Perfume Haiku Series: Violetta by Penhaligon’s

Violetta by Penhaligon’s

Dusty old violets
Adorn the Queen’s stately hat
Retro floral chic

~ The Smelly Vagabond

Happy World Poetry Day!

NB: On an unfortunately sad note, I can confirm based on the information given to me by someone who works for Penhaligon’s that Violetta has been discontinued.

Ann Gerard – Rose Cut

source: fragrantica.com

“People where you live,” the little prince said, “grow five thousand roses in one garden… yet they don’t find what they’re looking for…
They don’t find it,” I answered.
And yet what they’re looking for could be found in a single rose, or a little water…”
Of course,” I answered.
And the little prince added, “But eyes are blind. You have to look with the heart.”

– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le Petit Prince

There have been a spate of rose-dominated fragrance releases recently. These include Vero Profumo’s Rozy, which has been the talk of pretty much the entire blogosphere. I must confess that even at the point of writing this, I have yet to try it… so yes, I am a blogging deviant and you may stone me. But to make up for it, I’m working on a special review of Vero’s Mito Voile d’Extrait, which includes maenads and yes, ‘erotic’ poetry. Yes, yes, it’s been out for ages already, but what can I do – I do write rather slowly and only when inspiration strikes!

Anyway, I decided to review another rosy perfume instead – Ann Gerard’s Rose Cut. I was sent a sample of it sometime back by the lovely folk of Bloom Perfumery (thank you!). Since then, I’ve worn it on and off to determine how I truly feel about it. Now Fragrantica lists Rose Cut as a chypre floral, but I’m going to go out on a limb and state flatly that it ain’t a chypre at all. It’s neither a proper chypre nor a pseudo-chypre nor even vaguely chypre-ish. No. Rose Cut belongs, through and through, to the genus also known as the rose-chouli, to which other notable species include Juliette Has a Gun’s Citizen Queen (more fruity vulgar) and Frédéric Malle’s Portrait of a Lady (more incense, more heft, and less restraint). Does the world need another rose-chouli perfume? In short, my answer is emphatically: ‘Yes.’

Etat Libre d’Orange – Bendelirious

If you ask me, it looks like someone’s lip is being botoxed by a pointy building.

The ad-copy for Bendelirious, taken from the Etat Libre d’Orange website:

The first time he sees her, it’s a party, and he senses something special in the air. He looks for the source of exuberance, and he is rewarded with only a fleeting glimpse of a woman in a minidress and sky-high stilettos, but she leaves in her wake an array of glorious contradictions: soft and cool, delicate and earthy. She is a star and he’s dazzled. 
He sees her again, at another party. It’s a benefit this time, an event marked by luxury and compassion. She passes his table with its iris centerpiece, and like the precious iris she evokes elegance and grace. She illuminates the room, and he wants to follow the light.
And he does, to a cavernous club, where the uptown girl has become a downtown diva. In leather jacket and ballerinas, in the sweet madness of the moment, she is an urban fairy, waving a bottle of champagne like a magic wand. She can dance on tables and sing on subway platforms and draw everyone into her bewitching aura. For one brief spell-binding moment, their eyes meet, and now he is completely enchanted.

The Smelly Vagabond’s Adventures in Paris: Day 2 (Part II)

The Smelly Vagabond’s Adventures in Paris: Day 1
The Smelly Vagabond’s Adventures in Paris: Day 2 (Part I)

© The Smelly Vagabond
I’m gonna lie and say that the person in that picture isn’t me. So you still don’t know what I look like.

It was time to make my way to the square just outside Palais Royal, where I was to meet Monsieur D. At exactly 1pm sharp, Monsieur D arrived, and we exchanged pleasantries before strolling into the Palais Royal. Our first stop was, naturally, the famed Serge Lutens boutique, where countless other perfumistas before me had no doubt made the pilgrimage to. The outside display held a bust wearing a metal helmet, presumably to promote the latest release, La Vierge de Fer. Inside, the lighting was dim and the décor an oppressive, sinister goth designed to swallow up the soul. Or perhaps it was meant to recreate the sense of quietude and respect that one would encounter in a cathedral, with the perfumes in their bell jars being the objects of worship, and the blotter strips laid out neatly in front of them being the incense to be offered.

Perfume Haiku Series: Peoneve by Penhaligon’s

Peoneve by Penhaligon’s

Outside she’s pretty
A perfectly preened princess
Inside she’s empty

~ The Smelly Vagabond

The Penhaligon’s Invasion + A Rather Late Review of Iris Prima

For those residing in London or those who keep up with perfume news on the blogosphere, the news that the only L’Artisan Parfumeur boutique in the UK (13 Market Building, The Piazza, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8RB) has been replaced by a Penhaligon’s boutique must surely be old news. For those not in the know, you might wish to check out what the good Persolaise has written about the closing of L’Artisan Parfumeur and the opening of the Penhaligon’s boutique.

My intention with this post is not so much to rehash old news, but rather to present some of the thoughts that plagued me when I first found out that L’Artisan Parfumeur would be closing and when I paid a visit to the new Penhaligon’s boutique recently.