Here we’re sharing our edit of the home fragrances that can help us wind down, chill out and truly relax – at any time, but these feel especially right for right now…
Ostens reminds us that, ‘In the valleys of Anatolia, Turkey, the harvesting of Rosa Damascena the ‘Queen of Flowers’ begins at dawn.’ And here, that cool morning air, filled with utterly spellbinding scent of these vibrant, jammy, voluptuous roses is captured in your home. The roses are so precious they’re ‘kept in the shade until reaching the copper distillation stills. Once transformed, the rose oil contains a concentrate of all the fragrance components of thousands of fresh flowers.’ Utterly exquisite, you’ll be totally hypnotised by the way this scent billows throughout your space.
This is one to reach for when you need to press pause on the day. it’s truly a soothing, scented lullaby for your senses, featuring hushed lavender, and a cooling herbaceous breeze of juniper and thyme. A summer swirl of calming herbs and flowers, It’s siesta time: close your eyes and ‘imagine yourself drowsing on a hot afternoon, gently swinging in a hammock in the shade of a tree, with the crickets chirruping, and the sun-baked fragrances of the countryside lulling you to sleep.’ Dreamy!
Reflecting the top, heart and base notes of STORIES Nº.02 original fragrance, this extra special limited edition trio of candles ingeniously splits the facets on the original scent into three distinct scents for your home. You can choose to light one at a time or all at once (why not?!) for a memory-filled barefoot stroll through dewy grass, a soft, nostalgic drift of pipe smoke, and the the silvery ripples of a stream.Sustainably made, this scented candle collection manages to be ‘inspired by’ yet not identical to the scent you already love. Three times the gorgeousness to enjoy!
For blissed-out moments of perfumed pondering you can do no better than to light this, sit back, relax, and let your thoughts wander where they wherever they will. Fragrant meanderings are proffered via the immediately head-clearing verbena, calming clary sage and a spring breeze carrying drifts of bee-buzzed lavender and the sense of lightness that comes as a blessing at this time of year. Especially joyous for the soul in this yellow vessel with so-clever blue lid / stand combo; we feel this one will be re-lit throughout the summer, too.
Cochine Tuberose Absolute & Sandalwood£45
Do you dream of lighter, warmer evenings when you might even – gasp – still have a window or the patio doors open to the garden? Allow yourself to be lulled by the balmy, hushed headiness of the ‘alluring and intriguing tuberose notes combined with rich leather and sandalwood in this intoxicating, utterly addictive fragrance.’ It’s one that will calm yet seduce you, and no wonder, being exclusive created by master perfumer, Maurice Roucel. ‘This is the scent of exotic and unforgettable nights…’ says Cochine. And oh, we agree! Blissful.
We’re always looking for proven research to back up the claims of ‘relaxing’ or ‘energising’ scent claims, so how thrilled we were to discover that edentisteeaux de parfums and signature Lifeboost fragrances truly are ‘wellness you can wear’…
For edeniste, ‘the link between scent and mood has long been known and talked about, but never been scientifically proven when it comes to perfume. Now for the first time, the worlds of cutting-edge olfactory neuroscience and classic fine fragrance are brought together’ – so you can discover your own perfumed possibilities, and get to use your scent as more than merely smelling wonderful, but as a kind of toolkit that contains something for every mood or way you need to feel that day…
Do you need to sleep better, boost your energy levels and want to feel happier (all while being beautifully scented, of course)? I mean really – who doesn’t need all of these things? And sometimes several of them all on the same day?! Well, certainly we’ve never seen our Co-Founder Lorna McKay more excited than when she returned from a press launch of edentiste.
Literally bouncing up and down as she recounted her meeting with the visionary founder, Audrey Semeraro, in the words of the brand, they are ‘Blending the science of emotion and the art of perfumery,’ while for Audrey, it’s about ‘redefining the mission of the perfume industry with the first generation of active wellbeing fine fragrances…’
Each edeniste fragrance has been ‘charged with active molecules clinically proven to boost our mood and elevate our emotions.’ And when they say proven, they mean it. The wellbeing effects of these fragrances haven’t been left to hearsay, as with so many other aromatherapeutic type perfumes, oils and unguents available – the edensite scents have been tested by neuroscientists, literally showing which parts of our brains light up when we positively respond to the perfumes.
But it’s been a long journey to get to this place of perfumed possibilities, and it involved challenging the entire fragrance industry itself. You can read all about the birth of this fascinating fragrance house, in our page dedicated to the edeniste story; but now that we have the full-size bottles available, let’s dive in to the scents themselves…
The edeniste collection encompasses the most divine eaux de parfum and Lifeboost® essences – think of these as olfactive wellness juices to boost energy levels, happiness or even allowing you to drift off to sleep surrounded by the most gloriously soothing scent – the edentiste collection contains ‘the highest-level olfactive neuroscience, combined with the highest level in fine fragrance.’ You can choose to layer the eau de parfum with a Lifeboost® or wear them alone – let your feelings and needs guide you to the right fragrances for each day…
‘A soothing aromatic herbal musk. The warm-skin facets of Spanish labdanum essence, wrapped in an overdose of feather-soft white musks, fosters peaceful dreams. Open yourself up to a pure, soothing vision of the world that surrounds you and let go.’
‘A reviving musky woody citrus. A refreshing splash of citruses from Italy, infused with the energizing essences of peppery bergamot and regenerative grapefruit, boosted with zingy ginger absolute from Ethiopia. As bright and empowering as a tall dewy glass of freshly squeezed juice. Get up and glow.’
‘A joyful woody fruity floral. A sparkling essence built around an exotic mango accord spiked with juicy, colorful notes of raspberry and watermelon, on a base of pure Virginian cedarwood essence. Surrender to the exhilarating beat of its fizzy tropical delight. Feel the bliss.’
‘A mellow solar white floral. A solar Madagascan ylang-ylang essence matched with a creamy monoi note – the name means “sacred oil” in Tahiti –, wrapped in pure jasmine sambac absolute from India and relaxing Madagascan vanilla absolute. Relax, feel the sun shining up above, let yourself be rocked by the sound of the waves and trees swaying in the breeze… You’re in Eden.’
‘A sensual amber floral musk. Free your mind with the essence of seduction in a timeless floral elixir enriched with addictive musky notes. A hyper-sensual aldehydic blend with a glamorous vintage vibe and hint of animal magnetism that will mellow your mood and ignite your sensual power. Let yourself glow.’
‘An uplifting spicy green floral. A confidence booster with zingy Ethiopian ginger absolute and crisp pink peppercorn absolute from La Réunion. The quintessence of easygoing wellbeing, captured in a luminous accord of fresh spices and green notes enhanced by two of the most precious ingredients in perfumery: Indian jasmine absolute and iris concrete from China. Dive deep into your inner self, feel its uplifting sense of comfort. You’re golden.’
