Diptyque L'eau de Neroli and L'eau de L'eau

Diptyque is a line I enjoy and appreciate, although it must be said that a lot of their compositions these days seem rather simple and short-lived. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. I think a lot of Diptyque's fragrances are perfect for spring and summer, and seeing that today is the last day of August, and autumn is just round the corner, I thought I would end the month with a couple of quick...

Sampling fever continues

As I mentioned not long ago, after a hiatus of over three months, I have taken the plunge again and purchased a number of samples, this time from Luckyscent. It is expensive, and I know there are more important things I could spend my money on, but then again, perfume is my hobby. So why shouldn't I indulge every now and then? I don't know about you, but in a way, the actual process of ordering samples...

Divine L'Homme de Coeur

Iris is very often thought of as quite a feminine note in perfume, although I personally love its use and generally don't struggle to pull off most iris-based perfumes. I have sampled quite a few iris perfumes over the last few months, including ones by Le Labo, Van Cleef & Arpels and Chanel. I've never tried Iris Silver Mist but would love to get my mitts on it at some point. Thinking of masculine...

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier - Grain de Plaisir

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier (MPG) is one of those truly niche lines that seems seldom to attract much attention or reviews. It has its fans, to be sure, but generally it seems to stay beneath the radar somewhat. Grain de Plaisir is one of those perfumes in the line which seems even more obscure and there are very few reviews of it. It's a very masculine perfume, and I'm aware that recently I've been...

Editions De Parfums Frederic Malle Geranium pour Monsieur

I should start this review by saying that generally I am not a fan of either geranium or mint in perfume. Which begs the question why I would sample a perfume based predominantly on these two notes. I don't mind the smell of mint in itself - in the garden for example, or in a cup of tea, or even as an after-dinner sweet. I'm less of a fan of mint in shower gels or toothpaste, although I don't think...

By Kilian Cruel Intentions

Regular readers of my blog might have gathered by now that I quite enjoy oud-based perfumes. Of course, with my limited experience, I haven't been fortunate enough to try the real thing yet (I think) and so my interpretation of oud is based very much on a Western oud-accord, which, some say, is nothing like the real thing. This in turn is a real simplification, as oud has many different facets and...

Narciso Rodriguez Musc

I think I mentioned in a post a couple of weeks ago that I found Narciso Rodriguez for him quite a distinctive and interesting perfume. At least it is for me. It is a musky fougere, with violet leaves. I like it, although it is not something I could wear every day. I also like 'for her', which in a way reminds me a little bit of SJP Lovely (or is that the other way round)? Anyway, this is not a review...

Mona di Orio Les Nombres d'Or Cuir

I recently ordered a sample of Cuir, one of three in the new series  by Mona di Orio, which also includes Ambre and Musc. I was quite excited to try this, as I am usually a fan of leather fragrances. I'm not sure what I was expecting - perhaps something a bit like Cuir Ottoman or Cuir de Russie. Instead, di Orio's Cuir is an unabashed leather monster, at least on my skin. The Non Blonde recently...

Marc Jacobs Bang and Davidoff Champion

I was in Boots the Chemist today (a national pharmacy chain for those not familiar with the UK) and noticed two new fragrances for men on display. I have felt a little disillusioned with mainstream mens fragrance for some time, which is hardly a revelation, but there you have it. I tested both of these on paper only, not expecting much. Well, Davidoff Champion started off surprisingly good - peppery,...

Andy Tauer Orange Star

I'm one of the latecomers to Andy Tauer's Orange Star. I'm not quite sure why. I think I was expecting to feel a bit let down, which is slightly strange, because I actually like a lot of Andy's perfumes. Two of his, Vetiver Dance and Reverie au Jardin, are rank in my opinion, at least on my skin. I've seldom had such a negative reaction to a perfume. But the others, on the other hand, in particular...

