roullier | WHITE

The snowfall was unexpected and heavy for the time of year. In this remote part of the countryside the roads were treacherous enough in the dark, so he drove extra carefully. He had left in plenty of time but as he looked down at the clock on the dashboard he realised he was cutting it fine. He did not want to be late, he wanted to appear cool and calm as he arrived at the wedding of his childhood sweetheart and the best friend he had considered a brother. He had only been working abroad for a few months when she had ended their relationship and then two weeks later they announced their engagement. That was a year ago and he had not been able to look at another woman since; let alone trust anyone as a friend.  Looking back up he saw the deer in the middle of the road in his headlights, staring directly at the car. Although he was going slowly he did not trust the brakes on the icy road and as he swerved the front wheel went off the road into the ditch at the side. Frantic...

4160 Tuesdays' The Crimes of Passion fragrances are, as Sarah describes, 'dream-come-true perfumes which we make with lavish amounts of extravagant materials - but only because that's what we needed to make them smell just right'. The original fragrance which started the whole project, Inevitable Crimes of Passion, is a rich, deep scent that was inspired by the work of Henry James and on the 100th anniversary of the great man's death - he died in Chelsea, London, on February 28th 1916 - it is pertinent that today we select this scent in our penultimate month of 4160 Tuesdays. Following the lines of a Henry James novel the fragrance opens with an innocent start that makes promises of love, but becomes complicated; passionate, intense and compulsive. Find 4160 Tuesdays'  Inevitable Crimes of Passion on the Roullier White website here .

Since her son and his wife had died she had become increasingly concerned about her grand daughter, Kaoru. The girl was far too spirited for her own good, she was terrified that at any moment she might take off, but just one more day now and she would not have to worry anymore. Tomorrow she would be married and it would be his job, her new husband, the husband she had found for her, to make make sure she never strayed. He would remove all those ridiculous notions she harboured; of travel, discovery, adventure. She just had to hold onto Kaoru for one more day. Kaoru had asked to be taken out, and as today the cherry blossom was at its most bountiful, they would enjoy the hanami together. By themselves; no driver, no servants, just the two of them, as Kaoru had requested. Typically, Kaoru had cast aside the kimono she had laid out for her, eschewing her choice for one of pale pink; sakura-iro.  What was the delay?  Why was she being deliberately so slow? She could ...

Sarah says: 'there's a 'fume fan who's a fragrance friend of mine, Maximilian Heusler, and although I've never met him I'm a looking forward to a trip to New York one day to fix that. We got talking about his ideal fragrance and it was the most amazing idea, inspired by his former wild times. These days his vices are entirely fragrance related. We were talking about the kind of night out in New York that involves cocktails, marijuana cigars, hookers and passing out. I know what cocktails smell like; the rest? I have a good imagination. So this is one intense scent: rum, coconut and lime, tobacco, coffee and cannabis essential oil, a handful of vintage style musks, a generous dash of vanilla, a drop of cumin and my favourite Atlas cedarwood.'

Thank you to our friends at Trouva for the lovely blog post. Click on the image below to view the post on the Trouva website. An afternoon with Roullier White boutique written by  Trouva Roullier White boutique located in the heart of Dulwich is run by founder Lawrence Roullier White. We spoke to him about their vast collection of rare fragrances, Lawrence’s favourite products and the history and stories behind all of their specially sourced items. 1. Can you tell us how Roullier White began and how you have got to where you are today? We opened in 2005 so this is now our 11th year. I used to work as a consultant for museum shops such as the Natural History Museum, the Royal Academy and the Science Museum and I have carried my passion for the providence of products with me to my boutique. I started off selling things I really needed that weren’t readily available at the time. We began with items such as white bone china, Egyptian cotton towels and scented c...

With aching arms extended, she stared into the glare, wobbling slightly on a loose heel. As far as she was concerned they should have packed it in months ago, as soon as he arrived on the scene all swagger and smile. They could never compete with his spectacle, his outlandish outfits, his mane of blond hair, his teeth. Whilst he was cutting through hen parties with chain saws they were pulling a rabbit from a hat, a rabbit that was as arthritic as their act.  The holiday crowd wanted bigger, wanted better, wanted brash. He was Leo the Wild Man of Magic, and they were tame and lame, with rickety props and cheesy moves.  Too late to quit now though with any vestige of dignity, that disappeared ages ago along with the audiences, this whole fiasco was as mortifying as the ladder in her fishnets. She tugged the threadbare tulle skirt of her corset down over the hole on her thigh and wobbled some more. Leo was on the rise and they were on the way out, with nowhere to...