‘A caressing solar white floral. We call it cruel, but that’s just because once you wrap yourself in its radiant creaminess, you’ll find it hard to do without it. This is an exuberant bouquet of white flowers at their most sensuous. Indian jasmine absolute is the star here, but Aurélien Guichard brings out its lushness with a glamorous, luscious, coconutty tuberose, underlined with milky sandalwood. Honeyed Tunisian orange blossom absolute infuses the blend with solar energy. Pair with any Lifeboost active and bask in the light.’
‘A tender white floral. It’s the name given to the essential oil drawn from orange blossom (here, a glorious extract from Tunisia). It’s also the tender heart of the colognes so beloved by the French from early childhood… Neroli is a uniquely luminous floral essence, capturing the sun-kissed scent-scape of the Mediterranean in its pure white petals. Aurélien Guichard underlines it with zesty green petitgrain, fleshes out its cologne-like vibe with tender notes of crystalline pear and juicy white peach and wraps it in a clean musky aura. Pair with any Lifeboost active and be radiant.’
‘A delightful fruity floral. This is rose, with a smile. Vibrant, colourful, flirtatious, the Queen of Flowers is showcased here with two rich natural extracts. Bulgarian rose essence brings its glorious radiance, refreshed by a sun-kissed splash of sparkling mandarin from Italy. French May rose absolute from Grasse – the rarest and most precious – adds its opulent sensuality. Notes of red berries, naturally present in some varieties of roses, tinge the vivid bouquet with playfulness. A velvety drydown of vanilla and musk wed scent to skin… Pair with any Lifeboost active and feel the delight.’
‘A regal ambery woody rose. Rose and oud may well be the most iconic accord in Arabic perfumery: a match made in scented Eden. Aurélien Guichard retells their mystical tales with a French touch, pairing rich, carnal, almost jammy rose essence from Bulgaria with a quality of oud distilled to brings out the precious resin’s most elegant facets. Another favorite partner of rose, patchouli essence from Indonesia, spiked with cool nutmeg, bolsters the blend’s rich texture. The skin-soft leather facets of Spanish cistus labdanum absolute shed their ambery light. It’s the ultimate in self-care. Pair with any Lifeboost active and let your feelings rule.’
‘An addictive vanilla. If we called it comfort food for the nose, we’d be remiss. This luminous and addictive duo of sweet and gourmand vanillas from Madagascar is so much more sophisticated… The secret to its radiance is a superb vanilla CO2 extract – one that preserves the most delicate facets of the precious pod. A lash of rum deepens its tones, introducing a second, darker quality of vanilla absolute. Aurélien Guichard underlines Its leather-like accents with a woody accord of mystical Somalian olibanum and smoky Haitian vetiver essences. Pair with any Lifeboost active and give in to your senses.’
‘An invigorating woody spicy citrus. With natural nuances of citrus, flint, wood, smoke, and earth, vetiver is a compelling fragrance all by itself. A primal, rooting scent that is also a classic of masculine perfumery (of course, it can be enjoyed by all genders). Here, Aurélien Guichard draws out the most sparkling facets of Haitian vetiver essence with a sunny cocktail of Italian fruit: bracingly bitter grapefruit and juicy mandarin, a delicate essence chosen.’
Cat Deeley has been a regular on our television screens over the years – presenting SMTV Live from 1998-2002 (for which she won a BAFTA) and its spin-off chart show CD:UK until 2005; Stars in their Eyes, and the hit U.S. show So You Think You Can Dance? to name but a handful of her achievements.
This week, Cat began presenting THE iconic mainstay of British daytime TV shows – This Morning – with co-host Ben Shepard; but apart from her broadcasting success, we happen to know that Cat is OBSESSED with fragrance (and even has a party trick of scent identification). So, no wonder she teamed up with friend and esteemed makeup artist Amanda Grossman to launch e11even Fragrance Oil!
Meanwhile, let’s delve in to the scent memories and olfactive reveries that mean so much to Cat (and we bet she’ll be cleaving to one of her Five Favourite Smells more than ever, now she’s on This Morning…)
1– ‘The first distinct smell I remember was a drawer in my Grandma’s dresser – it contained all her items in her arsenal, needed for leaving the house. I thought it was the most intriguing, exciting, ‘grown- up’, glamorous Pandora’s box. I used to love going through all her beads and her jewellery, I would adorn myself with every bead and bauble. Yet to learn the classic Coco Chanel art of removal, I would parade in front of the mirror admiring my own maximalist reflection. The dresser smelt of wood, powdery rose from her lipstick, nail varnish, Elnett hairspray and a heady concoction of floral scents from the strings of her beads that were placed around her neck in her signature style.’
2 – ‘I always loved fragrance of any kind, but I never realised it was so important to me till it became my party trick. I could tell what any of my friends or my Mum’s friends were wearing instantly. My sense of smell was incredibly strong and I could instantly tell what fragrance anyone was wearing. It was a ‘useless talent’ that would make my friends laugh.’
3 – ‘I love the smell of Lily Of The Valley. I carried a small bouquet when I got married in Rome, tied with an antique lace handkerchief. The scent is gloriously traditional and each tiny flower so exquisitely beautiful and powerful.’
4 – The first fragrance I was given by my mother was Coco Chanel. I remember feeling grown-up. It was launched in the 80’s and I fell in love with Vanessa Paradis, as the bird in the gilt cage. I loved how the warm, heady fragrance changed on my skin, and I still gravitate to notes of rose, orange blossom, amber and sandalwood today.
5 – ‘I remember saving my pocket money and travelling on the 96 bus to The Body Shop and buying my first bottle of White Musk. It was a rite of passage I revelled in, and probably treated myself to a handful of bath pearls too.’
6 – ‘I wore Paco Rabanne in my early twenties. Then moved on to Clarins Eau Dynamisante for work. It always smells clean and fresh, it could be layered and reapplied. More recently I have been wearing Bais from Dyptique and Rose from Le Labo – Always remaining pretty true to my Coco Chanel roots. But my favourite is of course e11even!’
7 – ‘I love the smell of nighttime in LA…. The stillness and heat, mixed with desert fragrance, jasmine and eucalyptus wood.’
8 – Churches – ‘They are still standing despite the passage of time – They make me feel vaguely reassured, but also a little sad. For happy times gone by and dear friends and family passed, just a little melancholic.’
9 – ‘The scent I love on a man and a woman is e11even. It smells divine on everyone! Our perfume oil somehow managed to be relaxing, grounding, and uplifting. Clean and fresh rose accord, geranium and patchouli with woody undertones, it warms onto the skin and develops into an intoxicating scent that makes the wearer truly memorable.’
