Nejma introduced the Les Extraits, a line of 7 perfumes exclusive to Harrods, a couple of months ago. The founder of the brand, Marie Lise Bischoff, was inspired by an oriental fairy tale and created a line of seven fragrances that all have in common the precious and warm scent of Aoud as their signature charm. Perfumer Alice Lavenat used Sandalwood from Mysore, Ottoman rose, Egyptian sambac and the jasmines of Arabia among other ingredients to create these new and exciti

I have written before about Parterre fragrances - this post was actually shortlisted last year for the Jasmine awards - and I had long wanted to go and visit the actual gardens that produce the beautiful raw materials that go into them. My wish came true a few weeks ago and on a beautiful and warm May day I was invited to wander around the 50- acre estate and learn a lot about the plants, processes and future plans as well as enjoy a glass of rose and delicious food from thei

Esxence celebrated its 10th year on March and the extremely popular fragrance exhibition was dressed in gold. A magic place dedicated to the love of perfume where brands present their new creations, new brands / creators emerge along with a packed schedule of talks, panels and presentation about all things fragrance, art, markets, the Art and Oflaction Awards nominations make it Heaven on Earth for any confessed perfume lover. I visited the exhibition on the first 2 days when

Every year IFF (International Flavours & Fragrances) gives to a bunch of talented perfumers an inspiration and unlimited resources to create whatever their heart desires. This year the inspiration / theme was Post Modern influences. Without a brief and just a vague idea in hand armed with the best, rarest and most expensive ingredients 14 perfumers created each a fragrance that expressed this idea for them and I was one of the lucky few that had the opportunity to attend the

Bottega Veneta hosted an event last week at Chiswick House and invited us to explore their Italian provenance and heritage of craftsmanship. “The Hand of the Artisan” transported its atelier from the quaint town of Montebello Vicentino to London including many of their craftspeople. The setting couldn’t be more fitting as Chiswick House is an 18th-century villa whose architecture was inspired by the style of Venetian architect Andrea Palladio. I reviewed the 6 first Parco Pal

There is a lot of talk lately about sustainability in the fragrance industry and this new “trend” has seen a lot of companies keep track of their ingredients throughout all the stages of their production until the end distillation product to ensure that exactly what they want for their fragrances reaches their perfume labs and also the continuation of the quality of their resources remains. Julia and David Bridger, the founders of Keyneston Mill, took it a step further; in th

Jovoy has landed in Mayfair and now all Londoners can finally get a taste of Parisian chic in a beautifully decorated space that reflects the brand's design style. Deep red painted walls and black lacquered wooden furniture work in perfection to showcase the beautiful fragrances. A very elegant and thoughtfully curated collection of Niche brands * (see full list at the end of the post) is available to sniff and purchase along with a special feature, a glass-panelled display r

Thirty Plus hosted an event a couple of weeks ago to introduce us to the new improved fragrances of Ecover's products plus we got a chance to get fashion advice from celeb stylist Alex Longmore! Ecover makes a variety of products using clever science, from laundry liquid and washing up liquid through to power cleaners and shower cream. Using plant-based power to take out the most determined dirt, their naturally derived ingredients leave nothing but a clean and wonderfully sc

Ruth Mastenbroek introduced a new packaging look recently for her fragrances inspired by the drop; the precious perfume drop that can awaken emotions and change our moods. Also a 4th fragrance named Firedance was added to the line, a rich rose centered scent which we had the opportunity to try last week at yet another excellently organised event by The Perfume Society at Fenwick Bond Street. I am a big fan of Ruth's work, you can read my review on Oxford here, so this new fr

What I love about all Fenwick stores is that very frequently they host "Meet our Experts" events where all shoppers have the opportunity to meet with people from the brands, get special treatments, perks and learn more about the inspiration behind the products. Fenwick Brent Cross is hosting an event now that will last until Sunday the 17th of September and Daniel Josier perfumes was invited to take part. I attended on Tuesday as the "Expert", representing them and giving the

I was surprised to discover that there were still people that didn’t know that Coco Chanel’s name was actually Gabrielle when Chanel announced the name of their new fragrance; an entirely new release in 15 years that bears the birth name of its founder. Chanel has created a pop up experience space called ESPACE GABRIELLE CHANEL located at 27 Old Bond Street dedicated to the fragrance, its ingredients and of course Coco Chanel herself. The space is simple and clean and focuses

Just before my summer holidays, at the end of July, I had the opportunity to go to Les Senteurs for the presentation of a new brand they carry now called Les Indémodables. Les Indémodables – ‘the timeless’ - fragrances are created from start to finish in Annecy, France by Valérie Pulvérail who has a 20 year long experience in the perfume industry and as a boutique owner. With the help of her partner Remi who is the founder of L’Atelier Français des Matières, a fragrance compa

On Wednesday Aspects Beauty invited us to their fragrance showcase where they presented us with all the lovely perfume brands they represent. It was an excellent opportunity to try some brands I know and love and their new releases but also discover some exciting new scents! The most beautiful presentation was E. Coudray's bathtub of dreams, the most instagrammable part of the showcase! Beautiful flowers welcomed us at the lobby! The House of Oud is a gorgeous new brand with

Summer has finally arrived and my cravings for ice cream have increased dramatically. My favorite flavor is seemingly simple, plain vanilla, however I have tried a lot of vanilla ice creams and can only name a few that bring to life this exceptional ingredient. Vanilla ice cream must be soft, creamy, addictive and very aromatic very much like Agonist's Vanilla Marble perfume that envelops you with it's sweet, yet light and cool scent once you spray it on your skin. Top Notes:

Agonist, the luxury Swedish Perfume House founded by the creative couple Christine and Niclas Lydeen, officially launched in 2008 with one perfume that was housed in a Kosta Boda crystal bottle, so unique and expensive that their first client was a museum. I had the opportunity to meet them a couple of weeks ago when Intertrade Group organised an event at the Shop at Bluebird with them and the dynamic duo that is Olfiction, Nick Gilbert and Pia Long. Through discussion and st