At the beginning of summer I was introduced to a new perfumer, Aaron Terence Hughes. Aaron comes from a creative and scientific family that includes carpenters, joiners, artists, pharmacists, barristers and people working in IT, so he has a brain that is scientific, creative and artistic at the same time. Highly dyslexic as a child, he faced many difficulties in school both with education and bullying which caused him to hide his creative, sensitive soul. After years long lov

I'm currently on vacation but my mind and nose of course have been on summer mode for a good couple of months. It must be the fact that I'm Greek and the moment we hit June I'm officially considering it to be summer. The English weather doesn't always help but we have been blessed with a couple of good summers lately that justify the frequent use of "summer fragrances " while still roaming in the city and not being necessarily on holidays. This summer I've been greedy and ch

The Perfume Society has launched recently many wonderful Discovery Boxes and the Limited Edition Niche is one of their best yet. As I was writing this post I saw that it has sold out however I'll still give you a quick overview of the contents as the perfumes included are fantastic choices and also you never know, it might become available again! The Merchant of Venice - Blue Tea The name drew me to this perfume instantly and when I tried it it didn't disappoint! It's aromati

At the beginning of May, on a rainy day, we were invited at the St. George’s Penthouse Suite of The Westbury Mayfair to view the collaboration of 2 creative identities from Venice; Biennale artist Anna Paola Cibin premiered her textile spring collection and Luxury fragrance house The Merchant of Venice their 4 new perfumes. Anna Paola Cibin's textiles provided the perfect background for The Merchant of Venice; a brand of artistic perfumery inspired by the city of Venice and i

I've never met anybody that wears and loves perfumes that hasn't at some point wished that their favourite scent came with a little more oomph, a little more depth and intensity. There's always a wish for the scent to be stronger, fuller and to last longer and now Ormonde Jayne has granted you that wish. If you love her original perfumes, then you'll be glad to hear that ELIXIR, the new collection of five new fragrances inspired by much loved favourites are poured in higher c

Walking around London can bring great inspiration for photos especially if you always carry a perfume bottle or two in your bag. I stumbled upon the statue of Niki, the Greek Goddess of Victory, at St. James' church in Piccadilly and I thought it needed a bit of an artistic intervention. By chance on that day I had Curionoir's Cellar Feels with me ! Curionoir is a brand for New Zealand and Tiffany Jeans, it's creator lived a life surrounded by strong creative women and an unc

Shopping for Father's day gifts is always a challenge. I remember trying to get a gift for mine and it was always a struggle as the options were quite limited. I would have to go either for power tools, or cd's of the music he liked. Occasionally I would surprise him with a concert ticket or perfume as, although he was quite faithful to his cologne, he was willing to try new fragrances. This year I chose 3 perfumes that I think he'd like as they are fresh and contemporary wit

There were many new exciting releases announced in Esxence this year. Continuing from my previous post, today I'll give you another look at the perfume brands I visited. Let's start with Hiram Green and his incredible collection of natural perfumes. I'll always bee a big fan of Moon Bloom, his debut and still most popular fragrance. If you love tuberose perfumes, this is one you must add to your collection. While I was at Esxence the results of the Art and Olfaction awards we

Bentley, the luxury car manufacturer, has previously launched a number of quite popular mainstream perfumes under their brand name, however recently they have introduced their first collection of exclusive fragrances named Bentley Beyond – The Collection; a trio of niche scents that matches peerless ingredients with exotic destinations, housed in beautiful Lalique crystal bottles. Bentley Beyond – The Collection aims to become a luxurious addition of scented accessories to th

Continuing my Esxence saga, today I'm writing about the brands I had the opportunity to spend a little more time with during the exhibition. Widian One of the most beautifully presented perfume brands, they offer a range of gorgeously made perfumes that appeal to different tastes and styles. Their newest offering is the Rose Arabia line, a bit more "Westernized" selection of 3 scents that are utterly delicious. My favorite is Lily, a delicate lily of the valley, spiced up by

