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October 13, 2011 | Estée Lauder Sensuous NudeThis latest in a trio of aptly-named Sensuous fragrances from Estée Lauder has rather tickled The Scent Critic’s fancy. And her nostrils. Really and truly tickled her nostrils. Because at first spritz, this is like putting your nose inside a bag of sherbet-y sweets. Flying saucers, maybe. Or the head-rush of poking your face [...]  June 21, 2011 | Christian Dior VétiverIt’s downright weird how one fragrance can lead you to another, like a sort of olfactory tennis-elbow-foot game. The Scent Critic would have put money on Dior’s Vétiver – the second in the Collection Privée that I’ll be reviewing – taking me in the direction of, say, Guerlain’s legendary Vétiver, or maybe the bestselling Grey [...] February 7, 2011 | Yardley London April VioletsI don’t know if you’ve noticed, but something scary has happened to the price of fragrance in the last couple of years. It’s not just raw materials increases, although those are set to soar further: The Scent Critic is hereby issuing a warning, actually, that due to the devastation wrought on harvests by the tsunami [...] January 11, 2011 | Sahara (make: unknown)The Scent Critic is not seriously going to suggest that you trek all the way to Tunisia to pick up a bottle of Sahara, weaving your way through the labyrinth of Sousse’s souk. (This small bottle: 3.5 dinars, or around £1.75, FYI.) For sure, this scent is never going to rival Chanel No. 5. But [...] December 19, 2010 | The 12 Scents of Christmas No. 11: Ormonde Jayne Orris NoirOf all the fragrances from British ‘nose’ Linda Pilkington (whose ‘nom de parfum‘ is Ormonde Jayne), this is the one I’d choose for Christmas. Not a Christmas party, perhaps, but that time when you’ve undone the top button of your skirt, have collapsed on the sofa and are watching the annual re-run of Love, Actually, [...] December 17, 2010 | The 12 Scents of Christmas No. 10: Estée Lauder Youth DewSo: yesterday’s Scent Critic posting talked about how fragrance can turn you from a would-be couch potato into a party animal, with a waft of its magic wand. But today, I’m going to marvel at its equal power to transport you through time and space. Dr. Who, you can keep your Tardis. We all have [...] December 16, 2010 | The 12 Scents of Christmas No. 9: Guerlain Bois d'ArménieThe Scent Critic honestly believes that fragrance is a magic wand. The trigger for a gazillion Cinderella moments, over the years. One minute, you’re fighting party-dread – and then a drop or a zoosh or a splash later, suddenly, you actually feel like putting on a pair of high heels, some dangly earrings, and heading [...] September 24, 2010 | Roja Dove DiaghilevIt’s not often that The Scent Critic sends another (straight) female writer into such a swoon that she all but makes a pass when getting within sniffing distance. (My colleague’s precise comment: ‘Whatever you’re wearing, it could really make me go for you…’) We have not, however, run away together (despite the fact that The [...] August 26, 2010 | Guerlain Idylle (Eau de Toilette)Proper, gorgeous, glamorous, grown-up, full-bodied fragrances are what Guerlain is celebrated for – and mostly, that’s what they deliver. Creations which are born, not of marketing-speak or focus groups, but because a genius perfumer, playing at his organ of essential oils and distillations, has come up with something perfect – and decided OK, it’s time [...] July 30, 2010 | Tom Ford Azure LimeTom Ford, as we all know, is a gay man who just adores women. He’s created sexy clothes, sexy sunglasses – and sexy fragrances, which were his first post-Gucci foray into Tom Ford branding. He’s done it because he’s clearly passionate about perfumery. And because he’s a total polymath, who can turn his hand to [...] |
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