Persolaise Persolaise Review: Opus VII from Amouage (Pierre Negrin & Alberto Morillas; 2013)
When my sample of Opus VII was delivered, Madame Persolaise’s parents were chez nous for tea and cakes. Such cross-generational, bi-gender opportunities are not to be missed: I immediately extricated…
If You’re In London Shopping For Perfume…
A quickie. As it’s been almost two years since I published the original version of my Jasmine Award-winning London Perfume Shopping Guide, I thought I’d mention it again today. New…
Persolaise Pops Up On Cosmopolitan UK
Some of you may be aware that Cosmo UK have been holding a Beauty Fest on their site for the last month or so. After having turned the spotlight on…
FiFi UK 2013 Readers’ Choice Award For Women
Any list labelled ‘Readers’ Choice’ is always worth a peruse, in the same way that the cinema box office Top 10 is usually instructive on some level. Readers of Elle…
Persolaise Review: Noontide Petals from Tauer Perfumes (Andy Tauer; 2013)
Andy Tauer has been cleaning up his act. When he entered the world of scent creation, he set himself up as the purveyor of all things nocturnal, mysterious and more…
Twenty Blotters For… Aurelien Guichard
Pick a blotter… read the question… give a short, snappy answer! It was probably inevitable that Aurelien Guichard would become a perfumer. His family has had close ties with Grasse…
Persolaise Review: Golden Chypre from Grossmith (perfumer unknown; 2012)
Golden Chypre is an excellent name for this perfume, or at least for the first few stages of its development. A convincingly gilt-edged radiance accompanies the initial citrus notes as…
Persolaise Review: Caligna from L’Artisan Parfumeur (Dora Arnaud; 2013)
When Firmenich‘s Dora Arnaud told me that she’d put together a ‘jasmine marmalade’ accord for her first L’Artisan Parfumeur creation, I was determined to track down a real life example…
Persolaise Review: Sikkim Girls from Gorilla Perfume (Simon & Mark Constantine; 2012)
The Constantines’ love of using heady naturals comes to the fore in this highlight from last year’s mixed bag of scents under the collective name Volume 2. A compelling tale…
Dora Arnaud Interview On Basenotes
In a recent interview, Dora Arnaud – creator of L’Artisan Parfumeur‘s Caligna (soon to be reviewed here) – revealed that the scent contains a relatively new raw material: a tincture…
Persolaise Review: Pink Friday from Nicki Minaj (perfumer unknown; 2012)
An evening at Maison Persolaise. Two of our nieces (let’s call them Miranda, 16, and Tilly, 12) have come over for a meal with their favourite aunty and uncle. We’re…
Dora Arnaud On Working With Amouage’s Christopher Chong
When I met Dora Arnaud at the London launch of L’Artisan Parfumeur‘s Caligna, I took the opportunity to ask about two other creations which brought her to the attention of…
Persolaise Review: Un Jardin Sur Le Nil from Hermès (Jean-Claude Ellena; 2005)
There seems little point in reviewing Un Jardin Sur Le Nil. After all, it was granted a status bestowed upon few perfumes when it was placed centre stage in Chandler…
Warmest Wishes For Easter 2013
A very happy Easter to all of you who celebrate the occasion. Enjoy the feasting… and the chance to wear a suitably paschal perfume. I’m trying to decide between Andy…
FiFi UK 2013 Best Perfume Commercial Nominees
As we’re approaching the Easter weekend – a time when I hope we’ll all be able to slow down and rest – I thought I’d indulge in a post that’s…
Persolaise Review: Entre Naranjos from Ramon Monegal (Ramon Monegal; 2012)
I seem to be somewhat out of step with my colleagues in the critical community, as I’ve found myself unmoved by most of Ramon Monegal’s eponymous scents. However, I’d like…
First Shortlists For 2013 FiFi UK Awards
The first few shortlists for this year’s FiFi UK Awards have been announced and, as ever, they make for interesting reading. I’m always fascinated to discover which scents the industry…
Persolaise Review: Oxygen, Carbon & Hydrogen from nu_be (Antoine Lie, Françoise Caron; 2012)
Pick a concept for a new perfume brand. What hasn’t been done yet? Scents inspired by famous authors? That idea’s taken. Fragrances linked to blood groups? That one’s gone too.…
Tauer Perfumes Noontide Petals Winner
Heartfelt thanks to everybody who entered last week’s 3rd Blog Anniversary draw for a sample of Noontide Petals, amongst other goodies. According to the Powers That Be at Random.org, the…
Le Snob: Perfume On Volatile Fiction
Pia Long, editor and author of the new Volatile Fiction blog, recently posted a wonderful review of my book, in which she described it as “the equivalent of taking a…