Twelve months is a long time in the world of perfume, where fragrance trends really can change overnight depending on the latest celebrity or influencer endorsement, but the quality of the launches this year has been incredible. We were treated to a real resurgence of violet, with the ingredient appearing in many successful releases, and also a happily renewed interest in the independent side of the industry. So, as we approach the end of 2024, it’s time to look back at twelve months of reviews on stephanmatthews.com and, while once again channelling my inner Blyton, pick My Favourite Five.
Showing posts with label Papillon Perfumery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Papillon Perfumery. Show all posts
Monday, 16 December 2024
Monday, 5 August 2024
EPONA by Papillon Perfumery
Creating a following in the perfume industry is something fragrance companies often spend tens of thousands of pounds trying to achieve. Indeed, the actual perfume can often become secondary to the marketing machine that surrounds it. With so many fragrances and ever-emerging brands to choose from every year, you can understand how important a loyal fan base can be. Most niche companies don’t have the finances to pump into adverts and PR - their product has to speak for itself. The perfect example of this is Papillon Perfumery, and their latest Epona perfume once again proves that they are a true thoroughbred.
Monday, 18 December 2023
My Favourite Five From 2023
I always wonder how the fragrance industry can possibly improve on its previous twelve months of releases, but 2023 has once again been an incredible year for perfume. It felt like a big melting pot of styles this year, with no particular “trend” overtaking any other, but the independent companies really did take the big corporations on at their own game. Whether you are a niche lover or a high street stalwart, there was something for everyone. So, as we approach the end of 2023, it’s time to look back at twelve months of articles on stephanmatthews.com and, while once again channelling my inner Blyton, pick My Favourite Five.
Monday, 3 July 2023
STEPHAN'S SIX - BROOKE BELLDON
When Brooke Belldon drew on her long-term passion for fragrance to launch the retail website Sainte Cellier, she quickly gained a reputation for stocking a carefully curated selection of the best that niche perfumery has to offer. Brooke has been a well-known face in the fragrance community for over a decade but, even after becoming a go-to voice for the niche market, still playfully describes herself as “an obsessive collector and enthusiastic student”. With such a wealth of knowledge, it was great to finally sit down with her and discover her scented memories during “Stephan’s Six”.
Monday, 8 May 2023
HERA by Papillon Perfumery
The reaction a customer feels towards a fragrance is something that is almost impossible for a perfumer to predict when they're creating a new release. Beyond the standard ideas of citruses being uplifting and vanilla comforting, the nature of fragrance is that it's individual to the wearer. This notion is challenged though when perfumer Liz Moores enters the line-up. She has an incredible gift of translating her inspiration into scent, and communicating it seamlessly to the wearer. This ability is instinctive, it cannot be taught, and her latest release proves once again why she is a leading British perfumer. It’s time to discover the astonishing Hera.
Monday, 20 December 2021
My Favourite Five From 2021
To say that it’s been a challenging twelve months would definitely be an understatement but, for the second year running, the fragrance industry has refused to give in. Even with partial restrictions and a decidedly uncertain future, companies have continued to do their very best to bring us some much needed scented escape. Some of the fragrances have been new, some have been classics, but all of them have kept us smiling. So, as we approach the end of 2021, I thought it would be a good moment to look back at twelve months of articles, once again channel my inner Blyton, and pick My Favourite Five.
Thursday, 29 April 2021
SPELL 125 by Papillon Perfumery
When we look at the never ending stream of reviews for any new perfume you could be forgiven for thinking that you’ve read it all before. Many of them seem to follow the press release from the company so rigidly that you can almost second guess what is going to be said. The real joy of fragrance is that different people can react in different ways to the same scent, so why not say so? This is what happened when I smelled the latest release from Liz Moores and Papillon Perfumery. Whilst it may have originally been inspired by ancient Egyptian rituals, Spell 125 took me instead to Germany and its annual celebration of Hexennacht.
Monday, 17 June 2019
BENGALE ROUGE by Papillon Perfumery
Monday, 9 July 2018
PERFUMES: THE GUIDE 2018 by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez
A critic, a reviewer, or an expert of any kind is never going to be able to please everybody. What one person sees as art another will see as wallpaper, what one person hears as music another will hear as white noise, and what one person smells as perfume another will smell as "pine-fresh lavatory cleaner". Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez have released their long awaited Perfumes: The Guide 2018, the follow-up to their 2008 industry-changing Perfumes: The A-Z Guide, and in the first two weeks of its release the internet has been flooded with smiles, laughter, tears and tantrums. So, what is it all about?
