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

I've been a founding member of The Perfume Society from the first couple of months of their existence in 2013. I had moved to London from Greece with my husband just a few months before, in December 2012, and I was starting to meet in person the perfume people I've been following for so long. One of them (and one of my favorites) Sarah McCartney of 4160 Tuesdays told me "I should check them out" and that's all it took for me to get hooked. From the first "How to improve your

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

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

How do you like your roses? Fresh and dewy or fleshy and mysterious? If you prefer the latter Manos Gerakinis' new rose themed scent is worth seeking out. ‘Rose Poetique’ is a 2018 edition that took over a year to complete. A tribute to Damask Rose, this luscious floral oriental fragrance manages to lift one’s spirit. The Greek poet Sappho said of the Damask rose “It is the pride of plants, and queen of flowers,” and this perfume is a unique symphony of accords that Manos des

H&M is one of my go to shopping destinations for clothing and although they had launched some fragrances in the past as part of their beauty line most of them were only part of collaborations and didn't stick around long enough. This time H&M has launched a comprehensive fragrance collection consisting of 25 different scents divided into three distinct groups and features a wide range of different scents with high quality and affordable prices, providing a multitude of oppor

I had the opportunity to meet Paul Schütze at Liberty recently during their Alternative Fragrance Festival and with the help of Odette Toilette he explained to a captivated audience the mysteries of Aroma Chemicals, as well as giving us a brief overview of his 2 latest perfume releases, Villa M and Cuadra. I feel however I should start at the beginning. I tried his first 3 perfumes only recently. I was quite intrigued as they were all created to evoke specific moments of time