4160 Tuesdays' Pillow Talk: " It's What Goes on When the Lights Go Off!" "Jan Morrow (Doris Day) begrudgingly shares a party line with incompatible playboy Brad Allen (Rock Hudson). When the two accidentally meet, the smitten Brad pretends to be a wealthy Texan, wooing Jan with seductive late-night calls. Their phone line is sizzling until Jan discovers her caller's true identity and calls his bluff. Nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Actress, this is the film that brought Rock Hudson and Doris Day together for the first time."

We are thrilled to see our wonderful Cocolux coconut wax and copper candles included in the Marie Claire guide to Mother's Day Gift Guide. Thank you Marie Claire! Visit Marie Claire online here . Find out more about Cocolux on the Roullier White website  here .

Sarah says;  'Invisible Ben started as a 40th birthday present for a friend. It’s got his favourite things in it: a base of benzoin and musk, heart notes of sandalwood and fine cognac, with lashings of lemon, lime and orange. It’s called Invisible Ben because it’s designed to blend nicely with the smell of a clean body, fresh from the shower, orange juice in one hand and coffee in the other. He's a very sporty person, and I thought it would be lovely to give him a fragrance that smelled like he does, so he could put himself back on again after he'd showered.  This is a cologne for men (mostly) who don’t really like fragrance, but they do love to look good, stay fit and smell good.' Top: Orange, Lime, Cognac Middle: Sandalwood, Cashmere, Coffee Base: Opoponax, Resins Find 4160 Tuesdays' Invisible Ben on the Roullier White website here . 

We are thrilled to be included in the We Love ... section of the Observer Magazine today. "Mrs White's 'Unstung Hero' is the only cologne to make you invisible to mosquitoes. Not only will it protect you, but it will make you smell like lemon tea. Bargain." Find Mrs White's Unstung Hero on the Roullier White website here .

Best of British Journey inside the world of Britain's iconic clothing brands. Follow in the footsteps of kings and dandies, gentlemen and rebels, as Best of British explores the historic manufacturers that made Nelson's hats and Elizabeth II's gloves, Fred Astaire's suits and Frank Sinatra's shoes.  With unique access and specialist knowledge, Best of British brings alive the country's heritage menswear companies, telling the stories of their products, their artisans and their history. From the world-famous John Lobb in London all the way to Johnstons in the north of Scotland, many of these companies are hundreds of years old yet remain at the top of their game. Often family-owned and the bearer of various royal warrants, each is finding a new audience among men with a rediscovered enthusiasm for provenance and authenticity. Featured in Best of British are: Lock & Co, Dents, John Smedley, Johnstons of Elgin, Mackintosh, James Smith & ...

When Celia came in from the garden clutching a bunch of cut roses, the Grace Darlings they had planted together, Grace was sitting with her coat on in front of the fire. To anyone else this would have appeared strange, but Celia failed to notice even the most obvious. This was the problem, Grace thought. She had hoped so many times that things could be different before it was too late, but ‘too late’ happened suddenly.  A car’s engine was running outside. This Celia did seem to detect. She paused whilst arranging the flowers in the vase, the crystal one Celia had given Grace on their 15th anniversary, and looked towards the window, past the suitcase by the sofa.  Celia left, where had she gone? Grace wondered. She was probably in the kitchen, typically oblivious to everything.  The aroma of freshly baked biscuits wafted through the door, the orange ones she loved, Grace's favourites. She stood up and stooped to pick up the case, mustering her muscle power...

Sarah says: 'along our street there was a sudden spring blossoming of Mexican mock orange, tiny white flowers that wafted their delightful scent through suburbia for two weeks, then off they went. Mock orange and I have history; when I was two years old I shoved the buds from our garden shrub so far up my nose to get more of the smell that I had to get taken to the doctor's to get them extracted. It was fate. Now I know a bit more about perfume, the blossom smells to me just like dirty honey, so I make myself a version to last all year round. It's a white flower fragrance, made with beeswax and honey absolutes, woods, vanillin and labdanum, jasmine and honeybush extract.' Find 4160 Tuesdays' Dirty Honey on the Roullier White website here . 

Wash Up & Smell The Fennel Besides being thoroughly tested and proven to be 100% efficient, Mrs White's products are a fantastic way to fragrance your home whilst completing everyday chores. As well as being chosen for their efficacy and scent, the essential oils used by Mrs White are also uplifting, so if you find yourself smiling whilst doing the washing up we would not be at all surprised. More importantly there are the health issues. We all worry about what we eat and think twice before putting unnecessarily harsh and potentially harmful chemicals on our skin, but many of us do not give a second thought to the things we breathe in or absorb through our skin. Mrs White's cleaning products are an agreeable alternative to commercial detergents, and are free from preservatives and ingredients such as phenols, phthalates, chlorine, ammonia and countless chemicals that are not disclos...

