Melon Feta… And Other Cultural Matters
If you’ve come here hoping to find out who my next guest blogger is, I’m sorry to say that, this week, you’re going to have to put up with me.…
If you’ve come here hoping to find out who my next guest blogger is, I’m sorry to say that, this week, you’re going to have to put up with me.…
I hope your weekend’s treating you well so far. As I type these words, the trees outside my window are being manhandled by the wind and the clouds are threatening…
Generally speaking, there are two types of perfume labelled with the word ‘leather’: those which take their inspiration from the stench of a tannery and those which aim to evoke…
What was the first smell of significance you remember? And the first perfume you loved? When Persolaise asked whether I might be interested in doing a guest post on his…
François Demachy; photo by Dior A brief, utilitarian post today. I just thought I’d come up for air to let you know that the Invasion Of The Day Job is…
96 Columbia Road must surely be London’s best kept fragrance secret. A cosy shop decorated with Venetian masks, Rajasthani puppets and antique European furniture, it’s one of only two places…
Who doesn’t love Frederic Malle’s perfumes? Anyone? Well, I certainly do, so when he introduced a home scent line in 2009, I paid attention. But somehow, I never got around…
I wonder if I would’ve detected an unfamiliar quality in Mandy Aftel’s perfumes if I’d first smelt them without knowing that they contain no synthetics. I’d like to think that…
Learning how to smell a natural perfume is like learning to speak another language: the common vocabulary will not suffice. Words don’t cover the same territory and in fact, the…
Okay, the countdown’s over: the Invasion Of The Day Job has well and truly begun. For the next 8 to 10 weeks, free time is going to be almost non-existent,…
What’s the ideal setting for trying a new perfume? How about this: a darkened room; loud music thumping in the background; twenty or so people engaged in animated conversations; plates…
I may be a fan of Absolue Pour Le Soir, but Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s other releases never tempt me to reach for my credit card, so I was wary of…
For several personal reasons, I’ve got huge affection for Dior. Ever since I was about 7 years old, many of the firm’s perfumes have become synonymous with significant people and…
Some orris perfumes accentuate the material’s austere, chilly demeanour, whereas others are clearly an exercise in taking its characteristic feature – the parched, poetic, woody bleakness – and placing it…
Boozy fruit = Boozy Simnel I could do with a Bloggers’ Retreat. I’ve got so many things I’d like to tell you about, but the clock keeps ticking and the…
Vetivert oil is such a multi-faceted material that people in some countries wear it as a complete fragrance all by itself. It’s capable of appearing both woody and green, earthy…
I’m sure you all know this by now, but please, just indulge me, because I’m going to get a real kick out of typing the following words: Tauer Perfumes’ Orange…
I’m just taking a few moments out of what’s proving to be an enjoyably eventful week to send a couple of updates and reminders your way. First of all, meeting…
Although I haven’t got the world’s greenest thumbs, I’ve somehow managed not to kill all the trees in our garden, two of which produce an annual crop of rich, dark…
You know what they say about waiting for buses? Well, I think the adage could probably be applied to my appointments diary for the week beginning 11th April. After a…