Let’s talk scents
KATIE WRIGHT SNIFFS OUT THE BEST NEW MEN’S, WOMEN’S AND UNISEX FRAGRANCES
THE change of seasons makes us crave all sorts of things; we pull on woolly jumpers instead of floaty dresses, warming soups win out over salads, and staying in becomes a lot more appealing than going out.
Plus, with the arrival of crisp, cool mornings and crunchy leaves underfoot, suddenly our summer scents don’t feel quite right.
An autumnal aroma is needed to go with our cold-weather clothing, but that’s not hard to find, with so many fitting fragrance launches at this time of year.
To that end, we’ve rounded up nine new scents that suit the season, including women’s, men’s and unisex picks – because the lines are increasingly blurred between what constitutes a perfume for ‘her’ or a cologne for ‘him’.
There’s only one rule when it comes to choosing a signature scent; just follow your nose...
UNISEX FRAGRANCES MALIN + GOETZ LEATHER EAU DE PARFUM
£75 for 50ml
“THERE is something about the power of leather that consumes our olfactory attention, demanding we surrender to its seductive powers,” says Andrew Goetz, which is why
the co-founder of Malin and Goetz decided to base the brand’s latest unisex scent around the distinctive fabric.
If you love a nose full of black biker jacket or the aroma of squishy antique sofas, you’ll adore this juice, which adds woody notes, cloves and a dash of white florals into the mix.
JO MALONE POPPY & BARLEY COLOGNE £98 for 100ml
INSPIRED by the English countryside, this pastoral pairing sees the soft, cereal warmth of barley joined by red poppy – which is as fresh as florals get – and juicy blackcurrant top notes.
Compared to other Jo Malone colognes, this has a light, airy feel, but it’s got surprisingly strong staying power.
NARS AUDACIOUS EAU DE PARFUM £125 for 50ml
FRANCOIS Nars, founder of the eponymous make-up brand, has created his first ever signature scent, in collaboration with perfumer Olivia Giacobetti.
As striking as a slash of red lipstick, Audacious is a unisex parfum that tempers the heady floral notes of frangipani and ylang ylang with smoky incense, sandalwood and white musk.
WOMEN’S FRAGRANCES KENZO WORLD POWER EAU DE PARFUM £65.50 for 50ml, Escentual
“IT’S a fragrance without flowers. A reinvented femininity without florality – quite a new concept in perfumery,” says Jerome Di Marino, creator of the follow-up to the hugely popular Kenzo World.
Even without a single petal present, this golden juice is still rich and warm, combining rich tonka bean absolute with a splash of sea salt, to create a striking scent.
CAROLINA HERRERA CONFIDENTIAL EMERALD MUSK EAU DE PARFUM £235 for 100ml, Harrods
“EMERALDS have always been worn in my family. From my great-grandmother to my grandmother to my mother – we’ve all worn them. I love their fragility,” says Carolina Herrera de Baez.
There’s nothing fragile about this luxurious scent, however. With a top note of pink pepper, heart of leather and base of musk, it’s a potent concoction with a lasting trail.
SARAH JESSICA PARKER’S BORN LOVELY EAU DE PARFUM £21.25, reduced from £25, for 30ml, Boots
THE latest addition to the actor’s growing fragrance family, Born Lovely is like a beautiful bouquet of white florals – notably orange blossom and jasmin sambac – bolstered with cedarwood stems and rounded out with patchouli (a common note in SJP fragrances.
Lovely, it certainly is.