Have you ever had the vice-like grip of panic squeeze your heart as the realisation dawns: you have ventured out of the house without perfume?
Good. You’re one of us. And we have an ultra-stylish solution…
The idea of leaving home without having fabulous fragrances at hand to spritz on the go is, frankly, appalling, for us, too. Not only do we need to refresh as the heat rises (in close proximity on public transport, other people’s hygeine – or lack of – becomes all too apparent); but if you’re travelling somewhere, it’s the perfect time to try out a whole new perfume personality.
Just as a colourful sarong jauntily knotted about one’s waist and hair intricately braided with shells might seem the very thing against a backdrop of white sands and cerulean-blue seas, it’s kind of awkward silence making worn to a wet Wednesday’s management meeting: for this very reason, any kind of break is the perfect time to try out new scents – an olfactory dressing-up box for malcontent adults anxious to broaden their fragrant horizons.
With airline travel restrictions frowning suspiciously at even toothpaste and lipgloss and the hideous hassle of lugging heavy full-size bottles around, that means it’s time to bring out the miniatures, samples and travel-sprays just begging to be tried on, and the perfect size to spritz and go.
Wether you’re flying out to some exotic palm-fringed island, living it up in a luxury boutique hotel or merely planning a staycation nearer home – we have the ideal perfume packing list just for you.
Take two bottles…? We’d rather take ten!
Satisfyingly weighty and with an interchangeable wardrobe of best-selling MFK scents for him and her; we recently learned the slatey grey metal is based on the rooftops of Paris, while the glowing gold is inspired by the burnished statues of that great city. Infinitely chic, totally desirable.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Globetrotter atomiser from £85, refills (see leading image) from £60 for 3 x 11ml
Buy it at Harvey Nichols
Luxuriously hefty in the hand yet still perfectly portable; the central compartment is interchangeable with a number of the most popular fragrances able to be popped inside for your every whim. This one is a tantalising cocktail of blood orange, blackcurrant and hot spices.
By Killian Playing With the Devil Travel Spray £110 for atomiser & 4 x 7.5ml refills
Buy it at Harrods
Cool as a cucumber… drenched with mouth-watering juiciness and a clean-skin nuzzle note of fluffy mimosa drying down to the most comforting milky almond and toasted nuttiness as it warms, the 30ml travel size is perfect for re-applying the whole Summer long.
Shay & Blue Almond Cucumber £30 for 30ml natural spray
Buy it at Shay & Blue
Inspired by Neela’a lifelong passion for perfume and a semi-autobiographical journey through India in exqusite scents, these ‘Take Two’ travel sizes are ideal for keeping about your person at all times. Available in Trayee, Mohur, Bombay Bling, Ashoka and Pichola, for double the pleasure.
Neela Vermeire Take Two €112 for 2 x 15 ml flacons
Buy them at neelavermeire.com
A gentleman needs to travel stylishly, too, and Dunhill have released an incredibly artful rechargeable spray for their ICON fragrance. Sleek yet racy, bergamot and neroli refresh while black pepper steps up the pace before a stunning infusion of cardamom and lavender beguile.
Dunhill London ICON Eau de Parfum Luxury Travel Set £60 for spray & 2 x 30ml eau de parfum refills
Buy it at John Lewis
Dinky sizes of three top-selling Miller Harris classic scents slot securely inside a magnetically fastened holder. Choose from (our Summer fave) Coeur de Jardin: crisp, fruity and hesperidic, Italian bergamot and lemon, textured pear and peach; Feuilles de Tabac & Noix de Tubéreuse to slip easily in even the smallest bag
Miller Harris Pret-a-Partie travel collection £95 for re-fillable travel spray and 9ml eau de parfum of your choice , or £50 for 3 x 9ml refills
Buy them at Miller Harris
Effortlessly cool in that nochalant, laid-back feminine ethos of the design house, we think the white flacon entwined with gold thread is at its cutest in the 30ml travel size. Voluptuous mandarin quenches jasmine before desire is dusted with a skin-soft iris powdered base.
Carven L’Absolu £42 for 30ml eau de parfum
Buy it at House of Fraser
Designed using the principles of the Bauhaus movement in which the function dictates form, the Bakelite case snugly houses your choice of Frederic Malle’s 10ml refill bottles. A great opportunity for those who’ve always longed to take the plunge into the original King of Niche houses.
Frederic Malle Bakelite Traveler Spray Case £30
Buy it at Liberty
Distinctive, unique and ultra long-lasting, Amouage excel at operatic oppulence in scent form. Reflection Man would be our choice for the chap with nothing to prove, rosemary, red pepper berries and bitter orange leaves harmonising with a bright neroli jasmine heart and woody base.
Amouage Reflection Man Travel Spray 2 x 10ml eau de parfum refills £95
Buy it at Amouage
The ultimate in personalised travel accessories, the leather case can be engraved with the initials or name of your choice. Plumping for Vanilla Insensée with its addictive twist of creamy vanilla, smooth wood and shady moss – this is a sheer gourmand to wear like a billowing silk scarf.
Atelier Cologne Vanilla Insensée Personalised Travel Spray €160 for 30ml Cologne Absolue
Buy it at Atelier Cologne
Written by Suzy Nightingale
