Persolaise Review: Aromatics In White from Clinique (Nicolas Beaulieu; 2015)
Persolaise By the pricking of my thumbs, something musky this way comes. Or should that be, “something snowy”? Two trends seem to be gaining momentum in the perfume world – i)…
rose
Persolaise Review: Sylvan Song from Grossmith (Celine Guivarch; 2014)
Sometimes you just need to stick to what you know best. On occasion, the output of the revived Grossmith has been dismissed as mere ‘heritage perfumery’, but there’s nothing intrinsically…
Persolaise Review: Rose Flash from Tauerville (Andy Tauer; 2014)
Roses are always an easy sell for me – the result of a youth spent in the Middle East? – but when they’re touched by the hand of Andy Tauer,…
Persolaise Review: Rozy from Vero Profumo (Vero Kern; 2014)
Here’s how you can tell that Vero Kern really loves perfume: the drydowns of all her creations – the epilogues of their existence – are always gorgeous. Like most die-hard…
Persolaise’s Favourite Rose Perfumes In The Scented Letter
I’m very pleased to announce that the second issue of The Scented Letter – the e-magazine of the newly-founded Perfume Society – features a piece by me in which I…
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: 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: 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…
“Nahema Is A Weapon Of Mass Destruction” – Guerlain’s Thierry Wasser Pops Into London Again
Thierry Wasser was on fine form during a recent visit to London. When one of the writers in attendance suggested that Boots is the British equivalent of Sephora, he begged…
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: 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: 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: Gris Montaigne from Christian Dior (François Demachy; 2013)
In the press release for the latest addition to the Collection Privée, Dior‘s in-house perfumer, François Demachy, is quoted as saying that the “chypre is the grey of the perfume…
Persolaise Review: La Fille De Berlin from Serge Lutens (Christopher Sheldrake; 2013)
The latest from Lutens and Sheldrake is a delightful exercise in wrong-footing the wearer. At first, a potential buyer is likely to notice its colour: dense, purple and almost opaque,…
Andy Tauer On Basenotes
Just a link from me today, to a Basenotes article about a ‘rose masterclass’ by Andy Tauer. Please do read it, if you can spare the time. The Top Secret…
Review: Blessings eau de parfum from Belinda Brown (2011)
I think my brain’s vocab centre has had a slight melt-down. I need a synonym for ‘fuzzy’, but none of the ones I’ve come up with so far capture the…
Review: Arsène Lupin Le Dandy & Arsène Lupin Le Voyou (2010) & Idylle Duet (2011) from Guerlain
Regardless of one’s views on his family firm’s recent output, it would be churlish to deny the importance of the work of Jean-Paul Guerlain. A CV that includes names like…
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: 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)