Light-filled fragrances for Diwali & scents for eternal sun-worshipers…

If you’re anything like us you’ll have been basking in the gloriously golden (and surprisingly warm) sunshine these last few days – we’re hanging on to every last ray, and it’s especially aposite to seek light-filled scents at this time, with the celebrations of Diwali about to begin – and other festivals around the world (and in many religions) in homage to the sun before the darker days truly kick in. Here, we pay our own perfumed tributes, and urge you to seek these out for eternal sunshine of the scented mind…

 

 

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ  Narciso Eau Neroli Ambrée
Neroli is one of the most instantly sunshine-y, happy-making notes on the scentscape (we took an office poll last year, and it came out on top for evoking bright light and happy, holiday memories). The brilliant Aurélien Guichard packs pleasure into every spritz, here – a veritable whoosh of optimism, tempered with comfort, in this slinky, silky dream. Orange blossom and soft woods sigh contentedly to the so-iconic white musk trail.
£65 for 50ml eau de parfum
johnlewis.com

 

 

 


BOUCHERON Patchouli D’Angkor
Here’s proof that patchouli can throw off its deep, dark and sometimes dark past to be reinvented as something sheer, summery and fresh. Here, patchouli has some unexpected bedfellows – pear, Bourbon pepper, jasmine and white musk – as well as more expected notes of bergamot in the top, guaiac wood in the soft base, offering further proof of perfumer Nathalie Lorson’s talent for reinventing notes, the better to delight and surprise our noses.
£175 for 125ml eau de parfum
Harrods.com

 

 

 

JIMMY CHOO Urban Hero Gold Edition
Luscious pineapple and ripe blood orange offer the most welcome kind of bracing opening, perfectly offsetting the more balsamic sweetness of soothing lavandin and rich, creamy tonka bean (think roasted almonds, lapped in milk) at the heart. This fragrance of contrasts, reflecting the inspiration of street art and free-spirited creatives amidst a city environment, is captured in a special edition golden bottle that will steal the show on his side of the bathroom shelf.
£72 for 100ml eau de parfum
johnlewis.com

 

 

 

LA MONTAÑA First Light Three Wick Candle
Don’t only think of perfumes, get ready to light up your life with this unique, utterly aromatic blend of wild mountain flora flushed by the first fingers of dawn breaking. Frosty fennel, bergamot, rosemary, mountain pepper, and rockrose pierce the air, and the inspiration for the scent came from that moment ‘…before anyone starts an engine, or lights a fire, the air is clear, and still, and silent. The first breath of the day carries the perfume of wild mountain herbs, the alchemy of which, blended naturally on the breeze, weaves a magical spell…  A new day, a new life – and a memory we didn’t know we had.’
£150 for 3-wick 650gms candle
In our shop

 

 

JEROBOAM Floro
Jeroboam pioneered downsized flacons: easy on the back, easier on the pocket, now offering this ‘flurry of flowers’ that proves they can bring the sunshine no matter the season. Fruit notes first capture the attention: green and red apples, and luscious pineapple. Then the flowers burst open: jasmine and airy, transparent petal notes, rendered a touch creamy by sandalwood and finished with a flourish of dry woods, white musk and cedar. Eminently shareable, Jeroboam suggest (and oh, we do love these light-filled flowers, on a chap!)
£100 for 30ml eau de parfum
jovoyparis.uk

 

Written by Suzy Nightingale

You are my sunshine: why solar scents are soaring

What do we mean by calling a scent solar ? Although not an official fragrance family, it’s a word we’ve seen increasingly used to describe a whole range of recent launches.

Filled with sunshine, radiant and sparkling, we might once have called these fragrances ‘fresh-floral’ or, more prosaically, ‘citrus’. A new way of referencing scent taps into the zeitgeist, reflects how we’re feeling as a society and, therefore, how we want to project ourselves. In a world that for so long has seemed dark and scary, perhaps it’s only natural we’re being ever-more drawn to scents offering an olfactory ray of sunshine.

Actual solar flares are intense bursts of radiation emanating from the sun that can affect radio waves and send your Google Maps haywire. In a fragrance, yes ‘solar’ denotes a feeling of sunshine – but with it a physical feeling of being uplifted, of turning our faces toward the light source, a perfumed purr of warm cat contentedness.

Citrus notes are vital, but in this new genre they differ from Colognes because solar scents are more multi-layered: mellowed by breezy blossoms, dappled with cooler herbs or touched with a tingle of sheer spices and warm woods.

So, why is ‘solar’ trending? Quite simply, we need something that goes deeper than a quick, zesty pick-me-up; beyond merely feeling momentarily refreshed. As Louisa May Alcott puts it in Little Women, ‘Some people seemed to get all sunshine, and some all shadow.’ And quite frankly, with the state of the world at the moment, aren’t we all weary of shadows?

So, why not soak yourself in these solar scents, look towards the light, and let the sunshine in…?

 

Wear these solar scents for instant sunshine Escentric Molecules M+ Mandarin

Escentric Molecules M+ Mandarin £95 for 100ml eau de parfum
The KAPOW! of super-charged, fruity brightness  feels like clouds parting and ends with a hug of ‘your skin but better’ softness. Sophisticated freshness that keeps on going (and helps you hang on to hope).

 

 

Sunny solar scents for summer Floral Street Arizona Bloom 
Floral Street Arizona Bloom from £24 for 10ml eau de parfum
Capturing the heart-soaring feeling of freedom this wide-open vista evokes a desert oasis. Queen of the Night flower lush with Balinese coconut, grounded by woody oakmoss and salted musks.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Vitae Cologne Forte (2ml of all three new MFK eaux de parfum are in Eau So Fresh Discovery Box, £23
Sun-drenched mandarin mixes with a sunny floral accord and brings to mind the warmest, glowiest early afternoon light, underpinned by the sensuality of the fragrance.