10 – ‘Elvis’s neck – I would have definitely been one of those women at the front of the stage in Vegas , waiting impatiently for a kiss or a neck towel!’
11 – ‘Adam Clayton recommended the book Perfume, by Patrick Suskind. He always has the best book recs …. It’s a dark adult fairytale set in Paris, in the 18th century. It’s dark and obsessive, but beautifully illustrates the power of scent and its intoxications in every form.’
Five Favourite Smells:
My Boys – ‘In the morning, when they are still warm from sleep, pleasantly dozy and I can kiss them all over and devour their sweet smell.’
Coffee – ‘Love the smell, love the taste, can’t do without it. The beginning of a new day. Nothing says ‘good morning’ like the smell of freshly brewed coffee!’
Christmas morning – ‘The mixture of pine, rosemary, turkey cooking in the oven, such delicious scents that conjure up childlike excitement.’
Trudon Candle Spiritus Sancti – ‘We got married in a little church in Rome, called Sant Isidoro, we burned these candles. The scent was a perfect accompaniment to our surroundings. Inspired by church alters, aromatic incense, Lily of the Valley and Labdanum. I find the fragrance uplifting and comforting.’
The Beach – ‘The sea air is so good for the soul!’
Increasingly, we’re seeing a new interest in fragrance oils and attars as a way of wearing perfume. These beautiful scents feel more calming and part of a fragrant ritual than simply spraying a scent and rushing out the door. Here’s why we think they’re trending, and our edit of oils you need to know…
Let’s begin with this really helpful clarification on the difference between a concentrated perfume oil and attar, which comes via the medium.com blog:
‘According to Wikipedia, ‘the word ‘attar’, ‘ittar’ or ‘itra’ believed to have been derived from the Persian word itir, meaning ‘perfume’, which is also believed to be derived from Arabic word itr.
Essential oils are typically derived from botanical sources such as flowers, resins, woods, spices, etc. Most commonly these oils are extracted via hydro or steam distillation methods using deg and bhapka arrangement. Many a times the attar composers run co-distillations for a desired effect.
Traditionally these essential oils are ‘pulled’ into sandalwood or other appropriate carrier oils at the end of the distillation apparatus. The resultant product is then separated from floral waters. The oil part, which floats, is filtered into a separate container and allowed to stand for few days. This oil component is called as an attar.’
This style of perfumery dates back to the 1500s and the Mughal emperors of India, though using oil as a carrier for fragrant ingredients dates back far further still. At the polar opposite end of the perfume spectrum from those more overt shoulderpads-in-a-bottle or va-va-voom, ready-to-party fragrances (which we still love, by the way, never fear!) these types of scents are perhaps more contemplative, calming, and offer moments of meditation that stay close to the skin.
While attars / oils are intense and concentrated scents, you’d be wrong to assume that these will announce your presence at 20 paces. ‘Attars don’t necessarily land on the skin with an impactful whomp, as an eau de parfum might,’ says perfumer Nancy Meiland, whose GAIA attar – and the following attar, SOFIA – proved a huge hit. ‘They tend to be worn closely and mingle on your skin in warm “nuzzles” that you pick up throughout the day.’ The diffusion of these scents is hushed, whispering intriguingly yet also lingering for longer. ‘They tend to be worn closely and mingle on your skin, giving off warm “nuzzles” that you pick up throughout the day.’
As trend forecaster and fragrance writer for wewerperfume.com Amanda Carr observes, though we’re only just (re)discovering them here, attars are still used in very practical ways in India:
‘Attars are used by the Muslim population in India a little like a wellness boost, and the perfumeries I visited were bustling with families buying their season scents to uplift their health and emotional happiness, also unlike an eau de parfum there is no alcohol to worry about. There are traditional guidelines as to when you wear particular botanicals, cooling vetiver for the hot summer days, along with jasmine and rose, with saffron used during the chiller months for its warming properties. The instore perfumers often gave advice – a bit like a pharmacist – as to which botanical attar could help with a particular malaise.’
Nancy explains that she felt ‘intuitively drawn’ to creating her first attar during the early days of the pandemic. ‘GAIA’s ultra-soothing concentrated blend of Calabrian bergamot, nutmeg and jasmine sambac is centred around blue lotus absolute, which traditionally is seen as “a flower that can open your mind and is powerfully protective during times of transformation.”’
So why now this plethora of perfume oils and attars making their way onto centre stage for the Western market, you may wonder? Nancy asserts it’s quite simple, really; saying [in troubled times]:
‘…we want more magic not less. It’s about working closely with the plants and flower essences and getting to know their properties and benefits. Then combining them so that they don’t crush each other while enhancing each other’s odour profile – the individual notes should sing out in their fullness and create a harmony of scent. There is an alchemy to an attar that works with nature…’
Nancy Meiland GAIAFrom £4.95 for 2ml (£65 for 30ml)nancymeiland.com
Looking for other perfume oils and attars to have a play with this season? Try some of these sumptuous examples, below: we feel sure that once you discover the delights (and definite mood-enhancing abilities) of attars, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Priced from pocket-friendly to the ultra lust-worthy treat, there’s something to suit everyone…
If your scents suddenly lack depth, add interest with this deliciously fragrant oil. An unexpected mix of spice-infused bergamot and plum with a ‘your-skin-but-so-much-better’, creamy leather dry-down, the warm tingle of amber then simmers for hours. The roller-ball bottle makes this especially useful for travelling (if you’re lucky enough!) or touching up your scent on the go.
Christopher Yu and Laurent Delafon were inspired to create their Ostens collection by the incredible portfolio of naturals from LMR Naturals. The eau de parfum comes with the option of adding a ‘Préparation Oil’ (and we highly recommend you do), which you can layer or enjoy alone. Every fragrance in the Ostens portfolio of scents is gorgeous in its own right, but we have to say, when layered in this way, they become out of this world divine.
Ostens Rose Oil Isparta£185 for 50ml eau de parfum + perfume oil ostens.com
Strangelove – from the creative trio of perfumer Christophe Laudamiel, supermodel Helena Christensen and naturals expert Elizabeth Gaynes – put thoroughly sophisticated (and utterly addictive) fragrance oils at the very heart of their collection. We urge you to nuzzle into this hypnotically delicious blend of oudh, stimulating mandarin, purified ginger, deeply magnetic sandalwood and luscious dark chocolate for a sultry scent ritual, with the necklace a nod to traditional ways of carrying precious perfume about the body.
