Rest In Peace, Olivier Pescheux

Olivier Pescheux, givaudan.com I was saddened this morning to read that Givaudan master perfumer Olivier Pescheux passed away after a long illness aged 57. In tribute, I will wear Diptyque's 34 Boulevard Saint Germain Diptyque. For mine, some of his best work was for Diptyque. And this spicy, woody perfume, with its kaleidoscope of notes, … Continue reading Rest In Peace, Olivier Pescheux →

First Impressions – BORNTOSTANDOUT Part 2

Six of the twelve scents I tested from BTSO feature rose. In this lot, Indecent Cherry and Mud contain the note. It's not prominent in either perfume, but at least it gives me an excuse to post a picture of my rose again. So now, for part 2 of my overview of the new Korean … Continue reading First Impressions – BORNTOSTANDOUT Part 2 →

First Impressions – BORNTOSTANDOUT Part 1

Rose features in no fewer than 4 of these first 6 perfumes from the Korean brand BORNTOSTANDOUT. I always set about smelling new perfumes/brands with an open mind. But, the suggestive in-your-face style provocative marketing from the new Korean brand BORNTOSTANDOUT (yes, their name is in all CAPS) rubbed me a bit the wrong way. … Continue reading First Impressions – BORNTOSTANDOUT Part 1 →

First Impressions – Diptyque -L’Eau Papier

L'Eau Papier, the scent of white, just like my blossoming snowflake tree. First Impressions - Diptyque - L'Eau Papier - I've been out of the loop and offline recently, as I've been on jury duty for the past weeks. And sure enough, just my luck, this time, my name was drawn from the barrel, and … Continue reading First Impressions – Diptyque -L’Eau Papier →

First Impressions – YSL Babycat

First Impressions - YSL Babycat - One of the things I like to do is try overhyped scents about six months after they first burst onto the scene. I allow the hype to die down and the commotion to subside. Inevitably, after sampling "hype train" scents, I'm left disappointed. Though, I'm tough to please. I had … Continue reading First Impressions – YSL Babycat →

Review – Estée Lauder – Youth Dew

A signature scent for my mum. Most of the perfume is gone, and at some point, the bottle lost its bow. Estée Lauder - Youth Dew - Spice laden classic from the 1950s - 10/10. As I draft this post, it's the week before Mother's Day, and if everything goes smoothly, I will post this … Continue reading Review – Estée Lauder – Youth Dew →

Review – Hermès – Un Jardin Sur Le Toit. Thoughts on Un Jardin à Cythère

Hermès - Un Jardin sur le Toit - Spring garden on the roof of Hermès headquarters. 8/10. I've reviewed Un Jardin sur le Toit before on my blog. But I felt it could use a bit of a reexamination for several reasons: I've been wearing it quite a bit lately. The Hermès garden now has … Continue reading Review – Hermès – Un Jardin Sur Le Toit. Thoughts on Un Jardin à Cythère →

First Impressions – Amouage – Guidance

Amouage - Guidance - Amouage is back with four new scents titled "The Odyessy Collection - Chapter 3 - Escape". All four feature frankincense and are accompanied by the usual nonsensical marketing mumbo jumbo. Overall, it's a stronger collection than the previous ones under their new creative director, Renaud Salmon. Still, that wouldn't be difficult. In … Continue reading First Impressions – Amouage – Guidance →

First Impressions – New Fig Fragrances – Beso Beach, Houbigant, Obvious Parfums and Essential Parfums

In retrospect, 2022 was a particularly active year for new fig fragrances. So many brands got figgy wit it and attempted to capture the essence of the sweet fruit in perfume form. I tried quite a few, and I'll detail my thoughts on four of them in today's post. The first cab of the rank … Continue reading First Impressions – New Fig Fragrances – Beso Beach, Houbigant, Obvious Parfums and Essential Parfums →

Review – Jo Malone – Wood Sage & Sea Salt, Caloundra Trip Part 2

Jo Malone - Wood Sage & Sea Salt - Saline clean. 7/10. Wood Sage & Sea Salt is one of my favourites from Jo Malone. Save for a few from their "Cologne Intense" range in the black bottles, it's a house I've struggled to gel with. Wood Sage & Sea Salt evokes the scent of … Continue reading Review – Jo Malone – Wood Sage & Sea Salt, Caloundra Trip Part 2 →