The oldest French perfume houses are that of Guerlain founded in 1828 by Pierre-Francois Guerlain and Molinard founded in 1848 and who had Queen Victoria as one of their devoted clients. Perfume and the use of essential oils dates as bar back to the ancient Egyptians who used it for religious rituals. In the 1650s, perfumed gloves became all the range in France probably due to the fact that Catherine Medici was quite a fan of them in her native Florence and brought them with her when she married the future king of France, Henry II.   France is known the world over...

A pleasure garden, in essence, is a place dedicated to the enjoyment of aesthetic beauty. Since ancient Rome, humans have understood the importance of experiencing nature and it's inherent link to one's health and happiness. The installment, or at simply preservation, of public parks in towns and cities has been a public need for many a millennia, though the celebration of the "pleasure garden" didn't see its full fruition until the 18th and 19th centuries.  During this time, the aristocracy throughout Europe luxuriated in their soaring wealth by designing elaborately planned, man-made gardens around the palaces, manors, villas and castles in...