Strangelove meltmyheart Perfume Oil Necklace£170 for 1.25ml harrods.com
The LilaNur attars’ prices reflects the meticulous effort to process the precious flowers immediately after harvesting – they’re placed in oil beside the fields they’ve been grown in. Suggesting annointing the palms of your hands and breathing in before applying, it honestly feels like a divine experience – as though your feet have lifted from the ground and angels are singing. A purity and depth we’re unused to, with those few drops carrying you throughout the day.
LilaNur Jasmin Attar Absolu Perfume Oil£340 for 30mlharrods.com
This month we’re all about reaching for fragrances that make us feel better – an do more than simply smell good, but connect with us on a deeper, more spiritually-uplifting way that really connects with our souls. Given the LONGING for spring, and newness and oh goodness, simply some whole days without rain and cold and grey… it’s about time, don’t you think?
Here’s our edit of three fragrance houses your nose needs to know…
Is your fragrant future in the cards…?
Joy Isaacs is the founder and CEO of ARgENTUM, a luxury skincare brand which recently launched a range of stunning fragrances based on soul-searching, tarot-inspired ‘Archetypes’. Although she’s been fascinated by tarot and its symbolism since 2010, Joy insists: ‘I don’t think it’s some magical oracle in the sky.’ Instead, she believes ‘…we all hold our truth buried in our subconscious and are willing to project it onto many things – for example, people, life circumstances, poetry, music and of course, imagery (art). It allows us to tap into what is just below the surface and access what is really going on – with our own personal truth.’ Thus, explains Joy, ‘Our Archetype cards invite you to uncover symbolic imagery that reflect inherent energies – patterns that are common to us all.’
Using beautiful black-and-white illustrations by artist Sam Gray, ARgENTUM’s twelve cards are shuffled and used as part of a ‘fragrance reading’, whereby – rather than randomly picking a perfume – the fragrance finds you. This initial scent-matching isn’t set in stone; it’s used merely as a starting point, a way of editing down your possible fragrance choices to a more manageable number, while also making you think more deeply about them. (For those who can’t make it in person to ARgENTUM’s Notting Hill boutique – which is honestly worthy of a pilgrimage – the experience has been skilfully recreated on their website.
‘As an element, air encapsulates a masculine energy of thought and communication. Born at sunrise in the crisp breath of Spring ~ air is imaginative and intelligent, but without flow can become stifled and cruel. Moist and warm, air symbolises a nurturing energy that celebrates your knowledge and ideas, the beginning of something intangible and without permanent form. This brisk and exhilarating element stimulates the mind and cuts to the heart of your quest for connection.
Become: All encompassing, balancing, beginnings
Creator: Creative energy, trust, manifestation
Sage: Wisdom, knowledge, awareness
Ruler: Balance, adaptability, vulnerability
Wearable feel-good vibes…
For Vyrao, it’s all about wearable good vibes, and anyone who’s had a sluggish day or simply felt dull, blah and down in the dumps can attest – spritzing a scent can be an instantaneous remedy and our sense of smell is a potent way to make us feel brighter, more confident, and ready to face the world. With such potential power at our pulse points, Founder Yasmin Sewell sought a way to harness this energy so it could be at our fingertips whenever we need it. Having been ‘a lifelong advocate for personal self-care, wellbeing and energetic connection,’ Yasmin’s also trained in Integrative Quantum Medicine™ and Reiki, and so was well placed to reach out to Louise Mita, President and CEO of The Art Of Energy, Inc., and creator of Integrative Quantum Medicine™, who’s studied metaphysical alchemy, healing, and martial arts since 1968.
Together, they took a deep dive into researching specific ingredients they could use in the fragrances to help the wearer feel better. Explains Yasmin: ‘Science has shown that positive emotions and feelings can contribute to better health. I believe that in the future more of us will come to understand and accept the influence of energy as part of our overall well-being. We’ll know how to channel it, clear it, raise and work with it, and Vyrao is at the heart of that purpose. Vyrao helps us connect to ourselves.’
If you’re new to this more soulful way of wearing scent, the High Five collection really is the best way to dip in and gain a better understanding – both of what you like, but also (more importantly) what your soul is crying out for. It may surprise you… Included in the first five fragrances from the brand, you will get to experience:
Free 00: To feel alive and uninhibited is Free 00.
I am Verdant: A fragrance sprouting fresh green growth.
Witchy Woo: Wake up the powerful alliance of your courage and creativity.
Magnetic 70: For attraction and protection.
Georgette: For self-love.
Finding fragrant harmony…
When her PR and communications job took her to Hong Kong, little did Elementals founder Deana Wyland-Fries know, it would change the direction of her life forever. There she discovered feng shui – and soon learned that it is not merely a belief or superstition in China, but a science and a way of life. As she explains: ‘For centuries, the Chinese have believed that, everything in our universe can be allocated to one of five elements – water, wood, fire, earth and metal. Not only are these elements found in our environment, but also within ourselves. What’s more, we are born with an element that dominates our lives, dictating character, relationships, career and health. If our element is out of balance, we experience a sense of discomfort within…’
Ultimately, Elementals combine the simplicity and harmony of feng shui with the classical beauty of fine French perfumery. The result is a collection of surprising, innovative creations that seek to nurture mind, body and soul – while smelling, of course, utterly divine. Deana explains: ‘Because I am working with energy, I do not apply the classical olfactory pyramid in my creations… there are three main energies in the Universe: Heaven’s Chi, Human Chi and Earth Chi. In Chinese culture, these represent the three energies that, when working in harmony with one another, create perfect balance.’
What we’re wearing: Elementals Wood£148.50 for 100ml eau de parfum
Here we find ‘Heaven notes’ of bergamot, cedar and grapefruit to enhance concentration, with ‘Human notes’ of orris, tagetes and geranium, and a base, or ‘Earth notes’ of patchouli, Palo Santo (a sacred wood often used in meditation) and guaiacum (also known as guaiac wood). Wood represents the rising of energy, and the season of Spring, when blossoms are beginning to bloom again and signs new life are in abundance…
The opening of Tate Britain’s Sargent and Fashion exhibition is more than an opportunity to view some of the most famous portraits in the world: it’s an invitation to spend time with people who began as acquaintances – faces you recognised, who played a perhaps minor moment in your life – and leave having made several roomfuls of dear friends.
There are so many connections between other art-forms and fragrance – music and literature being the most usually cited – but pairing portraiture and perfume was an emotional connection impossible to resist. It’s because (as those of us obsessed with fragrance readily understand, and which anyone can feel deep inside when a certain smell triggers an emotional response within them;) a scent can communicate with such aching, soul-baring intimacy; telling complete strangers things about ourselves that we’d never otherwise overtly express.
