Persolaise Review: Misia from Chanel (Olivier Polge; 2015)
Persolaise 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)…
perfume review
Persolaise Review: Pichola from Neela Vermeire Creations (Bertrand Duchaufour; 2015)
Only the sunlight moves. As it rises above the bamboos and the white rooftops, it casts everything it touches into immobility. Even the waters of the lake appear to quieten,…
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: Amber Aquilaria from Electimuss (2014)
Far too many brands around today rely on aspirational marketing, bling and hackneyed ideas to try to make an impact on potential buyers. Cue: Electimuss, a perfect example of rather…
Perfume Mini-Reviews From Twitter – October to December 2014 [part 1]
Here’s another instalment of my regular compilation of mini-reviews from Twitter, covering October to December 2014. Nevermore from Frapin (Anne Sophie Behaghel; 2014)*** Curious mix of metallic rose, ozonic note…
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…
Persolaise Review: No. 10 White Oud from Agonist (2014)
Before you scream in horror at the sight of that dreaded three-letter word, let me tell you one thing: No. 10 White Oud is an oud which doesn’t even pretend…
Persolaise Review: Coco Noir extrait from Chanel (Jacques Polge; 2014)
Considering that it hasn’t been pushed in any significant way by Chanel‘s daunting marketing machine, Coco Noir has won an impressive number of followers. The general consensus amongst critics was…
Persolaise Review: La Religieuse from Serge Lutens (Christopher Sheldrake; 2015)
Waiting for the next Lutens release has almost become like anticipating the next movie from Terrence Malick. Granted, Uncle Serge doesn’t exercise our patience quite as much as Malick does,…
Persolaise Review: Aperture from Ulrich Lang (2013)
You know a perfume is sufficiently interesting in its own right when wearing it makes you forget its marketing baggage. In this case, the ‘story’ revolves around photography and Lang’s…
Persolaise Review: Kerbside Violet from Gorilla Perfume (Simon & Mark Constantine; 2014)
Violet leaf absolute is one of those materials which serve to show how utterly impossible it is to describe smells with words. In perfumer-shorthand, it’s called ‘green’, but that places…
Persolaise Review: Tobacco Rose, Anubis & Angélique from Papillon (Liz Moores; 2014)
When I interviewed Papillon’s founder, Liz Moores*, I told her that, putting aside the issue of personal taste, the most striking feature of her debut scents is that they are…
Persolaise Review: Mitsouko from Guerlain (Jacques Guerlain; 1919 [and Thierry Wasser; 2013/14])
Guerlain Mitsouko reformulation review by award-winning critic Persolaise (Jacques Guerlain, Thierry Wasser, scent)
Perfume Mini-Reviews From Twitter – July to September 2014 [part 2]
Here’s the second part of my compilation of Twitter mini-reviews published between July and September 2014. Cologne from Etat Libre D’Orange (Alexandra Kosinski; 2014)* Pays homage to Mugler’s Cologne. Citruses…
Persolaise Review: Dior Homme Parfum from Christian Dior (François Demachy; 2014)
Dior Homme parfum review by award-winning perfume critic Persolaise (Francois Demachy, 2014)
Persolaise Review: Patchouli Absolu from Tom Ford (2014)
Watch out, the 70s have just walked into the room. Or have they? The first thing that attacks you from Tom Ford‘s latest Private Blend is, appropriately enough, a bell-bottom-wearing,…
Persolaise Review: Sylvan Song from Grossmith (Celine Guivarch; 2014)
Sometimes you just need to stick to what you know best. On occasion, the output of the revived Grossmith has been dismissed as mere ‘heritage perfumery’, but there’s nothing intrinsically…
Persolaise Review: Concrete Flower from Atelier PMP (Mark Buxton; 2014)
As far as I’m concerned, any brand which releases only one new perfume per year is worthy of serious attention. In an environment where even niche outfits seem unable to…
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: L’Homme Ideal from Guerlain (Thierry Wasser; 2014)
It’s probably fair to say that Guerlain is in a tricky position. On the one hand, it has to satisfy its owners by churning out a steady stream of till-friendly…