Category: Reviews

Fragrance reviews

Book Review – Fragrance: From Plant To Perfume, The Botanical Origins Of Scent

Buying perfume for a perfume enthusiast is risky business. There are no safe bets; we're just too picky. Unless the recipient has directed you to purchase a specific perfume, I would not recommend proceeding with this. An unsuitable selection, such as Calvin Klein’s Escape for Men or Mugler’s Womanity, may result in grievous bodily harm … Continue reading Book Review – Fragrance: From Plant To Perfume, The Botanical Origins Of Scent →

Review – Guerlain – Iris Torréfié – Old World Glamour In A Modern Guerlain

Review - Guerlain - Iris Torréfié - My favourite from the  L’Art et la Matière - 8.5/10. This week, I’m in the mood for irises. It’s walking iris season in my garden, and to celebrate, I’ve been discussing a couple of new iris fragrances that have recently been released. If you’d like to revisit those … Continue reading Review – Guerlain – Iris Torréfié – Old World Glamour In A Modern Guerlain →

Review – Serge Lutens – Santal Majuscule – The Best Sandalwood From Serge?

Review - Serge Lutens - Santal Majuscule - Festive Woods - 9/10. Serge Lutens has three perfumes dedicated to sandalwood. They are Santal Blanc, a featherlight skin scent that combines musk and iris, the curried spice of Santal de Mysore, and my favourite, Santal Majuscule. They're all sufficiently different from each other that you could … Continue reading Review – Serge Lutens – Santal Majuscule – The Best Sandalwood From Serge? →

Review – Hermès – Terre d’Hermès EDT – The Best From The Line

Review - Hermès - Terre d'Hermès - Modern Classic - 9/10. Where has the time gone? It seems only yesterday that Terre d'Hermès hit the market. Indeed, it was almost 20 years ago, in 2006, that one of Jean-Claude Ellena's finest launched onto the shelves. It's interesting to look back and see how different the … Continue reading Review – Hermès – Terre d’Hermès EDT – The Best From The Line →

Santa Maria Novella – I Giardini Medicei – Quercia

My forays into Santa Maria Novella's I Giardini Medicei collection have mainly been successful. So far, I've tried and enjoyed four fragrances from the collection. All four fragrances smell cheerful and happy, radiating a pleasant, sunny disposition. Even the iris (L'Iris) defies preconceived notions one might have of an iris fragrance. There's no sense of … Continue reading Santa Maria Novella – I Giardini Medicei – Quercia →

Review – Nicolaï – Riviera Verbena – A Trip To The Côte d’Azur

I love the smell of verbena/lemon verbena. I have some growing in the garden, and I love the herbal, lemony, zesty scent created by rubbing the plant between my fingers. There's nothing better at putting a pep in my step on a warm, humid afternoon in the middle of summer than this enlivening aroma.   … Continue reading Review – Nicolaï – Riviera Verbena – A Trip To The Côte d’Azur →

Book Review – 1001 Perfumes – The Guide – Daniel Barros

Sunday mornings are always a good time for relaxing and reading a good book. And what better way to do it than with a new perfume book? 1001 Perfumes, The Guide by Daniel Barros is a well-written book for all fragrance enthusiasts.  Barros divides the guide into several sections. The opening chapters feature numerous essays, … Continue reading Book Review – 1001 Perfumes – The Guide – Daniel Barros →