Partly, the intimacy one feels in Sargent and Fashion comes from seeing the paintings up close and in person. The way these people (mostly women, in this exhibition) meet your eye, often challengingly, or sometimes deliberately evading your gaze. Intimacy, too, in the way he painted them – mostly these people were very close friends within Sargent’s social circle, and this fact absolutely leaps off each canvas in the vivacious vibrancy and liveliness with which they’re depicted. There’s tenderness at times, and humour, too. A vulnerability or a twinkle in the eye that can only be achieved through decades of a deep bond between painter and sitter.
John Singer Sargent in his studio (Madame X in the background)
We, as visitors, get to feel truly included in this partnership while viewing the exhibition. And the shortcut to our deeper understanding of the people behind the paint is partly thanks to the clothing and accessories displayed alongside the portraits. Many of them are the very outfits the sitters were wearing while he painted them, and we learn from the exhibition notes and signs beside the displays, that not only did Sargent keep costumes and props in his studio, but that on numerous occasions Sargent designed many of the outfits himself – in collaboration with esteemed couture fashion houses such as Worth. It wasn’t a case of ‘come as you are’ when turning up to Sargent’s studio to be painted. It was far more ‘let’s show these people who you REALLY are.’ As the introduction to the exhibition guide states:
‘Sargent and his sitters thought carefully about the clothes that he would paint them in, the messages their choices would send, and how well particular outfits would translate to paint. The rapport between fashion and painting was well understood at this time: as one French critic noted, ‘there is now a class who dress after pictures, and when they buy a gown ask ‘will it paint?’’’
At this point I have to allow myself a rant. Not about the exhibition – which I adored, and which I shall think about for many years to come – but about some of the reviews by art critics I’ve read since attending the Press View. In their opinion, the extraordinary artefacts detracted from the portraits and were entirely unconnected to our understanding of Sargent or the sitters. They describe the clothes and accessories, variously, as ‘old rags’ and ‘glittery baubles’, or ‘belonging in Miss Havisham’s attic’. And the undercurrent of these reviews very strongly comes across as ‘these are women’s fripperies, therefore utterly bereft of meaning or importance.’
To arrive at this conclusion is – quite apart from being disgustingly misogynistic, and in the same patronising lineage as literary critics dismissing Jane Austen’s work as historic ‘chick lit’ because it dares to document the lives of women – to miss the point of the exhibition entirely. The clue was in the name, after all: Sargent and Fashion. The clothing was even capitalised in the title to help them.
Women have always been especially judged on what clothes they wear, and in this exhibition the point is made – again and again, if you care to comprehend – that the sitters and Sargent liked to subvert this power play in the colour and cut of the clothing, in the positioning of their bodies. They were judged for these choices contemporarily, too – several of the portraits causing shocking scandals and what we’d now understand as ‘being cancelled’. Most notably with the famous (and swoon-worthy) portrait of Madam X, for which, as this brilliant Varsity article on the infamous portrait explains:
‘Sargent initially depicted Gautreau in a tightly silhouetted black gown, with chained straps doing very little to conceal her pearlescent shoulders and décolletage. In fact, originally, Sargent chose to drape one strap down Gautreau’s arm; this inadvertently caused further outrage. To spectators past, it was a brazen attempt to barely veil Gautreau’s body, suggesting that if one strap can breezily slip, so can the rest.’
The clothing has nothing to do with the portraits? No importance? Tell that to Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, who was lacerated by public opinion to the point where, as the Varsity article recounts:
‘Even Gautreau – a woman fiercely aware of her beauty, and inclined to weaponise it for advancement by becoming the archetypal ‘Parisienne’ – felt that it was best to anonymise her painted figure: thus Madame X was born.’
These spectacularly cloistered critics failed to appreciate the importance Sargent himself placed on the clothing – let’s reiterate the fact he DESIGNED many of the outfits himself, or carefully positioned the clothing and angles we can view them from; choosing to deliberately drape and conceal, or otherwise starkly reveal his sitters. And little wonder they missed (or elected not to place value on) the many examples of how important these clothes were – they spent very little time actually looking at the portraits or the clothes, or the numerous signs next to them explaining the significance. Instead, they gathered in tiny, tutting cabals during the exhibition, loudly discussing which other exhibitions or parties they had, or had not, been invited to.
#notallmen, but sadly, the ones I saw doing this all were. Ironically, I overheard them discussing what outifits they were going to wear to various fashion event parties that evening. But these were their clothes – men’s clothes – so presumably were of significance to them.
I shan’t link to their excoriating yet ultimately vacuous reviews because it lends them more credence than they’re due. And I needn’t couch my words, because they’ll never bother reading something so frivolous as an article matching PERFUME to portraits. Fragrance, I feel pretty confident in assuming, is something they would similarly sneer at as being bereft of cultural and emotional value, so equally pointless in examining. Those of us who feel otherwise are lucky in having our lives enriched by art in more ways than they could ever comprehend.
Let’s allow them to tut away to their heart’s content, and instead go and see the exhibition, and then imagine if we knew what fragrances the people in these portraits had also chosen to wear! Or what scent they might select, were they around now. Such consideration adds further layers which might reveal depths even Sargent never got to know. Which perhaps they never even truly realised about themselves.
Fragrance can do that. The right scent, worn at the right time, can disclose intimate secrets or conceal us in a cloak of intrigue. A perfume can be a worn as a kind of emotional X-Ray, or played with like choosing a costume from a dressing-up box.
The women in these portraits, we learn (and FEEL by smiling along with them), were not passive, wilting muses – they were accomplished artists, poets, academics, and philosophers in their own right. And they were in partnership with Sargent, with the fashion designers, and with us as we look at them and feel something that goes beyond the gaze to a complicit understanding. Just as wearing a particular fragrance can announce to the world who we are inside, or dictate how we want others to feel about us – transcending words and going straight to the soul.
When we take time to select a scent based on our emotional response to it – or gather whole wardrobes and toolboxes of them – we go beyond passive consumers to being in a relationship with the perfumer, the packaging designers, the experts and consultants that recommended them, and the people who then smell that fragrance as we waft past.
In pairing perfumes with Sargent’s portraits, then, I hope it helps you feel an even closer companionship to the people portrayed in them, and a have deeper understanding of the mood each scent can similarly evoke. And I urge you to try this for yourselves next time you’re in a museum or art gallery – or meeting friends in your own social circle. Wonder how you’d scent them, and then reflect on what this tells you about them, about the fragrance, and even what this reveals about our own levels of perception and interpretation.
Having gained a greater closeness to Sargent the man (not just the painter), and to the people (not only the portraits) during this exquisitely soul-enriching, emotional conversation of an exhibition, I feel he’d have approved. Indeed, he’d likely have had fragrances specially commissioned, worked on exacting briefs for the perfumers, and suggested precise tweaks to the perfumes’ formulae – the better to reflect the people behind the layers of paint, and further shaping our understanding of them.
