Floral Street have already thrilled us with their Discovery Set samples and pocket-size scents, but die-hard fans will squeal at this news: they have also ‘GONE BIG’! with the launch of their NEW 100ml sizes!
During August, Harrods customer can experience these exclusively as they discover ‘who will I be today’? And because there’s expected to be a rush for these supersize-me scents, they will then roll out into stores nationwide from September.
Of course we always love trying sample sizes and minis before we commit to a full-size – and it’s something we have always championed at The Perfume Society. There’s nothing like being able to explore the full range of a house’s fragrances from from the comfort of you own hme, and deciding which of them makes your eyes roll back into your head with pleasure. And when you know, you know you’re going to need more, more, more…
That’s when you want a bumper bottle, to spritz with abandon (espcially duing this heatwave, we’re finding!) And it’s something customers have been calling out for. Michelle Feeney, the founder of Floral Street, and a passionate perfume aficionado herself, explains that:
‘After only two years in business we are thrilled that demand for a larger size has led us to launch our 100mls. We are finding that consumers often want three sizes of their favourite scents – 100m for home, 50ml for the desk and a 10ml on-the-go travel size’.
Take two bottles… No, actually, we will take all three!
If you’re yet to try these incredible fragrances – each of them a stunning and so-modern take on a floral theme – we suggest you start small, with that brilliant Floral Street Discovery Set, but please know that you WILL be falling hard for at least one of these florals, and then you know what to do: supersize that scent and maximise your perfume pleasure.
Floral Street 100ml bottles, £98 exclusively at harrods.com
‘It is everything pure, good and evil. It aches, it desires, it is who we are.’ This is how Map of the Heart co-founders Sarah Blair and Jeffrey Darling describe the human heart, and a clue to the inspirations behind the fragrances.
With a creative partnership in writing, design and film, it felt like a natural step to take that expression further in to fragrance – a wearable art form – borne out of their collective need to creatively explore ‘the full atlas of the senses’.
Proudly Australian, each fragrance by perfumer Jaques Huclier has a seam of sandalwood at its core, and it throbs life through the perfumed pulse of this niche house’s scents, using indigenously and sustainably sourced Santalum spicatum. Huclier says that for him, the smell is ‘woody and explosive,’ providing ‘a unique signature of sensuality, texture and deepness to the range—it’s the heart of the Hearts, a beat within the fragrances.’encompassing a passion for telling stories and their understanding that scent can transport the wearer just as words, images and films can whisk us to another world. And oh, those bottles!
Designed by the legendary Pierre Dinand to resemble an anatomical model of the human heart, each piece looks like it’s straight from a gallery of modern art. Each perfume has been carefully crafted to evoke a differing emotion – the perfumer translating the co-founders words and startling imagery in to the notes he uses, the bottle designer evolving the story through the colours that echo the theme. So you will discover that, gilded, brightly coloured or starkly monochrome, the flacons hold juices just as experimental. From burned bush land juxtaposed by snow, forbidden fruits, passion and the essence of bravery, the spirits of rebellion and attraction: all are unique, and utterly wearable.
Map of the Heart fragrances are £150 for 90ml eau de parfum fromharrods.com, but we are thrilled to now stock the Map of the Heart Discovery Set in our shop – try the entire collection for only £25!
Clear Heart v.1 – Australian summer: surfing, swimming, hot days, cool breezes and the salt that hangs in the air promising more.
Black Heart v.2 – Smoky. Impolite. Dangerous. Its smoky heart of mysterious spices is shot through with shards of fresh eucalyptus and citrus to create an impolite mix of opposites.
Red Heart v.3 – Explosive. Seductive. Addictive. A composition of feijoa, tuberose and spices with sensual notes of musk and vanilla.
Gold Heart v.4 – Nurturing. Precious. Ancient. An exotic warm breeze that wraps around to protect and comfort.
Purple Heart v.5 – Brave. Instinctive. Triumphant. Inverting the olfactory pyramid by opening darker and then brightening.
Pink Heart v.6 – Mingles on the skin with the spiciness of the sumac accord and cistus absolute for a mesmerising ride.
White Heart v.7 – The ethereal and sharp opening of French lavender, aldehydes and cardamom coolly invite us into the vast landscape of love.
So now the only thing left for you to wonder is, which fragrance will pull on your heart strings…?
