As the weather starts to turn colder, and the attic is once again searched for the mysterious disappearing box of decorations, our thoughts turn to the scents that will surround us during the month of December. In my house the aroma of warmed tinsel is a regular treat, but the Christmas Candle is also a tradition that requires a lot of thought each year. With so many choices out there, navigating the ever-growing options can be daunting. So, from Paris to Glasgow, with a stop at Leighton Buzzard, I’m back for another year to recommend the perfect flickering feast in my annual Top Five Candles for Christmas.
Autumn can be a bit of strange period for perfume releases, because it’s often seen as a little bit of an in-between season. We’ve just left the sunshine of the summer with its radiant citruses and are transitioning into the cold weather that’s traditionally personified by winter resins. That means this three-month period is one that is usually given over to celebrating crisp autumnal green notes, unless you’re jumping forward early to December. One company that has cleverly combined both of these into a single release is C.Atherley with their new Geranium No.2 scent, and it’s destined to be just as successful as No.1.
The discussion around gender within fragrance is a topic that has really come to the fore over the past ten years. There was always an argument that the notion of “flowers are for girls” and “woods are for men” was outdated, if it ever really applied in the first place to be honest, but the advent of more fluidity around gender has meant perfume companies have had to finally start addressing the issue head on. It’s a very fine line to walk, without coming across as if you’re riding off the back of someone else’s cause, but it’s one that Superdry have successfully championed in their new duo of exciting fragrances.
There can be no doubt that in the United Kingdom we have hit autumn with a vengeance. The wind is howling, the rain is falling, and a “crispness in the air” actually translates as “bloody cold”. However, it’s the vastly changing seasons that make this wonderful island such a special place to live. Having said that, it does feel a little early to be reaching for the amber-imbued sweetness that is reserved for the winter months. Happily Versace have come to the rescue with the beautifully timed Eros Energy. With some tantalisingly crisp citrus and woody facets, it feels like Versace have hit gold once again.
With the similarity between music and perfume, it’s no surprise that the former often acts as inspiration for the latter. I’ve talked before about the crossover of “notes” and “chords”, and even the array of ingredient bottles being described as a perfumer’s “organ”, and so it’s always fun to find a new fragrance that takes up the thread. Perfumes have been inspired by specific pieces of music, or particular pop bands, but an operatic season is a slightly different approach. Eight & Bob have taken the world-famous Glyndebourne Festival as their starting point, and the resulting La Musique de Christie hits all of the right notes.
In a world that is dominated by pictures of the perfect body, the most sumptuous living room, or the ideal holiday getaway, it can begin to feel like there is no possible way of measuring up to these often-enhanced images. This important discussion around what real life actually looks like, versus the doctored online perceptions, isn't a subject that you would necessarily think would form the inspiration for a perfume brand. Well, it has. In an attempt to make things decidedly more “real”, NOYZ has arrived to cut through the fictitious and replace it with fact, and they’ve begun with their scented antidote to a Sh**ty Day.
The men’s grooming market is one that is forever being touted as “the next big thing” and “the sector to focus on” but, in reality, it’s one that has happily ticked along for generations. Whether we’re talking about the legendary Macassar Oil, the traditional Geo F. Trumper Shaving Cream, or even the new Eight & Bob Bath and Body range, men’s grooming products have always been an established part of daily routines. In more recent years the bestsellers may have changed, eye balms in favour of aftershave splashes, but tradition always powers through. That’s where Milano Cento comes in with their new Shaving Cream.
There is something so autumnal about generously spritzing a scarf with your favourite fragrance and then launching yourself out into an amber-leafed, and frost-encrusted world. Okay, I might be sounding a little over-poetical here, when what we really mean is “a finger-freezing force nine gale”, but you get the idea. Your choice of perfume is always going to be a highly personal decision, but I really do encourage you to think about reaching for the glorious greens during autumn and winter instead of the usual ambers. The perfect starting point for this has to be Venus of Verbena from Sana Jardin.
The need to explore is something that is instilled in us all from childhood - whether that’s as simple as discovering what lies at the end of the garden or delving into personal heritage. We are all naturally curious by design, and that doesn’t change as we get older. Exploring perfume can also be thought of in that simple or complex way - are you discovering the various types of fragrance or delving into one fragrance family? Electimuss London have combined a few of these ideas in their Explorer Collection, which draws from Roman society and their love of exploration, and it all begins with Spice d’Arno.
