Bulgari Le Gemme Erea (Alberto Morillas) & Kobraa (Jacques Cavallier) Review – 2020
Persolaise Bulgari Le Gemme Erea & Kobraa reviews by award-winning perfume critic Persolaise (Alberto Morillas, Jacques Cavallier, 2020)
Serge Lutens Des Clous Pour Une Pelure Review – Christopher Sheldrake; 2020
Serge Lutens Des Clous Pour Une Pelure perfume review by award-winning critic Persolaise (Christopher Sheldrake, 2020)
Top 10 Best Incense Perfumes 2020 – Scents For Meditation
Best incense perfumes selected by award-winning critic Persolaise, 2020
Persolaise Review: Papyrus Oud from Parle Moi De Parfum (Michel Almairac; 2018)
It’s not often in perfumery that you’re given an opportunity to witness a scent-maker revisiting and honing a particular idea. Two examples that come to mind are Edmond Roudnitska following…
Persolaise Review: Kimonanthe from Diptyque (Fabrice Pellegrin; 2016)
The soundbites If Kimonanthe were an item of food, it would be marmalade shot through with slivers of charcoal. If it were a painting, it would be Untitled (Violet, Black,…
Persolaise Wins 4th Jasmine Award + Final Reminder About Aerin Event
Yesterday, I had the tremendous and unexpected honour of winning a Jasmine Award – my fourth! – for an article I wrote for the Perfume Society‘s Scented Letter about my…
Left Pleasantly Unmoved
For the last few days I’ve been thinking about the d-word. Derivative. It’s an issue to consider in the analysis of any creative pursuit. But I’d say it’s particularly pressing…
My Favourite Incense Perfumes In The Scented Letter + Brief Word On Olivier Polge Interview
I am genuinely excited to announce that the latest edition of The Scented Letter – the Perfume Society‘s Jasmine-award winning magazine – features a piece I wrote about my all-time…
Persolaise Review: L’Incendiaire from Serge Lutens (Christopher Sheldrake; 2014)
I don’t often pass comment on the price of new perfume releases, but sometimes it’s hard not to. The latest scent from Serge Lutens – the first in what is…
Persolaise Review: L’Orpheline from Serge Lutens (Christopher Sheldrake; 2014)
Most press releases can be scanned and dismissed in a matter of seconds, but the ones from Serge Lutens are always worth a quiet read with a strong coffee and…
Persolaise Review: Laine De Verre from Serge Lutens (Christopher Sheldrake; 2014)
Uncle Serge is playing the trickster again. When he released the first of his Eaux (L’Eau De Serge Lutens, 2010) you could almost picture the wry smile on his face…
Persolaise Review: Bottega Veneta Pour Homme from Bottega Veneta (Daniela Andrier & Antoine Maisondieu; 2013)
I keep smelling Amouage‘s Epic Man everywhere! Perhaps the substances responsible for its distinctive, ghosts-of-antiquity woodiness are becoming more readily available to perfumers. Or maybe other brands just want to…
Persolaise Review: 1996 from Byredo (Jérôme Epinette; 2013)
I don’t envy perfume brands the task of coming up with a ‘story’ for a new release. It’s a thankless job, fraught with paradoxes. If the perfume is sub-standard, its…
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…
Persolaise Review: Sahara Noir from Tom Ford (Rodrigo Flores-Roux; 2013)
Is Tom Ford on a gender-bending mission? Last year he energised the masculine market with the female-friendly Noir (recent winner of the Perfume Extraordinaire award at the UK’s FiFis). Now…
The Logic Behind Breath Of God
Here’s a fascinating little follow-up to yesterday’s Gorilla Perfumes reviews. I was contacted by a representative of Lush who’d read my post and wanted to explain that the name Breath…
Perfumers Make The Most Annoying Customers…
Here’s a funny little Sales Assistant moment for you. I was in Harrods the other day and I walked up to the Loewe counter to try 7. Within moments, a…
Blissful Attack
It really is impossible to over-emphasise the prominence and importance of smells in Mumbai. My last post was just a brief, tip-of-the-iceberg sample of the stream of chemicals that constantly…
A Two-Minute Walk In Mumbai
You stroll past a sugar-cane juice seller and catch a whiff of an incense cone: rich and smoky, a Catholic scent that feels out of place amidst the noise of…