What to Wear? – Seasonal Scents for Sunny but Autumnal

How do you switch up your scents to match the seasons – and does it even matter which fragrances you when and when…?

We happen to be experiencing something of a late surge of summer currently, but it’s definitely tinged with the turning of the seasons. So while we might be frantically making the most of floaty dresses (perhaps layered with a woollen in the evenings), there’s a feeling of change afoot, and our fragrance choices tend to reflect that, too.

 

Seasonal Scents‘ are, of course, to your preference and where you live in the world; but there’s no doubt that come Autumn in the U.K. or fragrance tastes tend to swing toward something a bit warmer – a snuggle in a bottle that helps you get out of bed in the morning and comforts you throughout the day, no matter the weather.

The fact is, temperatures and climate really do change how your fragrance behaves, and therefore the things you crave to have on your skin.

Hot weather intensifies the fragrance notes and makes them ‘bloom’ on the skin more quickly – when molecules heat up, they evaporate more quickly.

Colder weather slows down the evaporation rate (so top and heart notes last much longer) and you might find your scent doesn’t project as much in the winter.

 

 

 

 

Forest-y fragrances really come into their own now – the urge to don a pair of boots and go kicking through the leaves is strong, and so many scents inspired by walking through a woodland or exploring nature in a wearable, poetic way,

Golden Sunshine scents (sometimes called ‘solar’) evoke the honeyed, hazy days that mark the passage between late summer and early autumnal changes in the season – they’re warm, often grounded in musky woodiness: gleaming.

Woody fragrances are great ones to look for in the autumnal months or colder climates, and at this time of year we tend towards sandalwood for a scent that offers a smooth creaminess that clings to the skin like a soft blanket.

 

 

 

 

We know it can be confusing, so with the weather in mind, we put together a specially curated selection of fragrances in a Seasonal Scents Subscription Box

It’s the best way to try a large number of fragrances from the comfort of your own home – and perhaps to sample some you’d never have thought of trying, previously! At The Perfume Society, we feel each season is a new chance to change up your scent game and discover your next olfactory loves, so when you sign up for the Seasonal Scents Subscription, you’ll be treated to…

A selection of fabulous fragrances, mainly female and unisex scents, from globally adored leading brands (potentially including miniatures) will land at your door each passing season (approximately every three months) – so you will always have a new scent to make you feel fabulous!

You can choose a Quarterly (£18 every three months) or Yearly (£68 annual payment) plan to suit you. We’ll keep the contents a secret until the day the box is launched – we just know you’ll love the surprises inside…

Each Seasonal Scents Box Includes:

Seasonal Fragrances  – A collection of fragrances from 1ml – 7ml, these will be kept secret until each Seasonal Scents Box is launched, we just love the element of surprise!

Online Smelling Notes – accessible via a QR code within your box, guiding you through the fragrances and how to start smelling.

Unboxing Video –  also via the QR code, for every box our Head Fragrance Writer Suzy Nightingale will guide you when opening your new box.

Hints & Tips – to ensure you get the most out of your fragrances and have fun!

Check out your Seasonal Scent options here, and get ready for your whole new wardrobe of fragrances to explore, all in the comfort of your own home…

The Summer Subscription Box… (Get yours while you can!)

Have you got your Summer Subscription Box yet? These are perfectly curated scent selections for each season, and the Summer one contains a particularly gorgeous array of sunshine-infused fragrances that radiate happiness and a sense of adventure – perfect for taking on holiday, or for stashing in your bag whenever you need a perfumed pick-me-up throughout the day.

Seasonal Scents Subscription is priced: Quarterly Subscription £18 for a single box, super flexible rolling contract.
You will be charged every three months, but the subscription can be cancelled at any time up to 48 hours before the launch dates for future boxes. Or, £68 for a Yearly Subscription – a great saving on all four boxes.

You can read more about how to sign up for the Seasonal Scents Subscription boxes, here.

 

 

Meanwhile, we’re hanging on to summer here at TPS Towers, and while the weather doesn’t always feel especially summery, there’s actually 67 days left of summer, at the time of posting! So, let’s make the most of them and enjoy these fabulous fragrances every day.

