Persolaise 1st Anniversary Competition Winners
I know everyone always says this, but I can assure you that this time, it’s absolutely true. Choosing my favourite entry in the 1st anniversary competition was no easy task.…
Competition Reminder + A Moment’s Reflection
I realise that at any given time, there are countless awful things happening around the world, but the planet does seem to be particularly unhappy at the moment. Whilst I…
Review: Dirty from Gorilla Perfumes (2004/2011)
Is mint becoming the new lemon? Perfumers are wary of using excessive quantities of the latter in their formulae because years of cultural conditioning have persuaded Western noses that its…
Sharpen Those Knives…
I hope your weekend’s going well so far. I just wanted to remind you that you’ve got until Thursday night (UK time) to enter my special competition marking the first…
Persolaise 1st Anniversary Prize Draw
A year ago today, I plunged into this blog’s inaugural entry with no preamble whatsoever. So I think it’s right that I mark the first anniversary of Persolaise.com by going…
One More Day…
Tomorrow my little blog enters its difficult adolescent years. Don’t forget to come back for its birthday and check out the special prize draw I’ve organised for you, which will…
I Need Your Help – What’s Your Take On ‘The Story’?
Permit me to pick your brains. I’m carrying out some research for an article that may appear on Basenotes, and I’d really appreciate your help. My question is this: how…
Advance Warning: Special Prize Draw On Friday
I don’t quite know where the last twelve months have gone, but this blog is just a few days away from being a year old! To mark its first anniversary,…
Review: Smart, Craft & Sharp from Andrea Maack (2010)
There are some people out there who think that Gus Van Sant’s remake of Psycho is superior to Hitchcock’s original. Even though they fully understand that the newer version is…
Is That A Curry I Smell Before Me?
I managed to find some time this weekend to work on a couple of formulae I’m trying to develop, which means the air in my study is now a bizarre…
Review: Jeux De Peau from Serge Lutens (2011)
First thing’s first: contrary to Monsieur Lutens’ claims – which are probably meant to be taken with a pinch of baking powder anyway – this perfume doesn’t smell of bread.…
Pyramid Building 5 – Link To Bois De Jasmin
Some of you may recall the brief series of posts I wrote last year about the usefulness of the traditional olfactory pyramid of top, heart and base notes. I realise…
Review: Arsène Lupin Le Dandy & Arsène Lupin Le Voyou (2010) & Idylle Duet (2011) from Guerlain
Regardless of one’s views on his family firm’s recent output, it would be churlish to deny the importance of the work of Jean-Paul Guerlain. A CV that includes names like…
Maack, Jayne & Opus V
If numbers are anything to go by, last night’s Andrea Maack event at Les Senteurs was a runaway success. I’d never seen the place so packed before! Now I just…
Off To Les Senteurs Again
The remains of the old bathroom! It’s almost too hard to believe, but we really have got a brand new, fully functioning bathroom at Maison Persolaise. All hail the Flushing…
Why Complain?
All being well, fingers crossed, with a bit of luck, as long as the wind’s blowing the right way and if everything goes according to plan, by the time I…
Review: Betrothal from Grossmith (1895/2011) + The Return Of Disqus
The perfume blogosphere appears to be divided on the subject of long-dead fragrances being reissued. Some people believe that ancient ghosts ought to remain buried. Others enjoy what they consider…
Chanel, Dior & Guerlain At Selfridges
A few mini-news items from a recent dash through the London branch of Selfridges. The Chanel ‘perfume boutique’ – a must-see if you haven’t yet been – now stocks the…
Jasmine Awards 2010 – Winners
Just in case you haven’t already seen the news on Basenotes, I thought I’d upload a brief post to let you know that yesterday’s winners of the Jasmine Award for…
Disqus Killed The Discussion
Okay, I’ve decided… and this time, I’m sticking to my decision: I’ve disabled Disqus. It was proving to be more trouble than it was worth, chewing up people’s comments, failing…