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…
chypre
Persolaise Review: Pour Monsieur from Chanel (Henri Robert; 1955)
Is bitterness now seen as old-fashioned in masculine scents? I asked myself the question the other day when I decided to wear Chanel’s Pour Monsieur. Don’t get me wrong, I…
Persolaise Review: Ylang 49 (Frank Voelkl) and Lys 41 (Daphné Bugey) from Le Labo (2013)
THIS POST WAS SHORTLISTED IN THE ‘DIGITAL’ CATEGORY OF THE 2013 JASMINE AWARDS Wearing Ylang 49 has reminded me of a claim several perfumers have made about fragrance critics: apparently…
Persolaise Review: Gris Montaigne from Christian Dior (François Demachy; 2013)
In the press release for the latest addition to the Collection Privée, Dior‘s in-house perfumer, François Demachy, is quoted as saying that the “chypre is the grey of the perfume…
Persolaise Review: Golden Chypre from Grossmith (perfumer unknown; 2012)
Golden Chypre is an excellent name for this perfume, or at least for the first few stages of its development. A convincingly gilt-edged radiance accompanies the initial citrus notes as…
Persolaise Review: The Afternoon Of A Faun + Dangerous Complicity from Etat Libre D'Orange (2012)
Ladies and gentlemen, we are in the presence of greatness. But first we need to get something less exciting out of the way. Dangerous Complicity – one of two new…
Persolaise Review: Mito eau de parfum from Vero Profumo (2012) + Escale À Parati from Christian Dior (2012)
Serendipity is surprising at the best of times, but perfume serendipity tends to be especially astonishing. A few weeks ago, I drew a parallel between the creations of Angela Flanders…
Persolaise Review: Wrappings from Clinique (1990) + Eau De Lacoste L. 12. 12 Rouge from Lacoste (2012)
Clinique’s PR people call Wrappings their best kept secret, and they may well be right. Since its original release in 1990, it’s been available solely at top-end department stores, often…
Persolaise Review: Chypre Palatin from MDCI (2012) + Annick Goutal Soliflores + Neela Vermeire Winners
The global financial crisis shows no signs of abating any time soon, which perhaps helps explain why ‘classical’ or ‘vintage’ olfactory symbols are continuing to enjoy a resurgence (see last…
What’s A Chypre When It’s At Home?
According to a recent article in the Independent, there is a very large number of words to describe different types of laughter in Marathi (a language spoken by over 40…
Bottega Veneta from Bottega Veneta, Esprit d’Oscar from Oscar De La Renta & 1697 from Frapin (2011)
The first perfume for Bottega Veneta has been made by Michel Almairac. The 2003 version of Gucci Pour Homme was also made by Michel Almairac. As far as I’m concerned,…
Review: Mon Parfum Chéri from Annick Goutal, Lumière Noire Pour Femme Elixir and Aqua Universalis Forte Elixir from Maison Francis Kurkdjian (2011)
The moment I tried Goutal’s latest, I knew I
Reviews: Juniper Sling, Esprit Du Roi & Eau Sans Pareil from Penhaligon’s (2011)
Would it be too cruel to say that Penhaligon’s Anthology series of re-issues comes to a close not with a bang, but a whimper? Eau Sans Pareil is pleasant enough,…
One More Day…
Tomorrow my little blog enters its difficult adolescent years. Don’t forget to come back for its birthday and check out the special prize draw I’ve organised for you, which will…
Review Showcase: Vero Profumo
A few years ago, Swiss aromatherapist-turned-perfumer Vero Kern released three extrait-strength fragrances that have since developed a loyal following. She has now formulated distinctly different, eau de parfum versions 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…
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,…