Without such bespoke examples, what follows are the perfumes I felt ‘matched’ the personality of five portraits that particularly spoke to me. Indeed, there were so many other fragrance pairings inspired in my mind (and still bubbling away) by seeing this exhibition, that I’ll need to do a Part Two to stop them invading my every thought. But for now, what I really want to know is – which portraits would you decide to match, having got to know them at the exhibition; how would you scent them, and why would you pick that to evoke their character, the clothing, and the mood of the portrait itself…?
Sargent and Fashion is at Tate Britain until 7 July 2024. [Free for Tate members, and worth every penny if you’re not]
John Singer Sargent Lady Agnew of Lochnaw
Outwardly the very picture of femininity, in both the sitter and the scent there’s a strong backbone that runs through the centre. Gertrude is surrounded by a froth of delicate, transparent material, but she sits on a hard-backed chair and meets us with a direct and judging stare. In Apres L’Ondee a spring garden of rain-soaked blossoms feels encircled by a high fence. The violet in it is cool, almost frosted, but has survived the storm. You may admire the garden, but the casual passer-by will not be invited inside.
Guerlain Apres L’Ondee£108 for 75ml eau de parfumguerlain.com
John Singer Sargent Ena Wertheimer
Sargent and Ena were great friends, their rapport and her amusement vibrating through this unconventional portrait, and the stance apparently all Ena’s doing. She came to his studio, grabbed a broom and began fencing with it. Her heavy opera coat becomes a Cavalier’s uniform (or a witch’s cloak, given the subtext of the broomstick). In Moonlight Patchouli, inky black velvet is suddenly spotlit, bathed in a phosphorescent glow, dusted with iris – a focus on warm skin dominating the darkness.
Van Cleef & Arpels Moonlight Patchouli£145 for 75ml eau de parfumharrods.com
John Singer Sargent Mrs Hugh Hammersley (Mary Frances Grant)
A fashionable hostess of salons, Mary looks so happy to see you, but would like you to understand she has a lot to do. The extraordinary depth of colour and texture in her gown are discussed in this Metropolitan Museum of Art feature, but her vivacity and poised opulence are obvious. I tried not to use this scent in this piece, but it had to be hers. The striking depths of rose, raspberry and patchouli are hugely impactful, filled with beauty, power, and a presence that lasts long after you’ve left a room.
Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Ladyfrom £60 for 10ml eau de parfumfredericmalle.co.uk
John Singer Sargent Dr. Pozzi at Home
A blaze of passionate red, this man might appear a dandy, but he’s incredibly intelligent. He may look casually attired, but the drape of his dressing gown and the meticulous pleats of the white linen shirt dramatically contrast the swathe of scarlet. Habit Rouge is devilishly handsome and knows it. Dynamically woody, a hint of animalic magnetism balanced by almost soapy neroli and jasmine; rendered irresistible by the creamy warmth of spiced vanilla and moody patchouli in the base.
[P.S. I also attempted not to use Guerlain twice in my matches, but the body craves what it needs, and Pozzi’s needed this.]
Guerlain Habit Rouge£81 for 50ml eau de parfumguerlain.com
John Singer Sargent Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau)
The largest space in the exhibition is given over to Sargent’s most famous portrait, room for captivated crowds to gather and gaze, elongating their bodies and arching upwards, echoing her position, desperate for her to turn and look back. Virginie adored this painting, as did Sargent, but her life was scandalised by it. In Santal Majuscule, we’re invited to worship the sandalwood, acres of creaminess suggesting an expanse of bare skin. A pared back elegance which nonetheless skewers with longing.
Serges Lutens Santal Majuscule£135 for 50ml eau de parfumsergeslutens.co.uk
As we saw in our fragrant bouquet of narcissus-infused perfume recommendations, the sunny, soul-brightening flowers have been inspiring perfumers for centuries. But do you know the full story of the intriguing myth behind the naming of the narcissus?
This fascinating tale is told beautifully on the blog of chelseaflower.co.uk:
‘Like many stories in Greek mythology, Narcissus was burdened early on by prophesy. A wise, blind seer by the name of Tiresias warned him that he’d live a very long time, so long as he never admired his reflection. Avoiding mirrors was difficult in an appearance-centric culture, but Narcissus managed to for a great deal of his life. However, he peered down into a pool of water as an adult, became captivated by his own reflection, and – depending on the version of the myth – he either wasted away while staring or slid into the pool and drowned. Either way, not exactly a happy ending to the story.’
The Flower and the Fable
‘So what does this surprisingly bleak story have to do with such a sunny flower? Daffodils, particularly wild ones, are often found at the edges of ponds, rivers, and streams, looking down into the waters below. As they age, wither, and die, the bowed head of the flower droops closer to its stem, appearing to look even more intently at the ground or the water near its roots.’
‘This subtle nod to Narcissus’ end caused the ancient Greeks to believe the Narcissus flower was the incarnation of the man himself, a beautiful but stark reminder to avoid vanity and stay focused on the world and people around you instead. In some versions of the myth, this cautionary hero gets a little more benefit-of-the-doubt, too: alternate versions indicate that he actually pined away missing his lost twin sister, and looked at his own reflection to see her features. This slightly sunnier version casts the bright flower in a better light: that of the enduring love for family, and the beauty of cherished memories.’
‘No matter which version of Narcissus’ tale the flower of the same name brings to mind, there’s one undeniable truth: it’s a beautiful bloom. Planted in spring gardens or presented as a fresh floral arrangement, the gorgeous mix of creamy white and yellow-red centres make a joyful bouquet for any gift-giving occasion. Plant narcissus bulbs before spring, and you’ll be able to enjoy a colourful show emerging as the snow and ice melt away…’
However you decide to celebrate this gorgeously cheering flower – wearing a fragrance that wafts the scent of it all day, or filling your home with happy-making vases of the blooms – we hope you find some sunshine that will keep us going until spring properly appears!
Mimosa. Acacia. Cassie. All names for the same plant, with those fabulous yellow pom-pom flowers which look delicate, but fill a room with their dreamy sweetness in minutes. The bark, roots and resin are all still used to create incense for rituals, in Nepal, India and China (including Tibet – and acacia/mimosa’s used in mainstream perfumery, too: the scent has a warm, honey, iris-like, powdery airiness, which enriches the complexity of fragrances. Mimosa has a long tradition in perfumery: it was first used in making incense, and symbolised resurrection and immortality: Egyptian mythology linked the acacia tree with the tree of life, described in the Myth of Osiris and Isis.
