Un Jardin Sur Le Toit is the third Hermes perfume I review, and the second one that bears the signature of Jean-Claude Ellena, after Un Jardin Sur Le Nil. Before I try and describe it, let me share a nagging feeling I’m having. If perfume is a form of art, then Ellena is one of the top artists. And what I’m starting to feel is the same discomfort that a non-expert in art feels in front of a work [...] Read more »
My first one-to-one encounter with jasmine happened by night, with A La Nuit by Serge Lutens. It opens almost gourmand, but not because it’s sweet or fruity, it’s still floral, but a floral you could eat. This sense of edibility will move back quickly when jasmine takes the stage, but will remain throughout, in the form of vague sweet and creamy notes. The main theme is jasmine, coupled with a certain sourness that comes and goes, but [...] Read more »
The finer and more experienced noses out there will forgive me for the rookie assumption that I had, that perfumes based mainly on one floral can be complex, but tend to be fairly static. Bullshit duly noted, and lesson learnt with this Tom Ford fragrance. So, where should I start from, top notes maybe? Fennel, that’s what I got: green, fragrant fennel, but with still a floral smell in the background to remind me that I was sitting [...] Read more »
After reading the whole story of its creation in Chandler Burr’s The Perfect Scent I had great expectations for this one. I know Jean-Claude Ellena is a regular reader of this blog (OK, that is, of course, not true, but wouldn’t it be cool if it was, and throw this out in your face with fake casualness?), so I’m sure he’ll understand, after all, his Declaration is my favourite perfume. OK I’ll say it in one single breath: [...] Read more »
That should be the sound you make in the morning when you apply parfum CK One, a positive, light fragrance to be sprayed heavily. All there is to say about this perfume is now history, so here is a recap. Launched in 1994 and created by Alberto Morillas (Omnia and Blv by Bvlgari, 212 Sexy by Carolina Herrera, Acqua di Gio, Miracle by Lancome to name a few), and Harry Fremont (Juicy Couture, Romance by Ralph Lauren, Princess by [...] Read more »