admin – Sur le Brise

Tiziana Terenzi – Laudano Nero Review

Launched in 2012, Tiziana Tirenzi’s Black Collection was the first collection created by the family run Italian house, headed by creative director Tiziana and her perfumer brother Paulo. It was quite a bold beginning, starting out with ‘Ecstasy’ and ‘XIX March’, the house continued to add to the collection year-on-year, releasing ‘Maremma’ in 2013, ‘Laudano Nero’ in 2014, ‘Al Contrario’ in 2015 and ‘Foconero’ in 2017. They quickly expanded into other collections, but the Black collection remained as a staple for people interested in darker, creative scents.

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Louis Vuitton – Nouveau Monde & Matiere Noire Review

Louis Vuitton’s recent perfume collections were, you might say, a long time coming. Partnering with Jacques Cavallier, the first collection apparently took four years to finalise. Released in 2016, it had been a full 70 years since the release of the last perfume to carry the Louis Vuitton name, though what that smelt like is anyone’s guess. The aptly named ‘Eau De Voyage’ was never sold in large quantities even then and disappeared relatively quickly.

Floraiku – Discovery Set Review

From the moment you hear the brand name, an enigmatic portmanteau of Floral and Haiku, you are instantly clued in to Floraiku’s main theme. The brand, created by Clara and John Molloy of MEMO fame, is so tightly spun here, so well developed that I’m struggling to think of a comparable house that is themed with such strict imagery.

Video: Floraiku Discovery Set – First Impressions

I picked up the Floraiku discovery set last week, so here’s my first impression of (more or less) the entire line from the house. Floraiku are an offshoot from MEMO of African Leather fame, with gorgeous presentations but STEEP price tags.

Video: Beaufort London – Couer de Noire Review

Another challenging little stink water from beaufort London, this time Coeur De Noir, which means Black Heart in French, for the record… Almost romantic.

Video: Gallivant – London Review

Here’s a review of one of my recent finds that I really enjoyed, Gallivant London. It’s a dandy Rose fragrance with an eccentric, rough animalic leather edge. Not quite the London that I know, but a good version none the less.

Video: Xerjoff – Cavour One Review

Here’s a little peek at one of the exclusive Xerjoff fragrances from the Shooting Stars lineup, Cavour One. Exclusive (sort of…) to the Turin Boutique, it’s a classy, refined, quite seductive scent. Pretty good tbf, it’s got some unique top notes in Quince and White Peach.

Video: How to train your nose for perfume & perfumery

Here’s a video with some ideas on how to train your nose when picking notes and analysing fragrances, a handy skill for perfume as a hobby and a foundational and indispensable skill for a perfumer. Just an idea for a video from a comment I read last week. Wouldn’t say I’m an authority myself, but we’re all just learning together eh.

Video: Mon Guerlain First Impressions

This weeks Sunday Sample pulled out Mon Guerlain by Guerlain. A pretty dull fragrance all told, but done well all the same. Not something I’d wear ever again, but I can see the point of this in Guerlains lineup. Probably worth a skip, this one, if I’m honest…

Video: Beaufort London – Rake & Ruin Review

Here’s another Beaufort London fragrance that I sampled today, this time, Rake and Ruin. It’s a smokey, ashy, leathery, pile of filth and really quite nice!