Mimosas are pod-bearing shrubs and trees now native mostly to Australia and the Pacific, though they put on a pretty spectacular show around the heartland of perfumery in Grasse, too, in the south of France. For centuries, aside from perfumery, the mimosa tree has been used for many different purposes from medicinal to ornamental. The seeds and fruit are edible and used in many cuisines and soft drinks, the bark produces a gum that is used as a stabiliser (gum Arabic) and in the production for printing and ink; and the timber is used in furniture making.
Meanwhile, in France, at this time every year in February the fluffy yellow pom-pom blooms are celebrated for their beauty and vibrancy – adding a much-needed splash of yellow brightness to these often dreary days. As the blog thegoodlifefrance.com describes:
“…the velvety yellow blooms of the locally grown mimosa flowers will fill the streets of Mandelieu-La Napoule for a large and very popular festival. The festivities last for 10 days with the main attraction being the famed gloriously yellow floral floats during both weekends.”
“The evening starts at the “Notre Dame des Mimosas”, the Mimosa Queen is elected; the streets of the town centre ring to the sound of marching bands, street orchestras and the floats which parade, covered in locally grown mimosa. Each Sunday, the battle of the flowers takes place and when the floral floats are finished the winners go home laden with mimosa. This is a festival for everyone and children love it, the bright colours, the joyful atmosphere – its impossible not to be happy at this event and to feel that spring is just around the corner.”
To celebrate in fragrant form, why not seek out some mimosa-fluffed scents such as these…
GOLDFIELD & BANKS VELVET SPLENDOUR
Sumptuousness personified with a flirtatiously fluffy Australian mimosa snuggled up to decadently waxy orange blossom and luminous jasmine against a leathery, resinous backdrop of intriguing complexity. Drowsily splendid, this unfurls for hours on the skin as it warms, telling the story of a day spent in bed with your lover – a decadent plushness to sink into and sigh at the heliotropine-drenched dry-down, as you sip tea and eat buttered toast, while warming your feet on theirs…
What is the scent of paper? That’s how every Diptyque creation begins: a blank sheet, a pen, ink, ideas. Fabrice Pellegrin was tasked here with conjuring up diluted ink and artistic brushstrokes. The perfect textural softness of mimosa and white musks are mistily ethereal, with a rice steam accord adding to the sense of paperiness and roasted sesame for the inkiness. Alex Waline’s pointillist label completes a modern masterpiece that couldn’t be more Diptyque if it tried.
If what you need now is a massive hug, there are two ingredient that enfold you in their arms, and both are included here. Iris wraps its arms around cypress, leather, amber, musks, vanilla and a surprisingly animalic but still soothing purr of mimosa, confected to create ‘the mind-blowing discovery of iris fields on the edge of a desert.’ (Imaginary, but we’re right there, thanks to this shimmering mirage of a scent, from this exciting, new-to-the-UK perfume name.)
If ever there were further proof needed that florals have been modernised, it is here, in this pale mauve juice: a profusion of fresh flowers harvested in Grasse, still a hub of perfume creativity, where Vuitton’s Jacques Cavallier Belletrud was born and works today. Add the gloriously green, powdery mimosa from the Tanneron forest, touches of sandalwood and soft musks, and you have the prettiest of sheer summer scents – contemporary, luminous and understatedly elegant.
This floral-musky triumph is named after Queen Anne’s best friend – Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, as immortalised by Rachel Weisz in the film that also starred Oscar-winner Olivia Colman. As prettily-packaged as any scent we’ve seen in a while, it’s a juice to match, swirling with that gloriously powdery mimosa, freesia, violet and mandarin, becoming positively boudoir-esque as the musk and Indian sandalwood drift in. Spritz lavishly and waft in a negligé to do it justice.
In the depths of winter, when life seems dormant and waiting, there is one little glimpse of brighter times to come – a whiff of hope on the frosty breeze – in that cheering moment we first spot a snowdrop. Yes, that might sound clichéd, but I defy you to smother a smile when you see one.
SO delicately scented with a lightly honeyed, creamy almond kind of smell, the latin name ‘Galanthus‘ means ‘milky flower’, and this tiny bloom has gathered centuries of fragrant folklore around its origins, continuing to inspire perfumers with its transcendent prettiness.
Native to Alpine regions, where they thrive amidst the cold, mountainous climes; snowdrops are believed to have first appeared in the British Isles when they were brought there by monks. It’s rather nice to imagine them tenderly tucked in religious robes while they travelled, but however they first arrived, they took root in the frozen winter soil of this country, and in our souls, somehow. Perhaps we were seduced by the mythology – stories passed down through generations, such as the legend recounted on the snowdrop-centric website snowdrops.me: ‘when you listen closely,’ they explain, ‘you can hear their bells ringing, trying to wake up nature from its winter sleep.’ Even more beautiful is the ancient German tale re-told on The Creative Countryside blog:
‘At the beginning of all things when life was new, the Snow sought to borrow a colour. The flowers were much admired by all the elements but they guarded their colour’s jealousy and when the Snow pleaded with them, they turned their backs in contempt for they believed the Snow cold and unpleasant. The tiny humble snowdrops took pity on the Snow for none of the other flowers had shown it any kindness and so they came forth and offered up to the Snow their colour. The Snow gratefully accepted and became white forevermore, just like the Snowdrops. In its gratitude, the Snow permitted the little pearly flowers the protection to appear in winter, to be impervious to the ice and bitter chill. From then on, the Snow and the Snowdrops coexisted side by side as friends.’
I’ll be the first to admit the smell of snowdrops isn’t effusive, it doesn’t billow through the woods as a scented cloud harkening Spring; but though tenderly scented, it’s the symbolism of this flower that so inspires perfumers, I think. And to which we feel drawn – perhaps likening ourselves to the ‘brave’ flower having clung on through icy conditions, and having managed to immerge, even through the frozen ground. A triumph of beauty over adversity, if you will.
Quietly scented (to us) they may be, but that smell acts as a clarion call for potential pollinators. The composition of the snowdrop’s fragrant waft depends on the type of insect it wants to attract. The honeyed kind attract bees (and us), but because the snowdrop is a fairly recent inhabitant on British shores, the scent they exude can also be a wordless cry to a species not available here. So, not all snowdrops have a smell that pleases the masses. Explains the National Plant Collection of Galanthus at Bruckhills Croft in Aberdeenshire on their snowdrops.me blog (where you can purchase several varieties of the flower): ‘The species Koenenianus is often described as having a smell of animal urine or bitter almonds, so perhaps has evolved to attract pollenating beetles in its native North-Eastern Turkey?’