There’s no doubt about it: oudh divides opinion. It’s one of those ‘Marmite’ perfumery ingredients, which people either swoon over or clutch their pearls and scream while avoiding at all costs.
But if you think you hate oudh – or any one of the other fragrant materials we’ll be discussing over the coming weeks – get ready to have your perfume preconceptions challenged, and allow yourself to experience some of the newer scents using it as more of a background note. Think of it in the same way you’d use a seasoning, like salt, in cooking. You wouldn’t want the whole dish to be dominated by it, but a judicious sprinkle can utterly alter the way the other ingredients behave and react with one another.
So, let’s go back to basics before we plunge in to the perfumes you should sniff out.
What is oudh?
When we blithely say ‘oudh’, we are actually referring to agarwood – the resinous heart-wood from fast-growing evergreen trees – usually the Aquilaria tree. The agarwood is a result of a reaction to a fungal attack, which turns this usually pale and light wood into a dark, resinous wood with a distinct fragrance – a process that can take hundreds of years.
From that ‘rotten’ wood, an oil is produced, tapped from the tree like maple syrup, and then blended into perfume. The aroma of ‘natural’ oudh is distinctively irresistible and attractive with bitter sweet and woody nuances: seriously earthy and, in small quantities, supremely sexy. Depending on the type of oudh, how long it’s been aged and the quantity used, it can be smooth as velvet, smell like fresh hay drying in sunshine or like a particularly busy barnyard on a rather ripe summer’s day. Just like anything else used in a fragrance, it depends entirely on the expertise of the perfumer, how much they are using, and in conjunction with which other ingredients.
A key ingredient in old and new Arabic perfumery, renowned for centuries as an element within high-quality incense in Arabic, Japanese and Indian cultures, oudh has gone from a ‘trend’ ingredient we saw emerging a few years ago on our scented shores, to now having definitively crossed over to the west as something you can find everywhere – even in fabric conditioners and deodorants. And yet, true oudh is rare, seriously expensive and even endangered: as it’s become more popular, high-quality oud is becoming difficult to source.
Collection of agarwood from natural forests is now illegal under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endanged Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), but some is now beginning to be plantation grown in Vietnam. As an alternative, many perfumers have turned to synthetic oudh, although highly trained noses will tell you it can smell less nuanced, still woody and leathery, but without the warm, balsamic qualities.
So now, we want you to challenge your own nose and seek out some of our favourite fragrances, below. We’ve chosen scents that use oudh as that ‘seasoning’ we spoke of – a way of subtly adding depth, smoothness and velvety plushness within a perfume. Go on, even you oudh naysayers, we double dare you: and bet at least one of these will become a firm fragrant favourite in your collection…
Here we travel to the land of Assam via the richly resonant aromas of the East. Cinnamon leaf oil and nutmeg make for a lively opening with the heart notes giving way to the wonderfully exotic citrus-fresh elemi oil so prized by perfumers. Black tea accord marks our fragrant journey with its smoky tendrils slowly opening to the deeper base and that sweet, wet earthiness and smooth wood played out with notes of oudh and vetiver. Honey is drizzled to sweeten the mix but never becomes sickly, the stunningly smooth tobacco accord putting us in mind of freshly-rolled cigars and dense canopies of greenery outlined against mountains beyond.
Molton Brown Mesmerising Oudh & Gold Accord £45 for 50ml eau de toilette
Buy it at Molton Brown
This feels like an homage to the very origins of perfume – ‘per-fumum’ meaning ‘through smoke’ – this exploration of incense, made exclusively for Harrods, melding the gentle fruity notes of fresh Turkish rose petals plucked from a misty, dew-specked garden, with a fragrant drift of exotic spices. There’s a myticism, somehow, to wearing this. A pure parfum, it lingers beguilingly on the skin for many hours, waves of wamth unfurling, tendrills of smoky woodiness curling around you as you move – your own invisible velvet cloak to swirl, joyously, all day. Just as perfect as night falls, the scent swoons duskily onto the skin like a sunset kissing the earth. Sumptuous.
