Perfume Review: The Britologne Collection by Thameen London

Christopher Chong, in-house Creative Director at Thameen London and I have something in common: we’ve both taken an extended break from the world of perfume but now we’re back! I’m certainly very happy to be back and to be smelling his work again. You’ll be familiar with Christopher’s fantastic work at Amouage, a brand that he really turned around and brought to the forefront of niche perfumery. The perfumes he creates are bold, innovative and often times challenging. He is not one to shy away from brashness, working with world-class perfumers to push the boundaries forward. You may have not loved everything he did at Amouage but you can never accuse anything he has worked on of being boring and for that, he deserves a huge amount of respect.

Having taken up residence at Thameen London, Chong presents The Britologne Collection. Consisting of six fragrances (as of now), this capsule collection within Thameen London’s wider oeuvre is an homage to Britain and the traditional Eau de Cologne, fusing both words together to create Britologne. The result is a collection that subverts that classic Eau de Cologne structure, pushing it firmly into the 21st century with fragrances that are dramatically unique and fantastic examples of olfactory storytelling. The Britologne Collection may be inspired by familiar themes, but if I’ve learned one thing from my years of sniffing perfumes created under the direction of Christopher Chong, it’s to expect the unexpected.

Let’s Sniff!

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What Makes a Fragrance ‘Good’?

What does it take to be a good fragrance or even a great one?

By far the most common question I get asked when I reveal myself to be a perfume nerd, other than “have you heard of Santal 33?” (sigh, yes I have, we all have) or “what is your favourite fragrance of all time?” (it is and always will be Angel, I’m hoping to do a Warhol and be buried with a bottle, instructions are in my will) is “what makes a fragrance good?” I like this question because it doesn’t have a simple answer and a response of “err, well, you see, actually many things make a scent good” doesn’t really cut the mustard. In fact it puts one’s olfactory poindexter status on the line and we simply cannot have that now, can we?

To avoid being booted out of the Perfumerati, I wanted to ponder this question in detail. But actually, the real reason I want to explore it is because fragrance can so often be unnecessarily mysterious. It’s usually a case of “pay no attention to the man behind the green curtain” where all of the inner-workings are hidden from view and as a consumer it can be completely overwhelming, with thousands of launches per year. So the real reason I want to answer what makes a fragrance good is to help point you in the right direction. To help you to know what to look for and most importantly, to guide you to find the right fragrance that is good for you.

So let’s hold the mirror up to the world of fragrance, take a long hard look and ask “what’s good?”

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Perfume Review: Infleurno by Eau de Boujee

Infleurno is the latest fragrance from Eau de Boujee (formerly ‘Boujee Bougies’), a British fragrance house that creates bold, high-quality perfumes with exciting and unique concepts. It is loosely based on their Hellflower candle, which was inspired by a terrible sci-fi novel with a fantastic name. They call Infleurno a “pyrotechnic burst of citrus and florals” with a description that channels Persephone, Hades, fruits, embers and demons. If that doesn’t have you intrigued, then I can’t help you, my friend.

I cannot be unbiased about anything created by Nick and Pia of Eau de Boujee because they have been my friends for a long time and I spent a few years working with them at their fragrance house Olfiction, where I specifically worked on one of the Boujee Bougies (Thorny). So I’m not going to try and hide my bias here, but I will say that if I didn’t like this fragrance (or any scent from their brand for that matter), I simply wouldn’t write about it. Make of that what you will. Anyway, disclaimers are boring so let’s move on to the fun stuff, i.e. the review.

Let’s Sniff!

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Perfume Review: Eau d’Ombré Leather by TOM FORD

Hey there, it’s been a while.

I’ve been a bit out of the loop with new fragrance launches for quite some time. Whilst I’ve still maintained an interest and have visited stores to keep up to date with what’s fresh and exciting, I have to admit that I’ve only been moved by a handful of new scents over the last 12 months or so. Perhaps I’m too out of the loop or I’m not smelling the right things, or maybe I’m just getting fussy in my old age, but certainly in the mainstream, there doesn’t seem much to get me excited.

I did recently come across something that tickled my nose in the right away and I’m sure you’re already guessing what it is: Eau d’Ombré Leather, the latest launch from TOM FORD. I’ll admit now that I hold the controversial opinion that the TOM FORD Signature Collection (Black Orchid, White Patchouli, Noir, Costa Azzura etc.) is miles better than the more expensive (and often, IMHO, underwhelming) Private Blends. I’d happily own one of each of the Signature Collection scents (and in fact, do own my fair share) and this new, somewhat lighter interpretation of the staple Ombré Leather (which I do also love) is no exception.

So here I am, raising my head tentatively about the parapet to tell you about a fragrance I like. Feels a bit like old times, doesn’t it? I’ve missed writing a lot (and snapping shots of fragrances to accompany that writing too) and a huge amount has happened since my last post in October 2021. I feel like I’m an entirely different person to who I was then and maybe I’ll be a completely different writer, who knows. I’m not sure if I want to write more than this or more often. This may not be me jumping back into the pool, it may just be more a case of me dipping my toe in, but I do know that I felt compelled to write something today. So, here we are. Let’s see if I can remember how to do this…

Let’s Sniff!

