Father’s Day Ideas – What To Do If Your Dad’s Perfume Collection Is Already Quite Healthy
Persolaise Blame the geek in me: I’m always on the lookout for an excuse to make a new list. And I’ve just discovered that I haven’t addressed Father’s Day since 2011…
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
“I Try To Take You By The Hand” – An Interview With Jean-Claude Ellena, Perfumer At Hermès
image: Hermès “My perfumes are sensual like the women of Hitchcock. I love Kim Novak. I can watch the same Kim Novak movie several times. And Grace Kelly too. There’s…
Persolaise Review: Le Jardin De Monsieur Li from Hermès (Jean-Claude Ellena; 2015)
At the Paris launch of his fifth ‘garden’ scent for Hermès – which he refused to concede would be his last – Jean-Claude Ellena stated that Le Jardin De Monsieur…
Persolaise Review: Icon from Dunhill (Carlos Benaïm; 2015)
Carlos Benaïm‘s recent collaboration with Frederic Malle – the scintillating Eau De Magnolia – was seen by many critics as a modern rendition of 70s-style chypres, chiefly Edmond Roudnitska‘s Diorella…
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)
Persolaise Review: Cuir D’Ange from Hermès (Jean-Claude Ellena; 2014)
In David Almond’s book, Skellig, a young boy encounters a strange man in the ramshackle shed at his new house. He’s filthy, his clothes are in tatters and he reeks…
Persolaise Review: Jour D’Hermès Absolu from Hermès (Jean-Claude Ellena; 2014)
I still haven’t made up my mind about the original, 2012 edp of Jour D’Hermès. Those of you who saw my post on it may remember that several readers who’d…
Persolaise Review: Dior Homme Eau For Men from Christian Dior (François Demachy), Déclaration L’Eau from Cartier (Mathilde Laurent) & Terre D’Hermès Eau Très Fraîche from Hermès (Jean-Claude Ellena)
I still haven’t signed up to the policy which says that the arrival of warmer weather means we can wear only light scents. I always enjoy a spritz of sharp…
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,…
Perfume Mini-Reviews From Twitter – January to March 2014
Could this be the start of a regular feature? Below, you’ll find all the mini-reviews I’ve posted on Twitter since January of this year. I’ve decided to re-publish them here…
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…
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…
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…
Persolaise Review: Épice Marine from Hermès (Jean-Claude Ellena; 2013)
If only all press packs were as helpful as the one for Épice Marine. Amongst the various bits and pieces of info provided by Hermès for this latest addition to…
Persolaise Review: Eau De Narcisse Bleu from Hermès (Jean-Claude Ellena; 2013)
Jean-Claude Ellena followed a somewhat more traditional path with Eau De Mandarine Ambrée, one of two ‘light’ scents released by Hermès this year. But he clearly wanted Eau De Narcisse…
Persolaise Review: Eau De Mandarine Ambrée from Hermès (Jean-Claude Ellena; 2013)
You can’t blame me for getting excited by the prospect of two new colognes from Jean-Claude Ellena. If there’s one thing the man knows how to do well, it’s producing…
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…
Persolaise Review: Un Jardin Sur Le Nil from Hermès (Jean-Claude Ellena; 2005)
There seems little point in reviewing Un Jardin Sur Le Nil. After all, it was granted a status bestowed upon few perfumes when it was placed centre stage in Chandler…