A Perfume Explosion At London’s Burlington Arcade
Persolaise It’s all happening at Burlington Arcade! Penhaligon’s have had a branch there for years, of course, but Chanel unveiled a store beneath the elegant, arched ceiling not too long ago,…
The Opposite Of Everyone Else – An Interview With Robert Gerstner Of Aedes De Venustas
Maybe it’s the rosé, but when I meet Robert Gerstner at a noisy bar at London’s St Pancras Station, he starts chatting away as though we’ve known each other for…
Uplifting Scents On ParfumPlus
Please click on this link to read my latest piece for the Middle East’s ParfumPlus magazine. Some of you may recognise it as an edited version of my recent post…
Goldfish, Rice And Musky Teleporters – Perfume Recommendations For A Sunny Day
Best summer, sunny day perfume selection by award-winning critic Persolaise, with Chanel, Tom Ford, Frederic Malle, Guerlain, Hermes and others
Persolaise Review: Cologne Indelebile from Editions De Parfums Frederic Malle (Dominique Ropion; 2015)
Frederic Malle Cologne Indelebile review by award-winning perfume critic Persolaise (Dominique Ropion, 2015)
Persolaise On Men’s Scents In How To Spend It
A few months ago, I was interviewed by Lucia Van Der Post for an article she was writing about fragrances for men. Her piece was published in the FT’s How…
“You Have To Be More Direct” – An Interview With Carlos Benaïm
“Frederic Malle is much more directive. But he doesn’t tell you what to do. I would sit with him and he would give ideas. Sometimes I agreed with his ideas,…
Best Perfumes Of 2014 – A Time For Looking Back
If a pining for the past is a sign of social disquiet, then 2014 must have been a worrying year for the perfume industry: a significant proportion of new releases…
Kicking Up A Stink – The Definitive Guide To The Best Oud Perfumes
Guide to the best oud perfumes by award-winning critic Persolaise (feat. Tom Ford, Amouage, Dior, Le Labo, Montale, Nicolai, Ajmal, Francis Kurkdjian)
Change Is Here – Estée Lauder Buys Frederic Malle
It’s been only a few days since the announcement was made that Editions De Parfums Frederic Malle is to be bought by Estée Lauder, but already the finger-waggers are crawling…
Christmas 2014 Perfume Recommendations – French Kisses, Vintage Handbags & A Great Big Nothing
I can’t start thinking about Christmas until we’ve seen the back of All Saints’ Day; any sign of Yuletide shenanigans before then makes my stomach turn. But we are now…
Persolaise Review: Eau De Magnolia from Editions De Parfums Frederic Malle (Carlos Benaïm, 2014)
There’s a moment in a short promotional film for Eau De Magnolia in which Frederic Malle raises his hand into the air and mimes running a fine thread through his…
Persolaise Review: Amber Oud and Rose Oud from Nicolaï (Patricia De Nicolaï; 2013)
Ah, the power of peer pressure! A few years ago, you needed quite a few fingers to count the number of brands who said they’d “never do an oud.” Now,…
Luxury Is About Privacy – An Audience With Frederic Malle (part 2)
For part 1 of this record of Frederic Malle’s Q&A session with an audience at Liberty, please click here. Could you tell us a bit about your collaboration with Dries…
Taking The Highway – An Audience With Frederic Malle (part 1)
At the end of my interview with him at Liberty, Frederic Malle – the niche world’s foremost ‘scent editor’ – faced an audience of admirers who wanted to ask him…
You Have To Be Modest Sometimes – An Exclusive Interview With Frederic Malle (part 2)
The first instalment of this exclusive interview ended with Frederic Malle commenting on the pressure he places on his perfumers – and on himself – to aim for the highest…
The Achilles Heel In Our Business: An Exclusive Interview With Frederic Malle (part 1)
If there’s one figure in the niche world who needs no introduction, it’s Frederic Malle. This is more than a little ironic, as the Frenchman owes his status and reputation…
Happy 2014!
A lemon blossom photographed in 2013 a short distance from Maison Persolaise Okay, it’s time to pack away the fairy lights and get this blog-shaped ball rolling again. A very…
Best Perfumes Of 2013
Don’t look now, folks, but I think we’ve made it to the end of another December. Rose-tinted nostalgia goggles aside, it’s probably fair to say that 2013 has been as…
Home Scents For Christmas 2013 – From Diptyque’s Mechanical Air To Kurkdjian’s Supernatural Jasmine
You can keep your boughs of holly and your clove-encrusted oranges. If there’s one thing that’s enjoyable about the yuletide season, it’s the opportunity to scent your home with olfactory…