Persolaise Review: Ingrid from Tableau De Parfums (Andy Tauer; 2013)
Persolaise 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…
perfume review
Persolaise Review: Magnolia Grandiflora Michel (Michel Roudnitska; 2013) & Magnolia Grandiflora Sandrine (Sandrine Videault; 2013) from Grandiflora
It’s hard not to make a connection between Michel Roudnitska’s Magnolia Grandiflora and his late father Edmond‘s unsurpassed Diorissimo. Before it became a victim of repeated reformulations, the latter was…
Persolaise Review: Azure (Mathilde Bijaoui; 2014) and Bentley For Men Absolute (Michel Almairac; 2014) from Bentley
Azure is ghastly. Think of all the most mind-numbing masculine scents from the mainstream, and you’ll know exactly what this waste of resources smells like. Generically ‘citrusy’ top. Aromatic mid-section.…
Persolaise Review: Opus VIII from Amouage (Pierre Negrin & Richard Herpin; 2014)
Years ago, I used to argue with a food-loving, atheist friend of mine that there simply must be a God. He’d ask me for evidence. And my response would be…
Persolaise Review: Rosabotanica from Balenciaga (Olivier Polge & Jean-Christophe Herault; 2014)
I seem to have forgotten how impressed I was with Florabotanica. For some reason, my brain decided to file it under ‘pleasant yet unremarkable floral’, ie the type which evokes…
Persolaise Review: Jeke, Sova, Ore and Norne from Slumberhouse
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…
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…