First Impressions – Penhaligon’s – Solaris

Solaris - bright and yellow. Very few scents of recent vintage from Penhaligon's have impressed me. And indeed, Solaris doesn't have me doing cartwheels of joy either. However, it's a feel-good fragrance (never a bad thing) radiating good vibes, sunshine, and vitality. Penhaligon's came up with the perfect name. The tropical-themed perfume contains a lot … Continue reading First Impressions – Penhaligon’s – Solaris →

First Impressions – New Niche Scents – BDK – Pas Ce Soir Extrait, Parfums de Marly – Althaïr, Miller Harris – Myrica Muse & Robert Piguet – Zazen

I only have a little to say or write regarding this quartet of perfumes, so I'll bundle my thoughts together in this post. At the outset, I'm glad these companies are making this stuff as it makes it so easy not to buy anything. Three out of the four are very ordinary. My thoughts are … Continue reading First Impressions – New Niche Scents – BDK – Pas Ce Soir Extrait, Parfums de Marly – Althaïr, Miller Harris – Myrica Muse & Robert Piguet – Zazen →

First Impressions – Miller et Bertaux – Aymara

Pictured above is my burgeoning collection of scents from the French house. First Impressions - Miller et Bertaux - Aymara - There's only a handful of brands I actively seek out for their new release perfumes. One of those brands is the French designers Miller et Bertaux. Their offerings are generally well-made, unpretentious, and relatively affordable. … Continue reading First Impressions – Miller et Bertaux – Aymara →

First Impressions – Le Labo City Exclusives

Le Labo allows the consumer to personalise their purchase. Following my ode/poem/verse/song to Le Labo, here are my first impressions of a few of their City Exclusives. The dopey thing I did was purchase a rather overly expensive discovery set from the newly opened Brisbane store. Still, the outlay for a discovery set is much … Continue reading First Impressions – Le Labo City Exclusives →

First Impressions – Cologne Officinale – Heeley Paris

First Impressions - Heeley Paris - Cologne Officinale - As promised, and continuing on my recent run of aromatic releases, here's Heeley's latest - a fabulous fresh homage to vintage 70's masculine style perfumes. Heeley always does an excellent job with these fresher scents. For instance, Sel Marin is one of the finer marine scents money … Continue reading First Impressions – Cologne Officinale – Heeley Paris →

First Impressions – Thameen – Fanfare & Bohemian Infusion

Flower Markets of Covent Garden - The inspiration for Fanfare. This picture is from my own flower market. Ex Amouage creative director Christopher Chong took over the reins at British brand Thameen in 2021. That's likely a good thing in the long run. However, it's not entirely off to the most promising start with these … Continue reading First Impressions – Thameen – Fanfare & Bohemian Infusion →

First Impressions – Guerlain – Habit Rouge – Rouge Privé & L’Homme Idéal – Platine Privé

I found an ideal replacement for this beloved 2015 release. Flankers are the name of the game in today's perfume world. Too often, though, they're not up to snuff, falling way short of the quality of the original fragrance. However, bucking the trend (as they often do), Guerlain delivers the goods with two new flankers … Continue reading First Impressions – Guerlain – Habit Rouge – Rouge Privé & L’Homme Idéal – Platine Privé →

First Impressions – Maison Christian Dior, Tobacolor & Eden-Roc

Ambre Nuit is the only bottle I own from the line. I'm in no particular rush to keep up with the new releases from Dior. Quite frankly, the brand has slipped markedly in my designer pecking order. And I've not been impressed by a new perfume from the brand in quite some years. That includes … Continue reading First Impressions – Maison Christian Dior, Tobacolor & Eden-Roc →

First Impressions – Liquides Imaginaires, Blanche Bête

Carrying on from yesterday's gourmand theme, I recently sampled Blanche Bête, another scent with edible notes from the French niche house Liquides Imaginaires. Cacao, milk, and vanilla form part of the note pyramid. Interestingly, the brand does not mention coconut, but I pick up something distinctly toasty and coconut-like, undoubtedly due to the white floral … Continue reading First Impressions – Liquides Imaginaires, Blanche Bête →

First Impressions – Imaginary Authors – A Whiff of Waffle Cone

Hey, there's no ice cream in those waffle cones. First Impressions - Imaginary Authors - A Whiff of Waffle Cone - As a child, one of my favourite summer weekend rituals was to line up with many of the other kids from the neighbourhood for the ice cream truck. The distinctive jingle of Greensleeves in the … Continue reading First Impressions – Imaginary Authors – A Whiff of Waffle Cone →