When we think about perfume our thoughts instinctively go to the scented spritz that comes out of our favourite bottle. However, we forget that our daily lives are also scented with everything from fabric softener to shower gel. It’s natural then that customers have started to ask questions about the suitability of fragrance within certain products, and especially within skincare. The scent of your favourite face cream or hand lotion is often as important as the result, but can scent and substance be made to work together? Fragonard have just launched their Soins Essentiels range, and the results are a little piece of Provençal perfection.
Summer is the season when people are generally encouraged to switch up their fragrance wardrobes and reach for the effervescent citruses over the more resinous perfumes. Now, I’ve never really believed that scent has a season, it’s the same argument as scent having a gender, and so I’ve always gravitated towards citruses throughout the whole year. There’s nothing nicer than a crisp fragrance on a cold winter’s day, and to find a new citrus that can straddle summer, autumn, winter and spring is always a treat. So, grab your passport because we’re bound for Australia to discover Bohemian Lime from Goldfield & Banks.
Everybody loves a good mystery, even if we don’t always end up solving it. Whether it’s a TV crime drama or a classic piece of fiction, attempting to follow the clues and unmask the villain is the perfect way to idle away a couple of hours. Now, pairing perfume with literature is nothing new, and many fragrances have been inspired by the characters and settings from famous books, but marking a celebration with one is even more fun. So, it’s time to litteraly mix the undisputed Queen of Crime with the actual hands of time as we discover the ravishingly intriguing Double Mystery from Franck Muller.
Fragrance inspiration often sees us travelling to distant shores, ancient periods of history or even literature that we may never have read. It’s these experiences outside of our usual lives that can easily conjure up a sense of mystery or excitement, so it’s not surprising that perfumers regularly call upon them when a new release beckons. Now, what’s distant to one person is actually just around the corner for the next, but the British Isles are definitely not a regular source of inspiration for scent. However, Ruth Mastenbroek has decided to buck this trend with her latest release. So, it’s time for some homegrown excitement courtesy of Zephyr.
With summer holidays now in full swing, and the weather showing no signs of switching from sunshine to rain, you may have already reached the point of wondering how to fill those long weekends. Mooching around another National Trust property can quickly lose its appeal, and endless days on packed beaches can become a little stale, so what are the options for fragrance fans? After concentrating merely on the scent that comes from a perfume bottle, now is the perfect time to go back to basics. So, grab your lunch box as we enjoy a Blyton-esque "scented adventure in Dorset", and discover two gardens that are well worth a visit.
The world of home fragrance is a massive industry, and it’s one that just keeps getting bigger. The idea of creating a scented mood or a feel within our homes has never been more popular, and this was really amplified during the periods of lockdown. That’s why with people still spending so much time inside their homes, for both work and for pleasure, your fragranced environment is so important. Whether that’s uplifting citrus, calming florals, or inspirational woods, the sky really is the limit. One company that have created the ultimate scented home pairing is Arran, and their After The Rain fragrance is as popular as ever.
With the weather getting hotter, and people making the most of the sunshine, many are looking at ways to cool down while still smelling fantastic. Now, those living in France, Germany and Spain know exactly how to achieve this, but their traditional approach is still not really embraced by fragrance fans outside of those countries. I’m talking about the wonderfully inexpensive option of liberally splashing on a cologne. Colognes are one of the most cost-effective ways to scent, at the same time as beating the heat, and one of my favourites has always been the legendary Héliotrope Blanc Lotion by L.T. Piver.
There are certain names that have become synonymous with particular products, whether that’s fragrance or homeware, because they are acknowledged to be the experts in their fields. This expertise is often the result of spending years honing their craft, but can also include the act of sidestepping from one similar career to the next. One of the biggest examples of this is surely the Queen of Layering, Jo Malone. She built her empire on the basic foundation of providing beautiful scents in a variety of forms, and one of the most popular of these must surely be her famous shower gels and body lotions.
The subject of gender in fragrance is something that is still being discussed at length, and it’s just as vocal in the niche sector as it is in the high street. The fragrances that you’ll find in the department stores are clearly split into masculine, feminine and unisex because this helps to guide customers to their “safe” choice. The more independent boutiques will split by fragrance family or style, but this does mean that the customer has to take a much bigger journey of discovery. It’s very hard for established companies to break this cycle, but that is exactly what Fragonard have done with Beau de Provence.