Inside the Summer Subscription Box you’ll find samples & travel sizes of…

 

 

Jimmy Choo Rose Passion

Nathalie Lorson is the fragrance powerhouse perfumer for Rose Passion – the perfect choice of nose to conjure glamour and daring, with that signature, ultra-feminine Jimmy Choo swagger that simply glows with confidence from first spritz. Coconut water delivers almost thirst-quenching freshness, at first sniff, before more exotic notes rise to an opulent crescendo: orchid, jasmine, sweet vanilla, and creamy sandalwood. Just as we’re starting to get used to wearing heels again, this taps into the renewed craving for dressed-up perfumes. Party on!

 

 

 

Sana Jardin Incense Water

A sheer scent that marries a velvety yet gauzy rose to crystalline patchouli heart with the piquancy of pimento berries and raspberry leaf on a pellucid sandalwood base. Like wearing an echo of a comforting dream, you really can sense the rose water flowing through the composition, and tendrils of incense floating on the breeze. Simply beautiful, since its launch we’ve loved wearing this on warmer days when other roses simply wilt, but the transparency of this helps it bloom.

 

 

Inition Paragon

Olfactory enlightenment, expressed via this ‘mantra-centric’ creation, drawing on ‘sacred woods and plants’, notably powerfully purifying and protective sage and Palo Santo wood. Close your eyes and meditate on how those notes drift through bergamot, lavender, black pepper, delivering on Paragon’s promise to bestow an ‘aura around the physical, emotional and spiritual bodies.’ Scents with a more spiritual focus are a strong trend – fragrances that don’t only smell amazing, but which help us feel better.

 

 

 

Nishane Hacivat

Hacivat was part of a collection of fragrances exploring this culture and mythology; with this scent being a werable tribute to elegance, kindness, and the love of art itself. As the house so beautifully put it: ‘…this eau chypre will help you live in your best dreams by the everlasting sparkles of its joyful structure made of the stimulating notes of pineapple and bergamot backed with the genuine woody notes. Enjoy being loved with this blissful scent that has become an iconic scent for many in such a short period of time!’

 

 

 

Juliette Has a Gun Lust for Sun

Sometimes, we just need a hit of ‘holiday in a bottle’ (no matter what the time of year) to help us through. We invite you to slap on the sunscreen, pop on your most glamorous shades, and get set for sunshine via freesia, coconut, ylang ylang, monoi and armfuls of orange blossom’s bounty. Swirled with vanilla and trailing the woody warmth of Ambroxan for hours, way past sunset, it’s a sure-fire hit for whenever you feel the need of that golden, glamorous, glass-clinking fun.

 

 

 

FLORAL_STREET_ELECTRIC_RHUBARB

Floral Street Electric Rhubarb

Inspired by happy summer days in the garden, sipping Prosecco with your nearest and dearest, this immediately joyous scent was created in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society. Effervescent bubbliness abounds with sparkling rhubarb popping the cork on a frothy gush of gardenia, exotic frangipani and radiant jasmine Sambac. Already we’re in the sunshine and partying – tinkling laughter and clinking glasses the backdrop to a happy-making fragrance that’ll have you wanting to kick off your shoes and dance barefoot.

 

 

 

Maison Crivelli Oud Maracuja

The oudh-averse among you need not run away, for this truly is oudh as you’ve never smelled it. A tart medley of passion fruit, blackcurrant (plus a dash of saffron) lift woods and resins out of the darkness. It washes skin with waves of freshness at first, before a sizzle of the saffron heats up the woodiness of the base. Never overwhelming, always wearable, this house is doing extraordinary things. This is a truly shareable scent, too (not often the case with oudhs), though you may not be willing to…

 

 

Shay & Blue Voulez Vous

Coffee is a ‘gourmand’ note not always seen in scents, but used so perfectly here as the antidote to any dreary days (and an olfactory alarm call when you’re feeling a bit sluggish!) There’s a creamy comfort to wearing this, as the aromatic coffee note is swirled within vanilla and touch of magnolia for a floral flourish – think of it as a dreamy, creamy latte in fine fragrance form. Blissful, and such fun!

Don’t forget – you’ve still got time (just about!) to grab yourself this Summer Box by joining the Seasonal Scent Subscription. All these samples and travel sizes will be delivered to your home, along with a link to the full Smelling Notes, and an unboxing video so you can smell along with us. Your Autumn box will then automatically be sent out to you in September, to prepare for the cooler months ahead. But let’s not think about that just yet, and extend the sunny days with these seasonally perfect perfumes

 

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Seasonal Scents Subscription – the gift that keeps on giving!