Atelier Cologne Rose Smoke £325 for 100ml pure parfum
Buy it at Harrods
We automatically began smacking our lips at this, even before we’d sprayed. And oh, once you do, it’s every bit as delicious as you’d hope – if it did come in a jar we’d want to spread buttered crumpets with it, and most definitely smother ourselves from neck to ankles. Probably best it’s bottled, then. With a truly honeyed note that deepens as the sustainably-sourced oudh kicks in, this is intensely nuzzle-able, and there’s nothing whatever to frighten the horses. A gourmand-esque take on oudh, think soft rose and creamy sandalwood rippled with dark seams of oudh, amber and vanilla-specked deliciousness.
Floris Honey Oud £160 for 100ml eau de parfum
Buy it at Floris
Unashamedly salacious, the Turkish and Bulgarian roses entwine the heart, bereft of thorns they mingle with the gently powdered violet – a sheer dusting bestowed from a swan’s-down puff – and the most opulently creamy vanilla base you’re likely to encounter. The evocation of luxuriously stretching out on a satin bedspread and enjoying the feel of the silky material beneath your limbs is hard to resist – add to this image a silver bowl of decadent white chocolates decorated with sugared violets, and you’ll be in seventh Heaven! An animalic (thank you, oudh) smokiness underpins the sensuously draped covers, making this the perfect after-dark fragrance for illicit encounters…
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood £200 for 70ml eau de parfum
Buy it at Selfridges
Named after a small Turkish village on the banks of the river Euphrates and famed for its intensely dusky roses that bloom so deeply crimson they appear to be black, Halfeti is certainly not your ‘blushing English rose’. A balmy breeze of bergamot wafts forth saffron’s warmth, followed by a sizzle of spices perfectly blended with a bouquet of jasmine, rose, lavender and lily of the valley. In the base there’s a flex of supple leather, sensuous oudh swirled through glowing amber, chocolate-y patchouli and finally, a smooth dry down of deliciously almond-like tonka bean, sandalwood and a gently powdered musk. Take us away, immediately…
Penhaligon’s Halfeti £175 for 100ml eau de parfum
Buy it at Penhaligon’s
We’re huge fans of Australian niche house Map of the Heart here at The Perfume Society – from their stunning bottles to the beautiful fragrances inside (each with a seam of sandalwood as their signature), and the creatively engaging imagery – everything they do truly represents a feast for all the senses.
Having just flown back from Pitti Fragranze, the annual fragrance trade show in Florence, and fresh from our first-sniffing of their latest launch, we’re thrilled to be able to share with you White Heart v.7 – The Heart of Love. Scroll down to read our review, and watch the film…
The first thing that struck us was the purity of the bottle, how all the features of the sculptural shape really stand out with the matte finish (a first for the house), and we noticed everyone who came to their stand tenderly stroked the texture as they held the flacon. [N.B: Texture and colour (or the absence of colour) is a hugely emerging trend from what we saw at Pitti.]
Sarah Blair, co-founder of Map of the Heart, told us that White Heart v.7 ‘is all about love: its power and dualities. That love can be hot / cold, tender / wild, innocent / knowing, everything or nothing…’ So the white can be the starkness of juxtaposed emotions, or the blank page on which to write your own story. Fascinatingly, Sarah also explained a deeper inspiration for the white, because ‘…it’s about the purity of emotion, and possibilities. When you refract white light it splits into a rainbow, and at the time we were creating this, we had the equality vote in Australia, so the symbol of rainbows was really important to us.’ The matte finish became the obvious choice, too, because of its ability to ‘draw you in, to make you want to pick it up and hold it, to feel that connection.’
Emotional connections and the imporance of touch are all very well, but of course we were most excited to get our noses on it at last! We’re happy to report it was worth the wait.
What does it smell like? Well, there’s a whoosh of freshness, a cold breeze that tickles like just-poured Champagne bubbles as the exhilarating opening launches French lavender, aldehydes and cardamom and feels like an unsuppressable giggle of pure joy. Into the brightness a bold red umeboshi (Japanese salt plum) accord languorously seeps to fill the space with an almost-booziness – the mad intensity of love that overtakes sense, always. We’re drawn back to purity as sandalwood swirls through radiant gardenia, a natural oud resonating gently in the base like a softly comforting hug that lasts for hours.