Weekend musings

Just a quick post today. It's been a bit of a crummy weekend in England, weather-wise. It's been humid, dank and overcast and now turned rainy, so not the late summer I was hoping for. Perfume-wise, I've been spending a bit of time with Tom Ford Extreme. You may recall that I won samples of the mainstream TF fragrances a few months ago. I haven't really tried any of these for some time but for some...

Profumum Roma Olibanum

A few months ago I went on a bit of an incense rampage and really sampled quite a few incense-focused perfumes, including Olibanum, by Profumum. I think I'm naturally drawn to incense, having always loved its smell, even as a small boy, when I most associated it with church ceremonies. I love the contemplative nature of incense, and the sense of history one gets when considering it's varied uses over...

It's sample time again!

This is a bit of a nonsense post I suppose, but I am quite excited as I have ordered my first batch of samples in about three months. As I'm sure most of you know, or have experienced, obtaining new perfumes can become a bit of an obsession; some would even say an addiction, whether it be full bottles, decants or samples. I can't really afford full bottles or large decants, so samples it is for me,...

Montale Black Oud vs Czech & Speake Dark Rose

I have had samples of both Black Oud and Dark Rose for some time now and have worn these two regularly over the last eighteen months. To my mind, I thought they were quite similar, so thought I would wear them side by side, one on each wrist. Readers of my blog might know that I am generally quite a fan of both oud and rose perfumes, and the combination of the two can be stunning and is a tried-and-tested...

Bleu de Chanel

I'm sure some of you may be aware that Chanel was about to release a new men's fragrance, one which is not in the stable of Allure flankers. This was discussed with much anticipation over on Basenotes for some  months before its release. Initial reviews from bloggers have been disappointing, which disappointed me in turn, as I was really hoping for something good from Chanel after quite a few...

Satellite Padparadscha

Padparadscha seems to have a bit of a cult following. I purchased a sample of this some time ago and have worn it a few times with mixed feelings. I bought this thinking it is an incense fragrance, but in reality it is more about spiced woods. The first half is all about pepper and cloves on my skin. You may know from previous posts that neither of these notes is a favourite of mine, at least not...

Etat Libre D'Orange - Putain de Palaces

I've had mixed success with the ELDO line of fragrances. Of the ones I've tried, they've all struck me as quite synthetic, a little offbeat without really charming me. It's unlikely that I would have ordered a sample of Putain de Palaces. In fact I didn't. I ordered a batch of samples and this one was included in error. The name, depending on one's point of view, could be enough to deter, particularly...

Another visit to Liberty

I have been away for a few days again seeing a client down in Bournemouth. For those of you not familiar with the UK, Bournemouth is a previously genteel seaside resort in Dorset, which is a county sandwiched between Hampshire to the east and Devon to the west. Probably not the information you were anxious to read, but there you have it. I usually travel there by train, which necessitates a change...

Bois 1920 - Sushi Imperiale & Agrumi Amari Di Sicilia

Bois 1920 is a line that has been somewhat under the radar for me. I have easy access to the line, as it is stocked at one of my local department stores, but for some reason I've never sampled it in any depth. I have tried a handful of the perfumes, but for the most part they've left me feeling rather underwhelmed. They've been ok, just not very exciting. So today I decided to give Sushi Imperiale...

Czech and Speake Frankincense and Myrrh

Czech & Speake is another of those slightly quirky, English perfumeries, also based in Jermyn Street in London (refer to my recent post on the Geo F. Trumper line). C&S, like Trumper, tends to turn out rather masculine perfumes, but not quite as old-fashioned as Trumper, with fewer colognes. They had a very generous sample programme about a year or so ago (perhaps they still do, it's worth...

Random musings

This is not the most perfume-specific post for the start of August, but I've experienced a July that generally I'd rather forget. It had some highlights, to be sure, including my birthday (actually, on reflection, that might not be such a highlight ;-) ), and the fact that I still have the privilege of spending quality time with my wife and two young daughters, a fact I am very grateful for. However,...