This is a long overdue review of Monk. Michael Storer has six fragrances in his line and Monk is my favorite. I like all the others, too (Kadota & Stephanie are my two other faves), but Monk is the one for me. Here are the listed notes from Mr. Storer: Birch tar oil, frankincense, civet, musk, cocoa absolute and sandalwood.I smell much more than the above list of notes. I also smell a

Continue reading → Monk by Michael Storer: A Review

Back in 2006, I revealed that I was using a new form of animal musk scent in my perfumes, one that was tinctured from the hair of a rutting billy goat. The adorable goat, Frontrunner, donated some of the hair from the area where his scent glands are lo…

Continue reading → Getting Your Goat - Perfume Musk that is Fragrance without Guilt

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Continue reading → Of Breadth, Depth, Illusion, Reality, Chaos and Where They All Meet…

My Father’s Hats - by Mark Irwin - Sunday mornings I would reach high into his dark closet while standing on a chair and tiptoeing reach higher, touching, sometimes fumbling the soft crowns and imagine I was in a forest, wind hymning through pines, where the musky scent of rain clinging to damp earth was his scent I loved, lingering on bands, leather, and on the inner silk crowns where I would smell his hair and almost think I was being held, or climbing a tree, touching the yellow fruit, leaves whose scent was that of clove in the godsome…

Continue reading → fathers, sons, and ghosts

My Father’s Hats - by Mark Irwin - Sunday mornings I would reach high into his dark closet while standing on a chair and tiptoeing reach higher, touching, sometimes fumbling the soft crowns and imagine I was in a forest, wind hymning through pines, whe…

Continue reading → fathers, sons, and ghosts

Jane Birkin piqued the imagination of thousands when she sighed heavily throughout “Je t’aime, moi non plus”, the Gainsbourg song that Brigitte Bardot had refused to sing and which the Vatican renounced as sinful. Her personality, her insouciance…

Continue reading → L’air de Rien by Miller Harris

To Earthward - by Robert Frost - Love at the lips was touch As sweet as I could bear; And once that seemed too much; I lived on air That crossed me from sweet things, The flow of—was it musk From hidden grapevine springs Down hill at dusk? I had the swirl and ache From sprays of honeysuckle That when they’re gathered shake Dew on the knuckle. I craved strong sweets, but those Seemed strong when I was young; The petal of the rose It was that stung. Now no joy but lacks salt That is not dashed with pain…

Continue reading → the descent

To Earthward - by Robert Frost - Love at the lips was touch As sweet as I could bear; And once that seemed too much; I lived on air That crossed me from sweet things, The flow of—was it musk From hidden grapevine springs Down hill at dusk? I had the …

Continue reading → the descent

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Continue reading → Concrete

Has it ever happened to you to completely dismiss something new merely on the value of past experiences and then be proved wrong? Surely it has! This is what happened to me with the newest perfume by Swedish skincare and cosmetics brand Oriflame, conce…

Continue reading → Amethyst Fatale by Oriflame: fragrance review

It has been a while since I last reviewed a masculine fragrance here on Fragrance Bouquet, even though several creations, some old and some new have caught my attention since summer. I cannot put off reviewing Prada Pour Homme any longer though, and not just because I’ve somehow ended up smelling it almost daily –either on my own skin or on others- for the last couple of weeks. The truth is, I

Continue reading → Prada Pour Homme by Prada : Perfume Review

If you doubt your eyes, you can never doubt your nose, it seems. It is unmistakeably capable of discerning that which the promotional material might deny. It has the ability to get not only molecules stuck in its receptive velcro but also memories, ass…

Continue reading → Daisy by Marc Jacobs: fragrance review and lucky draw!

Give me something that blurs the lines between the point where my own skin’s scent ends and the point where the fragrance itself begins and chances are I’ll love it. I passionately seek these fragrances out and it always gives me such a feeling of satisfaction when I find a new one to add to my collection. It comes as no surprise then, that when I found Ava Luxe a year or so earlier, the first

Continue reading → Skin² by Ava Luxe : Perfume Review

The new niche line I have promised you is none other than Vero Profumo, the spiritual child of Vero Kern, a Switzerland based aromatologist and Paris trained perfumer under the mentoring of none other than famous legend Guy Robert.I was immensely flatt…

Continue reading → Vero profumo line ~Kiki: fragrance review

As you might have known if you have been reading PerfumeShrine long enough, this is a blog that aims to pose questions and make you ponder as much as anything. No ready “recipes” or flowery purple prose for the sake of it. So whenever we test something…

Continue reading → New fragrance line: Nasomatto Perfumes

A perfume material made from the seeds of a marsh mallow, or hibiscus plant in India, it is often used as a vegetable substitute for musk from animal sources. It has a more floral, sweet smell than deer musk and comes into its own on warm skin, not ha…

Continue reading → Ambrette Seed