Map of the Heart White Heart v.7 £150 for 90ml eau de parfum
Exclusively at harrods.com
PS: Have you tried the other Map of the Heart fragrances yet? The enticing warmth of saffron-infused milk opulently laps within Map of the Heart Gold Heart, and you can try a sample of it in our luxurious Velvet Collection Discovery Box (currently on sale from £19 to just £12, so snap one up while you can!)
We all know how addictive perfumes can be – that heady, giddying rush of instant love, or the febrile panic that sets in if you can’t get a hit of your favourite fragrance… Now, Clive Christian are actively encouraging you to give in to your cravings with their latest Addictive Arts duo of forbidden perfume pairs: A Separate Reality. Fusing uniquely disilled ‘mind enhancing narcotics’ including wormwood (more commonly known for its use in Absinth); coca leaf (which they daringly describe as ‘cocaine’) and opium poppy (think Dorothy getting drowsy in The Wizard of Oz mixed with a hint of velvet-draped opium den).
Well. We’re sure that description has grabbed your attention, but if you’re worrying you’ll be floating around the ceiling with eyes wide open, fear not, for apart from Manic, you’ve been given a safe landing with the woozy slumber of Soporific.
Describing what they refer to as the ‘AddictiveFusion™’ technology used for the fragrances, Clive Christian go on to explain they achieved the evocation by combining headspace technology, ‘capturing the elusive scents of mood and mind enhancing narcotics,’ with a molecular blend of ‘bespoke natural ingredients, honed to perfection, untraceable under analysis and impossible to imitate – each perfume’s heart is flagrantly dark and exotic and their profile enigmatic and unforgettable.’
Capturing ‘the craven rush and brazen thrill of twisted hedonism’ (gosh, hold on to your hats – it’s not even the weekend!) each Addictive Arts perfume promises to ‘…take perfume lovers on a unique trip to scent pharmacology, transcending all normality with a new fragrance genus.’ So if you’re ready, let’s dive on in to the magical mystery tour of excess and libertine pleasures…
For Manic, a substantial base of sandalwood is swathed in supple leather and smoke, but dew-sprinkled earthy moss is the first note to greet our noses, a sexy fougere that might induce running through the woods and whooping it up on bed of ferns. Reeled in by a seriously dark vanilla swirled with brazen musks we plunge into a surprisingly green heart of radint lentisque, surrounded by herbaceous coriander leaf and a subtle haze of incense infused red berries. With lavender perhps more expected of the twin to this fragrance, it makes sense when it’s the peppery, spiky-green kind and particularly peps you up when comibined with a subtle chill of mint.
There’s something rather decadently déshabillé about Soporific, it’s the kind of scent to make you want to sprawl, scantily clad, on a chaise lounge while eating grapes and nonchalantly listening to an avid lover reciting bad poetry – you can practically smell the paper scrolls they’re written on. No in-your-face sensuality, the gauzy muskiness and soft stroke of fir balsam sighs against tendrils of smoky myrrh, lazily snaking their way around rose de mai, translucent jasmine and a plumptious amber base. Silky green lentisque smells a little like Champagne laced with hedione, flecked with saffron and a delicate scattering of Roman chamomile.
Clive Christian Soporific £525 for 75ml parfum Exclusively at Harrods
We all know how addictive perfumes can be – that heady, giddying rush of instant love, or the febrile panic that sets in if you can’t get a hit of your favourite fragrance… Now, Clive Christian are actively encouraging you to give in to your cravings with their latest Addictive Arts duo of forbidden perfume pairs: A Separate Reality. Fusing uniquely disilled ‘mind enhancing narcotics’ including wormwood (more commonly known for its use in Absinth); coca leaf (which they daringly describe as ‘cocaine’) and opium poppy (think Dorothy getting drowsy in The Wizard of Oz mixed with a hint of velvet-draped opium den).
Well. We’re sure that description has grabbed your attention, but if you’re worrying you’ll be floating around the ceiling with eyes wide open, fear not, for apart from Manic, you’ve been given a safe landing with the woozy slumber of Soporific.
Describing what they refer to as the ‘AddictiveFusion™’ technology used for the fragrances, Clive Christian go on to explain they achieved the evocation by combining headspace technology, ‘capturing the elusive scents of mood and mind enhancing narcotics,’ with a molecular blend of ‘bespoke natural ingredients, honed to perfection, untraceable under analysis and impossible to imitate – each perfume’s heart is flagrantly dark and exotic and their profile enigmatic and unforgettable.’
