Ormonde Jayne Montabaco Verano Review (Linda Pilkington and Geza Schoen) + A Bigger Splash Giveaway

February 22, 2022February 22, 2022

The key to Ormonde Jayne Montabaco Verano is the opening. The grapefruit note is done incredibly, which brings such a freshness and uplifting quality that one instantly feels positively awakened. The blending of complex ingredients that gives the impression of simplicity is a triumph. Montabaco Verano is a slow fragrance that unfurls its secrets steadily, but, with intent. The notes breathe life into one’s day and this is a moment in time to savour.

Maison Crivelli Bois Datchai Review (Dorothee Piot) 2020 + Smoky Tea Draw

December 10, 2021December 10, 2021

Aromatic and dreamlike, Maison Crivelli Bois Datchai by Dorothee Piot is a sweet resinous spice fest of freshly cut wood on a chilly day. Bois Datchai greets you with a piercing aroma of freshly muddled blackcurrant buds and a comforting whiff of steaming black tea

Floral Street Arizona Bloom Review (Jerome Epinette) 2020 + Desert Flower Draw

November 1, 2021

In the award winning Floral Street Arizona Bloom, the combination of salted musks, oak moss, cashmere woods and black pepper create what I would call a ‘Sand accord’ – both the pre-sunrise kind of sand, cool from the moon, stars and night and the hot, sparkling, crusty, sun-baked kind of sand. There is also the mineralic scent of heated rocks, shining with a beautiful black patina. You get a sense of the vast expanse of time – the eons, the epochs, the ages – this rock has taken to achieve this shiny black tattoo patina from the sun, so gloriously shiny in that sun.

Ex Nihilo Explicite Review (Jordi Fernandez) 2020 + Flowers with Fangs Draw

October 25, 2021November 5, 2021

Ex Nihilo Explicite is a fascinating play of contrasts; a calibrated structure of gourmand creaminess balanced with the narcotic flowers. Don’t be deceived by the soft opening of this fragrance. It promises to be sweet and comforting, but there are teeth hidden underneath that pretty pink smile, and she will sink those sharp fangs into your flesh without the slightest remorse.

Montale Dark Vanilla Review + A Wild Ride Draw

October 24, 2021October 25, 2021

Montale Dark Vanilla has proven to be unlike any other in the line. This one is a dark horse galloping through the clouds of Cambodian oud. A deep sensual aroma is so seductive, you feel intoxicated by its intensity and depth.

Rogue Perfumery Bon Monsieur Review (Manuel Cross) + A Fragrance for James Bond’s Day off Draw

October 23, 2021October 24, 2021

Rogue Perfumery Bon Monsieur is sophisticated, yet spirited. It’s adventurous and elegant, yet surprisingly relaxed—like James Bond on his day off. I’ll be the first to say that perfume is genderless, but Rogue Perfumery Bon Monsieur is unabashedly a gentleman’s fragrance. Moreover, it’s a fragrance that a gentleman would want others, perhaps his children, to associate with him.