Pretty perfect perfumes…..

I go through phases of being totally loyal to a particular perfume and other times where I reach for the nearest bottle on the way out of the door. I fancied a change one day last week and dug out an old favourite, which had the dregs remaining, and was instantly reminded why I used to wear it every day. Even Mr B commented that I ‘smelt like I did when we first met’……(I’m taking that as a compliment…..!). It got me thinking though about the power perfumes have in evoking memories and helping mark special occasions throughout life. In no particular order here are 3 of my favourite perfumes which I class as pretty perfect.

Chloé – this is the aforementioned scent that prompted Mr B to comment and is probably the first perfume I properly fell in love with. I first smelt this on a good friend who wore it religiously and was struck by the uniqueness of the scent. Instead of taking the sensible option of asking her what she was wearing I decided to go into Boots and smell pretty much all of the offerings in order to track it down. I knew instantly when I found it, and the beautifully simple but elegant bottle was the cherry on the top! This is the kind of perfume that you can still smell on your clothes the next day and, before I bit the bullet and parted with what was a large amount of money at the time, I would sneak a spritz from Boots whenever I popped in! The scent is very floral with peony and freesia top notes and dries down to a more subtle powdery rose scent. Whilst some floral perfumes tend to lend themselves towards the summer months this is a definite all year round perfume and I’m not sure why I ever stopped wearing it! Buy here.

Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir – one of the longest standing perfumes in the Jo Malone collection this does not fall into the category of ‘subtle’ perfumes, and its fruity raspberry, plum and pomegranate top notes hit you on the nose as soon as it’s sprayed. I was lucky enough to receive a gift set of 5 mini Jo Malone perfumes for my birthday last year and this was the stand out one in the collection. I generally wear this as an evening or winter perfume due to the richness of the scent and a couple of spritzes will still be lingering long into the evening. Since wearing this perfume myself I can smell it a mile off on other people due to its distinctive aromatic fruity notes and always compliment the wearer as I feel like we are ‘in the know’! If you’d like to road test this scent before parting with hard cash then I’d recommend checking out Aldi’s version in candle, room spray and body cream formats, which offer the same fruity richness at a much lower price point. Buy here.

Diptique – Do Son – this is the newest perfume to my collection and was love at first smell! I first became aware of this brand after Sali Hughes sung the praises of Diptique’s Figuier as one of her all time favourite scents. I first smelt Do Son in my local Space NK which, as an aside, is an 18 minute walk from our house (yes I timed it, and yes this fact makes me very happy!). The day in question I popped in on my way to a lunchtime Pilates class (Sweaty Betty, Express Classes in Bristol – they are amazing!) and spritzed myself before heading to class. Well, I am confident in saying I was the best smelling person in the room that lunchtime, and shoved my wrist under several noses to confirm that I wasn’t imagining how beautiful this perfume is! On further investigation I discovered that the dominant note in this perfume is Tuberose and this is what really drew me in. I’ve tested this with several other perfumes which have a strong Tuberose note – Gucci Bloom, Jo Malone Tuberose Angelica to note a few, and have loved them all. Whilst the scent is long lasting and intense this perfume works well as a summer time spritz, especially in the Eau de Toilette version which is a slightly lighter, but by no means poorer version of the perfume. Buy here.

My next dilemma is what to choose as a wedding day perfume. Do I wear Chloé which is evocative of when Mr B and I first met or choose a newer one to represent the next stage of our journey together? What was your wedding day perfume – I’d love to know!

Jess X