Staying Alive – A Trip To The Osmothèque
Persolaise For a moment, I wonder if the thing is going to leap out and attack me. Curled into the base of a steel box, it’s a tangle of what looks…
A Product Of The Blogosphere – An Interview With Matthew Zhuk Of Ex Idolo
Matthew Zhuk at Fenwick, the latest retailer to pick up Thirty Three Matthew Zhuk is in an interesting position right now: his brand, Ex Idolo, attracted serious attention in 2013,…
“Frivolity Will Save The World” – An Exclusive Interview With Etienne De Swardt Of Etat Libre D’Orange
During a recent interview with Etienne De Swardt, founder of Etat Libre D’Orange, I asked him if it’s difficult to expand his brand without diluting its personality. “That’s the permanent…
The Smell Of Half A Century – Doctor Who Discovers Perfume On The Programme’s 50th Anniversary
Image: Grant Osborne Geek Alert: this could be the nerdiest piece I’ve ever written! Doctor Who, the world’s longest-running sci-fi TV series, is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary… which…
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 –…
Not A Middle Eastern Brand – An Interview With Thameen Founder, Basel Binjabr
There’s a new perfume brand at Selfridges and – surprise surprise – it hails from the Arab world… or does it? Click here to read my Basenotes interview with its…
Speaking Your Mind – An Interview With Atelier Cologne’s Sylvie Ganter
Despite its relative youth, Atelier Cologne has made a considerable impact on the niche (and not-so-niche) perfume circuit. One of the brand’s co-founders, Sylvie Ganter, popped into London’s Les Senteurs…
Chandler Burr’s Secret Perfumer Answers Readers’ Questions
Image: OpenSky Those of you who follow Chandler Burr‘s thought-provoking Untitled Series on OpenSky (link no longer active) will no doubt be aware that ‘Season 1′ has reached its tenth…
Japan’s Traditional ‘Kodo’ Incense Ceremony Comes To London
image: Cristina Jaleru – lifeofvenus.com A few months ago, I had the tremendous good fortune to witness a Japanese incense ceremony conducted by Souhitsu Isshikenn Hachiya, Junior Master at Japan’s…
Aurelien Guichard At London Launch Of Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please
Aurelien Guichard was in London in March to promote Pleats Please, the new feminine scent he’s made for Issey Miyake. Click here for an account of my meeting with him,…
Catching A Passing Bouquet – Nice’s Bataille De Fleurs Parade
A few months ago, I was fortunate enough to experience the explosion of colours, sounds and smells that is Nice’s annual Bataille De Fleurs parade. To read my Basenotes piece…
Dora Arnaud Interview On Basenotes
In a recent interview, Dora Arnaud – creator of L’Artisan Parfumeur‘s Caligna (soon to be reviewed here) – revealed that the scent contains a relatively new raw material: a tincture…
Persolaise Wins Second Jasmine Award
Richard E Grant dropped the F-bomb. Air kisses were executed with a level of skill normally reserved for Olympic sports. And I finally got to meet Bois De Jasmin‘s charming…
Just Cavalli’s Debut Scent Launched In London
What do Bart Simpson, Georgia May Jagger and Just Cavalli’s Just have in common? Click here to pop over to my latest Basenotes article and find out… Persolaise.
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…
Harrods Is Full Of Snobs
Image by the author of the purple one in the middle I know, I know, I have to stop doing this sort of thing. But I just couldn’t help myself.…
London Book Signing + An Interview With Fabrice Pellegrin, The Man Who Made Womanity
Just in case you missed the announcement a few weeks ago, here’s a brief reminder that on the evening of Thursday 29th November, I’ll be answering questions and signing copies…
Book Launch At L’Artisan Parfumeur + Signing At The End Of November
In today’s uncharacteristically visual post, I’ve attempted to give you a flavour of a launch party that was held for my book last Thursday night at L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Covent Garden…
Any Questions For Jean-Claude Ellena? + Guess What: More Oud
Just a few quickies from me today. Firstly, it was wonderful to see an article on Basenotes last Tuesday reporting the imminent publication of my perfume guide. Please click here…
Issey Miyake Interview + 2012 Hall Of Fame On Basenotes
Some of you will recall that in May, I published the list of nominees for the FiFi UK 2012 Hall Of Fame. The winner was determined by votes that were…