Persolaise Review: No. 10 White Oud from Agonist (2014)
Persolaise Before you scream in horror at the sight of that dreaded three-letter word, let me tell you one thing: No. 10 White Oud is an oud which doesn’t even pretend…
Persolaise On Men’s Scents In How To Spend It
A few months ago, I was interviewed by Lucia Van Der Post for an article she was writing about fragrances for men. Her piece was published in the FT’s How…
Persolaise Review: Coco Noir extrait from Chanel (Jacques Polge; 2014)
Considering that it hasn’t been pushed in any significant way by Chanel‘s daunting marketing machine, Coco Noir has won an impressive number of followers. The general consensus amongst critics was…
News: Persolaise Shortlisted For 2014 Jasmine Awards
A brief item from me today, just to let you know that my scribblings have been recognised by this year’s Jasmine Award judges. Three of my articles have been shortlisted…
Never At Sephora – Bertrand Duchaufour At The Launch Of Penhaligon’s Ostara
Towards the end of 2014, Bertrand Duchaufour popped into London to launch Ostara, his latest creation for Penhaligon’s. Inspired by a perfume he encountered in Jodhpur – where he was…
Persolaise Review: Aromatics In White from Clinique (Nicolas Beaulieu; 2015)
By the pricking of my thumbs, something musky this way comes. Or should that be, “something snowy”? Two trends seem to be gaining momentum in the perfume world – i)…
“You Have To Be More Direct” – An Interview With Carlos Benaïm
“Frederic Malle is much more directive. But he doesn’t tell you what to do. I would sit with him and he would give ideas. Sometimes I agreed with his ideas,…
Persolaise Review: La Religieuse from Serge Lutens (Christopher Sheldrake; 2015)
Waiting for the next Lutens release has almost become like anticipating the next movie from Terrence Malick. Granted, Uncle Serge doesn’t exercise our patience quite as much as Malick does,…
Scent & Sensibility To Close Down – Buy Your Favourite Tauer Perfumes Now
Some of you may be aware that the Swiss franc went through what might wryly be called an ‘unexpected situation’ last week (click here for the BBC’s description of the…
Persolaise Review: Aperture from Ulrich Lang (2013)
You know a perfume is sufficiently interesting in its own right when wearing it makes you forget its marketing baggage. In this case, the ‘story’ revolves around photography and Lang’s…
Vote For The Best Perfumes Of 2014
As we sink deeper into the melee affectionately described as ‘awards season’, some of you might like to make your own voices heard about your favourite perfume releases of last…
Persolaise Review: Kerbside Violet from Gorilla Perfume (Simon & Mark Constantine; 2014)
Violet leaf absolute is one of those materials which serve to show how utterly impossible it is to describe smells with words. In perfumer-shorthand, it’s called ‘green’, but that places…
Happy 2015!
A very happy new year to all of you. I hope you’ve recovered from the excesses of the festive season and are looking forward to twelve months of peace, happiness,…
Best Perfumes Of 2014 – A Time For Looking Back
If a pining for the past is a sign of social disquiet, then 2014 must have been a worrying year for the perfume industry: a significant proportion of new releases…
Christmas Wishes 2014
We’ve nearly made it, folks. We just need to get through that pile of mince pies in the corner, the presents under the tree, the turkey in the oven… and…
Persolaise Review: Tobacco Rose, Anubis & Angélique from Papillon (Liz Moores; 2014)
When I interviewed Papillon’s founder, Liz Moores*, I told her that, putting aside the issue of personal taste, the most striking feature of her debut scents is that they are…
Perfume Mini-Reviews From Twitter – July to September 2014 [part 2]
Here’s the second part of my compilation of Twitter mini-reviews published between July and September 2014. Cologne from Etat Libre D’Orange (Alexandra Kosinski; 2014)* Pays homage to Mugler’s Cologne. Citruses…
‘It’s Still A Challenge’ – Arquiste’s Carlos Huber At Bloom Perfumery
Carlos Huber at Bloom image: Bloom Although I remain a massive fan of the brand, I find myself unable to give an unqualified thumbs up to Arquiste‘s new The Architects…
Perfume Mini-Reviews From Twitter – July to September 2014 [part 1]
Here’s another round-up of my mini-reviews from Twitter, this time spanning the period July to September 2014. Royal Extract from Guerlain (Thierry Wasser (& Mathilde Laurent?); 2014)** This new Harrods…
Persolaise Review: Patchouli Absolu from Tom Ford (2014)
Watch out, the 70s have just walked into the room. Or have they? The first thing that attacks you from Tom Ford‘s latest Private Blend is, appropriately enough, a bell-bottom-wearing,…