Costume National - Cyber Garden - Futuristic Vinyl 6.5/10 Costume National borrow from the past and use a little creative marketing (a supposed vinyl note) to create their slightly left of centre fragrance, Cyber Garden.  The fragrance opens up fresh with green notes, bergamot and grapefruit.  The zingy top fades and gradually gives way to … Continue reading Reviews – Costume National, Lolita Lempicka, Bond No. 9 →

L'Artisan Parfumeur - Timbuktu - Into the Wild 9/10 A dry, smoky, spicy vetiver that I initially did not like when I first tried it over 10 years ago. The combination of papyrus and vetiver was too dry. I've begun to appreciate it more over the years. The smoky nuances of the incense, the fruity … Continue reading Reviews – L’Artisan Parfumeur, Atelier Cologne, Frederic Malle, Oscar de la Renta →

Histories de Parfums, 1899 Hemingway - Juniper, Cinnamon 8/10 Juniper and cinnamon are a couple of my favourite notes, and they're featured prominently in 1899 Hemingway. Vanilla also plays a starring role, in a fragrance often compared to Spicebomb. I see the comparisons, but I think this is smoother, and less pepper dominant. Creamy, smooth … Continue reading Reviews – Histoires de Parfums, Olfactive Studio →

The house of Etat Libre d'Orange is without doubt one of my favourite niche houses. Avant-garde and with many quality offerings that push the boundaries. In today's blog post I'll review a couple of their offerings, Remarkable People and Fat Electrician. Etat Libre d'Orange Fat Electrician - Gourmand Vetiver 8/10 A vetiver from Etat Libre d'Orange that … Continue reading Reviews – Etat Libre d’Orange →

Hermes Ambre Narguile - Apple Pie 9/10 My favourite fragrance from the Hermessence line is Ambre Narguile. The notes listed are cinnamon, honey, rum, tonka, vanilla and caramel. There's no apple, but the notes combine to give the impression of an apple pie. Certainly, one for those with a sweet tooth. I've tried the vast … Continue reading Mini Reviews – Hermessence →

L'Artisan Parfumeur Tea for Two - Gingerbread Spice 9.5/10 As with many L'Artisan scents the magic happens in the dry down, and in the case of Tea for Two it's when the sweet notes come into play. Spices, tobacco, Lapsang Tea, gingerbread, cinnamon, honey and vanilla combine to provide an irresistible brew that never fails … Continue reading Mini Reviews – L’Artisan Parfumeur, Eight and Bob, Shay and Blue, Elie Saab →

Joop Wow - Surprise designer release 7.5/10 They say to never judge a book by its cover.  Case in point Joop Wow.  I was reticent to try Wow as Joop fragrances are notoriously tooth achingly sweet, and the ad campaign involving a black panther was somewhat cringeworthy.  But try it I did, and I was … Continue reading Mini Reviews – Joop, Rasei Fort, Diptyque, Killian →

Givenchy Pi - A tricky revised equation 7/10 Pi= 3.14 or about the same number of compliments I used to receive per hour from the old formulation of Givenchy Pi. The equation was vanilla + almond + tonka + benzoin = compliment beast. Pictured here is a 30 ml bottle of the new formulation I purchased … Continue reading Instagram Mini Reviews – Givenchy, Mugler, Dior →

Chanel Allure Homme Sport Cologne - A good sport 7.5/10 No red cards in sight with this sports fragrance. In a genre filled with fouls, Chanel Allure Homme Sport Cologne is a podium finisher. A pretty simple game plan of citruses, elemi and white musk make it an easy everyday wear and a perfect gym … Continue reading Instagram Mini Reviews – Chanel, Dior Fresh Scents →