  

ESTEE_LAUDER_BRONZE_GODDESS_AZUR.j
Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Azur £44 for 50ml eau de toilette
Sicilian lemon, Italian bergamot and Calabrian mandarin are shot through with salty licks of luminescence – neroli and orange flower buoyed by shafts of sunlight, warming to blissfully body-warmed milkiness.

 


Shay & Blue Mermaid Kisses (2ml eau de toilette is part of The Scented Retreat Discovery Box, £23)
Think honeydew melon, holiday cocktails on the shoreline at sunset, looking out to an endless horizon. We’re dreaming of bare, bronzed shoulders kissed by the evening air, the excitement of tomorrow’s adventures.

By Suzy Nightingale

Summer’s fleeting pleasures: limited edition scents to grab before they’re gone

A full day of sunshine seems a rare treat so far this summer – as we write this, looking out of the office window, puddles of water reveal an earlier downpour and the sky doesn’t look particularly promising. Meh. Instead of being downbeat and shaking our fists in anger at the weather gods, we decided to spritz on some sunshine with a few of summer’s limited editions. Think of them as portable dreams of warmer days, and get your hands on them before they disappear altogether – like the sunshine itself!

Three gorgeous sugared-almond coloured bottles [see above] of Goutal’s prettiest and freshest summer scents are crying out to be shown off on dressing tables. The result of a collaboration with the artist Cecile Togni; Ceclie is inspired by Italy, music and her work with many luxury fashion houses.

Annick Goutal Eau du Sud, Eau d’Hadrien & Ninfeo Mio £87 for 100ml eau de toilette
Buy them at House of Fraser

CK-One-Summer16-100ml-Packshot-Straight copyThe jungle green bottle of this utterly sharable scent gives the illusion of peering deep into lush palm-fringed undergrowth. Crisp notes of lime mojito, ginger and juicy guava clear the way for a vibrantly fresh green heart spiced with juniper, before everything cools off with coconut milk, cedar and tree moss.

CK One Summer £33 for 100ml eau de toilette
Buy it at The Perfume Shop

the glaceThe internationally acclaimed ‘Queen of colour’ (and now fragrance) Terry de Gunzburg captures refreshing notes of iced tea sipped on summer’s day by the sea. Buoyant lemon verbena lifts the spirits before herbal-powdery mate, black tea and a dreamily soft musk base soothe the soul.

Terry de Gunzburg Thé Glacé Eau Fraîche £107 for 100ml eau de parfum
Buy it at Selfridges

 

sunshineA hot pink outfit for the latest limited edition for Her, and the juice matches the bottle with its vibrant tropical fruitiness radiating juicy vibes and the energy of an exotic setting sun. We know we shouldn’t be influenced by flacons, but even seeing the colourful squares makes us feel warmer, somehow!

Paul Smith Sunshine for Her £31.00 for 100ml eau de toilette
Buy it at Boots

BalmainEvoking the fashion of tribal beauty and spirit of an ultra-glam safari holiday, this is the original Extatic gone wild. One for those who prefer their summers hot and spicy: ginger flower, pink pepper, tiger orchid, ylang ylang, night jasmine and cashmere wood will have you turning up the air-con…

Balmain Extatic Tiger Orchid £69.00 for 90ml eau de parfum
Exclusively in-store at Harrods

 

Maui 300DPI copyBritney’s favourite place to holiday is, apparently, Hawaii (we’d be happy to join her if she felt like extending an invite right now!) thus, inspired by white sandy beaches, the warmth of sun on skin and abandoning yourself to exoticism: notes of Bird of Paradise, passion fruit, and coconut. Delish!
BRITNEY SPEARS(tm) Maui fantasy £35 for 100ml eau de toilette
Buy it at Superdrug
greenteaThe much-loved summer go-to fragrance has been refreshed even further with exquisitely juicy nectarine, peach, apricot and soft musk. We imagine wearing this to a tea-party, clinking glasses and laughing while wearing a gauzy gown and dancing barefoot in the grass until the sun begins to set….
Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Nectarine Blossom £30 for 100ml eau de toilette
Buy it at elizabetharden.co.uk
IsseyIt’s kind of impossible not to feel cheerful when spraying on a mist of this feminine, mouth-wateringly fruity fragrance inspired by the exotic freshness of dragon fruit (one for Game of Thrones fans on their hols?) The chaps are in for a treat, too – the male version celebrating the unique freshness of kiwi.
L’Eau d’Issey Summer 100ml for £41.00 eau de toilette
Buy it at Debenhams
PHILOSOPHY GRACE SUMMERBeachy happiness in a bottle with a fizz of bergamot, gentle dune rose, creamy sandalwood infused with rich cocoa absolute and a healthy splash of refreshing coconut water. Solar musks give an aldehydic lift to the lingering in the base – treat yourself to an ice cream in anticipation…
Philosophy Pure Summer Grace £33 for 50ml eau de toilette
Buy it at John Lewis 
Jennifer Aniston Near Dusk bottle 300DPI copyA debut scent from the award-winning actress, it celebrates her favourite time of shadows slipping into sunlight as the sun dips low on a dusky shore. Ripe nectarine, pink pepper and coconut fuse with salty sea spray as jasmine, peony and orange blossom blush sweetly into a sublimely white musky base.
Jennifer Aniston Near Dusk £29.99 for 85ml eau de parfum
Exclusive to The Fragrance Shop
Written by Suzy Nightingale