Category: A – F
-
Aleksandr by Arquiste
Perfume is a story. It doesn’t matter if the story is real or a product of make believe – but if I can close my eyes, inhale, and capture expansive landscapes, charismatic characters and/or romantic ideas, then the perfume is achieving one of its multifarious functions. It is my belief that…
-
Tacit by Aesop
Tacit Adjective Understood or implied without being stated. I like Tacit. It alludes at a sensible freshness. Aesop’s mantra lies in intelligence – a smart, trendy brand without trying too hard. They don’t set themselves dreams: they create objectives. They make science seem like romantic artistry, and create an attainable…
-
Sienne L’Hiver by Eau d’Italie
Sienne L’Hiver (Sienne Winter) is true olfactory portraiture; a landscape artwork captured in scent. It is an atmospheric fragrance as a realism style teeters between the natural and the abstract. A paleness with depth, Sienne L’Hiver is a moment in history suspended in time. It is a beautiful, near transcendental scent with a…
-
Jasmin et Cigarette by Etat Libre D’Orange
Do not expect a tobacco fragrance. Expect a cigarette scent. Where’s the magic in Etat’s Jasmin et Cigarette? For me, it’s the juxtaposition. Elegant, white, and green smelling indolic jasmine surrounded with a firm base of spice and warmth. It’s a classic floral oriental recipe: Heady floral top notes atop…
-
31 Rue Cambon by Chanel
In reflection, treating this blog as an academic exercise became a secondary function very quickly. Instead, it became a medium to express improvement. One of the first reviews on this blog was of 31 Rue Cambon, and I have no shame in stating that when reading it, I now vehemently…
-
Sauvage by Dior
This post was written pre-release. I have a mantra: don’t trash, but fairly critique instead. As the information trickles [and as I type this, the information is still trickling] for Dior’s latest masculine, I am left sorely disappointed. Before I got my nose on this scent, I was positively charged…
-
Frida by En Voyage
Shelley Waddington is a highly respected independent perfumer based in the United States. A real force to be reckoned with, she is highly regarded and well known in the fragrance world. With a constant knack for fine-tuning, she challenges herself to create new scents with large scope. Shelley shares a great…
-
Chaperone by Fleurage
I am often quite cautious and avoiding of small independent perfume setups. I am wary because in my experience I have encountered far too many lacklustre and utterly erroneous perfumes that I begin to feel a higher duty to warn people of their danger. But, Fleurage tells a different story.…
-
A Moment with Criminal Elements
After much dilly-dallying deciding what to do to celebrate the blog’s one year anniversary, I had finally reached a decision. I had decided to celebrate perfumery unconstrained by the commercial and reflect back at the very essence of perfume – scent. I can often be led astray by perfume fairytales…
-
Cologne Indelebile by Frederic Malle
Cologne Indelebile’s popularity came from its novelty, a lasting cologne. For many, the benefit of a lasting cologne derived from a more functional desire than a pleasurable one. Cologne is something I celebrate for its fleeting nature and its pick-me-up qualities like a black coffee. Doused onto the bare body and…
Olfactics 