Visiting Esxence is always an exciting experience. The theme this year was Inspiration Flow and with the added venue of Villa Quartzo there were many more perfume brands to explore. Being able to stay for only the first 2 days it was impossible to see all the brands on my list and I've come back with the feeling I should have done more, but the perfumes I smelt and the people I met made it an extraordinary experience none the less. The venue was once again hot and not lit in

« Beauty lies in the unexpected. Let us explore it. » is one of Thibaud Crivelli's motos, an emotional botanist responsible for Maison Crivelli, a new perfume brand available at the moment exclusively at Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche and soon online through the company's website. A very well thought of brand, starting from inspiration, to conception and creation through the use of sustainable materials for the perfumes as well as the packaging while paying attention to details a

Perfumes are magical creations, meant to tell stories, evoke memories and eventually become the bearers of specific moments in time. That's one of the reasons we are so easily able to relate to many of the perfume creations that circulate the market as there are so many shared stories and experiences in the world. A new brand, STORIES by Eliza Grace loves to tell stories as you might have guessed from the name. The founder of the perfume house, Tonya Kidd-Beggs, curated each

Valentines is fast approaching and like always my gift of choice will be perfume. There are many gorgeous offerings new and classic that are gender neutral as well so they can make an excellent gift for everyone! (all perfume is gender neutral for me but that's maybe a topic for another conversation). I've rounded up a selection of the fragrances that are my current favorites and I hope that will make it a bit easier for you to choose the perfect gift for your partner! 1st gr

Happy New Year officially! After a long break and a good recharge I'm ready for another year filled with great fragrances and experiences. I'll be staring off my reviews with a new and quite unique perfume house. Fo'ah, which in Arabic, refers to the ephemeral blossom of the date palm, was created by Émilie Dewell and Abdulla Al Masaood who worked together with perfumer Olivier Pescheux to create a line based on a new perfume note, inspired by the date palm tree. One of the

There are many beautiful shops and boutiques hiding in the arcades around Piccadilly. One of them is Ormond Jayne inside Royal Arcade on Old Bond Street. Although Ormond Jayne is an international brand with beautiful shops and corners everywhere, I personally think this one is truly unique. The boutique was redesigned from scratch and the first thing you notice when you're approaching it, is the 20ft bright orange velvet curtains that set a theatrical backdrop for the transfo

What amazes me after all those years of trying many new perfumes is that there will always be something new and innovative that will make me go “aha” or “aww” or even “wow” My latest “wow” moment came a few months ago when I had the opportunity to meet up with Lucy Akhurst and try her perfumes. Following a successful career in acting, writing and other creative endeavours, she channelled her creativity into making perfumes. La Maison Hédonique was created to tell stories, evo

Tokyo is the inspiration behind the seventh fragrance in the GALLIVANT collection. Founded and created in London by Nick Steward, GALLIVANT is an indie perfume brand whose perfumes have been inspired by cosmopolitan destinations. Tokyo was created in collaboration with perfumer Nicolas Bonneville as a playful tribute to kōdō – the Japanese Way of Fragrance. I had the opportunity to participate in a kōdō ceremony some time ago and have written about my experience, you can rea

Paris, August 1st 1888. This is the date of birth of the house of Lalique. The day when René Lalique registered his hallmark, made up of his initials and a stylized sword, to be stamped on the gold jewels he designed. In 2018, Lalique celebrates their 130th anniversary with a new collection that takes us to the heart of its founder’s peerless heritage: the Swallow. For the occasion, the Mon Premier Cristal Collection presents a precious Limited Edition of 130 numbered pieces

Thameen London is a niche, luxury, British brand, which realises the founder’s vision of combining Eastern opulence with Western refinement. I recently visited their beautiful corner in Selfridges where all the perfumes are displayed and had an opportunity to try the gem inspired scents. Thameen, meaning precious, has been inspired by the close relationship of jewels and fragrance throughout the ages and has married them into beautiful creations . The Treasure Collection has