Persolaise Review: Romantina from Juliette Has A Gun + Bijou Romantique from Etat Libre D'Orange + For Her Eau Délicate from Narciso Rodriguez (2012)

I approve of the philosophy behind Juliette Has A Gun: the brand tries to project niche coolness whilst making itself attractive to younger, more mainstream buyers… the very people, in fact, who are all too frequently cajoled into spending money on timid, celebrity soups. It’s a laudable policy, and it’s summed up quite succinctly by Romantina.

Live Stream From Esxence

Live Streaming Esxence by Extrait: 29 March - 1 April 2012

Please don't forget that at around 2 pm today (UK time) the live stream from Esxence will broadcast a panel discussion featuring Grant Osborne of Basenotes. Technology permitting, you can watch it right here.

Persolaise.

Neela Vermeire On Working With Duchaufour

Following on from my recent sample give-away and last Friday's review of a Duchaufour scent, I thought you might be interested in reading Neela Vermeire's responses to some questions on her brand and on working with one of perfumery's most prolific artists.

Persolaise Review: Chypre Palatin from MDCI (2012) + Annick Goutal Soliflores + Neela Vermeire Winners

The global financial crisis shows no signs of abating any time soon, which perhaps helps explain why ‘classical’ or ‘vintage’ olfactory symbols are continuing to enjoy a resurgence (see last year’s Mon Parfum Chéri and Bottega Veneta, which draw heavily on bygone aesthetics). After all, it’s a well-known quirk of our spending habits that any sign of gloom on the horizon prompts us to do a u-turn and view our history through an extremely flattering lens. It’s always interesting to try to determine which materials or accords spell ‘the past’ at any given moment in a culture’s development. For those of us living in Europe right now, hefty chypres seem to press our nostalgia buttons (especially when they come with warm, earth-mother-inspired patchouli notes) as does anything which features a significant dose of powdery aldehydes (eg Tableau De Parfums’ Miriam).

People Have Nothing Else To Talk About: The Final Part Of The Kurkdjian Interview

Many thanks to all of you who've left comments and sent emails about part 1 and part 2 of my interview with Francis Kurkdjian. Here's the final chapter, in which the perfumer has a few insights to share about the mystique which surrounds his industry.

The Secret Is A Bit Less Secret + The Scent Of Oscar + Neela Vermeire Give-Away

Okay, this is going to be a long post, so you might want to grab a coffee before you settle down to read. I’ll wait here while you do that.

<kettle boils>

Ready? Right, here we go.

What I Hate About Perfumistas: More Thoughts From Francis Kurkdjian

I received so many emails in response to the brief extract from my interview with Francis Kurkdjian that I've decided to publish a few more comments he made during our chat at London's Sketch restaurant. I must stress once again that all the answers he gave me - even the most vociferous - were accompanied by a twinkle in his eye, a playful grin and frequent chuckles.

Persolaise Is Two Today

Today is the second birthday of Persolaise.com, so I couldn't let the occasion go by without a brief, celebratory post. Thanks very much indeed to all of you for continuing to read this blog and for supporting my scented endeavours.

Persolaise Review: Oud from Maison Francis Kurkdjian (2012) + Give-away Reminder

THIS POST WAS SHORTLISTED IN THE 'DIGITAL' CATEGORY

OF THE 2012 JASMINE AWARDS

When I announced the news that Francis Kurkdjian’s next perfume would be an oud, the responses I received weren’t exactly filled with enthusiasm. “I’m all oud-ed out,” one person wrote. Many others shared her feelings.

Persolaise In The FT

Two quickies from me today. Firstly, here's a link to a Financial Times article from Saturday in which Bethan Cole includes Persolaise.com in her list of the best beauty blogs around at the moment. I'm thrilled to be mentioned alongside Bois De Jasmin and Now Smell This. Secondly, please remember to enter the exclusive (and I don't use that word lightly!) draw for a 30 ml bottle of Amouage's gorgeous new amber scent, Opus VI.

Ciao for now,

Scented Mystery Man, 36.

Persolaise Review: Opus VI from Amouage (2012) + Give-Away

Amber perfumes. Guerlain's got one. Dior's got one. Serge Lutens and Andy Tauer owe a great deal of their brands' popularity to one. Indeed, many fragrance houses - both niche and mainstream - have had a go at creating one, either by adding a twist to the basic formula or by tweaking the standard ingredients. In Western cultures, the genre is invariably read as 'Arabian': the smoky sweetness of the vanilla + labdanum combo evokes stereotypical imagery of the sort in which a crescent moon picks out the silhouettes of robed figures walking along the crest of a dune. To Occidental noses, the resins and balsams seem like light years away from the relative greyness of urbanised Europe. All of which makes it rather interesting that the one brand without an amber fragrance in its line-up is Amouage.