Monday, 7 May 2018
STEPHAN'S SIX - DAISY WAUGH
Born into a famous literary family, Daisy Waugh forged an enviable career both as a journalist and author before starting to write under the pseudonym of E. V. Harte. The first of her Dolly Greene books featured cheap scent and tarot cards but what fragrances hold special memories for Daisy? I caught up with her at the launch of her new book, The Case Of The Fool, and managed to unearth some scented secrets for “Stephan’s Six”.
Labels:
Anais Anais,
Cacharel,
Chanel,
Chypre,
Daisy Waugh,
Dior,
Dolly Green,
Dryad,
E V Harte,
Liz Moores,
No.5 L'Eau,
Opium,
Papillon Perfumery,
Poison,
Stephan's Six,
Yves Saint Laurent
Thursday, 23 November 2017
Perfume's "Them and Us"
When you spray on your favourite fragrance in the morning or even reapply in the evening you are choosing to wear a scent that makes you feel happy, contented, confident, protected, the list is endless. Our perfume choices are very personal and that is exactly why there are so many to choose from. What I find appealing in a scent might fill you with horror, and vice versa, but both of our opinions are just as valid as each other’s. You don’t need to be trained in fragrance to know if you like the smell of something so why are the words “general public” applied to the majority of the world's perfume purchasers?
Monday, 5 June 2017
DRYAD by Papillon Perfumery
Sexy is different to sensual and sultry is not the same as provocative, but what these words all have in common is that they can be applied to every fragrance from one of Britain's finest independent perfumers. If Agatha Christie is the Queen of Crime then Liz Moores is surely the Siren of Scent. She always weaves a sexuality through her fragrances and this continues with her latest addition. An already impressive range of four fragrances is joined this month by a fifth in the form of the eagerly awaited Dryad, and it promises to entice and challenge in exactly the same way that her previous creations have.
Thursday, 11 August 2016
Smell The Quality
It's back, and unfortunately it's one of those terrible phrases that you hear come out of the mouths of beauty consultants all over the wold, "you can smell the quality". It seemed to have disappeared but recently it's made a return with a vengeance. Maybe it's bad training or perhaps it's a calculated approach to selling more perfumes than the neighbouring counter? Either way it's simply not true. Whether it costs £5 or £500, you cannot "smell quality". Fragrances are designed in different styles for different customers, so what is the "quality" that you actually perceive when your spray that little card in the perfume department?
Thursday, 26 May 2016
HAS "NICHE" HAD ITS DAY?
One of the problems with perfume, as with most other hobbies or pastimes, is that there will always be an element of snobbery from certain camps. This can be around a particular brand, certain perfumers, even the direction that companies choose to take their scents. I find the greatest cause of misinformation usually comes from this group as they wage a war against anything that classifies as "mainstream". The word that is bandied around constantly at the moment is "niche", but is it time that we finally put it to bed in favour of a different one? I know that I am sticking my head well and truly above the parapet but my heckles are raised and it's time to voice my opinion.Wednesday, 11 May 2016
STEPHAN'S SIX - FRAGRANCE FOUNDATION NOMINEES 2016
On Thursday 12th May the results will be announced for the UK Fragrance Foundation Awards 2016. Four of the nominees were featured on "Stephan's Six" during 2015, and I am thrilled that 4160 Tuesdays and Papillon Artisan Perfumery are on the list alongside the usual big hitters. Leighton Denny is back for another year, along with the regular addition of Roja Dove, so let's look at these nominees and revisit the secrets that they revealed when they succumbed to "Stephan's Six".
Monday, 9 May 2016
STEPHAN'S SIX - CLARE REES
When Demeter Colognes launched in the UK under the name of The Library of Fragrance it was with Clare Rees at the helm. An unconventional perfume lover, which is why she was perfect for the brand, Clare has FINALLY succumbed to "Stephan's Six". I've subtitled this interview, "From Hairspray to Haute Couture", and with her eclectic selection you'll quickly understand why.
Monday, 11 January 2016
STEPHAN'S SIX - LIZ MOORES
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