Is It For Girls Or For Boys? – Persolaise Is Back With The Perfume Pros
Persolaise Here comes the second of the videos I made with the Perfume Pros, and this time, they had something rather devious up their sleeves… but I’ll let them explain in…
Persolaise Review: No. 5 L’Eau from Chanel (Olivier Polge; 2016)
The soundbites If No. 5 L’Eau were an item of clothing, it would be a simple, short-sleeved linen blouse. If it were a colour, it would be ivory. If it…
Persolaise Review: White Luminous Gold from Michael Kors (2015)
The soundbites If White Luminous Gold were a colour, it would be an easy-on-the-eye yellow. If it were a texture, it would be the softness of mimosa blossoms. If it…
Persolaise Review: Black Orchid eau de toilette from Tom Ford (2015)
I’ve always been suspicious of Black Orchid. Something about its strident assertiveness – its poking, prodding, finger-stabbing insistence – has made me feel that its facade conceals a quagmire of…
Persolaise Review: Chance Eau Vive from Chanel (Olivier Polge; 2015)
Olivier Polge‘s profile at Chanel continues to rise. A few months ago, the guardians of the double-C logo released his first sole-authored creation, Misia, but that was part of the…
Persolaise Review: Misia from Chanel (Olivier Polge; 2015)
I confess my heart sank a little when I discovered that Misia, Olivier Polge‘s debut for Chanel (he’s gradually taking over from his father Jacques as the brand’s in-house perfumer)…
Persolaise Review: La Panthère from Cartier (Mathilde Laurent; 2014)
Mathilde Laurent‘s La Panthère for Cartier is a curious beast. Several commentators have been coaxed into blissful submission by what they’ve discerned as a warm, seductive purr emanating from the…
Persolaise Review: Ingrid from Tableau De Parfums (Andy Tauer; 2013)
You probably won’t believe this, but I assure you it’s true. When I first sniffed Ingrid, before I knew anything about the movie character on which it’s based, it seemed…
Persolaise Review: George from Jardins D’Ecrivains (perfumer unknown; 2012)
The marketing of perfume tends to be an intensely gender-specific business, so it’s always interesting to think about which materials and accords signify ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’ at any given moment…
Persolaise Review: Jour D’Hermès from Hermès (Jean-Claude Ellena; 2012)
Although it’s been around only for a couple of months, Jean-Claude Ellena‘s latest creation for Hermès‘ ‘mainstream’ collection has already attracted tremendous amounts of praise. Despite an embargo on media…
Review: Jersey from Chanel (2011) + Sample Give-Away
A curious release, this one. Subjectivity aside, it’s a musky lavender in which Jacques Polge has chosen to emphasise the lemony, herbaceous aspects of Provence’s ubiquitous sachet-filler whilst placing it…
Review: No. 19 Poudré from Chanel (2011) and Miriam from Tableau De Parfums (2011) + Miriam Winners
There’s a lot of anti-Chanel feeling around at the moment. Before the venerable house had given everyone an opportunity to recover from the various Chance flankers, they released Bleu which…
Review: Vitriol d’Oeillet from Serge Lutens (2011)
Uncle Serge and Christopher Sheldrake have been up to their old tricks again. Their latest release could easily be dismissed as an old-fashioned feminine, a woody floral stuck somewhere in…
Reviews: Yuzu Man from Caron (2011) & Hiroshima Mon Amour from Nez À Nez (2011)
The spirit of orientalism is alive in the latest masculine from Caron. Yuzu takes its inspiration from the East Asian (predominantly Japanese) fruit of the same name, and as you’d…
Review: Blessings eau de parfum from Belinda Brown (2011)
I think my brain’s vocab centre has had a slight melt-down. I need a synonym for ‘fuzzy’, but none of the ones I’ve come up with so far capture the…
Review: Week-end À Deauville from Nicolaï (2011)
Generally speaking, there are two types of perfume labelled with the word ‘leather’: those which take their inspiration from the stench of a tannery and those which aim to evoke…
Sample Give-Away + Review: La Belle Hélène from MDCI (2011)
If there’s one thing Bertrand Duchaufour can do with envy-inducing finesse, it’s using smell to paint incredibly precise, near-holographic visual images. La Belle Hélène, the latest release from MDCI, showcases…
Review: Taj Sunset from Escada (2011)
In my teenage years, I was an absolute sucker for idealistic sci-fi and detective stories. My favourites were always those in which the protagonist – whoever he or she happened…
Review: Jeux De Peau from Serge Lutens (2011)
First thing’s first: contrary to Monsieur Lutens’ claims – which are probably meant to be taken with a pinch of baking powder anyway – this perfume doesn’t smell of bread.…