First Impressions – Guerlain

Guerlain - Patchouli Ardent - Patchouli is the theme of Guerlain's latest scent to join the Les Absolus D'Orient line. This line has been up and down for me. I enjoyed Cuir Intense and Musc Noble but thought the much-hyped Santal Royal was grating and rough and a huge disappointment. I'm pleased to report Patchouli Ardent … Continue reading First Impressions – Guerlain →

First Impressions – Rose scents – MFK, Moschino, Aesop

MFK - L'Homme A la rose - Wonderful fresh, invigorating opening of grapefruit and rose. Watery, dewy, and never overbearing. Unfortunately, it falls relatively flat as it progresses. The unremarkable woody amber dry down, mimicking countless other "generic man" releases. Still, it is a step up from what you'll find on the department store shelves. Maybe … Continue reading First Impressions – Rose scents – MFK, Moschino, Aesop →

First Impressions – Penhaligon’s

Halfeti Leather, courtesy of Penhaligon's website Penhaligon's - Halfeti Leather - Another week, another flanker. Again, it's another flanker of a scent that I didn't enjoy in its original iteration. I found Halfeti to be a loud, harsh, synthetic rendering of rose/oud, without too many redeeming features. Halfeti Leather smooths out a few of the … Continue reading First Impressions – Penhaligon’s →

First Impressions – Zoologist

Zoologist - Koala - As an Australian perfume blogger, I'd say it's my sworn duty to bring you my thoughts on the new Zoologist scent, Koala. It is, after all, one of my country's most recognised native animals. The cuddly marsupial spends 20 hours a day sleeping and feasting on the leaves of eucalyptus trees. Koala, … Continue reading First Impressions – Zoologist →

First Impressions – Miller et Bertaux

Miller et Bertaux - Pimiento - Sometimes I look at a note pyramid before I try a scent, and sometimes not. However, when I see things in the note breakdown such as ozonic notes, ambroxan, watery notes, and in the case of Pimiento, modern woods, it usually raises a few red flags. Most modern scents … Continue reading First Impressions – Miller et Bertaux →

First Impressions – Atelier des Ors

Atelier des Ors - Blanc Polychrome - The first thing you notice about Atelier des Ors is the stunning packaging, beautiful bottles complete with floating gold flakes. Real works of art. All this bling comes at a price, with Blanc Polychrome retailing for 345 Australian Dollars for 100ml. Unfortunately, all the world's gold flakes aren't … Continue reading First Impressions – Atelier des Ors →

First Impressions – Perris Monte Carlo

Vanille de Tahiti - (via Perris Monte Carlo website) Perris Monte Carlo - Vanille de Tahiti - First things first, there's been a couple of attempts at summer vanilla's in recent times. The marine-focused Vanilla Vibes from JHAG and L'Artisan Parfumeur's Couleur Vanille left me rather salty. I can unequivocally state that Vanille de Tahiti … Continue reading First Impressions – Perris Monte Carlo →

First Impressions – Olfactive Studio

Olfactive Studio - Chypre Shot - The union of one of my favourite perfumers, Bertrand Duchaufour, and one of my favourite niche houses, Olfactive Studio, seemed like the perfect marriage. However, much like the two others I've tried in this series, Vanilla Shot and Leather Shot, this one leaves me a little cold. There seems to … Continue reading First Impressions – Olfactive Studio →

First Impressions – Serge Lutens

Serge Lutens - Des Clous Pour Une Pelure - "My god look at the colour of the juice." That's the first thing I said to myself when I saw the advertisement for the new Serge Lutens scent. Kind of looks like Listerine. Hopefully, it doesn't smell like Listerine. Good news, it doesn't. Bad news is it … Continue reading First Impressions – Serge Lutens →

First Impressions – Nishane, Marc- Antoine Barrois

Nishane - Fan Your Flames - I've generally been impressed by the offerings from the much-hyped Turkish house. Fan Your Flames is a 2016 release from the brand. This one feels very muddled right from the opening to the dry down. It never seems to come together as a coherent whole. There are only six notes … Continue reading First Impressions – Nishane, Marc- Antoine Barrois →