Penhaligon's Love Machine and Mook

The Penhaligon's store in Covent Garden in London had this delightful Love Machine-themed window display in anticipation of Valentine's Day.


The pride of place goes to their LP No. 9, an oriental fragrance with an intriguing contrast of lemon, lavender and sweet carnation against a warm base of cedar, vanilla and spice. (The name is a nod to the classic song 'Love Potion No. 9'.)


A similar display at the Penhaligon's store along Regent Street.


Thanks to a friend, I recently received the Penhaligon's mook from Kinokuniya in Singapore. This is the first ever Penhaligon's mook (Japanese publishing lingo for "magazine book"). Both Makeup Stash and Shine, Shimmer & Sparkle have also written about it.

The magazine comes with two zip pouches made of polyester and PVC, measuring 20x26x4.5cm and 10.5x13x2.5cm.

Adorned with pink grosgrain ribbons reminiscent of those that typically decorate Penhaligon's fragrance bottles, the well-padded pouches are both of good quality, with neat stitching and fully covered inner seams. The print is a collage of assorted Penhaligon's fragrance labels against a rich chocolate background.

The smaller pouch works well as a digital camera case or for carrying a lipstick and face powder for touch ups on the go.



Surprisingly, the larger pouch was actually able to fit my iPad 1, although it does take a bit of manoeuvring to slide it in as the zip opening is just a teensy bit too small.

The mook is mostly a glossy brand catalogue, with an in-depth look at the brand's history and philosophy plus a detailed description of the various Penhaligon's fragrances and their composition of notes. It also includes a visit to the head office in London and interviews with Japanese personalities like stylist Yumie Kazama, singer Bro.kone and writer Reiko Yuyama on their love for the brand.



Recent Christmas collections

In the message from Penhaligon's CEO, she talks about how each fragrance is inspired by unusual elements. For example, their first fragrance, Hammam Bouquet (produced in 1872) was inspired by the steam and sulphurous aromas of Turkish baths while Sartorial (produced in 2010) was inspired by the bespoke tailors of Savile Row.


The mook retails at S$36.70, which is quite expensive (although you can get a 10% discount with the Kinokuniya members' card). Nevertheless, it will probably appeal to people who are already fans of the brand.


Sara of Icyabract just wrote about her scent profiling session at the Penhaligon's store in Ion Orchard. Do check it out!

Penhaligon's Mook

The first ever Penhaligon's official "mook" (magazine book) will be released on 26 January in Japan. It comes with a pair of zip pouches. This should be available at Kinokuniya in Singapore as well. You can view other new mooks on the publisher, Takarajima's website. I'm also looking forward to the Liberty Print 2012 spring & summer mook that is slated to be released in late February.

Penhaligon's Juniper Sling

Inspired by London Dry Gin, Juniper Sling is this year's new potion from venerated British fragrance house, Penhaligon's. Created by Olivier Cresp (of Thierry Mugler Angel fame), Juniper Sling is a playful, chilled homage to the Bright Young Things of London’s heady roaring twenties.

"For enigmatic boys and girls, Juniper Sling is a crisp cocktail shot of gin with the freshness of juniper, cool measures of angelica and brandy and a beating libertine heart of black pepper, cardamom, soft leather and orris. A gourmand base of brown sugar, black cherry and amber add sensuality to the scent."

The first whiff of it conjures up a brilliantly smooth, icy gin. It's refreshing but more laconically cool rather than sharp, thanks to the elegant leathery note. The gourmand base turned out to be understated without being too treacly. On my skin, the fragrance peters out after about two to three hours, as happens with most fragrances, but it is an eau de toilette after all.

With its smart bow tie and metal shield-like plating, I found Juniper Sling to be intriguing, refined and yet full of character. It makes for a unique addition to one's fragrance wardrobe and well worth a sniff.

Penhaligon's First Boutique in Singapore

Next Monday, Penhaligon's will open its first boutique in Singapore at Ion Orchard. Designed by Christopher Jenner, the boutique embodies the British fragrance house's illustrious heritage of 140 years, mixing classical Victorian and Edwardian design style with contemporary touches to reflect its modern approach to perfumery.



Founded by William Penhaligon in 1870, Penhaligon's has a wonderfully varied portfolio of over 30 fragrances ranging from soliflores, orientals to chypres. The scents are still concocted in the UK today using the finest rare ingredients from hand-squeezed bergamot to jasmine.



While visiting their store in Covent Garden in London last month, I picked up the Ladies' Fragrance Collection of four miniatures (5ml each). These are housed in clear glass bottles with a stopper just like the regular fragrances, but with tassels in place of the ribbon around the stopper.



I found each of the four fragrances (Lily of the Valley, Elisabethan Rose, Malabah and Artemisa) to be appealing in their own way with a subtle elegance.



The Scent Library is another great way to sample the most popular offerings by Penhaligon's with ten 1.5ml vials.



Some of the fragrances for ladies.







Fragrances for gentlemen.







The Penhaligon's boutique is located at #03-15 in Ion. You can also check out their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter.

Penhaligon's Scented Carriage

Stumbled across this London cab today parked on a side street in Islington.

On closer look, it turned out to be a Penhaligon's "Scented Carriage". According to online sources, there are five of these charming cabs in London. Each is scented with one of five Penhaligon's fragrances: Artemisia, Blenheim Bouquet, Endymion, Malabah and Orange Blossom. And with your receipt, you can enjoy a 10% discount at Penhaligon's boutiques. Nice!

Penhaligon's in Covent Garden

While wandering around Covent Garden in London yesterday, I chanced across the Penhaligon's store in Wellington Street. While their classic English fragrances are already available in Singapore in Escentials boutiques, the venerated British fragrance house is preparing to open their first stand-alone store in Singapore in Ion Orchard in mid-Orchard. According to the friendly staff, the store in Singapore will be modelled after the Covent Garden store.




The vintage-style interior.


The paper strips are already scented with the various fragrances.


Delightful fragrance miniatures in sets for ladies and men.

The range of over 20 fragrances can be quite overwhelming to take in all at once, so I settled for the Scent Library (£16) which contains 9 glass vials of their most popular fragrances for ladies and men.