Silk and velvet are words that simply belong with the luxurious feel of fragrance and this week’s latest launches have it all. Adorn yourself with Floris Tuberose in Silk or perhaps reach for Jo Malone London Golden Vetiver and Vanilla? With warm woods from Oakwood, Angela Flanders and Nancy Meiland, a sensuous feast awaits!
ANGELA FLANDERS
AQUA ALBA
The word whisky stems from the Gaelic word for ‘water of life’, and this positively swirls with loamy, amber-rich magnificence. First released as a limited edition in 2012, Aqua Alba soon acquired a cult following. Heartbroken fans rejoice: it’s back, and better than ever following a reformulation by Kate Evans, after the brown oakmoss became unavailable. Wind-whipped woodiness tussles soft green moss, smoky peat and banks of heather: a blustery highland walk, bottled.
£79 for 50ml eau de toilette
angelaflanders-perfumer.com
FLORIS
TUBEROSE IN SILK
A ‘celebration of voluptuous tuberose’, think silken peignoirs and marabou slippers, the headiness of this iconic flower enrobed in the solar breeze of jasmine, the soft musk of warm skin and a surprisingly fruity benzoin base. Sourcing a natural tuberose absolute from southern India, there’s sunshine folded within, so it blooms beautifully for hours. In-house perfumer Penny Ellis worked with perfumery director Edward Bodenham to create this hand-poured, small batch edition. Stock up now!
£180 for 100ml eau de parfum
florislondon.com
JO MALONE LONDON
VETIVER & GOLDEN VANILLA
Jo Malone London’s newest Cologne Intense harnesses the bounty of the island of Madagascar, where vetiver and vanilla both flourish, as its cornerstone ingredients. But first, a dash of spicy cardamom. A fresh twist, from grapefruit tea. Then earthy native vetiver sweeps in, to be sweetened with precious Bourbon vanilla (regarded as the highest quality on the planet) and here – so we’re told – hand-harvested from the orchid-garlanded jungle. Opulent and quite delicious.
From £78 for 50ml Cologne Intense
jomalone.co.uk
NANCY MEILAND
SOUS BOIS
Taking its name from the French word for ‘undergrowth’, this is dark, woody – the first fougère from the talented Sussex-based perfumer. (Traditionally a masculine fragrance family, but so eminently shareable, here, that we’ve swiped it for ourselves.) Opening with cypress and pine, sweet gale and a rain accord, it leads you by the nose to moss campion, black hemlock, birch tar and labdanum, and ultimately to its inviting bed of mosses and resinous woods.
From £65 for 50ml eau de parfum
nancymeiland.com
SUNSPEL
OAK WOOD
Created by esteemed British perfumer Lyn Harris, this is a real scent of style, a first for the clothing brand. Shareable, its opening notes of bergamot and neroli tingle in the composition; a glimmer of light shining on a backdrop of dark woods. Softness is brought by chamomile and angelica seeds, while the woody base of cedar and sandalwood are rounded and smoothed by frankincense and amber. Timeless, original and incredibly wearable.
£90 for 100ml eau de parfum
sunspel.com
