The Slow Burn – Top 10 Best Tobacco Perfumes
Persolaise Smoking may be a socially dubious activity these days — and rightly so — but there’s no doubt whatsoever about the allure of tobacco perfumes, which is why I featured…
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Tom Ford Soleil Neige, BDK Vanille Caviar, Nez 1+1 Ansongo and other reviews – 2026
We’re trying something different. For the foreseeable future, the usual post-video updates will appear not here, but on my Substack. However, they will NOT be behind a paywall and you…
The Top 10 Best Perfumes Of 2025
– It’s often people in the most dire situations, with few opportunities to enjoy the finer things in life, who insist that those with the ability to keep creating beauty…
Top 10 Best Perfumes For Winter 2025 – A Light In The Darkness
Perfume as a light with which to combat the darkness — that was the theme of my latest seasonal Top 10 broadcast, in which I presented my scented recommendations for…
Born To Stand Out Black Creme, Hiram Green Ultra, Comme Des Garcons Monocle Syros and other reviews – 2025
For this year’s final review episode of Love At First Scent, I covered new releases from Comme Des Garcons and Zoologist, as well as Quentin Bisch’s much-hyped Black Creme for…
Coty Ambre Antique, Solferino showcase, Vranjes showcase and other reviews – 2025
My recent set of Love At First Scent broadcasts spanned the entire timeline of modern perfumery, from Fougere Royale via the 25th anniversary of Kenzo Flower to two brand new…
Candles, Cookbooks & A Fair Bit Of Perfume – Gift Recommendations For Christmas 2025
I don’t even want to think about how many (ie few) days are left until Christmas… but I know that one way or another, the day will be upon us…
Ask Me Anything To Mark 600 Episodes Of Love At First Scent
The other day I reached episode 600 of my Love At First Scent series, but as I didn’t want to devote any portion of that instalment to anything other than…
For The 600th Episode Of Love At First Scent – A Live Interview With Patricia De Nicolai
For the 600th episode of my Love At First Scent series, I was joined in the virtual studio by a very special guest: Patricia De Nicolai, founder of her eponymous…
Brioni Les Extraits, Chanel Pour Monsieur, L’Entropiste Ensang Noir and other reviews – 2025
Foxes, wolves and serpents — just three of the creatures that came up in my recent set of Love At First Scent episodes, during which I covered new releases from…
Scents For Classic Halloween Characters – Top 10 Perfumes For 2025
For this year’s Halloween list, I paired perfumes with some classic costume ideas, and enlisted a bit of visual assistance from Google Gemini. Here’s a link to the video: Top…
Spray & Tell – Scented Perfume Chat With Alice Du Parcq
In the first instalment of what will hopefully turn out to be a regular series, I was joined by Alice Du Parcq for a bit of Spray & Tell —…
Tauer Vanilla Absolue, Arquiste Nocturnality, Granado Apotecario and other reviews – 2025
There was a time when the word ‘Tauer’ was almost entirely synonymous with the idea of independent perfumery. Zurich-based Andy Tauer — a self-taught perfumer who started his brand by…
Hiram Green, Live Interview On The Launch Of Ultra
I was delighted to welcome self-taught, Holland-based perfumer Hiram Green into my virtual studio a few days ago. He discussed his latest release, Ultra — which he describes as channelling…
Top 10 Perfumes For Autumn 2025 – Celebrating Simple Pleasures
Regular readers and viewers invariably tell me that autumn is when they enjoy pulling out the more baroque scents in their collections: the rich, Mitsouko-esque chypres, the darker florals, the…
Valerie & Remi Pulverail, Les Indemodables, Live Interview On The Launch Of Vanille Havane – Cuir Des Abysses
I never cease to be amazed by the stories behind the creation of some perfumery ingredients. The latest one to be brought to my attention is linked to a shipwreck…
Parfum D’Empire Madagascar Le Baume Vanille, Diptyque Lazulio, Le Labo Osmanthus 19 and other reviews – 2025
Osmanthus 19 4:10Eucalyptus 20 15:20 One of the few enjoyable things about summer ending is that it means I get to resume my YouTube broadcasts and my interactions with all…
Top 10 Modern Retro Perfumes + Guerlain Vetiver Fauve review (Delphine Jelk; 2025)
I suspect Guerlain didn’t think that a vetiver composition would turn out to be polarising, but this is exactly what seems to be happening with Vetiver Fauve, their latest addition…
Parfums De Marly Castley, 27 87 Hakuna Matata, Nicolai showcase and other reviews – 2025
It’s pleasing to see that Nicolai are enjoying increasing success and acclaim in the UK at the moment. Goodness knows, we could certainly do with a few more perfumers possessed…
Balenciaga 2025 releases, Nissaba Les Alpes, Prada Paradigme and other reviews – 2025
Five reviews in brief 9:21Le Dix 12:50Getaria 17:09Extra 23:10Muscara 27:07No Comment 31:17 A few years ago, brands followed the ‘why make one when you can make three’ strategy of perfume…