Capturing ‘the craven rush and brazen thrill of twisted hedonism’ (gosh, hold on to your hats – it’s not even the weekend!) each Addictive Arts perfume promises to ‘…take perfume lovers on a unique trip to scent pharmacology, transcending all normality with a new fragrance genus.’ So if you’re ready, let’s dive on in to the magical mystery tour of excess and libertine pleasures…
For Manic, a substantial base of sandalwood is swathed in supple leather and smoke, but dew-sprinkled earthy moss is the first note to greet our noses, a sexy fougere that might induce running through the woods and whooping it up on bed of ferns. Reeled in by a seriously dark vanilla swirled with brazen musks we plunge into a surprisingly green heart of radint lentisque, surrounded by herbaceous coriander leaf and a subtle haze of incense infused red berries. With lavender perhps more expected of the twin to this fragrance, it makes sense when it’s the peppery, spiky-green kind and particularly peps you up when comibined with a subtle chill of mint. Clive Christian Manic £525 for 75ml parfum
There’s something rather decadently déshabillé about Soporific, it’s the kind of scent to make you want to sprawl, scantily clad, on a chaise lounge while eating grapes and nonchalantly listening to an avid lover reciting bad poetry – you can practically smell the paper scrolls they’re written on. No in-your-face sensuality, the gauzy muskiness and soft stroke of fir balsam sighs against tendrils of smoky myrrh, lazily snaking their way around rose de mai, translucent jasmine and a plumptious amber base. Silky green lentisque smells a little like Champagne laced with hedione, flecked with saffron and a delicate scattering of Roman chamomile. Clive Christian Soporific £525 for 75ml parfum Exclusively at Harrods
Written by Suzy Nightingale
In 1828, a pillar of the perfumed establishment was founded by Pierre-François-Pascal: the mighty Guerlain. That founding year also saw the creation of Pascal’s ‘Royal Extract of Flowers‘ – the name evoking the fact that Guerlain once supplied the greatest courts in Europe with precious fragrances.
And now, with the help of Guerlain’s in-house perfumer, Thierry Wasser, Royal Extract has been reimagined today, exclusively revived this time for Harrods…
Having once been reintroduced for an ultra-limited run in 2014, it would be safe to say we’re very excited about getting our noses around this properly. We previously hosted two exclusive events at the Guerlain Archives in Paris, where our Perfume Society guests got to smell Wasser’s re-creations of some of the most beautiful (and sadly, long-discontinued) scents that span their history: it should be worth the wait!
So, what exactly does it smell like?
Guerlain say: ‘A bouquet of scents, rose, jasmine and tuberose, which thrill and surprise. The heart releases a heady peach note that unfolds to voluptuous notes of vanilla, heightened by iris and balsamic notes. All of Guerlain’s perfume expertise is displayed in this majestic and captivating amber fruity eau de parfum dedicated to Harrods.’
The original version having been dabbed on the décolletage of aristocrats and fanned across ballrooms, it’s always thrilling to think of a wearing a fragrance of the past – to smell of history – but usually rather difficult to live with in actuality. Some may turn their noses up at ‘reformulated’ perfumes, but regulations, modern taste and scarcity of protected ingredients all play their part, and this is no mere copy of the original but a ‘re-orchestration’, if you will.
Guerlain Royal Extract £320 for 125ml eau de parfum
Exclusive to Harrods
In 1828, a pillar of the perfumed establishment was founded by Pierre-François-Pascal: the mighty Guerlain. That founding year also saw the creation of Pascal’s ‘Royal Extract of Flowers‘ – the name evoking the fact that Guerlain once supplied the greatest courts in Europe with precious fragrances.
And now, with the help of Guerlain’s in-house perfumer, Thierry Wasser, Royal Extract has been reimagined today, exclusively revived this time for Harrods…
Having once been reintroduced for an ultra-limited run in 2014, it would be safe to say we’re very excited about getting our noses around this properly. We previously hosted two exclusive events at the Guerlain Archives in Paris, where our Perfume Society guests got to smell Wasser’s re-creations of some of the most beautiful (and sadly, long-discontinued) scents that span their history: it should be worth the wait!
