You’ll be captivated by the wonder of woods with this week’s latest launches. From Atelier Cologne Santal Carmin to Van Cleef and Arpels irresistible Bois D’Amande, these are truly the woods of legend and lore. Isn’t it time you lost yourself in the woods?
ATELIER COLOGNE
SANTAL CARMIN
Inside this gold lotus-emblazoned limited edition bottle, sumptuous sandalwood is the star ingredient. But the smouldering banquet of woodiness is woven through with golden ribbons of leathery saffron, while piquant notes of lime and bergamot puncture the headiness and darker rivulets of guaiac wood ripple through seams of rich vanilla. Perfumer Jerome Épinette has created an enveloping, comforting cloak to snuggle in and waft clouds of deliciousness wherever you go. Grab it before it’s gone.
£165 for 100ml eau de parfum
At Harrods [not online]
L’ORCHESTRE PARFUM
PIANO SANTAL
This is a fragrance to wear and to listen to (via scanning the packaging’s QR code); composed by perfumer Jean Jacques, Piano Santal is then musically interpreted by French jazz pianist, Édouard Ferlet. In perfume form, it evokes clean white sheets and languorous warm skin; milky, mystical and dream-like, it soothes with ripples of white sandalwood, cedarwood and ethereal white musks, notes of caraway carried like motes of dust on a breeze.
£129 for 100ml eau de parfum
harveynichols.com
OLFACTIVE O
WOODY
This feels like a letter to a lover: close, personal and intimate. With the soft paperiness of love notes lingering in the background, it’s a whisper of a scent, its opening of cedarwood and black pepper beckoning you closer. A heart of smoked leathers, vetiver and myrrh leads on to a dry-down of sheer softness. A combination of white ambergris, sandalwood and labdanum invites you to relax, cocooning you in utmost comfort.
£60 for 30ml eau de parfum
olfactiveo.com
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
BOIS D’AMANDE
We’re absolutely loving this follow up to the Parisian jeweller’s previous Collection Extraordinaire woody creations, Bois d’Iris and Bois Doré. This time, we discover Sidonie Lancesseur’s exceptionally sensual depiction of almond trees in the Italian sunshine. Woodsy notes of Virginian cedar are contrasted by the powderiness of almond, with the soft sweetness of vanilla pulsing moreishly beneath, enfolding skin in a luminous milkiness. Altogether, quite as delicious as that sounds.
£175 for 75ml
selfridges.com
ZARA
EBONY WOOD
Technically all eight fragrances created by perfume designer Jo Malone for Zara are shareable, but this for us is one of the more masculine-leaning. Pink peppercorn, clove and ebony wood all have their moment in the limelight with this sheer, transparent wood – not in-your-face bold, but stealthily alluring. Pleasingly affordable, they’re all worth sniffing, meanwhile, next time you’re near the checkout. And let’s face it, it’s often a l-o-n-g wait.
£25.99 for 90ml eau de parfum
zara.com
