Persolaise The Sweet Crust
Health & Safety be damned. The other day, I went to our local hospital to visit the ailing relative I mentioned in a recent post, bearing food for various family…
The 500 Greatest Modern Perfumes On Basenotes
Oh my goodness! Geek fest! Look at what Basenotes are doing. To celebrate their 15th anniversary, they’ve compiled a list of the “greatest perfumes” – as per various criteria described…
Simmering The Fruit
It really is a stultifying cliche, but the power of smells to evoke memories is tremendous. And always surprising. And often difficult to comprehend fully. I mentioned plums and jam…
A Therapeutic Business
Although the blue skies outside my window would suggest otherwise, the chill in the night air and my calendar tell me that summer is definitely over. Soon, I hope to…
Persolaise Review: J’Adore Touche De Parfum from Christian Dior (François Demachy; 2015)
The J’Adore family welcomes a glamorous new cousin, dubbed Touche De Parfum. With her oil-based constitution, she may well have been brought into the fold to woo the Middle Eastern…
Persolaise Review: Sauvage from Christian Dior (François Demachy; 2015)
Sigh sigh sigh. There are several springboards from which I could leap into my review of Dior‘s new Sauvage (composed by in-house perfumer, François Demachy), but despite my best efforts…
Persolaise Review: Jack from Jack Perfume (Aliénor Massenet; 2014)
According to his exhilarating account of the creation of his first scent (click here to read it), Richard E Grant was advised to aim for a polarising composition. Nothing wishy-washy:…
The Risk And The Reward – Richard E Grant On The Creation Of Jack
In his engrossing online account of the birth of his perfume Jack (I’d urge you to click here and check it out) Richard E Grant describes a creation process rich…
Persolaise Review: Ex Nihilo
I’m not sure my attempt at humour was appreciated. A few weeks ago, I was at the Salon De Parfums on the top floor of Harrods, being talked through the…
Perfume Mini-Reviews From Twitter – April to June 2015 [part 2]
Here’s part 2 of my round-up of Twitter mini-reviews, from April to June 2015. La Panthère Eau Légère from Cartier (Mathilde Laurent; 2015)* Lighter, more accessible version of the growling…
Perfume Mini-Reviews From Twitter – April to June 2015 [part 1]
Here come more mini-reviews from Twitter, covering the period April to June 2015. Modern Muse Chic from Estée Lauder (2014)* Somewhat more intense rendition of original‘s transparent white florals. Not…
Persolaise Review: Opus IX from Amouage (Pierre Negrin & Nathalie Lorson; 2015)
Top marks to Amouage for continuing to embrace the stranger territories of olfactory art. After the somewhat underwhelming Sunshine, Creative Director Christopher Chong has returned to the brand’s Library Collection…
Who’s Paying For Your Magazine?
In June, Andy Tauer published some thoughts on his blog about the relationship between the media and the perfume world. If any of you are interested in the many ways…
Persolaise Review: Chance Eau Vive from Chanel (Olivier Polge; 2015)
Olivier Polge‘s profile at Chanel continues to rise. A few months ago, the guardians of the double-C logo released his first sole-authored creation, Misia, but that was part of the…
Persolaise Review: Jean Patou Collection Héritage
You may remember that last year, I was bowled over by Thomas Fontaine‘s reworking of the 1927 Jean Patou scent Chaldée, originally composed by Henri Alméras. The release of the…
Persolaise In The Observer
If you’re a reader of the UK’s Observer newspaper, you may have noticed that yours truly was quoted in a perfume-related article published on 12th July 2015. The piece, by…
Persolaise Review: Aquilaria from Nancy Meiland (Nancy Meiland; 2014)
An oud by any other name… would smell more oud-y?? When I saw that one of the scents released by the new, UK brand Nancy Meiland – founded by the…
Persolaise Review: Panorama from Olfactive Studio (Clément Gavarry; 2015)
Edmond Roudnitska‘s words about the way in which a great perfume ought to begin have been widely documented. Years ago, he wrote that a scent should elicit a ‘shock’ from…
My Favourite Incense Perfumes In The Scented Letter + Brief Word On Olivier Polge Interview
I am genuinely excited to announce that the latest edition of The Scented Letter – the Perfume Society‘s Jasmine-award winning magazine – features a piece I wrote about my all-time…
Super Scent – The Very Best Of Estée Lauder
The best Estee Lauder perfumes selected by award-winning critic Persolaise (feat. Youth Dew, Beyond Paradise, Cinnabar, Beautiful, White Linen, scent)