So, what exactly does it smell like? Guerlain say: ‘A bouquet of scents, rose, jasmine and tuberose, which thrill and surprise. The heart releases a heady peach note that unfolds to voluptuous notes of vanilla, heightened by iris and balsamic notes. All of Guerlain’s perfume expertise is displayed in this majestic and captivating amber fruity eau de parfum dedicated to Harrods.’
The original version having been dabbed on the décolletage of aristocrats and fanned across ballrooms, it’s always thrilling to think of a wearing a fragrance of the past – to smell of history – but usually rather difficult to live with in actuality. Some may turn their noses up at ‘reformulated’ perfumes, but regulations, modern taste and scarcity of protected ingredients all play their part, and this is no mere copy of the original but a ‘re-orchestration’, if you will. Guerlain Royal Extract £320 for 125ml eau de parfum
Exclusive to Harrods
Written by Suzy Nightingale
The highly acclaimed niche fragrance house Map of the Heart has (hoorah!) launched in the UK, exclusively at Harrods.
Map of the Heart is a range of six fine fragrances in the most exquisite anatomical-style heart flacons by the legendary bottle designer, Pierre Dinand – and truly they look like art pieces, straight from a gallery. Each fragrance was conceived in Australia by founders, Sarah Blair and filmmaker Jeffrey Darling, with a heart of Australian sandalwood proudly throbbing through each of the creations by perfumer Jacques Huclier.
It’s a strong line-up, to be sure, and with the fragrances made in France using the finest materials, the range is now available in 80 selected stores worldwide, including their flagship store in Sydney. Each of the fragrances are unisex and conjure stories of both place and character: challenging and exploring the idea of ‘what it is to live’. Sarah and filmmaker Jeffrey wanted Map of the Heart to draw on their ‘…passion for story and understanding that scent is as transporting and intoxicating as words, images and film.’ And my goodness, get ready to be transported. We think you’ll be charmed by their descriptions, impressed by the evocative, contemporary imagery and (most importantly!) blown-away by the scents themselves…
The iconic heart-shaped bottle is definitely eye-catching, the colours and finishes changed to reflect each of the fragrances, and it was chosen because it ‘…plays with the paradox of ugly beauty.’
Pssst! You can try Map of the Heart Gold Heart v.4 in our Velvet Collection Discovery Box – a warm gleam of comforting spices, be sure to indulge yourself with this one… Map of the Heart’s collection £150 for 90ml eau de parfum
At Harrods’ Salon de Parfums and harrods.com
Written by Suzy Nightingale
Gucci have been blowing us away with their fabulously opulent catwalk collections, and now continue that trend with the launch of their sumptuous new scent, Gucci Bloom…
The first fragrance developed under the complete control of Gucci’s Creative Director, Alessandro Michele, this is a lusciously modern white floral we couldn’t wait to get our noses on. Alessandro Michele says: ‘I wanted a rich white floral fragrance, a courageous scent that transports you to a vast garden filled with many flowers and plants, a bouquet of abundance. The garden is as beautiful as women are; colourful, wild, diverse, where there is everything. Gucci Bloom smells of this garden in order to travel to a place that is not there.’
So what does it smell like? Well it’s gloriously soaring right from the first spritz, with the mysterious scent of the (exclusive to Gucci, as far as we know) note of Rangoon Creeper – a white flower that only opens at dusk, gradually transforming to pink and finally a deep, blood red. A sparkling bouquet of tuberose and juicy jasmine garland the fragrance throughout, before soft musk slowly rolls in to billow beguilingly…
Now, feast your eyes on the eye-poppingly gorgeous mini-film – and if the sun’s not shining where you are right now, we’re sure you’ll feel a virtual glow.
Gucci Bloom from £52 for 30ml eau de parfum
Buy it at Harrods
Written by Suzy Nightingale
Each fragrance was conceived in Australia by founders, Sarah Blair and filmmaker Jeffrey Darling, with a heart of Australian sandalwood proudly throbbing through each of the creations by perfumer Jacques Huclier.
Sarah and filmmaker Jeffrey wanted Map of the Heart to draw on their ‘…passion for story and understanding that scent is as transporting and intoxicating as words, images and film.’ And my goodness, get ready to be transported. We think you’ll be charmed by their descriptions, impressed by the evocative, contemporary imagery and (most importantly!) blown-away by the scents themselves…
