Cecilia Mergui, Bienaime, Live Interview
A few years ago, when Cecilia Mergui found an old powder box at a yard sale in France, she had no idea that the discovery would lead her to revive…
A few years ago, when Cecilia Mergui found an old powder box at a yard sale in France, she had no idea that the discovery would lead her to revive…
— With somewhat Bond-villainesque theatricality, buttons were pressed, the lighting changed, and our gaze was drawn to a frieze depicting a desert landscape: a cue for us to be presented…
An oud-based flanker is perhaps the last release we would have expected from Les Indemodables, but that’s precisely what they’ve given us in the form of Vanille Havane – Coeur…
— There are two people Quentin Bisch loves to work with. I hope he loves to work with me. And he has great admiration for Renaud Salmon . The lucky…
— As far as exposes of the perfume industry go, this one is amongst the more worrying. Seeing children being forced into hardship by a so-called luxury business is always…
For the most recent episode of my occasional Masterclass series, I veered away from ingredients and moved into the equally complex world of perfume retail. Guiding me through the journey…
He may be the busiest man in the business, but fortunately for all of us, Michael Edwards, the supreme perfume guru, found some time to pop into my virtual studio…
It’s generally accepted that the first, true ‘niche’ perfume brand was L’Artisan Parfumeur. But what if the history books have got that little detail wrong and what if the honour…
The other day, I was delighted to interview Eliam Puente, founder of and sole perfumer at the House Of Puente (Iris Doux, Vespertine, Medusa and others). We talked about how…
For the final episode of our current Masterclass series on ingredients we travelled to China and France to discuss osmanthus and clary sage. I was joined once again by Remi…
One of the most exciting brands to have emerged in recent years is unquestionably Eris. So I was delighted to be able to interview the two people responsible for its…
For my first YouTube broadcast of the year, I did one of my favourite things: ask lots of questions. The person at the receiving end of my nosiness was Sophie…
Two ancient materials featured in episode 9 of my Masterclass series on YouTube the other day — labdanum and ambergris — both of which have been used over the years…
Numbers aren’t everything. But they’re not to be sneezed at either. So I was truly delighted the other day when my YouTube app showed me that I’d gone over the…
Remi Pulverail returned to my virtual studio the other day to share some of his knowledge about Moroccan rose and mint: two important perfumery ingredients produced by the country. Needless…
For the seventh episode of my Masterclass series, I headed over to Salalah in southern Oman. Joining me in the virtual studio were Renaud Salmon (Chief Creative Officer at Amouage),…
Antoine Lie and Remi and Valerie Pulverail – the creative forces behind Les Indemodables – have just released a new perfume called Patchouli Noisette (click here for my review), which…
My virtual studio took us all the way to The Bridge Of Sighs the other day when we were joined from Venice by Nicola Pozzani, formerly of Floris and currently…
If there’s anything my Masterclass series has shown so far, it’s that the lives of hundreds and hundreds of people from across the entire world contribute to the fragrant juices…
Perfume Masterclass on iris and mandarin with Remi Pulverail and award-winning critic Persolaise (2023)