We thought our wishlist was complete until we discovered these five new perfume launches. With fabulous bottles and irresistible names (White Moss and Snowdrop, anyone?) we’ll be swishing our Angela Flanders Taffeta and embracing this seasonal selection of delights.
ACQUA DI PARMA
COLONIA x CLYM EVERNDEN
Acqua di Parma’s utterly classic, quintessential Cologne gets all dressed up for Christmas – as do their Christmas gifts (see p.23 of The Scented Letter) – in this Colonia Artist Edition, wittily decorated by award-winning artist and art director Clym Evernden. (Do check out his Instagram @clymdraws). A timeless classic, equally at home on a woman’s skin as a man’s, this positively sparkles with lavender, verbena and Damask rose, offering a final embrace of vetiver, sandalwood and patchouli.
£151 for 180ml eau de Cologne
acquadiparma.com
ANGELA FLANDERS
TAFFETA
Capturing that time when dusk falls, Taffeta embodies mysterious light, chilled air, the senses alive with possibility. Dewy hyacinth is speckled with the hushed rasp of peppery lavender, adding a dry rustle to the beautifully powdered iris and lipstick rose in the heart. Smoky tendrils of vetiver flicker between the shadows and surprising freshness of the base – a juxtaposition that invites and beguiles while evoking the elusive, colour-changing quality of the fabric it’s inspired by.
£69 for 30ml eau de parfum
angelaflanders-perfumer.com
ETRO
MUSK
Spritz Etro Musk on a woman’s neck. Do the same on a man’s. Whoever wears this latest creation from the jet-set’s favourite boho-chic fashion label, the result is wonderfully nuzzleable, simply enhancing the natural scent of warm skin as only a contemporary musk can really do. Bergamot, grapefruit, verbena, cedar, guaiac and Indian sandalwood also feature, technically – but it’s the musk that delivers the come-hither softness. Not so much unisex as uni-sexy, we’d say.
From £64.80 for 50ml eau de toilette
JO MALONE LONDON
WHITE MOSS & SNOWDROP
We have our fingers crossed that this seasonal creation stays firmly put. It’s a reminder of the extraordinary cleverness of perfumers, who can play with molecules to recreate sensations of warm and cool – at first, almost as cold as an Arctic blizzard, its forest mossiness emerges from the snow to be gradually warmed by touches of golden amber and cardamom. The bottle’s a stunner, meanwhile – catching the light, the glass appears cloaked in a rainbow.
£96 for 100ml Cologne
jomalonelondon.co.uk
LACOSTE
L’HOMME INTENSE
Jolly stylish bottle. Jolly stylish scent. This intensified version of L’Homme Lacoste – more tenacious, more bold – ramps up the power of the original. Fresh mandarin and orange fizz alongside rhubarb and quince, while the heart is a spicy swirl of black pepper and ginger. Cedarwood and akigalawood, amber, vanilla, cypriol and vetiver make for a sensual conclusion, drizzled with almond, for mellowness. And can you make out the jasmine-laden breeze blowing through the whole creation?
£35 for 50ml eau de toilette
boots.com
