From Acqua di Parma to Invictus Legend, this week’s latest launches are designed for men, yet so sublime that women will want them too. From breezy Tuscan Cypress to Creed‘s legendary Aventus, each one has a touch of the suave and a soupçon of summer.
ACQUA DI PARMA
CIPRESSA DI TOSCANA
Nothing says summer like seeing the iconic blue of Acqua di Parma’s bottles, and here we’re jetting to a secluded island in the Mediterranean (yes please, immediately!) to be surrounded by the serenity of nature. Close your eyes and feel the sunshine warm your soul as a star anise and bright elemi accord is illuminated by sparkling citrus notes of orange and petit grain, while sage, lavandin, cypress and pine provide the shade, perfectly.
£112 for 150ml eau de toilette
selfridges.com
BVLGARI
LA GEMME FALKAR
Master perfumer Jacques Cavallier once again evokes the intricate beauty of gemstones, this time a trilogy of musks with a masculine edge paying tribute to Australian white opal, Madagascan red jasper and here, the falcon’s eye of Brazil. This legendary stone’s blue-green iridescence shimmers through layers of decadent black musk, profoundly supple tanned leather notes and a downy cloak of rich agarwood. Despite the opulence, a verdant blaze transcends throughout the intricate complexities.
£223 for 100ml eau de parfum
harrods.com
CREED
AVENTUS COLOGNE
Just as you enter the spicy beginnings, the woody heart and warming base resonate with unanticipated thrums of juicy freshness and mouth-watering appeal. Then, a surprise appearance of heady patchouli in the heart gets up close and personal with a balmy resin-rush of styrax as the Cologne dries down. We salute this fresh spin on bestselling Aventus, with fresh mandarin replacing pineapple of the classic, and a long-lasting, fruity/musk dry-down that resonates beautifully.
£215 for 100ml eau de parfum
creedfragrances.co.uk
DOLCE & GABBANA
LIGHT BLUE SUN POUR HOMME
Light Blue is shot through with the warmth of the Italian sun for summer 2019 – a study in contrasts between a chilled cocktail of Italian bergamot and frozen grapefruit, and the warmth of ginger. Cedarwood, cypress, coconut water and rosemary make for a cool-in-every-way heart, with oakmoss, white musks, vetiver and vanilla in the after-glow. An easy-breezy ozonic accord bathes the whole composition, meanwhile, delivering the allure of salty, sun-kissed skin.
£53 for 75ml eau de toilette
johnlewis.com
PACO RABANNE
INVICTUS LEGEND
Domitille Bertier and Nicolas Beaulieu are the perfumer dream team behind this new interpretation of blockbuster Invictus. Intense, spicy-woody, it contrasts ‘fresh adrenaline and hot, powerful woods’, we’re told, with ‘a metallic freshness that blasts through desert heat’. How’s that achieved? Contrasting notes of geranium, green laurel and salty grapefruit are pitched against smoky guaiac wood, red amber and honey, to great effect. Go on, award yourself the Invictus Legend ‘trophy’ bottle.
From £53 for 50ml eau de parfum
feelunique.com
