Category: A – F
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Inexcusable Ropion: Cologne Indélébile from Frederic Malle and Soul by Costume National
No perfumer is without their faults. Cologne Indélébile From Frederic Malle Original Score: 5/5 First Posted July 2, 2015 Maxim: Divorce functionality from critical scent analysis. Fragrance isn’t practical, and judging Cologne Indélébile on that merit was plainly spurious of me. That ought not to be a condition in judging…
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Cristalle Eau Verte by Chanel
The seasoned, well-considered reviewer in my mind will often find themselves torn against multiple perspectives when analysing a scent. This is an old and often repeated theme found on this blog, as the subjective/objective perspectives are merged together to the best of my critical abilities. Despite attempts for the objective to outweigh…
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Department Store Salesmanship: Wanted by Azzaro
I will not hold these words back: I do not like a huge chunk of what is on offer in modern mass-market perfumery. This is reflected clearly in the blog. I do not touch the stuff. The reality is that niche fragrances and the upper-level output of designer fragrances hold the…
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Noir Epices for Frederic Malle
Along with Musc Ravageur, Noir Epices structurally may be the greatest creation in the Malle line. It is well captured too: “a woody oriental, a near chypre”. Noir Epices is exactly that, marked with a baselessness and transparency unusual for an oriental but quite right for a chypre. Noir Epices…
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Rereviews: Musc Ravageur, Héritage, Cuir d’Ange, Dia Man, and Italian Cypress
“Perfume [reviews] should not remain static!” I expressed similar words in my first rereview for the perfume 31 Rue Cambon. A function of a good blogger, an excellent reviewer, and a seasoned thinker is to constantly revisit entities that they have discussed and have scored critically. Sense perception is a…
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DSH Perfumes
DSH Perfumes captures a familiar realm in perfumery with enough variance within the internal structure of each fragrance in that it becomes reinvention. These structures rely on old and historically tested accords, yet what lies atop of these underpinnings come across as fresh and brilliant, with enough creative juiciness to make…
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La Tulipe by Byredo
Byredo’s concept as a brand never stuck with me as anything particularly noteworthy. The image of the brand is easy to disregard, with the scent itself becoming my focal problem. There are enough blah scents on the market, and for a niche output to offer unexceptional creations with artsy names…
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In Defence of Traditionalism: No. 5 L’Eau by Chanel
Reading the preamble of Bois de Jasmin’s No. 5 L’Eau review highlights an approach to fragrance and fragrant criticism that differs strongly from mine. Being a traditionalist is not a negative, nor does it necessarily imply rigidity. Being a traditionalist in this exercise refers to the ability to recognise archetypes and their…
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On Vetiver: Vétiver Extraordinaire for Frederic Malle
Vétiver Extraordinaire manages to exist in vetiver purgatory, where the namesake note floats as just a vetiver. As a note it appears eagerly on the palette, omnipresent and stark with a general attention to its adornments. Present at the front and detracting into the mid and back of a composition,…
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Strange Fruit: Jubilation 25 by Amouage
A considerably attractive feature of Amouage is the strong presence of intersectionality, forming a statement on the culture of perfumery. Depending on how you look at it, perfumery can be a very French-European practice, or it can be a Middle Eastern mindset. Both have their respective merits, and whilst I…
Olfactics 