Persolaise Review: Fougère Royale from Houbigant (2010)
How do you make a fougère that has enough fougère-ness to justify the label but not so much that it smells like a disappointing cliche? That’s precisely the challenge faced…
Breath Of God Sample Winner + Advance Warning: Mystery Perfume Giveaway
As we start the first day of the final month of the year, I’m pleased to be able to announce that an extremely exciting draw is going to take place…
Breath Of God Sample Giveaway Reminder + The Delights Of Christmas Shopping
Madame Persolaise and I went Christmas shopping on Saturday. Big mistake. I can’t say that our present-hunting was entirely fruitless – when we finally returned home, I grudgingly conceded that…
Persolaise The Personal Shopper
For the last week or so I’ve been playing the role of perfume consultant for a very close relative who’d like me to buy him a bottle of something for…
The Logic Behind Breath Of God
Here’s a fascinating little follow-up to yesterday’s Gorilla Perfumes reviews. I was contacted by a representative of Lush who’d read my post and wanted to explain that the name Breath…
Sample Giveaway + Review: Breath Of God & The Smell Of Weather Turning by Gorilla Perfumes (2010)
There isn’t much that hasn’t been said about Breath Of God… except perhaps that it’s back! After receiving a five-star review from Tania Sanchez, it proceeded to evoke perplexed confusion…
Still In India…
All this talk of Arctic winds makes me feel like sticking to the Indian theme I started yesterday. Visiting the perfume shops on Muhammed Ali Road is probably similar to…
Thinking Of India + Grossmith Sample Set Winner
Now that the weather’s getting colder, my mind seems to keep getting drawn back to thoughts of the summer in Mumbai: raucous rain, sweltering heat and, of course, the perfumers…
SoOud London Launch + Giveaway Reminder
Please click here to be redirected to my Basenotes article about the launch of a brand new range of perfume in London… and here for a chance to win a…
Preview: Portrait Of A Lady by Editions De Parfums Frederic Malle (2010) + Sample Giveaway Reminder
Whilst I’m in preview mode, I ought to mention that a recent visit to the ever-enchanting Les Senteurs led to a sniff of Frederic Malle’s new Portrait Of A Lady,…
Preview: Opus IV by Amouage (2010)
Popping into Amouage’s London boutique is always a pleasure, but the experience is made even more special when there’s an opportunity to try a brand new scent. The other day,…
Jasmine Cheesecake
Allow me to acknowledge a positive: this weekend, I got a chance to improve my jasmine accord. It’s coming along well; I wish I could say the same about my…
Sample Giveaway + Review: Phul-Nana by Grossmith (1891/2009)
Grossmith Phul-Nana, Hasu-No-Hana, Shem-El-Nessim review by award-winning perfume critic Persolaise (2010)
Denyse Beaulieu – Exclusive Interview
Please click here for my exclusive Basenotes interview with Denyse Beaulieu, author of the bilingual blog, Grain De Musc. You might also like to click here to read the interesting…
Pyramid Building – 4… Conclusion?
To round off my brief examination of the question of top, heart and base notes, I’m tempted to break copyright rules. You see, on page 481 of An Introduction To…
Review: Opus III from The Library Collection by Amouage (2010)
If there’s one characteristic that Amouage‘s first three Library Collection scents have in common, it is a gauzy sheerness. Opus I conjures an image of florals preserved in a delicate…
I Owe Andy An Apology
For the last few days, a mysterious smell has been bugging me in my study. Most of the time, it’s been totally undetectable, but every now and then, as I’ve…
Penhaligon's In Cambridge
Putting London aside for a moment, perfume shopping in Britain can be a disheartening experience: sales assistants are often clueless and the stock itself uninspiring. However, there are a few…
Give People Credit
Here’s a conversation between a couple overheard in Boots the other day: She: What about this one? He: Umm… don’t know… too sweet, maybe? She: Yeah, you’re probably right. And…
Blood And Other Bodily Fluids? You Smell Wonderful, Dahling!
The other day, the unthinkable happened. I was at a perfume shop, chatting with a sales assistant who at one point asked me to smell the wrist of her male…