Perfume

Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Lady Review

French niche brand Frédéric Malle has been one of the most celebrated and successful niche fragrance houses ever since its inception in 2000. The brand places an emphasis on the perfumer rather than the maison itself, and gives each of the perfumers it works with access to the best raw materials and limitless creative freedom. …

Dior Homme Parfum Review

The Dior Homme line of perfumes is one of the most iconic and successful in modern fragrance history. Characterized by its signature lipsticky iris note, the line has spawned a number of flankers that have grown into legends in their own right, as well as influenced countless others, including Valentino with its Uomo Intense (which…

Amouage Beach Hut Man Review

Omani brand Amouage is one of the oldest and most well-respected niches fragrances houses around. Renowned for their heavy, incense and oud laden creations, such as Interlude Man and Jubilation XXV, Amouage has positioned itself on the cutting edge of unique, complex, and high quality perfumery.  Beach Hut Man, a 2017 release, is one of…

Dior Fahrenheit Le Parfum Review

Dior’s Fahrenheit is an all-time classic 80s powerhouse that took the men’s fragrance world by storm when it was released way back in 1988. With its characteristic gasoline accord, rough-and-tumble leather, and masculine florals, nothing had ever smelled quite like it before, and it still stands the test of time today.  The original Fahrenheit has…

Loewe 7 Anónimo Review

Spanish designer house Loewe is far more popular for their fashion than for their fragrances. But don’t sleep on Loewe’s perfumes – they pack a punch in terms of quality, price, and performance.  7 Anónimo, a 2016 flanker in the popular 7 line, is just one example of that fact.  Loewe 7 Anónimo is a…

What Are Fixatives in Perfumery?

If you’re into the perfume hobby a little bit beyond the surface level, you might have heard the word “fixative” mentioned here and there.  It’s one word in a sea of often (sometimes deliberately) mystifying terminology related to perfume, along with terms like projection, sillage, and perfume concentration. But what exactly is a fixative? What…

Lalique Ombre Noire Review

French designer house Lalique is famous for their glassware. In fact, they are known to design and supply other brands with perfume bottles, such as for Nini Ricci’s L’Air du Temps and even a special edition of Tom Ford’s Black Orchid.  But Lalique has its own excellent (and quite affordable) line of perfumes, several of…

What’s the Difference Between Perfume and Parfum?

Perfume? Parfum? What’s the difference, if any, between these two oh-so-similar words?  Spoiler alert: the difference is very slim.  “Perfume” and “parfum” mean effectively the same thing; in fact, “parfum” is the French word for “perfume”. However, “parfum” also refers to the concentration of a fragrance, i.e. “eau de toilette” and “eau de parfum”.  Want…

What Lasts Longer: Eau de Toilette or Parfum?

If you’re at all familiar with fragrances, you’ve probably heard the words “eau de toilette” and “eau de parfum” or “parfum”.   Almost every designer brand is putting out a “parfum” edition of their fragrances nowadays, from Dior to YSL to Paco Rabanne and everything in between.  But what exactly do the words “eau de toilette”,…

What Lasts Longer: Perfume or Cologne?

The world of perfume is chock full of terminology, a lot of which goes pretty much undefined. Most people can’t tell an eau de parfum from an eau de toilette, much less a perfume from a cologne.  So what is a perfume? What is a cologne? And which one lasts longer?  Perfumes are much longer…