Fragrances evoking snowdrops are (given our love for the flowers and their symbolism) still surprisingly rather scarce, but when we find them they may lean on the tenderly honeyed side of their scent (I’m very glad to say), with clever ‘noses’ tending to use a blend of notes to evoke these seasonal flagposts of hope in their fragrances – boosting their brightness, smoothing the edges, radiating anticipation. Such is the alchemy of a fragrant composition, we might be smelling lily-of-the-valley or bluebell accords (also imagined evocations) or the dewy green of violet leaf. Creamy white musks are often used to create that elegant shiver of the flower, or a whisper of cool woodiness wafting an imagined breeze to shake their bells. Conversely, the sense of snowdrops may be borrowed to add pale shafts of sunlight within the darkness of a scent, the contrast emboldening the harmony of the whole blend.
So, while you may not pick up a bottle and confidently declare ‘Aha! I detect snowdrops!’ we can quite willingly succumb to the romance of the story, and cling on to the feeling of hopefulness each of these four snowdrop fragrances grant the wearer…
Shay & Blue Black Tulip From £7.95 for 10ml eau de parfum Contrasts abound as white chocolate swathes spiced plum, but before gourmand-avoiders back away, it’s not overtly sweet – think of it more like the silky ‘mouth-feel’ amidst swathes of bright snowdrops and creamy cyclamen. The dark heart hushes to wood shavings, curls of chocolate still falling like snowflakes.
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz’s calone-based ‘snow accord’ imagines the backdrop for the owl’s scented swooping: ‘A thick carpet of silver envelops the landscape, untouched but for the dazzling reflection of the sun.’ Icy mint, lily of the valley and coconut drift to snowdrops and sap-filled galbanum, softly feathered by the moss-snuggled base.
A portrait of a frozen stream in perfumed form, snowdrops and freesia are lapped by lychee water, peony petals and jasmine hinting at warmer days, clementine blossom a burat of happiness amidst misty, crystalline musks. Then, the smooth teakwood base is whipped through with fluffs of creamy vanilla for an ambient blanket of calm.
Angela Flanders Lawn £85 for 30ml eau de parfum
Kate learned perfumery at her mother’s knee, taking over the house after Angela died, with this dew-speckled, dawn-struck scent her first offering. ‘Lawn marked a new start for me as a perfumer’, she explains, ‘and is therefore a most appropriate scent for the time of year when we feel ready to embrace the promise of a new season.’
Narcissus has been exciting perfumers for millennia. The Arabs used it in perfumery, then the Romans, who created a perfume called Narcissinum with the oil from what’s become one of our favourite modern flowers. In India, meanwhile, narcissus one of the oils applied to the body before prayer, along with jasmine, sandalwood and rose. (Nobody’s quite sure where the first flowers were grown; some believe it originated in Persia, and made its way to China via the Silk Route.)
There are hundreds of different species of Narcissi today – white, yellow, some with a touch of pink or orange (including our ‘everyday’ daffodil) – but not all are fragrant. The Pheasant’s Eye Narcissus (a.k.a. Poet’s Narcissus, or Narcissus poeticus) is native to Europe, and growers cultivate it in the Netherlands and the Grasse area of France, extracting an oil which smells like a blend of jasmine and hyacinth.
The scent can also be extracted from the so-pretty ‘bunched’ variety – Narcissus tazetta – is native to southern Europe and now also grown widely across Asia, the Middle East, north Africa, northern India, China and Japan. A third variety, Narcissus jonquil, can also be used, and in one form or another this beautiful ingredient is said to make its way into as much as 10% of modern fragrances – despite the fact that a staggering 500 kilos of flowers are needed to produce a kilo of ‘concrete’, or just 300 g of absolue, making it very pricy – and, therefore, many perfumers will create an ‘accord’ to recreate this stunning scent note.
It’s so powerful, though, that only a touch is needed – and perfumers must proceed with caution: the scent in a closed room can be overwhelming. (Narcissus actually gets its name from the Greek word ‘narke’, which made its way into Roman language as ‘narce’: that meant ‘to be numb’, and alludes to the effect the oil can have.)
The supposed Greek legend linked with the flower is well-known: Narcissus was a handsome youth who fell in love with his own reflection, on seeing it in a pool. Unable to leave behind the beauty of his image, Narcissus died – to be replaced by this flower…
Penhaligon’s The Revenge of Lady Blanche
Here, hyacinth and daffodil lure those around with wafts of what seems like whimsicality, before the true headiness kicks in with billowing verdancy and the bite of ginger flower beckons. Reflecting the character of Lady Blanche, who Penhaligon’s describe as ‘the darling of London Society’ who will ‘do anything to continue climbing the social ladder’ and revealing ‘her charmingly dangerous persona,’ – this is a narcissus-strewn scent that beautifully balances the beauty and intriguing green notes.
Sana Jardin have helped to put scent sustainability firmly on the agenda, a brand created primarily as a vehicle for social change, offering fragrances (by the esteemed Carlos Benaïm) which are exquisite enough to convert any eco-refusenik. They don’t launch newness every five minutes – au contraire – but introductions like this are worth waiting for, heady with tuberose, jasmine and French narcissus, freshened by lemon and ultimately smoothed by soft musks. Hypnotic, we’re finding.
Try a sample in the Sana Jardin Discovery Set £30 for 10 x 2ml samples In our shop
Frederic Malle Cologne Indélébile
Love the freshness – but weep over the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nature of Colognes…? This is the most surprising Cologne incarnations you can wrap your nose around, bursting out of the bottle on a surge of orange blossom and Calabrian bergamot, neroli and lemon. But wait. Literally, wait a couple of hours: the top notes still make their presence felt – joined by arm-fulls of headier narcissus, too, by now – but Cologne Indelebile develops an irresistible musky undertone that will still be seducing you (and who knows who else?), 24 hours in. Golly.
Atropa Belladonna is inspired by deadly nightshade (yes, really!): the rare plant used by seventeenth century Venetians for hallucinogenic beauty, as the natural toxins is contains dilate the pupils. This rich and incredibly opulent scent was created by ‘nose’ Julie Massé. It is an utterly contemporary blend of ripe blackcurrant alongside narcotic white flowers by way of narcissus and jasmine. The mesmerising composition decadently dries down to a base of patchouli, sandalwood and Bourbon vanilla.
Endless vistas of Provençal lavender fields and their ‘glorious explosion of purple, mauve, lilac and blue’ were the inspiration behind this wonderfully soothing, aromatic ‘memory of France in high summer.’ Until we can wander those fields first-hand, this cool, dry and immediately nostalgic scent spirits us there with every spritz. Refreshing watermelon and hypnotic narcissus only add to the bucolic charms, and once again we praise the nose of Michel Almairic. Mai oui!
