Tag: Perfume
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A Moment with Carlos Huber (Arquiste)
It’s my pleasure to introduce Carlos Huber to Olfactics, Creative Director and founder of Arquiste. I had the delight of sitting down with Mr. Huber to discuss all things scent related, and to smell his new fragrance NANBAN, which just recently launched in Australia. Arquiste is a brand I have…
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Absolue Pour le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
I intend to write this review without large mention or emphasis on the obvious qualities of this scent. For some, yes, the scent smells of urine and sweat: it is obvious that this scent is polarising. But to me, it is bewildering – wild, raunchy, containing a flaunting sexuality to…
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Shalimar Parfum by Guerlain
I rushed into Shalimar. I rushed into Shalimar, and I sort of … Missed its beauty. Well. No, that’s not entirely true. Comprehending Shalimar’s beauty is quite easy, far easier than L’Heure Bleue for instance, but Shalimar is the most enveloping, most arresting, and most outward in its transcendental beauty. It…
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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…
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Douro by Penhaligon’s
I have an absurd love for securing a barbershop scent. I suspect it’s just a masculine (fragrance) thing, but one of the greatest thrills I have in the morning is waking up and having a shave. The ritual of the lather, the finely honed razor, the steam, all come together…
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Cardinal by Heeley
Heeley’s Cardinal swings between two very distinct poles. The subject of the fragrance is indeed incense, and yet in this instance it flashes back and fourth from two distinctly different manners of treating the material. From an ephemeral dreamlike work resembling the substantial lightness of Duchaufour’s excellent Timbuktu, then to a…
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Jicky by Guerlain
In my world, when you come of age you should receive a bottle of Jicky. When discussing the perfume and the legend of Jicky, the idea of nobility plays a central part. For one, Jicky catapults itself into a realm of near aristocracy. It presented the beginnings of modern perfumery: grand…
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Tubéreuse by Mona di Orio
A sublimely different tuberose scent. I’ve had an odd relationship with the Les Nombres d’Or collection. All are excellently composed. Cuir for instance takes a protein-enriched piece of old leather and combines it with quinine. Vanille is a study of Vanilla dismissing the usually attachments. Oud – a novel attempt:…
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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…
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Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat by Guerlain
Luxury on Jean-Paul Guerlain’s account is something pretty and discreet: “[Luxury] must not be brash”. To embody this, I use this creation to prove his point. Coming from the master of the abstract symphony, Jacques Guerlain, Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat is a simple cologne that may have been Jacques’…
Olfactics 