Persolaise The (Not Entirely) Unbearable Lightness Of Lightness – Perfumes For Summer 2013
There was once a pot which called a kettle black. I try to remind myself of this each time I feel the urge to become snooty about so-called ‘summer scents’.…
Off To FiFi 2013
Later today, I’ll be attending the FiFi UK awards ceremony at The Brewery in London. I’ll be particularly interested to find out who picks up the prizes for Best Independent…
Persolaise Review: Autoportrait from Olfactive Studio (Nathalie Lorson; 2011)
Most of the scents in the photography-inspired Olfactive Studio range possess an ingenuous, translucent signature which failed to seize my interest, but Nathalie Lorson‘s Autoportrait is an exception. Even though…
Design With Scents Course At Kingston University
Perfume-related courses are few and far between, so it’s often worth raising the profile of any which do materialise. The latest one to be brought to my attention is entitled…
Persolaise Review: No 5 Culture Chanel exhibition at Palais De Tokyo, Paris
shadow of Main Gauche, bronze sculpture by Diego Giacometti, circa 1964 Whilst flitting backwards and forwards between the artefacts displayed at Paris’ No 5 exhibition, I ask myself which perfumes…
FiFi 2013 Perfume Extraordinaire Shortlist
As the date for the FiFi awards ceremony draws closer, the people at Fragrance Foundation UK are busily releasing the final category shortlists. One of the latest to emerge is…
FiFi UK 2013 People’s Choice Awards – Liz Earle Shortlisted Again
Wow, yet another victory for Liz Earle! Fragrance Foundation UK have released the shortlists for the People’s Choice FiFi Awards (as voted for by visitors to Boots.com) and last year’s…
Persolaise Review: Oud Mood from Maison Francis Kurkdjian (Francis Kurkdjian; 2013)
I guess it’s not surprising that Francis Kurkdjian decided (or was persuaded?) to release more agar wood perfumes. His Oud was easily one of the best scents of 2012 and…
Perfume Bottles On Cosmopolitan UK
Since my video interview appeared on Cosmopolitan UK’s website last week, I’ve received several emails asking me to identify the bottles on the table. From left to right, they are:…
FiFi UK 2013 Best Independent Perfume Award Shortlist
Image: Fragrance Foundation UK The people at Fragrance Foundation UK have just released the shortlist for this year’s Best Independent Perfume FiFi Award, a category for which I had the…
Catching A Passing Bouquet – Nice’s Bataille De Fleurs Parade
A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to experience the explosion of colours, sounds and smells that is Nice’s annual Bataille De Fleurs parade. To read my Basenotes piece…
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…