Here’s part 2 of my round-up of Twitter mini-reviews, from April to June 2015.
La Panthère Eau Légère from Cartier (Mathilde Laurent; 2015)*
Lighter, more accessible version of the growling gardenia. Might be tamer, but still has claws.
Eau De Cartier – Vetiver Bleu from Cartier (Mathilde Laurent; 2015)*
Exactly what it says: familiar, sheer violet leaf accord, now with clean, liquorice-like vetivert. Neat work.
Myrrh Casati from Mona Di Orio (Melanie Leroux; 2014)**
Compelling blend of mushroomy, medicinal resins with well-rendered, pink, spicy sweetness. Worth seeking out!
Pasha Edition Noire from Cartier (Mathilde Laurent; 2015)*
Worst facets of fougères combined: crude lavender; mean-spirited herbs; sweaty patchouli. Arrogant and boorish.
Pure Lavender from Ferrari (2015)*
Harsh fougère with leery synthetic sandalwood base. Are we meant to think the lavender’s been mixed with exhaust fumes?
Remarkable People from Etat Libre D’Orange (2015)*
A burst of gingery, grapefruity fizz, a suggestion of sulphurous leather, then moves to pale woods. I tried to love it, but I couldn’t find anything particularly… well, remarkable about it. Feels rather safe and quiet. Is that the joke??
Rosier from Nancy Meiland (Nancy Meiland; 2015)*
Rose dipped in liquid nitrogen. So sharply green, it’s almost medicinal. Dwindles to soapiness. Not without merit.
Illuminé from Nancy Meiland (Nancy Meiland; 2015)*
Innocuous, simple herbal cologne, with twist of violet leaf. Trying to appeal to lowest common denominator, I’d say.
Floriental from Comme Des Garçons (2015)*
Insipid & mono-dimensional soup of shrill florals & painfully synthetic woods. Shocked to think this is CdG.
No. 33 from Penhaligon’s (Mike Parrot; 2015)*
Lavender opening is v interesting: sweet, sage-like, camphoraceous, caramelised. But then grows cloying. An oddball. Like many recent Penhaligon’s releases, it appears to have its sights set on places – and tastes – far beyond the Thames.
Waterlily Sun from Aerin (2014)*
Undemanding, translucent floral cologne, with a sweet bergamot/tea note. Not sure about lilies, but pleasant enough.
Infinite from Bentley (Nathalie Lorson; 2015)*
Woody, flinty vetivert. It’s a clone of Terre D’Hermès, but at least it isn’t as coarse as most masculines. Attractive.
Infinite Intense from Bentley (Nathalie Lorson; 2015)*
As suave and elegant as the non-intense version. Solid, woody, ambery masculine, with dose of pepper at start.
Oud from Gucci (2014)*
An absolutely perfect oud… if what you’re after is a clone of every other ‘rose + leather + wood’ Arabian cliche out there.
Persolaise
* sample provided by brand
** sample obtained by the author
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.