Seasonal Scents refer to the way we instinctively like to change-up our fragrances to suit the weather, so if you know a perfume lover (of any gender) we have THE perfect present idea – and it keeps on giving!

As the colder days are here, we tend to reach for fragrances that wrap us in a hug with warm woods, spices and even delicious gourmand notes are a thing, because of the way temperature makes them change on your skin, but ‘rules’ are entirely up to your personal taste.

We know it can be confusing, so with the weather and our moods in mind, we put together specially curated selections of fragrances within a Seasonal Scents Subscription Box

Each box contains fabulous fragrances for anyone to adore, no matter their gender or taste, chosen from leading fragrance houses beloved around the world. The sample sizes include gorgeous miniatures, and will land at your gift recipient’s door each passing season (approximately every three months) – so they will always have a new scent to make them feel fabulous.

 

 

You can choose a Quarterly (£18) or Yearly (£68) subscription, and keep the contents a secret until they land at your door – because we just know how many of you adore a scented surprise arriving in the post, no matter what the weather’s doing…

 

How it works:

Pick your Quarterly or Yearly plan

Seasonal Scents Subscription choose plan

Discover new launches and bestsellers from well-loved brands, curated with the seasons in mind.

Arrives at your door for the new Season

Seasonal Scents Subscription delivery

Receive your seasonal box every 3 months and start smelling fabulous.

Get exclusive access to the online smelling notes and unboxing video.

 

We think you’ll agree that new perfume is the very best kind of post to receive – and it’s something to look forward to the whole year through for whomever is lucky enough to get this gorgeous gift.

Actually, maybe you deserve something nice to look forward to as well…? How about getting one for you and one for a dear friend who lives far away – you could compare your thoughts on Zoom or a phone call, and turn each Seasonal Scents Subscription Box delivery into a perfume party day!

Subscription boxes are booming: here’s why (and how to get your scent samples sent to your home!)

Subscription boxes are so popular right now, and a recent consumer survey has discovered why. Quite apart from their findings, which we’ll report on below; we know this true as we’ve seen a HUGE rise in our own Perfume Society Discovery Boxes in the last year. Even more excitingly, we have launched our very own Seasonal Scent Subscription Box, for the many (many, MANY!) of you who’ve begged us to bring this out for years…

We all know the joy of getting a parcel in the post – mosty especially during various stages of #lockdown dreariness during the Covid-19 pandemic, which meant many of us relying on shopping online for our scent thrills. Even now, with stores having re-opened across the U.K. – purchasing a new perfume presents a particular set of problems:

– There are rarely any testers on display anymore, thanks to possible cross-contamination safety measures

– Even if you can get to an assistant to spray a scent on you, it’s not always great to make an instant decision in-store

– Although we think fragrance IS essential (obvs), if you’re worried about ‘non essential’ socialising, it can be intimidating to be shopping in crowded spaces again

– Where do you even begin if you’re not exactly sure which perfume to try next?Subscription box

With all these worries in mind, we launched our own Seasonal Scent Subscription Box. The perfect way to try a selection of scents appropriate for each season! There’s two options available – a flexible Quarterly Subcription: £18 a box, sent every three months, the ability to cancel at anytime; or an Annual Subscription: £68 a year with FREE postage and the ability to spread the cost. So now, what did the consumer survey find…?

‘According to a survey by Cosmetics Business, in partnership with Your Beauty Club, since the pandemic hit, 31.7% of customers who had previously bought a subscription service signed up to one during the pandemic; while 70% of those who said they had not bought a subscription beauty box before said they would now consider buying one.

Some 69% of shoppers agreed the culture towards subscription boxes has shifted since the Covid-19 pandemic began, which consequently shut most beauty retailers for many months, making it harder for customers to shop for their beauty staples.

The findings also uncovered that more than 74.2% of respondents believe buying a subscription box makes it easier to consume beauty products and 42.4% want a subscription box that offers a selection of products from different categories.

The main driver for signing up to a subscription service among consumers was for the thrill of receiving new products (55%), while 33.8% said they wanted to discover new beauty items.

