Persolaise Review: Yael from Sammarco (Giovanni Sammarco; 2017)
Persolaise The modern iris perfume is a curious beast: it pops up more frequently than one might expect thanks to the availability of new-fangled and affordable iris ingredients. But it often…
iris
Persolaise Sixty Second Scents: Bruma from Trudon (Antoine Lie; 2017)
The latest instalment of Sixty Second Scents features a release that made it onto my list of the best perfumes of 2017: Antoine Lie‘s Bruma for Trudon. You can watch…
Persolaise Review: Eau Parfumée Au Thé Bleu from Bulgari (Daniela Andrier; 2015)
What’s commendable about Bulgari‘s tea scents isn’t so much that they offer a literal representation of the smell of the drink – which, to varying degrees, they all do –…
Thierry Wasser On Habit Rouge
For my final interview to mark the 50th anniversary of Jean-Paul Guerlain’s Habit Rouge, we turn to the scent’s current guardian: Thierry Wasser. In his role as the venerable fragrance…
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)…
The Osmothèque Reviews: Iris Gris from Jacques Fath (Vincent Roubert; 1946)
THIS POST WAS SHORTLISTED IN THE ‘BLOGGERS AWARD’ CATEGORY OF THE 2014 JASMINE AWARDS *** For background information on my Osmothèque Reviews, please click here *** Iris Gris had the…
No Lies, No Compromises – An Interview With Perfumer Quentin Bisch
Quentin Bisch (left) with Etienne De Swardt at the Etat Libre D’Orange shop in Paris Quentin Bisch’s connection with Etat Libre D’Orange goes back to the days before the young…
Persolaise Review: Iris Nazarena from Aedes De Venustas (Ralf Schwieger; 2013)
Aedes De Venustas Iris Nazarena review by award-winning perfume critic Persolaise (Ralf Schwieger, 2013)
Persolaise Review: La Fin Du Monde from Etat Libre D’Orange (Quentin Bisch; 2013)
There are several reasons to be excited about La Fin Du Monde. Firstly, it’s this year’s only release from Etat Libre D’Orange, a house which consistently manages to combine quirkiness…
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…
Persolaise Review: Vaara (Bertrand Duchaufour) and Iris Prima (Alberto Morillas) from Penhaligon’s (2013)
I worry about reviewing another Bertrand Duchaufour creation almost as much as I worry about reviewing another oud scent. They are both extremely ubiquitous; some would say excessively so. I’m…
The Things You See At A Perfume Factory – A Visit To Robertet In Grasse
The photo above shows one of the sights that greeted me and Madame Persolaise when we visited Robertet’s Grasse factory in February*. A heap of mimosa, filling the air with…
Persolaise Review: Eau De Nuit from Armani (Marie Salamagne; 2013)
Knock me down with a blotter and throw me in a barrel of Pink Friday: for once we have a mainstream scent that actually delivers on its promises! Armani‘s Eau…
Persolaise Review: 1932 from Chanel (Jacques Polge; 2013)
I’ve finally understood my problem with 1932: its conclusion doesn’t live up to the promise shown by its opening. That’s hardly a profound insight – and I’m almost embarrassed to…
Persolaise Review: Cuir De Nacre + Perle De Mousse from Ann Gerard (Bertrand Duchaufour; 2012)
I should think the overlap between jewellery and fragrance is fascinating for perfumers to explore, and Bertrand Duchaufour certainly seems to have had a great deal of fun with the…
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: Traversée Du Bosphore from L’Artisan Parfumeur (2010)
L'Artisan Parfumeur Traversee Du Bosphore perfume review by award-winning critic Persolaise (Bertrand Duchaufour, 2010)
Review: Opus III from The Library Collection by Amouage (2010)
If there’s one characteristic that Amouage‘s first three Library Collection scents have in common, it is a gauzy sheerness. Opus I conjures an image of florals preserved in a delicate…