Summer shimmies closer and our suitcases remain empty, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a sensationally scented staycation with this week’s latest launches. Hermès L’Ombres des Merveilles will enchant with its glimmering flacon, whilst the jade green juice of Calvin Klein Eterntiy Summer For Men could conjure the most tempting of sea shores. Is it time to spend your holiday money? We say oui!
&OTHER STORIES
RIVIERA POSTCARD
If you’re hankering after sunshine and glamour but can’t stretch to the airfare, follow your nose to the French Riviera with a spritz of this effervescently exuberant (and so pocket friendly) pick-me-up. Mouth-watering freshly grated lemon zest adorns a just-poured peach Bellini, supped at sunset, with playful notes of pineapple and coconut extract joyfully balancing whipped vanilla, pink sugar and caramel. For the life and soul of the party – and partying ‘til way past dawn.
£28 for 50ml eau de toilette
stories.com
HERMÈS
L’OMBRE DES MERVEILLES
16 years after Eau des Merveilles debuted, Serge Mansau’s so-clever ‘rocking bottle’ now reappears in deep blue, its rounded front ‘a star-spangled magnifying glass revealing the poetry of the world.’ The captivating scent within echoes that mystery, with resident perfumer Christine Nagel contrasting light and shade via a blend of black teas, a swirl of incense and the dark, simmering sensuality of tonka bean, beckoning us to ‘see the world from new and marvellous angles.’
£109 for 100ml eau de parfum
hermes.com
D.S. & DURGA
CRYSTAL PISTIL
A stunningly beautiful homage to heady white flowers, but shot through with a whoosh of fresh air. Here, the classic note of orange flower is rendered crystalline, a transparency buoyed by the clean soap/Champagne pop of aldehydes. Think floral waters and soft ‘your skin but better’ musks, and add this fragrant dew to just about any fragrance you currently own – or simply rock it solo. All the better, we think, to savour the solar rush.
£148 for 50ml eau de parfum
libertylondon.com
MAISON MATINE
AVANT L’ORAGE
A new discovery for us, this range of joyful fragrances from a niche French house hopes to ‘embody a free spirit generation’. An immediate favourite has to be Avant l’Orage (‘Before the Storm’) – a swirl of pink pepper fizzing through jasmine sambac and rich benzoin before dark flecks of vanilla and toasty tonka bean join the throng. A musk-infused smooth sandalwood base feels like an extra blanket of protection, and we adore the quirky drawing-embellished bottles!
£50 for 50ml eau de parfum
libertylondon.com
CALVIN KLEIN
ETERNITY SUMMER FOR MEN
Swaggering forth exuding creamy spiced coconut and leathery saffron, you might have mistaken this charmer for a chancer – out for quick fragrant fling. But no, wait for the softer, almost peachy floral heart of osmanthus and the seamlessly smooth dry down of resinous labdanum and olibanum to make themselves known. We think you’ll find this as irresistible on the skin as we did – a definite second-snuggle required to reap the full olfactory benefits.
£59 for 100ml eau de toilette
fragrancedirect.com
