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
Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Vitae Cologne Forte (2ml of all three new MFK eaux de parfum are in 
The 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.
The 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.
A 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!
Evoking 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…
Britney’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!
The 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….
It’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.
Beachy 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…
A 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.
