Persolaise Review: Oud from Reminiscence (2012)
Persolaise 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: 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: 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: 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: Beloved Man from Amouage (Alexandra Carlin; 2013)
It’s not often I’m relieved to discover that a perfume is less than spectacular. I’ve got so many ‘must buy’ Amouages on my list, that the prospect of yet another…
Review: Trayee from Neela Vermeire Créations (2011)
It’s a cliché, but like many clichés, it happens to be true: India is a land in which you’re constantly confronted by smells. Therefore, it’s hardly surprising that it’s often…
Review: Kokorico from Jean-Paul Gaultier (2011)
There’s at least one person in the world who thinks Kokorico is a work of genius. A couple of weeks ago, when I picked up the scent’s tester at a…
Review: Vitriol d’Oeillet from Serge Lutens (2011)
Uncle Serge and Christopher Sheldrake have been up to their old tricks again. Their latest release could easily be dismissed as an old-fashioned feminine, a woody floral stuck somewhere in…
Review: 02 Owari from Odin (2009)
You know the onomatopoeic ‘sound effect’ captions used in comic books? Well, Owari opens with a KA-POW, BANG, SHAZZAM! The top notes leap off the skin in a burst of…
Let Me Whisper In Your Ear + Orange Star Give-Away
It’s been a while since I’ve written in any meaningful detail about my own perfume making. Paradoxically, this isn’t because I haven’t been doing any, but because I’ve actually been…
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: 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…
Persolaise The Personal Shopper
For the last week or so I’ve been playing the role of perfume consultant for a very close relative who’d like me to buy him a bottle of something for…
Preview: Opus IV by Amouage (2010)
Popping into Amouage’s London boutique is always a pleasure, but the experience is made even more special when there’s an opportunity to try a brand new scent. The other day,…
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…
Tauer Perfumes Draw + Review: Eau d'Épices by Tauer Perfumes (2010)
Some truths are worth repeating: excellent fragrances feature a delicate harmony of all their disparate components. Few contemporary perfumers are as acutely aware of this as Andy Tauer, creator of…
Review: Bleu De Chanel by Chanel (2010)
More often than not, a spray of a new men’s perfume leaves me sorely disappointed. Most of the recipes follow the same, cardboard-cutout pattern: a mono-dimensional burst of citrus leading…
Sample Giveaway + Review: Wonderwood by Comme Des Garçons (2010)
What kind of scent is conjured up in your mind by the words “wood gone mad”? Not, I reckon, a scent like Wonderwood, although that’s precisely the term CdG are…
Review: Malabah by Penhaligon's (2003)
This isn’t quite a scrubber, but it outstays its welcome very quickly and adds fuel to the argument made by several critics that Penhaligon’s scents aren’t nearly weighty and meaningful…
Review: Voyage d'Hermès by Hermès (2010)
The idea of a perfume taking you on a trip has been a cliché for quite some time, so when you encounter a new creation which dares to call itself…