Review
`Perfumes: The Guide is one of the best books I have ever read. It is dazzlingly good.' --India Knight, Sunday Times
Review
`Far more addictive than it has any right to be'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
67 of 69 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Quite apart from its sheer range and depth in tackling its subject, this book is really entertaining. It blows a welcome blast of fresh air through the fragrance business, exposing some of its frailties ('We *never* change our fragrance formulas' is the lie you hear most often) and gambolling in the glittering light of enthusiasm when reviewing favoured scents. The fragrance reviews are splendidly opinionated, but it's always clear that what's being praised is quality, coherence, balance, rather than 'niceness', so you're still free to exercise your own preference when you're shopping. I'm particularly impressed by the authors' recognition of the part appearance and presentation play in our enjoyment of fragrance, so they tell you when the packaging is the best thing about a scent, and when the opposite is true, too. They're also very good at pointing out that where fragrance is concerned, you very rarely 'get what you pay for', because some of the cheapest products on sale are very good, and some of the most expensive are not. Even if you fall into the least favoured category of person - someone who wears fragrance because they're frightened of smelling of themselves, rather than because they actually like what they're wearing - you'll find constructive suggestions here, with splendidly direct warnings about pitfalls you might want to avoid. A splendid read, and a reliable guide - which will need updating with new editions every few years!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was then dubious about giving my book thoughts as I haven't read it from cover to cover. I was dubious about reading this book at first as I thought it would just be for girls... I was wrong. Could I be converted into the world of smells and scents by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez????
The answer is a resounding yes. From what I have read so far I know this book is one that I will be treasuring for quite sometime, hopefully for life. I am not the biggest perfume addict in the world and so really I am coming to this book from layman's terms. I would say that I've no idea about perfumes whatsoever, I like what I like and don't like what I don't like it's that simple. Imagine my thrill when the aftershave/cologne I wear gets a full 5 stars and the comment "buy it even if you never put it on" mind you its quite pricey so would be a waste just sitting there.
The writing of the book from Luca and Tania is brilliant, it's honest, blunt in parts, comic in others but most importantly it's accessible. There is an introduction to perfume criticism, a look at what male and female scents work, a history of perfume and also a whole twenty pages of readers questions answered. Whether you know nothing about perfume or heaps about it you can't help but be charmed by the reviews. One which had me in hysterics was a review of Paris Hilton's `Can Can' was simply "can it, by all means". The experts are never patronising and though some reviews are a little OTT you just think it's fabulous and carry on wanting to read more and more. And this book hasnt just been a hit with me, my partners loved it, guests have loved it... its a household hit!
The answer is a resounding yes. From what I have read so far I know this book is one that I will be treasuring for quite sometime, hopefully for life. I am not the biggest perfume addict in the world and so really I am coming to this book from layman's terms. I would say that I've no idea about perfumes whatsoever, I like what I like and don't like what I don't like it's that simple. Imagine my thrill when the aftershave/cologne I wear gets a full 5 stars and the comment "buy it even if you never put it on" mind you its quite pricey so would be a waste just sitting there.
The writing of the book from Luca and Tania is brilliant, it's honest, blunt in parts, comic in others but most importantly it's accessible. There is an introduction to perfume criticism, a look at what male and female scents work, a history of perfume and also a whole twenty pages of readers questions answered. Whether you know nothing about perfume or heaps about it you can't help but be charmed by the reviews. One which had me in hysterics was a review of Paris Hilton's `Can Can' was simply "can it, by all means". The experts are never patronising and though some reviews are a little OTT you just think it's fabulous and carry on wanting to read more and more. And this book hasnt just been a hit with me, my partners loved it, guests have loved it... its a household hit!
41 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A danger to credit cards everywhere! This book is so evocative - descriptions of the good perfumes make you want to rush out and buy them without even smelling them first and reviews of the bad ones are screamingly funny. It's absolutely beautiful and a perfect present - also a brilliant way to drop a hint to your boyfriend, either because you want one of the scents or if you don't like his.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very good guide
Very good read, so much so I realised immediately that I had spent £120 on fake or stale perfume from a very reputable store. I am glad that I bought the download. Read more
Published 13 days ago by DoodleBug
good guide
Unique product plugging a serious hole in the field. Talks sense entertainingly and independently about hundreds of perfumes. Read more
Published 24 days ago by boldrameses
IT REALLY SUCKS
IT REALLY SUCKS!!!
They even cannot write in proper english.
They don't know what a real perfume is.
They are completely incompetents.
They even cannot write in proper english.
They don't know what a real perfume is.
They are completely incompetents.
Published 6 months ago by Fla
Worth buying...
Well and wittily written book. You can disagree with the opinions of the authors, but you get to know their opinion. Must have for fans fragrances. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Roq
All mouth, no taste
Browsing this at the moment.
I was sceptical about it anyway as it's so hugely hyped (quite often a bad sign). Read more
I was sceptical about it anyway as it's so hugely hyped (quite often a bad sign). Read more
Published 6 months ago by Eleanora
a very useful guide for the fragrance enthusiast
A useful guide for those interested in perfume, though you may, of course, disagree with its conclusions (I LOVE Serge Lutens' Miel de Bois, which the authors hate). Read more
Published 7 months ago by SecondCherry
It's A Matter Of Personal Taste
The opinions of the two authors of this book are mostly according their opinions and their taste. There are, however, good descriptions so that one can "smell" the accord from the... Read more
Published 14 months ago by CarolG
Frustrating
I find this book very frustrating.
The perfume reviews are relatively well written and interesting.
My main complaints are:
1). Read more
The perfume reviews are relatively well written and interesting.
My main complaints are:
1). Read more
Published 14 months ago by Lightray
Not just for scent freaks. A total joy - could't put it down!
I don't know what made me pick this book up in the bookshop - perhaps the curiously standout cover - but I haven't been able to put it down since! Read more
Published 14 months ago by AnnPan
NOT an A-Z guide: merely a pointless list of "Smells I like"
Because this book was titled "Perfumes - the A-Z Guide" I assumed it would be a veritable bible of ingredients, components, topnotes and base notes; but I was frankly shocked to... Read more
Published 16 months ago by AnimaSola
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