Off To Look For Number 68
Persolaise You won’t hear much from me for a few days, because the snow has cleared – thank goodness! – and I’m off to persuade the SAs at Guerlain, Montale and…
A Mirror Up To Nature: Diaghilev At The V&A
We’re all aware that, over the years, perfumery has been influenced by other art forms and, indeed, by wider socio-historical developments. Nevertheless, it’s always fascinating to see concrete evidence of…
Fougère Royale Winner + A Pre-Christmas Escapade
Thanks to all of you who entered last week’s draw. I can now reveal that the destination for my pre-yuletide getaway with Madame Persolaise is Quite a predictable…
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,…
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…
Baccarat At Harrods
Please click here to be redirected to my Basenotes article about the final event at Harrods’ Perfume Diaries: a presentation by Baccarat. Have a wonderful weekend, Persolaise.
Sartorial Draw Winner + Mini Reviews, including J'Adore L'Or by Christian Dior (2010)
I spent a couple of hours wandering around shops the other day, trying to find some excitement in the glittery Christmas parcels that the major brands are desperate to thrust…
Review: Shalimar – Ode De La Vanille & Idylle eau de toilette by Guerlain (2010)
You can’t say that Guerlain aren’t keeping Thierry Wasser busy. This year saw the release of the third version of Homme, a new Aqua Allegoria and an exclusive, limited edition…
Pyramid Building – 1
Here’s a question for you: how long does it take to smell a whole fragrance? Allow me to explain what I mean. A well-respected and successful perfumer I know once…
When Persolaise Met Monsieur Guerlain…
Please click here to be redirected to my Basenotes article about a very special event I attended last week: an audience with none other than Monsieur Jean-Paul Guerlain (creator of…
The Perfume Diaries at Harrods
A few days ago, Madame Persolaise and I had a leisurely wander around the Perfume Diaries exhibition on the 4th floor of Harrods. There is a great deal I could…
Roja Dove’s Haute Parfumerie
One of the perks of publishing on the Internet is that you can change posts with which you’re not entirely happy. This one is a case in point: over the…
Relatively Mainstream
One thing I never take for granted is my wife’s patience. During our brief pop into France, we had to go into every single – and boy, do I mean…
Review: Aqua Allegoria Flora Nymphéa by Guerlain (2010)
The Aqua Allegoria range often gets a bad press, but I reckon Guerlain ought to keep going with their fragrance haiku, because every now and then it allows us to…
Review: Idylle eau de parfum by Guerlain (2009)
When Idylle hit the shelves late in 2009, the response from Guerlain acolytes was muted. The realm of the soft-focus floral was, they felt, best reserved for flash-in-the-pan celebrity fragrances,…
And The First One I Sprayed Was…
Although this blog doesn’t have thousands of readers, I flatter myself that perhaps one or two people wander by every now and then to read my ramblings, so I thought…
Evasion Tactics
As a rule, I’m not a fan of big gatherings. Today was Easter Sunday. The entire clan came over to our place for lunch. Was I a happy bunny? I’ll…