 

Subscription boxes are booming (image via Canva.com)

Following that, 8% said they found a subscription service to be cheaper than buying beauty products individually, and the findings showed consumers were not willing to part with much cash for a subscription box.

Almost half of respondents said they would be willing to spend between £10 and £25 on a subscription box, with 37.6% only likely to pay up to £10.

Some shoppers, however, (12.6%) were prepared to pay between £25 and £50, and just 1.6% and 1.4% would spend between £50 and £75, and £75 to £100, respectively.’

We’re not at all surprised at these findings – even before the pandemic, we wanted to make it easier to get your hands (and noses!) on fragrances to try at home. It takes the pressure off, and more than that: actually living with a scent on your skin for several hours is the ONLY way to truly tell if if it suits you. Also, not everyone happens to live near an independent perfumery or a store that has a great selection of fragrance house.

So we say: why not sit back and let the perfume magic get posted to you at the click of a Scent Subscription Box button…?

By Suzy Nightingale

What to give far-away loved ones…? A full year of fragrant reading for only £20!

We’re overjoyed that we can now offer overseas subscribers an International Subscription to our digital downloadable magazine, The Scented Letter. It’s THE perfect Christmas gift to send far-away loved ones who adore fragrance, because it’s only £20 with no overseas postage worries, and last ALL YEAR!

All you have to do is click a button and we’ll do the rest of the work for you…

Buying an International Subscription gives your lucky gift-recipient six 60-page ONLINE editions a year of this beautiful, multi-Jasmine Award-winning magazine: the only one of its kind for perfume-lovers.

Because of the way our system works, when you click Add to Cart it will send us an e-mail – and we’ll follow up for payment. (If sending this as a gift; please let us know in an e-mail to us if it’s for someone else.)

Entirely dedicated to the world of perfume – and aimed at the perfume-lover – we’re delighted to showcase in The Scented Letter the work of many of the leading creatives in fragrance writing and photography (both from the blogosphere and print).

We take full advantage of our privileged access to all the leading ‘noses’ (from Thierry Wasser to Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud), perfume houses, bottle designers and more to ensure that The Scented Letter is your finger on the pulse-point of everything that’s happening in the scented world.

Below is a glimpse from some recent issues – or to see what they’re getting, or why not make yourself a cuppa and enjoy a FREE fuller taster of the magazine here

The Scented Letter Magazine International Online Subscription £20 for a FULL YEAR

The Scented Letter Magazine

Well you’re here, so we’re going to take it as read that you enjoy reading about fragrance! But now imagine a glossy magazine filled to brimming with the very latest news, reviews, full-length features and exclusive one-on-one interviews with the best noses in the world.

Described as ‘a must-read’ by industry-insiders and fragrance-lovers alike, we are proud as punch of The Scented Letter Magazine, and it seems the feeling’s mutual…

With multiple Jasmine Awards (the fragrance industry’s ‘Oscars’, awarded by The Fragrance Foundation) and guest articles by fellow award-winning journalists, we take a theme for each issue and explore it in gorgeously unashamed detail.

Our ethos is that fragrance should be open to everyone, and so our readers range from people around the world who adore perfume, perfumers themselves, founders of fragrance houses and PRs hungry for news they just don’t get to read anywhere else.

Expert opinions, breaking news, fragrant reviews, stunning photographs and in-depth interviews – your glossily beautiful 60-page PRINT edition of The Scented Letter – The Perfume Society‘s acclaimed magazine will open the doors to the world of fragrance no matter what your experience.

A niche-lover who’s amassed hundreds of bottles in their collection or a perfume newbie: you’re all included, and welcome to explore this exciting world that’s just waiting for your fingertips…

Our latest magazine is The Alphabet Issue, taking an A-Z look at everything from Aldehydes to Madame Zed (Lanvin’s mysterious perfumer, who nobody can trace). Take a sneak-peek here!

 

All issues of The Scented Letter can be purchased individually for £15 (£12.50 for VIP Club Members) or back-ordered if you fancy a catch-up. But don’t risk missing out, treat yourself or loved one to an Annual Print Subscription – an entire year of fragrant reading for £75 (including P&P), to be read, referred to and admired many times (so we’re told!)

Written by Suzy Nightingale