HIGHER LOVE by Tessa Williams

In an increasingly unsettled world, the strains of “all you need is love” have never been more pertinent. From overseas conflict right through to home-grown confusions, finding a way to navigate the everyday seems to have become more difficult. There are many ways to bolster spirits and provide encouragement, such as music and art, but fragrance also has an important part to play. The scents that surround us can give us the strength that we may be missing, or the armour to tackle the day. The latest perfume to offer some scented security is Higher Love from Tessa Williams, and it comes with a large dose of love.

Affordability is often a subject that causes some friction in the fragrance world, because every company is trying their best to balance the books. New releases cost money, from the initial creation through to the final packaging, and this needs to be recouped as quickly as possible. However, perfumes really can be affordable, but you need to be open to trying some hidden gems and overlooked beauties. The Tessa Williams range of perfumes has been around now for over ten years, and her goal has always been to provide excellent fragrances at pocket-friendly prices. So, who is Tessa Williams?

Tessa is a journalist and author, probably still best known amongst fragrance fans for the coffee-table book Cult Perfumes: The World’s Most Exclusive Perfumeries. Released in 2013 by Merrill Publishers, this spawned an initial Elements range of home fragrances, which then became Living Colognes, and were eventually joined by Faith, Hope and Love. Her ability to act as the Creative Director for two ranges of fragrances, which took the abstract and turned them into a scented realisation, gave her the knowledge to tackle a further collection of “travel inspired” colognes, but the latest release goes back to her roots.

This new release feels like the grown-up progression to the original Love fragrance that launched in 2020. That wonderful floral scent was a key player in Tessa’s second collection of fragrances, and helped a legion of followers to navigate the pandemic at a time when personal contact was limited. In a similar way to the original, the new Higher Love cologne has been released as a scented antidote to the upheaval and unsettling elements that are currently being faced around the world. From escalating worldwide issues right down to our own personal challenges, this latest release promises “love when we need it most”.

Higher Love opens with an immediate richness thanks to notes of tonka bean and coconut leading the charge straight out of the bottle. This is then added to by a touch of peppered cardamom and jasmine, which gives a delicately bright floral heart to the scent. Alongside a caramel note, you’re then treated to an earthy vetiver which expertly stops the fragrance becoming too sweet, and a dry cedarwood which seems to add a hay-like note in this scent. With an oud-inspired amber appearing towards the end, and a dash of celebratory myrrh, Higher Love’s rich blend provides a well-needed boost of “love, sweet love”.

Higher Love is available from the Tessa Williams website at tessawilliams.co.uk priced at £35 for 50ml. There is also currently an offer running on the website for 25% off with the code HIGHERLOVE25. [Sample provided by Tessa Williams]