Maack, Jayne & Opus V
Persolaise If numbers are anything to go by, last night’s Andrea Maack event at Les Senteurs was a runaway success. I’d never seen the place so packed before! Now I just…
Review: Betrothal from Grossmith (1895/2011) + The Return Of Disqus
The perfume blogosphere appears to be divided on the subject of long-dead fragrances being reissued. Some people believe that ancient ghosts ought to remain buried. Others enjoy what they consider…
Review: Traversée Du Bosphore from L’Artisan Parfumeur (2010)
L'Artisan Parfumeur Traversee Du Bosphore perfume review by award-winning critic Persolaise (Bertrand Duchaufour, 2010)
Review: Archives 69 from État Libre D’Orange (2011)
You can’t accuse ÉLdO of cowardice. The instant accessibility of last year’s commendable Like This may have raised fears that one of perfumery’s cockiest houses was starting to play it…
Review: Leather Oud from Christian Dior and Absolue Pour Le Soir from Maison Francis Kurkdjian (2010)
Dior Leather Oud (Francois Demachy) and Maison Francis Kurkdjian Absolue Pour Le Soir (Francis Kurkdjian) reviews by award-winning perfume critic Persolaise (2010)
Smelly Bloggers
This is just a short entry to wish you all a great weekend and remind you that you’ve got until Sunday night (UK time) to enter the draw for a…
Review Showcase: SoOud (2010)
How many perfumes should you include in the launch of a brand new fragrance range? Well, Stéphane Humbert-Lucas and the people at Intertrade Europe seem to think that the answer’s…
Review: Opus IV from Amouage (2010)
The house of Amouage – one of a tiny number of international brands with bona fide Middle Eastern credentials – has often produced dazzling perfumes by taking classical, old-world structures…
Review: Portrait Of A Lady from Editions De Parfums Frederic Malle (2010)
Perfume review: Frederic Malle Portrait Of A Lady (Dominique Ropion), by award-winning critic Persolaise (2010, rose, scent, fragrance)
Review: Fougère Royale from Houbigant (2010)
How do you make a fougère that has enough fougère-ness to justify the label but not so much that it smells like a disappointing cliche? That’s precisely the challenge faced…
Sample Giveaway + Review: Breath Of God & The Smell Of Weather Turning by Gorilla Perfumes (2010)
There isn’t much that hasn’t been said about Breath Of God… except perhaps that it’s back! After receiving a five-star review from Tania Sanchez, it proceeded to evoke perplexed confusion…
Sample Giveaway + Review: Phul-Nana by Grossmith (1891/2009)
Grossmith Phul-Nana, Hasu-No-Hana, Shem-El-Nessim review by award-winning perfume critic Persolaise (2010)
Review: Opus III from The Library Collection by Amouage (2010)
If there’s one characteristic that Amouage‘s first three Library Collection scents have in common, it is a gauzy sheerness. Opus I conjures an image of florals preserved in a delicate…
Review: Carillon Pour Un Ange by Tauer Perfumes (2010)
A few weeks ago, Madame Persolaise and I were on an escalator, descending into London’s Tube network. She was wearing vintage Diorissimo; I’d dabbed my wrists with a few drops…
The Perfume Scene In Britain
I realise I’m running the risk of turning this blog into a daily whine, but I’m afraid I still feel like letting off a bit of steam about the scarcity…
Sub-Zero Please
Following on from yesterday’s post, I would just like to say that an Arctic blast across Old Father Time’s beard would be very welcome right now. Did we really gain…
Review: The One Gentleman by Dolce & Gabbana (2010)
I confess this one had me fooled for a while. The initial impression it made was undeniably positive; in fact, the sweep of citrus, woods and irones had me making…
Reviews: The Smell Of Freedom & Orange Blossom by Gorilla Perfumes (2010)
It’s always helpful to be reminded that snobbery has no place in perfume appreciation. A branch of Lush – with its cheerfully dressed-down aesthetics – may not be the first…
Sartorial Draw Winner + Mini Reviews, including J'Adore L'Or by Christian Dior (2010)
I spent a couple of hours wandering around shops the other day, trying to find some excitement in the glittery Christmas parcels that the major brands are desperate to thrust…
Review: Kalimantan by Chantecaille (2010)
Do we really need another ambery oriental? The answer’s probably No, but maintaining a negative stance is problematic when you’re faced with as elegant an example of the genre as…