How to expand your fragrance wardrobe

It can be difficult to keep track of all the new perfumes that are released – several hundred new ones each year! – and so we’ve done the hard work for you by selecting some Launches We Love for our latest Perfume Society Discovery Boxes. But if you’ve been a ‘signature scent’ hunter or just got stuck in a rut, how do you go about expanding your fragrance wardrobe? We’ve got the answers for you right here…

As Coco Chanel said, ‘Perfume is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion.’ So: some people have lots of shoes and bags and change according to their mood. A fragrance wardrobe provides the same opportunity for you to choose, according to your mood or the occasion.

What we aim to do through The Perfume Society is make sure that those choices are fragrances you truly love and which suit you – rather than something which languishes, unworn, on a shelf. (Just as we’ve all bought clothes which we’ve worn once, and realised, sadly, didn’t suit us.)

Perfume should never be sprayed on and sniffed immediately – you’ll just be getting whiffs of the alcohol! We advise waiting a few minutes until the scent settle on your skin, then you can start to decide if you like it…

If you’re trying something new, or a style of fragrance that differs to your normal choices, you really need to allow yourself at least several hours (if not a full day) to follow the fragrance through its journey of Top, Heart (middle) and Base notes as they warm and develop on your skin.

How many perfumes should you have? As many as you like! (How many pairs of shoes do you own…? Or jackets…? And would you wear sequins to work, or a fitted suit to watch a movie on a weekend…?) We don’t want to see fragrances gathering dust on a dressing table, so why not try out over a DOZEN new fragrances in Launches We Love at home?

You might want to have different fragrances for spring/summer and autumn/winter. Perhaps the subtle elegance of Flower By Kenzo Eau de Vie, the fizzing rhubarb freshness of Miller Harris Lost or the incredible new niche duo of Gentle Fluidity by brilliant perfumer Francis Kurkdjian might be your scents to turn to now the sunshine’s showing itself?

For evening fragrances and greyer days, some prefer a stronger concentration, or something with a richer woody or amber base. Consider Cartier La Panthère with its ethereal gardenia melting into musky, sandalwood trail, or perhaps the fabulously grown-up iris and amber buxom embrace of Miller Harris Violet Ida? Spice lovers are in for a treat with the new Alien Fusion For Her – a fascinating flicker between ginger and cinnamon touched with tuberose and orange blossom.

Something subtle to wear to the office? We’ve got you covered, with the succulent sunshine in a bottle of Shay & Blue White Peaches, or the gentle breeze of incense swirling through velvety, berry-tinged petals in the modern-day classic of Floris A Rose For…

There’s also a pretty trio of blooms from Yardley, with Decadent Mimosa, Elegant Iris and Luxe Gardenia to enjoy trying. And Mademoiselle Rochas Couture breezes through a bouquet of white flowers, heady orange blossom, the delicate freshness of lily of the valley and a truly hypnotic heliotrope – taking you from desk to dancefloor in the most contemporary-chic way.

If perfume brings you joy, indulge yourself – and let others indulge you (preferably in a guided way…)

Enjoy exploring all these scents and seeing which you might consider expanding your own fragrance wardrobe with. We’ve thrown in a full size Nails. Inc nail polish worth £15 on its own, and two dinky travel-size bath treats from I Love Cosmetics… making your wardrobe makeover a win-win!