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Quintessentially Perfume
Actually, Quintessentially Perfume is not a perfume: it’s a new book about fragrance, and definitely one for the scentophile’s bookshelf. Edited by Nathalie Grainger, with an intro by professeur de...
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Chanel Sycomore
My name is The Scent Critic and I am a vetiveraholic. I can never get enough of this earthy, sensual, deeply stirring fragrance ingredient, which I’ve been enraptured by since I used to wear...
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Honoré des Prés Chaman’s Party
Photographed against the cover of Hippie by Barry Miles Vetiver-lovers, get ready to party. This is a corker of a vetiver. And, to paraphrase the title of one of my favourite movies this year, It’s...
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Plum by Mary Greenwell
Tell me: what lengths have you gone to, to get your hands on a fragrance…? Continents scoured…? Begging letters sent…? Pilgrimages made…? Well, so consumed was The Scent Critic with the desire...
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The 12 Scents of Christmas No. 6: Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan
I once described Ambre Sultan as sex-in-a-bottle in a major Sunday supplement and caused a stampede to the counters. (Which probably says something about the state of the nation’s amorous life.)...
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Sahara (make: unknown)
The Scent Critic is not seriously going to suggest that you trek all the way to Tunisia to pick up a bottle of Sahara, weaving your way through the labyrinth of Sousse’s souk. (This small bottle: 3.5...
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Chanel No. 19 Poudré
The Scent Critic has experienced one of life’s little detours, and hereby apologises profoundly for a prolonged absence. The pulse-point on my right wrist, you see – not to mention the rest of the...
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Chanel Jersey
When a little bird at Chanel (actually, they’re all little birds at Chanel) told The Scent Critic that their next fragrance launch was based around lavender and vanilla, I said a silent ‘hmmmm’....
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Caron Tabac Blond
First of all, I’d like to point out that despite the fact this fragrance harks back to the era of fur tippets and flapper dresses, no chinchillas were harmed in the photography of this bottle. (The...
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Carita Eau de Parfum
Skin. Warm skin. Warm, sexy skin. Warm, sexy, kissable skin. At the end of the day, isn’t that what we’d all like a fragrance to smell like…? And of course, they all do, after a while:...
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