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…
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…
Cartier‘s menagerie is growing. Less than a year since the eau de parfum of La Panthère was released, the brand has just revealed the extrait version – in an equally…
Could Rien possibly get any bigger? Yes and no. Soon after it bulldozed its way onto the market in 2006, the scent became the very definition of a perfumery juggernaut.…
Wearing Oeillet Bengale makes it clear why the collective noun for a group of carnations is usually ‘spray’. Rodrigo Flores-Roux has put together this new release from Aedes De Venustas…
Even though it was published just last week, my review of Cartier’s new gardenia scent, La Panthère, was written quite some time ago, whilst I was in the process of…
Mathilde Laurent‘s La Panthère for Cartier is a curious beast. Several commentators have been coaxed into blissful submission by what they’ve discerned as a warm, seductive purr emanating from the…
In the non-perfume-related aspects of my professional life, I’m frequently reminded of a wise proverb: punish the sin, not the sinner. Journey Woman and Journey Man (both by Alberto Morillas…
Here’s how you can tell that Vero Kern really loves perfume: the drydowns of all her creations – the epilogues of their existence – are always gorgeous. Like most die-hard…
Serge Lutens‘ L’Orpheline recently impressed me with the endearing way it linked distinctiveness and quietness. And now, a very similar vibe appears in Phillippe Romano’s 11 from Odin, the newest…
I still haven’t made up my mind about the original, 2012 edp of Jour D’Hermès. Those of you who saw my post on it may remember that several readers who’d…
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…
Today, in the world of book publishing, agents and editors often bemoan the fact that they no longer have the time to nurture their writers’ talents: there is tremendous pressure…
One of the pleasures of smelling new perfumes is that they sometimes jolt you into spotting undiscovered facets of older favourites. When I first encountered François Demachy‘s suave Colonia Leather…
More mini-reviews from Twitter. For part 1 of this latest digest, please click here. La Petite Robe Noire Couture from Guerlain (Thierry Wasser, 2014)* Flanker that isn’t sure what to…
Here’s another ‘digest’ of the reviews I’ve posted on Twitter. To read the first instalment of this occasional series (which focussed on reviews published between January and March) please click…
There’s a moment in a short promotional film for Eau De Magnolia in which Frederic Malle raises his hand into the air and mimes running a fine thread through his…
I know, I know, it was only a few weeks ago that I vowed never again to review any scent with ‘oud’ in its name, and here I am, going…
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…
I still haven’t signed up to the policy which says that the arrival of warmer weather means we can wear only light scents. I always enjoy a spritz of sharp…
So far, I haven’t been entirely convinced by Atelier Cologne. The brand’s founders are charming (click here for an interview), and their entry into the fragrance world has been marked…