The All New London Perfume Shopping Guide (Updated: 6th December 2025)
Persolaise An extensive, regularly-updated London perfume shopping guide from award-winning critic, Persolaise
Penhaligon’s
Perfume Mini-Reviews From Twitter – January to March 2015 [part 1]
It’s time for another edition of my digest of Twitter mini-reviews; the following are from January to March 2015. Ostara from Penhaligon’s (Bertrand Duchaufour; 2015)* Truly delightful jonquil soliflore from…
Never At Sephora – Bertrand Duchaufour At The Launch Of Penhaligon’s Ostara
Towards the end of 2014, Bertrand Duchaufour popped into London to launch Ostara, his latest creation for Penhaligon’s. Inspired by a perfume he encountered in Jodhpur – where he was…
Perfume Mini-Reviews From Twitter – July to September 2014 [part 1]
Here’s another round-up of my mini-reviews from Twitter, this time spanning the period July to September 2014. Royal Extract from Guerlain (Thierry Wasser (& Mathilde Laurent?); 2014)** This new Harrods…
The Psychology Of Airport Shopping – Niche Perfumery Comes To Abu Dhabi Duty Free
She reaches into the plastic tray, takes out her handbag and slings it over her shoulder. She hoists her bright orange case off the conveyor belt and places it on…
Persolaise Review: Tralala from Penhaligon’s (Bertrand Duchaufour; 2014)
What to make of Tralala? I confess that when I first discovered the name of this latest release from Penhaligon’s, I gave in to a burst of gleeful excitement. Silly,…
Getting It Wrong – When Perfume Criticism Loses Its Way
I’ve been meaning to raise this subject for a while. But it was only recently that an event crystallised my thoughts and convinced me it was time to put finger…
A Little Bit Of Oud – Alberto Morillas On Making Iris Prima For Penhaligon’s
When Alberto Morillas (CK One, Kenzo Flower) hopped over to London a few months ago to launch Penhaligon’s Iris Prima, he revealed that the perfume contains – shock horror –…
Persolaise Review: Vaara (Bertrand Duchaufour) and Iris Prima (Alberto Morillas) from Penhaligon’s (2013)
I worry about reviewing another Bertrand Duchaufour creation almost as much as I worry about reviewing another oud scent. They are both extremely ubiquitous; some would say excessively so. I’m…
New Penhaligon’s And Chanel Shops In London
Image: Chanel Perfume is by no means the primary concern of the new Chanel boutique on Bond Street, but I’d recommend a visit even if you’re not interested in the…
Is Poison On Its Way Back? – A Perfume Trend For Winter 2013
Predicting trends is a dubious business: as long as you do it often enough, a few of your pronouncements will inevitably turn out to be correct. That’s one of the…
Alberto Morillas On Making Amouage’s Opus VII
When I chatted with Alberto Morillas at the London launch of Penhaligon’s Iris Prima (the full interview will appear on Basenotes) I asked him about co-authoring Amouage‘s Opus VII with…
L’Artisan Parfumeur Closes London Boutique; Penhaligon’s To Take Its Place
An extra post today to convey some news which many of you will no doubt be sorry to read. L’Artisan Parfumeur have announced that they are to close their sole…
Win A Sample Of 1932, Chanel’s New Exclusif + Penhaligon’s Goes Glam
Penhaligon’s Singapore store (Image: Penhaligon’s Singapore Facebook page) Have the lovely folks at Penhaligon’s finally settled on a direction for the look and feel of their brand? If preview images…
Persolaise Shortlisted Twice For 2012 Jasmine Awards
Drum roll, please: the shortlists for this year’s Jasmine Awards have just been announced. In the ‘Digital’ category, not one, but three examples of my work have been singled out…
Persolaise Review: Peoneve extrait from Penhaligon’s (Olivier Cresp; 2012)
Peoneve, one of the scent highlights of 2012, has crept into a few Penhaligon’s boutiques in a new extrait form. In order to create it, Olivier Cresp returned to his…
Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling Winner
Many thanks to all of you who entered the joint Candy Perfume Boy and Persolaise Twitter give-away. I’m pleased to announce that the winner of a full bottle of Juniper…
Win A Bottle Of Juniper Sling + Chandler Burr On Perfume As Art
Proof New York’s Museum Of Arts And Design is just about to unveil its first perfume exhibition, which is why Newsweek have published this highly readable interview with curator Chandler…
Persolaise Review: Peoneve from Penhaligon’s (2012) + Sepia (2012) + Secret Garden (2011) from Aftelier
In the catalogue of olfactory families, there’s a sub-set of florals that do everything they should with no unnecessary fanfare. They’re clever without being show-offs. They display excellent tenacity without…
Twenty Blotters For… Olivier Cresp + A Story About Angel
Although the man himself may need an introduction, his work almost certainly doesn’t. Elle (YSL), Dune Pour Homme (Dior), Midnight Poison (Dior), Light Blue (Dolce & Gabbana) and of course…