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Perfume Review: Synthetic Jungle by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend a virtual masterclass with Frederic Malle and perfumer Anne Flipo all about the brand’s latest launch Synthetic Jungle. I was intrigued by the fragrance, of course (we will get on to that soon – patience please) but I was also curious about the name. Given all of the scaremongering around materials in perfumery – you know what I mean, the false narratives around chemicals being bad (literally everything is a chemical, oy), that natural is better (simply not true) and that clean beauty is a thing (I don’t even know where to start with this one) it seems somewhat brave to release a fragrance with “synthetic” in the name. I asked M. Malle whether the name was a statement and he, without hesitation said yes, it is.

In response, he told me that there is a misconception that synthetic materials are bad and naturals are good, adding that people don’t understand that interesting perfume started because of synthetics (it’s true, we wouldn’t have modern perfumery as it is today without aroma chemicals). As he explains, Synthetic Jungle’s name seeks to remind people that perfume is a paradox, and that synthetic materials are required to recreate the smells of nature. This is exactly what Synthetic Jungle achieves – a beautifully natural smelling perfume, evocative of a lush jungle, and made with a mixture of both natural and synthetic materials.

Now, moving past the name, what about Synthetic Jungle the perfume? This is the result of a long creative flirtation between Frederic Malle and Anne Flipo, where the former spent quite some in the corridors of IFF convincing the latter to work with him. The starting point for their fragrant collaboration was the green fragrances of the 1970s, specifically Estée Lauder’s Private Collection, which served as inspiration. Synthetic Jungle is Frederic Malle and Anne Flipo’s rendition of the green chypre accord – a simplified, modernised version that isolates the green accord and amplifies it with intense floralcy. The result? An accessible take on green that feels operatic in its execution.

Let’s sniff!

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Candy Crush: CHANEL Nº5 Limited Holiday Edition

Candy Crush is where I write about scent-related things that I’m currently obsessed with.

If you’ve not been living under a rock, you will know that Nº5, the world’s most famous perfume, and bedtime ritual for Miss Marilyn Monroe, celebrated its centenary this year. CHANEL marked the occasion in an unexpected way, with CHANEL FACTORY 5 – a series of pop ups and a limited editions that celebrated the innovative packaging of the fragrance. Now they’re rounding of the centenary year with a limited edition bottle with a twist. We’ve seen Nº5 in red (who could forget that iconic red bottle?!) but for 2021, the icon is clad in white paper.

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Live @ Five w/ @Ostens_Official

I had the pleasure of hosting industry legends Chris Yu and Laurent Delafon on my latest episode of Live @ Five (my instagram live series). Chris and Laurent are the founders of Ostens, a British niche brand created for curious noses that celebrates the beautiful raw materials perfumers use every day. Working with IFF (and IFF-LMR), Ostens work with legendary perfumers (Dominique Ropion, Sophie Labbe, and Bruno Jovanovic, just to name a few), giving them carte blanche to create a fragrance inspired by a specific raw material (either a natural or an aroma chemical) which is sold alongside the isolated material. It’s a fascinating and unique brand.

In this episode of Live @ Five, we chat about Chris and Laurent’s love of perfume, how they got into the fragrance biz, what inspired them to create their own brand, and what the future holds for Ostens. We also talk about the creative process and Cedarwood Heart Impression, which is Ostens’ scent of the season. It’s a really fascinating chat and you can check it out by clicking here or by heading below the jump for the embedded video.

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Perfume Review: Velvet Tonka by BDK Parfums

I’ve been waiting for a fragrance from French brand BDK Parfums to click with me for a long time. Don’t get me wrong, everything they do is very well crafted and pleasant, and the packaging is exquisitely luxurious and well considered. It’s just that nothing has moved me yet. Perfume is so personal, right? So, sometimes a brand just doesn’t gel with your tastes or style, no matter how good they are, and that’s how I feel about BDK, well, I should say “that’s how I’ve felt”, because since their latest launch ‘Velvet Tonka‘ came along, everything has changed.

Velvet Tonka is described as being a tribute to the Morrocan origins of BDK founder, David Benedek, capturing the flavours and landscapes of the country “like a sweet, indulgent breeze coming straight from the Atlas Mountains”. As part of BDK’s Collection Matières the fragrance focuses on the rich and complex note of tonka bean with its supple facets of coumarin, marzipan and vanilla, blending it with key materials of orange blossom and almond. The result? A decadent gourmand that surprises with its lightness of touch.

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The Candy Perfume Boy Wins Sixth Jasmine Award

Well, here’s some good news! Last night The Fragrance Foundation UK held the annual Fragrance Foundation Awards and they announced the winners of the Jasmine Awards (the Oscars of fragrance writing). I was nominated in three categories and was thrilled to be awarded the Jasmine for Best Practical Guide for my article Material Focus: Cashmeran. This is my sixth (!!!) Jasmine Award and it’s still a complete surprise that anything I write is worthy. Thanks to all that continue to read this blog and for those who have supported me along the way.

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IGTV: Six Scents for Autumn 2021

Summer is gone (see ya later, sunshine) and autumn is here. I for one, am thrilled, because I adore autumn; the crispness in the air and the wonderful array of colours. It’s the best season and as we head into cooler times, we tend to switch out our summer fragrance wardrobe, ditching the fresh colognes in favour of comforting ambers and kaleidoscopic chypres. In my latest IGTV video I talk through six perfect fragrances for autumn – each one the perfect addition to your wardrobe.

Click here to watch the video on instagram or head below the jump for the embedded video.

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