Persolaise Persolaise Review: Magnolia Grandiflora Michel (Michel Roudnitska; 2013) & Magnolia Grandiflora Sandrine (Sandrine Videault; 2013) from Grandiflora
It’s hard not to make a connection between Michel Roudnitska’s Magnolia Grandiflora and his late father Edmond‘s unsurpassed Diorissimo. Before it became a victim of repeated reformulations, the latter was…
Bertrand Duchaufour On Keeping Things Fresh
At the London launch of four new candles from Aedes De Venustas, two of which have been created by Bertrand Duchaufour, I took the opportunity to ask the perfumer about…
Persolaise Review: Azure (Mathilde Bijaoui; 2014) and Bentley For Men Absolute (Michel Almairac; 2014) from Bentley
Azure is ghastly. Think of all the most mind-numbing masculine scents from the mainstream, and you’ll know exactly what this waste of resources smells like. Generically ‘citrusy’ top. Aromatic mid-section.…
Persolaise Review: Opus VIII from Amouage (Pierre Negrin & Richard Herpin; 2014)
Years ago, I used to argue with a food-loving, atheist friend of mine that there simply must be a God. He’d ask me for evidence. And my response would be…
Candy Perfume Boy And ODOU Magazine Win Jasmine Awards
The results of the Jasmine Awards are in and I am absolutely thrilled to announce that the winner of the Digital prize is Thomas Dunckley – aka the one and…
Off To The Jasmine Awards 2014!
On the fourth anniversary of my blog, I once again find myself in the privileged position of being able to say: I’m off to BAFTA HQ tomorrow for the Jasmines!…
Twenty Blotters For… Céline Verleure
Pick a blotter… read the question… give a short, snappy answer! Céline Verleure‘s perfumery experience is far too vast to be reduced to a brief, introductory paragraph. But here’s a…
Persolaise Review: Rosabotanica from Balenciaga (Olivier Polge & Jean-Christophe Herault; 2014)
I seem to have forgotten how impressed I was with Florabotanica. For some reason, my brain decided to file it under ‘pleasant yet unremarkable floral’, ie the type which evokes…
A Letter To The EU’s Public Consultation On Proposed Amendments To The Cosmetics Regulation
I’m sure most of you are aware that the ever-contentious issue of allergens in perfumery has raised its head again. As has been reported on various sites, the EU is…
Persolaise Review: Jeke, Sova, Ore and Norne from Slumberhouse
Some landscapes are easy to enjoy, but almost impossible to describe. They offer many pleasures, yet they defy attempts to capture their charms in words. They may not even be…
No Lies, No Compromises – An Interview With Perfumer Quentin Bisch
Quentin Bisch (left) with Etienne De Swardt at the Etat Libre D’Orange shop in Paris Quentin Bisch’s connection with Etat Libre D’Orange goes back to the days before the young…
Persolaise Review: Coven from Andrea Maack (2013)
I dismissed the first three fragrances from Andrea Maack as derivative and uninspiring. The next two, Coal and Silk, were marginally better, but they didn’t possess sufficiently distinct personalities to…
A Product Of The Blogosphere – An Interview With Matthew Zhuk Of Ex Idolo
Matthew Zhuk at Fenwick, the latest retailer to pick up Thirty Three Matthew Zhuk is in an interesting position right now: his brand, Ex Idolo, attracted serious attention in 2013,…
The Osmothèque Reviews: Parfum Royal (circa 1st century AD) and Eau De La Raine De Hongrie (14th century)
*** For background information on my Osmothèque reviews, please click here *** It goes without saying that the stars of the Osmothèque‘s collection of perfume reconstitutions are the post-1880 classics:…
A Life With A View Winner
Many thanks to everyone who entered last week’s A Life With A View give-away. The draw has now been carried out on Random.org and I’m pleased to announce that the…
Persolaise Review: Laine De Verre from Serge Lutens (Christopher Sheldrake; 2014)
Uncle Serge is playing the trickster again. When he released the first of his Eaux (L’Eau De Serge Lutens, 2010) you could almost picture the wry smile on his face…
Four Perfume Books For Valentine’s Day 2014
According to advertisers, nothing spells ‘love’ as powerfully as flowers, chocolates and a bottle of perfume. So although I’d never dream of dissuading someone from buying a fragrance for their…
“You Have A Brand Here” – An Interview With Carlos Huber Of Arquiste
You never know who you’re going to bump into at Harrods. A few weeks ago, I had some time to kill in London, so I decided to pop up to…
ODOU Magazine’s Debut Issue Shortlisted Three Times For Jasmine Awards
Every single name on this year’s Jasmine Awards shortlists deserves to be feted, but there’s one success which is especially remarkable. ODOU Magazine – the creation of Liam Moore –…
Persolaise Shortlisted Twice For 2013 Jasmine Awards
The shortlist for this year’s Jasmine ‘Digital’ Award has just been released and I’m excited (make that: ‘ecstatically over the moon’) to announce that my name appears on it twice.…