Perfume Review & Musings Archives

The latest fragrance by Serge Lutens L'Incendiaire hits on our trigeminal nerve on purpose to wake us up from our dogmatic slumber

If you think that perfumes can express social ideologies and roles, then Bleu de Chanel eau de parfum, the new, more intense version of the 2010 original eau de toilette re-affirms a typical conservative ideology, which does not mean...

Lady Gaga Eau de Gaga Reviewed by Chantal-Hélène Wagner on Sept 29.The latest fragrance by Lady Gaga is more Low-Key than expected. Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Lady Gaga's latest Eau de Gaga {also here} begs the question: what...

The latest Wood Sage and Sea Salt by Jo Malone is a delicate marine landscape bordering on the ethereal except for fleshier parts of round, citrusy vanilla adding a discreet gourmand tonality to the scent, like a tea time...

My Burberry, the newest fragrance from Burberry is described by the fashion brand as ...a grand floral fragrance with an unexpected edge; the scent is confident and beautifully elegant, yet understated in a typically British way It is also...

GIRL by Pharrell Williams + Comme des Garçons. Reviewed by Chantal-Hélène Wagner on Sept 8. The singer of Happy launches a debut perfume very much influenced by pre-existing codes. Rating: 3 out of 5. GIRL is the debut perfume...

From Black Orchid to Velvet Orchid or Black Fading into Purple The original sultry tropical signature of Black Orchid by Tom Ford (2006) is immediately recognizable in the new Velvet Orchid, which turns out to be a flanker -...

Celebrity figures are often perceived as being vapid. Especially if their talent is mostly image-related. On her site, Hilton writes that she's "an expert at attracting attention," a professional skill in her industry. If the celebrity then is known...

430 Kings Road at Various Periods of Time By Chantal-Hélène Wagner Perfumer Marie Salamagne of Firmenich signs Let It Rock, a perfume inspired by the eponymous store Vivienne Westwood opened at 430 Kings Road, a temple of the Punk...

L'Orpheline, a feminine name, edges masculine from the onset. There are flashes of masculinity glimmering in the darkness of the fragrance only contradicted by powdery nuances. After a while, the powder trail turns into a sueded sensation......

Limon Verde by Guerlain - A Review The latest entry in the Aqua Allegoria collection by Guerlain is Limon Verde, an eau inspired by the national drink of Brazil, Caïpirinha, a timely launch when you consider soccer and media...

A Trace of Tea  The new Acqua Originale Asian Green Tea by Creed smells so much better on skin than on paper, and much less conventional too since it relies on interesting nuances. Past the swoosh of citruses, like a mini...

Opulent Floral Oriental Beauty The perfume which already smells arresting and sexy from the chic bottle, opens on a candied, caramelized fruit opening which lightens up thanks to some light floral osmanthus accents. Extatic, the latest pillar introduction by...

Travel-Approved for Summer 2014 The opening of Musc Monoï, the new opus by Nicolaï, Parfumeur-Créateur, reveals a subtle rendition of Monoï oil with a naturalistic, 3-D petal of tiaré / magnolia / jasmine profiling itself in the picture. In...

Blurring Roses and Styles Of Roses and Humanity in Perfumery Of the designer perfume launches of 2014, Rosabotanica by Balenciaga is one of the most obvious examples of a fragrance sold via stampeded market places like Sephora, which has...