Persolaise 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…
Off To The Jasmines
Bathroom chaos at Maison Persolaise has entered Week 2. We’re steadily getting closer to our goal, but we’ve got to wait at least another 8 days or so before life…
Andrea Maack At Les Senteurs + Full Jasmine Awards Shortlists
The official site of the Jasmine Awards now displays the full rundown of all the nominees in each of the categories. I was very pleased to see a certain Tania…
I Need To Report My Bathroom To IFRA
Those of you who follow me on Twitter may be aware that the bathroom at Maison Persolaise is now a disaster area. Well, that’s probably a slight exaggeration: the workmen…
Review: Traversée Du Bosphore from L’Artisan Parfumeur (2010)
L'Artisan Parfumeur Traversee Du Bosphore perfume review by award-winning critic Persolaise (Bertrand Duchaufour, 2010)
Welcome To This Blog’s New Address
Please forgive me for my persistence, but I just want to publish one more post on this particular topic and then draw a line under it. The address of this…
Kids With Impeccable Taste
Here’s an amusing mini-anecdote with which to start the weekend. The other day, a young lad was shown into Madame Persolaise’s office, something which happens on a regular basis in…
Paris 2010: Two’s A Crowd Chez Serge
It was only after I’d actually stepped inside Harrods the other day that my brain suddenly decided to remind me of the words ‘January’ and ‘sale’. I considered walking straight…
Can You See These Words?
Some of you may be aware that this blog’s address has been changed and is now persolaise.blogspot.com (or, if you prefer, https://persolaise.com//) If you’re reading these words, then don’t worry:…
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…