Tart's Knicker Drawer is a floral amber fragrance by 4160 Tuesdays. Top citrus notes of bergamot and grapefruit evolve into the sophisticatedly sensual heart notes of sandalwood and tuberose. The base notes of amber, musk, and even tobacco, ensure a long lasting complex scent that will intrigue and intoxicate. Fragrance Notes: Top: Bergamot, Orange, Grapefruit, Pink Peppercorn Middle: Raspberry, Rose, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Violet, Tuberose, Guaiac Wood Base: Amber, Musk, Vanilla, Benzoin, Tobacco Find 4160 Tuesday's Tart Knicker Drawer on the Roullier White website here . 

For 4160 Tuesdays' Rome 1963 Sarah McCartney collaborated with Italian stylist Silvia Bergomi to create a fragrant vision of the perfume Guiletta Masina, Fellini's wife and muse, would wear in his film Giulietta degli Spiriti. Top notes: Bergamot, Chocolate Heart notes: Tuberose, Ylang ylang, Jasmine, Cedarwood Base notes: Tobacco, Patchouli Find 4160 Tuesdays; Rome 1963 on the Roullier White website here .

Sarah McCartney explains the very personal story behind this very lovely scent "The actual lion cupboard is a carved Victorian sideboard with lions’ heads as the door handles. My sister and I used to play with it when we were small, and our late father kept his hats, scarves and gloves in it. His scarves picked up the scent of the wood, and the wood absorbed mint, lavender, grapefruit, coffee - the things he liked most. Our dad died suddenly in 2002 and we were left with things that we wanted to say but had never got around to. When she visited the house, my sister would put her head inside the Lion Cupboard to inhale the scent of a hug from our dad. Then one day our mother washed it with bleach and it was all gone. So when I started to make perfumes to remind people ot happy times, my sister looked me right in the eye and said, "Make me the lion cupboard." It took three goes. Now she has the actual sideboard at her house, and the first thing she did was to ...

Based around a kaleidoscopic marriage of rich fruit notes with precious oud, 4160 Tuesdays' Be Careful What You Wish For is Sarah's unique take on the covetable ingredient. This scent features four distinct oud varieties, including one from Indonesia and another known as white oud, combined with ripe pulp accords. Fragrance Notes Oud, Blackcurrant, Strawberry, Raspberry, Peach, Plum, Orange Find 4160 Tuesdays' Be Careful What You Wish For on the Roullier White website here . 

1982: The RAH Band: Perfumed Garden An unlikely pairing perhaps; a decadent, Eastern-inspired scent and some rare vinyl, a British Jazz Funk 12" from 1982? Besides the possibly pertinent lyrics - referencing in innuendo the 15th century erotic work - it is not as unlikely as you might think; both perfumer, Sarah McCartney, and performer, the RAH Band, hail from Teeside.  _____

One of London's greatest hidden treasures must be the home of the Sambourne Family in Kensington, 18 Stafford Terrace, which is preserved, frozen in time, an example of high Victoriana at its most elaborate and intriguing. What is even more fascinating is when you discover this extravagant style was executed on a rather modest income.  Framed prints, not artists originals, cover the walls, the gaps between are filled with expensive Japanese wallpaper, the budget did not extend to papering behind. Otherwise the walls are filled with works by the home's owner, Edward Linley Sambourne, the Punch cartoonist. The rooms are crammed with his collections, that convey his desire to communicate his standing as a modern, cultured gentleman: a savant; ahead of trends and abreast of style.  A visit is an insight into the life of a family that moved amongst the artistic movers and shakers of the period. Besides two children, who preserved the home after their parents' death...

The Most Fascinating Fragrance Love Story Ever Told? From the husband and wife team that brought the world Eau d’Italie, comes ALTAIA; an  acronym for  ‘A Long Time Ago In Argentina’. The collection tells the story of Sebastian Alvarez Murena and Marina Sersale, who met by chance and fell in love; unaware that their pasts were linked by their ancestors over a century earlier. Sebastian's great great  grandfather, General Bartolomè Mitre, Argentina’s President from 1821 to 1906, d ecided to open his country up to trade and industrialisation and attracted the attention of James Morrison, one of England’s most remarkable entrepreneurs and Marina's great great grandfather. The pair proceeded to invest in a railway building programmes that would forever transform the country. 140 years later their descendants, Sebastian and Marina, now married complete the circle with this stunning collection of scents....