Persolaise Review: Jeke, Sova, Ore and Norne from Slumberhouse
Persolaise Some landscapes are easy to enjoy, but almost impossible to describe. They offer many pleasures, yet they defy attempts to capture their charms in words. They may not even be…
perfume review
Persolaise Review: Coven from Andrea Maack (2013)
I dismissed the first three fragrances from Andrea Maack as derivative and uninspiring. The next two, Coal and Silk, were marginally better, but they didn’t possess sufficiently distinct personalities to…
The Osmothèque Reviews: Parfum Royal (circa 1st century AD) and Eau De La Raine De Hongrie (14th century)
*** For background information on my Osmothèque reviews, please click here *** It goes without saying that the stars of the Osmothèque‘s collection of perfume reconstitutions are the post-1880 classics:…
Persolaise Review: Laine De Verre from Serge Lutens (Christopher Sheldrake; 2014)
Uncle Serge is playing the trickster again. When he released the first of his Eaux (L’Eau De Serge Lutens, 2010) you could almost picture the wry smile on his face…
The Osmothèque Reviews: Jicky from Guerlain (Aimé Guerlain; 1889)
Guerlain Jicky Osmotheque version review by award-winning perfume critic Persolaise (Aime Guerlain; 1889)
Persolaise Review: Oud from Reminiscence (2012)
As soon as I adopt a policy of never using the word ‘oud’ again, along comes an agar perfume which deserves a mention.The Côte d’Azur-based brand Reminiscence may seem like…
Persolaise Review: Iris Nazarena from Aedes De Venustas (Ralf Schwieger; 2013)
Aedes De Venustas Iris Nazarena review by award-winning perfume critic Persolaise (Ralf Schwieger, 2013)
Persolaise Review: Oumma from 777 (Stéphane Humbert-Lucas; 2013)
If you’re going to do something that’s been done before, you’d better do it well. And if the thing you’re going to do is artistically suspect and quite possibly mercenary,…
Persolaise Review: Monsieur from Huitième Art (Pierre Guillaume; 2013)
Monsieur makes me angry. Sure, it displays the high levels of technical competence that we’ve now come to expect from Pierre Guillaume – it’s diffusive, long-lasting and generally cohesive –…
Persolaise Review: Épice Marine from Hermès (Jean-Claude Ellena; 2013)
If only all press packs were as helpful as the one for Épice Marine. Amongst the various bits and pieces of info provided by Hermès for this latest addition to…
Persolaise Review: Phi – Une Rose De Kandahar from Tauer Perfumes (Andy Tauer; 2013)
I wonder if Andy Tauer has ever smelt the original Fougère Royale. I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Paul Parquet‘s masterpiece quite recently at the Osmothèque in…
Persolaise Review: Égoïste from Chanel (Jacques Polge; 1990) + No 5 Jumps In The Bath
As Égoïste has now been allowed to take its rightful place at all UK Chanel counters (until very recently, it was available only at the brand’s own boutiques) the time…
Persolaise Review: La Fin Du Monde from Etat Libre D’Orange (Quentin Bisch; 2013)
There are several reasons to be excited about La Fin Du Monde. Firstly, it’s this year’s only release from Etat Libre D’Orange, a house which consistently manages to combine quirkiness…
Persolaise Review: Bottega Veneta Pour Homme from Bottega Veneta (Daniela Andrier & Antoine Maisondieu; 2013)
I keep smelling Amouage‘s Epic Man everywhere! Perhaps the substances responsible for its distinctive, ghosts-of-antiquity woodiness are becoming more readily available to perfumers. Or maybe other brands just want to…
Persolaise Review: London, Tobacco Oud, Oud Fleur & Oud Wood from Tom Ford (2013)
Back when YSL‘s M7 was worthy of the image of a naked, hairy martial arts expert, I bought myself a bottle of one of the scent’s ancillary products, a so-called…
Persolaise Review: The Odd Fellow’s Bouquet from Atkinsons (Fabrice Pellegrin; 2013)
Fabrice Pellegrin is particularly skilled at finding a balance between accessibility and distinctiveness. In The Odd Fellow’s Bouquet (one of two works he’s created for the revived house of Atkinson’s,…
Persolaise Review: 1996 from Byredo (Jérôme Epinette; 2013)
I don’t envy perfume brands the task of coming up with a ‘story’ for a new release. It’s a thankless job, fraught with paradoxes. If the perfume is sub-standard, its…
Persolaise Review: Cuir 28 from Le Labo (Nathalie Lorson; 2013)
Those who take an interest in such matters will be aware that Le Labo mentioned the arrival of its Dubai exclusive quite some time ago; at one point it seemed…
Persolaise Review: Modern Muse from Estée Lauder (Harry Fremont; 2013)
The people at Lauder are calling Modern Muse their biggest feminine fragrance launch since Beyond Paradise (Calice Becker‘s otherworldly garden of green jasmine from 2003). The advertising campaign would certainly…
Persolaise Review: Ashoka from Neela Vermeire Créations (Bertrand Duchaufour; 2013)
Neela Vermeire‘s eponymous brand has reached the perfumery equivalent of the difficult second album. Her three debut scents (all composed by Bertrand Duchaufour… ever heard of him?) made such a…