Persolaise Review: 1996 from Byredo (Jérôme Epinette; 2013)
Persolaise 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…
perfume review
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…
Persolaise Review: Skin On Skin, Amour Nocturne and Déliria from L’Artisan Parfumeur (Bertrand Duchaufour; 2013)
I’m not sure why L’Artisan Parfumeur have given us the Explosions D’Émotions mini-range, but there we are: the logic of fragrance releases isn’t always easy to work out. As a…
Persolaise Review: Made To Measure from Gucci (perfumer unknown; 2013)
I often wonder if some perfume manufacturers enjoy having a laugh at our expense. It’s the kind of straw-grasping idea that pops into my head when I try to understand…
Persolaise Review: Eau De Monsieur from Annick Goutal (Annick Goutal / Camille Goutal & Isabelle Doyen; 1980/2013)
Wow! Cover me with slices of lemon and sprinkle me with a pinch of salt. Eau De Monsieur is back. Sadly, I never had a chance to smell the original…
Persolaise Review: Vaara (Bertrand Duchaufour) and Iris Prima (Alberto Morillas) from Penhaligon’s (2013)
I worry about reviewing another Bertrand Duchaufour creation almost as much as I worry about reviewing another oud scent. They are both extremely ubiquitous; some would say excessively so. I’m…
Persolaise Review: Thirty Three from Ex Idolo (perfumer unknown; 2013)
This was one I approached with dread. “It’s an oud,” I was told. ‘Just kill me now,’ I thought to myself. “It’s exceptionally good,” they said. ‘Please, make it quick,’…
Persolaise Review: Pour Monsieur from Chanel (Henri Robert; 1955)
Is bitterness now seen as old-fashioned in masculine scents? I asked myself the question the other day when I decided to wear Chanel’s Pour Monsieur. Don’t get me wrong, I…
Persolaise Review: Rive D’Ambre, Shanghai Lily, Fleur De Chine and Plum Japonais from Tom Ford (perfumers unknown; 2013)
I confess I don’t find the overarching concept of this year’s Tom Ford Private Blend quartet as convincing as last year’s. In 2012, the house released four scents under the…
Persolaise Review: Perfume Calligraphy Rose from Aramis (perfumer unknown; 2013)
When Aramis released their commendable Perfume Calligraphy, I saw the move as an attempt to corner the Arabic sector of the chest-beating, alpha-male, testosterone-fuelled territory the brand has long claimed…
Persolaise Review: Guerlain’s Parisiennes And Parisiens Come To Harrods
Dedicated followers of London’s scent routes will already be aware that Guerlain‘s Parisiens collection of ‘exclusive’ masculine fragrances (normally available only in Paris) has been at Harrods for a few…
Persolaise Review: Aqua Vitae from Maison Francis Kurkdjian (Francis Kurkdjian; 2013)
Get Lippie said it best. She and I were amongst several other writers at the press launch of Aqua Vitae and as she breathed in the scent, she closed her…
Persolaise Review: Eau De Narcisse Bleu from Hermès (Jean-Claude Ellena; 2013)
Jean-Claude Ellena followed a somewhat more traditional path with Eau De Mandarine Ambrée, one of two ‘light’ scents released by Hermès this year. But he clearly wanted Eau De Narcisse…
Persolaise Review: Oud Noir from Versace (perfumer unknown; 2013)
In the seemingly endless torrent of ‘oud’ scents pumped out by the mainstream, every now and then, something vaguely interesting raises its head above the water. Versace‘s Oud Noir is…
Persolaise Review: Fate Woman (Dorothée Piot) & Fate Man (Karine Vinchon) from Amouage (2013)
If we’re in the realm of tea leaves, crystal balls and kismet, let me put my tarot cards on the table straight away: I don’t see these two scents in…
Persolaise Review: George from Jardins D’Ecrivains (perfumer unknown; 2012)
The marketing of perfume tends to be an intensely gender-specific business, so it’s always interesting to think about which materials and accords signify ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’ at any given moment…
Persolaise Review: Ylang 49 (Frank Voelkl) and Lys 41 (Daphné Bugey) from Le Labo (2013)
THIS POST WAS SHORTLISTED IN THE ‘DIGITAL’ CATEGORY OF THE 2013 JASMINE AWARDS Wearing Ylang 49 has reminded me of a claim several perfumers have made about fragrance critics: apparently…
Persolaise Review: Angel extrait from Thierry Mugler (Olivier Cresp & Yves De Chiris; 2006)
I don’t really like Angel. There, I’ve said it. I acknowledge that it is a supremely well-made fragrance with an important place in perfume history, but in terms of my…