Persolaise Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan Review – The Favourites – Christopher Sheldrake; 1993
— I’m pretty sure our first encounter was at a perfumery in Nice. It was part of a large Lutens display — an austere assembly of those slim, rectangular bottles,…
Jo Malone London Orange Marmalade review – Marie Salamagne; 2021/2024
— On paper, the scent sounds as though it should be one of the company’s more likeable releases. The website blurb talks of orange peel simmering on a stove and…
Puente Chyprelia, Celine Bois Dormant, Isabelle Larignon and other reviews – 2024
In my final instalments of Love At First Scent before the usual summer hibernation, I tied up various loose ends by presenting showcase reviews of a few brands (one of…
Louis Vuitton Lovers, Les Indemodables Oranger Sirocco, Arquiste A Grove By The Sea and other reviews – 2024
We travelled all the way from North Africa to Croatia and a couple of distant constellations in a recent episode of Love At First Scent – via a stop-off at…
Book review – American Legends: The Evolution Of American Fragrances – Michael Edwards; 2024
— If the perfume world has a guru, then it’s almost certainly Michael Edwards, the Australia-based expert whose Fragrances Of The World database has slavishly tracked and chronicled the rising…
Top 10 Classic Eaux De Cologne – The Perfect Pick-Me-Up
It may be the oldest perfumery genre in existence, but it’s taken me until now to present my list of the Top 10 best eaux de cologne, for reasons which…
Crivelli Cuir Infrarouge, Parfum D’Empire Un Bel Amour D’Ete, Buly Jardins Francais and other reviews – 2024
From late-night clubs to herbal gardens via steamy summer trysts — all sorts of carnal pleasures were on offer during my recent session of Love At First Scent episodes, in…
Timothee Chalamet, Martin Scorsese & John Galliano – Thoughts On Bleu and High & Low
— To be clear: I could not be happier about the impact of feminism and the improvements to the lives of women made over the course of the last few…
Top 10 Perfumes For Summer 2024 – Energising Scents
As I type these words, the summer solstice is just a few hours away, which means it’s the perfect time to present my latest seasonal list: Top 10 perfumes for…
Celine Zouzou, Acqua Di Parma Oud & Zagara, Piguet A’Lombre, Noyz, Maison Louis Marie and other reviews – 2024
A fresh take on Fracas. Yet another oud. And the debut of a self-proclaimed ‘disruptor’ brand. Just three of the subjects of some recent YouTube broadcasts, the links to which…
Vintage YSL Opium, Faberge Brut & Shulton Old Spice reviews
The time warps went into overdrive on my YouTube channel the other day when I presented reviews of not one, but three vintage versions of some of the best known…
Top 10 Tuberose Perfumes — All Our Favourite Divas
It was time for a bit of diva domination over on YouTube the other day when I presented my list of the Top 10 best tuberose perfumes — a compilation…
Perfume’s Dark Secret – BBC Documentary Review
— As far as exposes of the perfume industry go, this one is amongst the more worrying. Seeing children being forced into hardship by a so-called luxury business is always…
Coty Infiniment review – various perfumers; 2024
— My first encounter with this much-hyped range was at a launch event in London last year. As far as these shindigs go, it was one of the less easily…
Montblanc Collection, L’Artisan Parfumeur Il Etait Un Bois, Jo Malone London Cypress & Grapevine reviews – 2024
In an attempt to lend their image a bit of rough, Jo Malone London have hired Tom Hardy as the face of their Cypress & Grapevine cologne (credited to Sophie…
Persolaise Masterclass – Episode 11 – The Industry – Independent Online Retail
For the most recent episode of my occasional Masterclass series, I veered away from ingredients and moved into the equally complex world of perfume retail. Guiding me through the journey…
Michael Edwards, American Legends, Live Interview
He may be the busiest man in the business, but fortunately for all of us, Michael Edwards, the supreme perfume guru, found some time to pop into my virtual studio…
Charlotte Tilbury Perfume Collection, Acqua Di Parma Mandarino Di Sicilia, Ormonde Jayne Vanille Des Afriques and other reviews – 2024
Trust Charlotte Tilbury to come up with perfume names like More Sex, Cosmic Power and Love Frequency… and trust her to make the scents more interesting than they have any…
An Artificial Perfume – Olivier Polge On The Creation Of Chanel Comete
— There’s this sentence that I always repeat: she asked for “an artificial perfume.” Artificial in the sense that she didn’t want the scent to smell exactly like a rose…
Chanel Comete, Frederic Malle Acne Studios, Serge Lutens La Fille Tour De Fer reviews – 2024
It was time to roll out the big guns over on YouTube the other day, with new releases from Chanel (Comete), Frederic Malle (Acne Studios) as well as Serge Lutens…