Persolaise Review: Jour D’Hermès Absolu from Hermès (Jean-Claude Ellena; 2014)
Persolaise 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…
perfume review
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: Otis & Me, How You Love, Neon Graffiti and Led IV from Jazmin Saraï (Dana El Masri, 2014)
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…
Persolaise Review: Colonia Leather from Acqua Di Parma (François Demachy; 2014) & Ginepro Di Sardegna (2014)
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…
Perfume Mini-Reviews From Twitter – April to June 2014 [part 2]
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…
Perfume Mini-Reviews From Twitter – April to June 2014 [part 1]
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…
Persolaise Review: Eau De Magnolia from Editions De Parfums Frederic Malle (Carlos Benaïm, 2014)
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…
Persolaise Review: Wonderoud from Comme Des Garçons (Antoine Maisondieu; 2014)
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…
Persolaise Review: L’Orpheline from Serge Lutens (Christopher Sheldrake; 2014)
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…
Persolaise Review: Dior Homme Eau For Men from Christian Dior (François Demachy), Déclaration L’Eau from Cartier (Mathilde Laurent) & Terre D’Hermès Eau Très Fraîche from Hermès (Jean-Claude Ellena)
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…
Persolaise Review: Cédrat Enivrant from Atelier Cologne (Ralf Schwieger; 2014)
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…
Persolaise Review: Chaldée from Jean Patou (Thomas Fontaine; 2014 [based on Henri Almeras; 1927])
If Dior’s Cuir Cannage (reviewed last week) is an attempt to conjure the ghost of a parent, Jean Patou‘s Chaldée is a near-archaeological endeavour to revive the spirit of an…
Persolaise Review: Cuir Cannage from Christian Dior (François Demachy; 2014)
When the arrival of Cuir Cannage was first rumoured, the story went that François Demachy wanted it to represent his memories of his mother’s handbag. This very personal anecdote now…
Persolaise Review: 1932, Beige & Jersey extraits from Chanel (Jacques Polge; 2014)
A ‘parfum’ by Chanel. How unutterably lovely. And no, I am not being sarcastic. Consider the sensuousness loaded behind that short phrase. First there’s the ‘parfum’ part. The most ancient…
Persolaise Review: Tralala from Penhaligon’s (Bertrand Duchaufour; 2014)
What to make of Tralala? I confess that when I first discovered the name of this latest release from Penhaligon’s, I gave in to a burst of gleeful excitement. Silly,…
Persolaise Review: Amber Oud and Rose Oud from Nicolaï (Patricia De Nicolaï; 2013)
Ah, the power of peer pressure! A few years ago, you needed quite a few fingers to count the number of brands who said they’d “never do an oud.” Now,…
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…
Perfume Mini-Reviews From Twitter – January to March 2014
Could this be the start of a regular feature? Below, you’ll find all the mini-reviews I’ve posted on Twitter since January of this year. I’ve decided to re-publish them here…
Persolaise Review: Fahrenheit Le Parfum from Christian Dior (François Demachy; 2014)
They say men mellow with age. Whether the statement is true is up for debate – last time I checked, grumpy old codgers weren’t exactly thin on the ground –…
Persolaise Review: Ingrid from Tableau De Parfums (Andy Tauer; 2013)
You probably won’t believe this, but I assure you it’s true. When I first sniffed Ingrid, before I knew anything about the movie character on which it’s based, it seemed…