Lubin L'eau Neuve Figaro

I have samples of all the (fairly) recent releases by Lubin. Confusingly, they are all called L'eau Neuve, but each ends with its own name. Two of the releases, Bluff and Itasca, are fairly typical masculines, and not hugely interesting, in my opinion. Inedite is meant to be the most feminine in the lineup but didn't strike me as such. It turns out that I liked it the most.Figaro, the fourth, is loosely...

Weekly roundup and post numero 200

It's been a bit of a funny old week for me, personally and perfume-wise. I've had the last two days off from work, just like last week. I haven't done anything particularly special - it's more a case of trying to use up all my holidays before my firm's year-end, as we aren't allowed to carry leave over. Having said that, any time I get to spend with my children is special, so don't get me wrong - I have enjoyed it.Less enjoyable are the colds my...

Christian Dior Leather Oud

I suspect that I might be slightly late to the Leather Oud party, but what a celebration it is! As I sample and try more and more perfumes, it seems the more special a perfume has to be to impress me. Of late there are only a handful that have had this immediate 'wow' effect on me. A couple that spring to mind are Absolue Pour Le Soir by Francis Kurkdjian and to a lesser extent Secret Oud by Caron.Now...

L'eau Serge Lutens

The marketing blurb for Serge Luten's L'eau was as ever, slightly fanciful. All this guff about an anti-perfume, with the emphasis on wanting to smell like a crisp, freshly laundered white shirt.The notes, from Luckyscent, include aldehydes, citrus, magnolia, white mint, clary sage, ozonic notes and musk.I have to admit, there is a ring of truth to the above. If I were to attribute a colour to L'eau,...

Peanuts!

Everyone loves peanuts, right? Well, perhaps not everyone. For example, those with a peanut allergy might disagree. For me, peanuts are so-so. I actually prefer a lot of other nuts (peanuts are not even nuts are they, rather legumes?). In any event, I prefer peanuts in some forms to others. I am not mad-crazy about peanut butter (chunky or smooth) but I do like a roasted and salted peanut. Raw peanuts...

Time out

I have a couple of days off this week (Today and Friday) and it couldn't have come sooner. At the risk of moaning, it's been one of those working weeks that shouldn't have happened, at least for me! I won't bore you with the detail, suffice to say that it involved an irate client, a neurotic (possibly psychopathic) bookkeeper and me. Hoorah! In those sort of awkward circumstances I almost wish that I was out picking apples or something. Or being...

Wednesday scent of the day

I continue to work through my recently acquired samples from Les Senteurs and today I tried Cedre Sandaraque by Parfumerie Generale and Angeliques sous la Pluie by Frederic Malle. For some reason I was expecting to like the PG and find the Malle a bit of a letdown. Don't ask me why. Instead it panned out the other way round. While I didn't mind Cedre Sandaraque, it didn't wow me. I know perfumes can be slow burners and win one over in the long...

Tuesday scent of the day and holiday thoughts

We haven't been on a proper holiday for a long time. This year is hopefully going to be different. However, like my recent prevaricating with perfume samples, we have been struggling to decide where to go for a week or two (no work, but no Cliff either, please). I'm rather keen on a relaxing beach holiday, that doesn't entail too much effort. I'm usually a relatively adventurous traveller, but since we've had kids, I'm less enthusiastic. I really...

A belated thought on Valentines Day

Call me the scrooge of Saint Valentine, but I don't generally enjoy this day. I can't even really say why. The tempting answer is that one shouldn't need an excuse to express one's love for another, or spend ridiculous amounts of money on cards, roses and chocolates. I used to do this, but over the last decade my wife and I have agreed not to do anything special. So, I am not a romantic then. Oh well. Having said that, I have no issues with anyone...

Another visit to Les Senteurs, and some samples

Following on from my last post, as I mentioned, I spent the day in London with my family, but also managed a short visit to Les Senteurs in Elizabeth Street, Belgravia. I've gone on quite a bit about this niche perfume store in the past, and my opinion hasn't changed. If you want personal, unhurried service, friendly and knowledgeable staff, and great perfumes, then you can do a hell of a lot worse...

A Saturday jaunt to the Capital

My wife and I, and our two kids, spent the day in London on Saturday. Nothing remarkable about that, except that as a family, we only get up from Tunbridge Wells about twice a year. Since leaving London in 2007 we haven't really missed the place, but as the children are getting a bit older its nice to make the odd excursion. On this occasion we went to the museums in South Kensington, the Science Museum and The Natural History Museum. For those...

Serge Lutens Miel de Bois

Ah, Miel de Bois. If ever there was a divisive fragrance from Uncle Serge, this is it. If you bother to read the reviews, you will generally find it is a case of love-it-or-hate-it, with very little middle ground. The three principal reviews I have read come from Now Smell This, Bois de Jasmine and Perfume Smellin Things, and all three trod more of a middle ground, stating that this is a perfume that...

Bath water blues and perfume prattle

In the deep and dark December (to sort of quote Simon & Garfunkel) our boiler nearly packed up. Typically it occurred on one of the coldest days of the winter, with snow thick on the ground and icicles hanging from the gutters. The boiler man came round to fix the problem, which ironically turned out to be something as mundane as a slightly loose connection and having to bleed the radiators. In the event, he also adjusted the thermostat, with...

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier - Parfum D'Habit

Following on from yesterday's post, today is all about Parfum D'Habit, another men's favourite over at Basenotes. I struggled to find a comprehensive list of notes for this perfume. One source listed leather, bergamot, patchouli, incense and amber, while Luckyscent listed bergamot, blackcurrant, vetiver, leather and patchouli. A lot of folk at Basenotes mention a sandalwood note too. I suspect that in reality a combination of these two lists would...

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier - Eau des Iles

Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier is one of those perfume houses that is often admired, but more elusive than one might think. There were rumours that they were closing down, but Luckyscent got them back in stock (albeit a fairly limited range) as did Les Senteurs in London. Eau des Iles is quite a strange perfume in my opinion. There is a green coffee note in it that while ingenious, is also slightly...

Amouage Reflection Woman and Man

I've tried a lot of Amouage perfumes over the last few years and while Reflection Man was one of the first I sampled, I have never tried the Woman's version. Reflection Man is one of those in the line that seldom seems to garner much attention, yet I actually enjoy it a lot. It's a bit of a slow burner, without that signature frankincense, but it dries down to a lovely combination of cedar, vetiver,...

Byredo Baudelaire

Judging generally by comments on a number of sites, Byredo receives a fair amount of criticism. I haven't tried a lot of their perfumes, but I do think that Baudelaire is quite decent.It opens sweet, woody and warm, with a mix of comforting spices. The notes, as far as I can gather, include juniper berry, caraway, black pepper, hyacinth, incense, leather, papyrus, patchouli and black amber. The spices...

Sample heaven, or hell?

I don't know about you, but I have collected a sizable collection of samples over the last four years. It's become a bit of an obsession you see, although I suspect I'm not the only one to suffer from this malaise. As much as I love sampling perfume, it does become a double-edged sword after a while. There are two issues as I see it. The first issue is storage, or the lack of it. I would guess that my collection now numbers well into the hundreds,...

Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum

Well, I tried the new Jimmy Choo perfume that was launched here in the UK today (I think). It is described as a fruity chypre. The opening is in my opinion horrendous, a cloying fruity mess that evokes all the ubiquitous horror of the woman's mainstream modern fruity-floral or fruitchouli (take your pick). Luckily the rest of the fragrance turns out to be ok. I stress ok. This is, again in my...