Animalic, dirty, horse saddle, leathery iris, the precursor of his Arabian Horse. Basically Arabian Horse is Cuir D'Iris on steroids (think Chris Evans in Captain America AFTER the injection).  Does EXACTLY what it says on the tin. Just perfect. And if you don't believe me, just read JTD's (God rest his soul) review on this esteemed website or Claire Vukcevic's on Takeonethingoff...

The standard Eaux de Cologne* seem like an obvious choice for summer. Citric, bright, refreshing. They don’t have a lot of duration, but they’re a break from the heat and cast a spell of cleanliness long enough for a first impression if you move very quickly. The traditional EdC is the most democratic of genres. The difference between the $8 bottle of EdC and the $200 bottle is minimal and you can get a bottle...

Despite a frequently cited lack of common knowledge, perfumery is spring-loaded with all sorts of information, often in the form of misinformation and disinformation. Secrets, gossip, anecdotes, lies. The occasionally verifiable account of an event or discussion. Given the historic secrecy of perfumery it’s no surprise that small talk from one era becomes the mythology of the next. There is a sense that we’re unearthing the hidden...

lavender extract as the quintessential fougere as it contains all the ingredients that are necessary. Very interesting. I will keep an eye here to see how things progress in your project and if I manage to find the key to unlock the understanding of classical classification.(Feb 12, 2014) jtd said:Hi, Christos! Thanks for commenting. If you’re baffled by taxonomy, then you’re likely looking at it properly....

I don't know Tom Ford from Adam, but I've had his image shoved down my throat by sheer demography for years. I have no interest in fashion, but I'm queer and live in an urban setting. In my world, Tom Ford: the Brand is on par with McDonald's in terms of ubiquity. Also, brands that express boredom with the lifestyle they espouse make me crazy. High-fashion world-weariness is ugly. I've been saturated with images...

I’ve been thinking about the wonderful yet inexpensive perfumes out there. There are many well considered, beautifully made perfumes that you can buy for a song. Cheap or pricy, though, the best perfumes must stand up to the same criteria. Is it coherent and balanced? Does it hold up over time? Does it captivate you, that is, would you wear it as your only perfume? Crucial: does it smell good?...

Actually, I have nothing against opinion per se. The question is how do we come by it and what do we do with it?I am all for knowing yourself and trusting your gut, but the opinion-judgment two-step doesn't aid the discussion of perfume. "I love this! (therefore) It's the greatest perfume ever!" and, "I hate this! (therefore) It's terrible!" are equally unhelpful starting points for a meaningful exchange. Granted, 140 characters...

I’ve read a few online discussions about gender and perfume recently. I love to see this because nowhere does gender seem more arbitrary than in perfumery. Now I love perfume, and consider it an art-form, but I don't expected it to move the dial on gender. Perfume is more likely to fall in line with your beliefs than to change them. For most men, this will mean wearing fragrances marketed to men. For a number...

I’ve said it before: as a rule, flankers suck. It's not hard to understand how and why they suck. The goal is sales and the impetus is marketing . When goals are reiteration and demographic targeting, and the risk is straying too far from the known, creativity will be difficult to pin down. How is it then that some succeed?A few strategies and how they play out: Let's start at the bottom of the barrel with the unadulterated...

I find the discussion of gender and perfume fascinating but frustrating. However well-considered an understanding or a finding might be, it’s hard to consider in terms of evidence. Gender is as basic as language, but where is it? Where do you find gender? Fragrance is easy to ‘place’, but how do you discuss it? What does it mean?It's possible to make truthful generalities about groups of people,...

Diorellish (the the current reformulation of Diorella) smells OK. On first impression, it smells a bit like Diorella, the lateral borders being in about the same places, but the depth isn't there. Graph Diorellish in two dimensions and the X-axis appears mostly intact; the general shape of Diorella can be seen. But on the Y-axis, the lack of depth would distinguish it instantly...

Roudnitska is known for his perfumes, for his influence on the state of the art of perfumery and, more than many other noses, for his discussion of the art of perfumery. I don’t know all his work. I’m not an historian and there has been very little critical analysis of perfumery as an art form. There isn’t much to draw on for those who would like to know...