Perfumes: The Guide
by Luca Turin, Tania Sanchez
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Book Reviews of Perfumes: The Guide
Book Review: Fun, Funny - and Useful.... Check out the new edition!
Summary: 4 Stars
My father, who wore Old Spice when I was a kid but doesn't own a single bottle of perfume, sat down and read through this for a full hour, just picking out the 1-star reviews for amusement... It's also fun to see what two 'professional' perfume critics think of YOUR favorites! You'll find top sellers with bad ratings (e.g. Bright Crystal -1 star) and outstanding ratings (e.g., Cool Water - 5-stars). There's a surprise on every page. If you have a teenager interested in perfume or science, a book like this could be a nice gift - it gives some real-world context to chemistry.
I read "The Emperor of Scent", and it started my own perfume obsession. After reading "The Secret of Scent", and several perfume-themed blogs, I wanted to start a perfume collection. Of all the guides, when I saw Luca Turin co-authored this one, I chose it because I knew it would be informative. What I didn't expect is how laugh-out-loud funny many reviews would be! The authors smell each perfume (mens and womens fragrances are both technically perfumes) on a paper strip, and also on skin - several times - to provide a very thorough evaluation. The best thing about this book is that it gives just enough history and background to interest even the most casual reader, that will also help you figure out what you like about the perfumes you wear and help you find more to try. And I love that you find Old Spice, Vanilla Fields, Stetson, and other "dime-store" fragrances as well as historic 'greats' and 'artisan' scents... nothing is ignored.
[NOTE: There is a new edition in paperback. If you're new to perfume, or just curious, buy this. If you like it, please seek out the new edition - with another 400 perfumes, and a new format and indices, it makes the jump to 5-stars. There is also a website, where a dedicated reader created a spreadsheet and indexed all the perfumes and ratings.]
Book Review: The Perfume Police
Summary: 5 Stars
Turin and Sanchez bring to my mind the Fashion Police. Any version of the Fashion Police. Yes, they review and critique. They praise and admire and gush, and every once in a while, the claws come out and they're as catty as Joan Rivers. Funny, too.
No house is sacred (except Guerlain) in this book. Each perfume reviewed has a two-word caption providing a short description. For example, L'Heure Bleue's caption is "dessert air," which is apt because it's sweet and light. Reviews of various lengths and seriousness follow. Some are raves, some are descriptive, some are rants.
But the real reason to read this book, and you SHOULD read this book, is for its entertainment value. Sure, you'll learn some things along the way, and sometimes you'll disagree. I regret to inform M. Turin he is entirely wrong about Jicky. It is not a timeless classic. I bought a sample. My deperate attempts to like it failed, and for good reason: Jicky is icky.
Read this book because parts of it are hysterically funny. And if you see a fragrance on sale, well, maybe the reviews can help you decide whether to try the fragrance. Just don't take the book too seriously, because I guarantee you'll find a perfume you love dismissed as soapy!
Book Review: A Guide? Think again!
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this book originally thinking that it would be more like a reference for perfumes/colognes. However, it's more like a book about known perfumes/cologne that the authors rate and critique. In my opinion when you title a book "Perfumes: The Guide" you expect it to be a guide - a reference for all the perfumery sales personnel who work at the stores, boutiques, etc, and to the perfumes lovers/collectors. I was hoping that it would be more like "if you like perfume A, you would also enjoy perfume B". This guide doesn't mention top, middle, base notes of the perfumes mentioned nor does it have pictures - so you don't even know what you are looking at. Some of the reviews by the authors I agree with, but the majority of the reviews I don't agree with. In general, I feel like this is a terrible "guide" because it is very biased and completely based off the authors' experiences with the products.
Next time a guide on perfumes/cologne is made I wish that these things are covered, especially the ingredient notes of the cologne and also pictures. Also, I don't feel like a "review" of a cologne/perfume is based on one's personal critique - not everyone noses and personalities are alike.
Book Review: Perfumes the Guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez
Summary: 5 Stars
The descriptions of perfumes in this book are AMAZING. I actually started highlighting and post-it marking different scents and have been on a mission to track them down and smell!!! There are several brief chapters in the beginning about the science of smell, the types of fragrances and the history of perfumes. And then! wonderful descriptions of perfume, some quite amusing. Jicky, Cuir de Russie, Apres l'Ondee, Lolita Lempicka, Mitsouko...names I've read over the years, but magazine reviews and scent flaps really are pitifully inadequate after reading this book. This book is probably not for the person who is content to wear the latest Britney Spears scent but for someone who is a lot more adventurous. I would recommend also "The Emperor of Scent - A True Story of Perfume and Obsession" about scientist Luca Turin and "The Perfect Scent - A Year Inside the Perfume Industry" a great story about how a perfume is actually created, both by Chandler Burr (no, I do not know him). It would have been a very nice touch to see photos/illustrations of
the perfume bottles, but still, a great book. Enjoy!
Book Review: This book is a joke
Summary: 1 Stars
I am always interested in trying out new fragrances so i was really looking forward to reading this book. Alas, i was destined to be dissapointed. Authors are beyond condesending and bitchy, putting down perfumes that they are "gasp"consider too common. I don't mind reading other people's reviews but this, as one reviewer said, reminded me of junior high. And finally, how can i tell anything about a fragrance if review is one line? Boucheron is classified as "dismal oriental" and what is so dismal is not explained. There is no notes for fragrance listed so at the end, you won't know anymore about certain perfume, than when you started. These, so called "reviews", are not "cutting", they are mean spirited and nasty, with no useful information offered. Total waste of money.