Persolaise Review: Boy from Chanel (Olivier Polge; 2016)
Persolaise The soundbites If Boy were a fictional character, it would be: Sydney Carton from A Tale Of Two Cities. If it were an item of clothing, it would be: a…
lavender
Persolaise Review: Sunshine Man from Amouage (Pierre Negrin & Fabrice Pellegrin; 2015)
Ah, dear old lavender. When it’s misused – as it so often is – it’s a whopping clanger of a cliche, plunging a composition into the depths of the generic,…
Caron’s Pour Un Homme Celebrates 80th Birthday
One of the most beloved perfumes ever made, Ernest Daltroff’s Pour Un Homme De Caron, turns 80 this year. To celebrate the occasion – and to pay homage to what…
Persolaise Review: Le Beau Male from Jean-Paul Gaultier (Francis Kurkdjian; 2013)
Back in 1995, Jean-Paul Gaultier released his first fragrance for men. You may have heard of it. It’s called Le Male, it’s sold in a bottle shaped likely a finely-toned…
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: Fougère Royale from Houbigant (2010)
How do you make a fougère that has enough fougère-ness to justify the label but not so much that it smells like a disappointing cliche? That’s precisely the challenge faced…
Persolaise The Personal Shopper
For the last week or so I’ve been playing the role of perfume consultant for a very close relative who’d like me to buy him a bottle of something for…
Pyramid Building – 3
The deconstruction of the olfactory pyramid continues. Thanks very much to everyone who sent me emails in response to the previous post on the subject. It’s reassuring to know that…
Sample Giveaway + Review: Sartorial by Penhaligon’s (2010)
Any artist who manages to breathe new life into an old form deserves praise, but if you’re not especially fond of the form itself, you might find it difficult to…
Review Showcase: Vero Profumo
A few years ago, Swiss aromatherapist-turned-perfumer Vero Kern released three extrait-strength fragrances that have since developed a loyal following. She has now formulated distinctly different, eau de parfum versions of…
Review: Bleu De Chanel by Chanel (2010)
More often than not, a spray of a new men’s perfume leaves me sorely disappointed. Most of the recipes follow the same, cardboard-cutout pattern: a mono-dimensional burst of citrus leading…
Review: Gucci By Gucci Sport Pour Homme by Gucci (2010)
Ah, the dangers of prejudice. When I saw that a sample of this new flanker had made its way into one of my shopping bags, I immediately condemned it to…
Review: Eternity Aqua by Calvin Klein (2010)
When I found out that Escape For Men has been discontinued, a triumphant smile appeared on my face. Sadly, that’s now faded, because CK have played around with the formula…