award winner, I was sure I was going to like this as well.  Hmmmm, not sure what the fuss is all about.

06 Amanu is a light and airy fragrance.  It goes on almost a bit salty and then quickly turns floral and lightly sweet.  I can smell the blood orange and the jasmine along with a light musk.  As time goes on, the musk and amberwood warm 06 Amanu a bit, reducing the original sweetness.  This is about as discreet of a fragrance that you can find.  It hugs close to the skin and feels very personal, almost bath like in its composition.  To me, that means that I could have just emerged from taking a bath with some pretty bath salts and would have smelled the same.  06 Amanu is marketed as unisex, but I do think this leans more feminine.  I’m not digging it on me and would have a hard time seeing other men wear this.

For an award winner, I was expecting something more daring.  This scent is pretty safe… and not for me.

From the Odin website:

The primitive ambiance of southern Mediterranean peaks combined with the ancient fertility of Anatolian soils brings forth a herbaceous blend of verdant galbanum and raw lentisque. The cortex of Amanu revolves around the woody rusticity of cedarleaf and the heady complexity of jasmine sambac. Rooting textures of amberwood, musk and live moss endow this earthy scent with a lush maturity.

Top: Blood Orange, Green Galbanum, Lentisque
Middle: Aged Cedarleaf, Jasmin Sambac, Magnolia
Bottom: Amberwood, Sheer Musk, Live Moss

  • Bone Rating:   3 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent:  Woody – aromatic
  • Classification:  Unisex but leans feminine
  • Expense:  $125 for 100ml EDT


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Incense Oud by By Kilian

If you look at my past reviews of By Kilian fragrances they are rather lukewarm.  I approach my reviews solely on what my own likes and preferences are which means that I rate and provide comments on what I like personally.  Given that, I guess I hadn’t sampled the right By Kilian fragrances for my tastes.  I had the opportunity to sample and test some of the other fragrances in the line the other day at Saks Fifth Avenue when I had the opportunity to interview Kilian Hennessy himself as he was promoting his new “Asian Tales” collection.

Well, I fell in love, and fell in love hard with Incense Oud.  Sometimes love is hard to define and I find that it is one of those scents that is hard to describe.  When first applied you are met with what I would describe as a lightly green spicy blend which quickly turns over to a nice and mild oaky smokiness which remains throughout.  Incense Oud is warm and slightly woody.  It is a scent that envelops and wraps itself around you in the most luxurious of ways. Incense Oud is a very personal scent, when you wear it, you feel like it was specifically made for you.  It sits close to the skin and provides you with a layer of comfort.  I have to say that this is easily the most elegant of scents. It’s perfect for the evening and yet it was perfect for me when I went to the grocery store in a sweatshirt and khakis yesterday in the rain!

I’m happy to say that Incense Oud is now part of my permanent collection and I was lucky enough to have Kilian himself sign my bottle.  Besides my love for the scent, the packaging is beyond elegant, both the bottle and the lock box which it resides in.  Yes, I’m in love.

From the By Kilian website:

INCENSE OUD is built on the duality of two primeval scents – incense and oud.

Incense, largely considered a mystic perfume, is layered with oud, rose, cardamom and labdanum,creating a fragrance that is both mysteriously warm and stunningly modern.

  • Bone Rating:   5 out of 5 possible bones
  • Scent Type:  Oriental – Spicy
  • Classification:  Unisex
  • Expense: $395 for 50ml EDP