Tom Ford Costa Azzura Parfum
Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Ruby Orchid EDP
€67/30ml, €92.50/50ml, €132/100ml, department stores and pharmacies
Dark red ruby orchids, vine peach and red vanilla bean are the new notes in the muchloved Flowerbomb scent from avant-garde Belgian fashion designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoering. When Flowerbomb launched in 2005, it turned the fragrance world on its head. Never before had such an intensely rose fragrance been so bold or daring. Its sweet side was powdery and sexy. This new version uses ruby orchid, a more voluptuous and creamy flower. The designers wanted this to be decadent and carnal — it sure is.
Roger & Gallet Rose L’Eau Fraîche EDT
€41.50/100ml, pharmacies nationwide Roger & Gallet is one of the oldest fragrance brands in the world and it has a storied past that begins in the 1700s. The original eau de cologne formula, Jean Marie Farina, has been updated many times and remains in the line today, but there are lots to choose from. Rose L’Eau Fraîche is a pretty cologne. It is light and fresh with notes of rose petals and mandarin at the top and rosebud and peony at the heart. The dry down is warm and sensual with almond milk and amber.
Maison Margiela When The Rain Stops Dublin 1967
€56/30ml - €113/100ml Brown Thomas and Arnotts Maison Margiela’s Replica scent line is storytelling and each is created around a time and place. To date, there are scents for Calvi, Montreal and Shanghai in different years. When The Rain Stops came as a surprise as it is dedicated to Dublin in the year 1967. Perfumer Fanny Bal says of the new fragrance: ‘I wanted to recall that precise moment when the sound of rain fades away.’ Inside the unisex scent, pink pepper and rose petal extracts are followed by earthy and fresh notes of patchouli and pine needle.
Montblanc Legend Red EDP
€61/50ml - €88/100ml, The Perfume Shop Montblanc’s fragrances for men are very masculine and sometimes a bit more innovative than others in this market. This new citrus woody is a fine example. It opens with notes of blood orange, grapefruit and cardamom, followed by clary sage, cedar and juniper berries. The woody element deepens further for the dry down with mahogany, atlas cedar and tonka bean cementing the masculinity of the fragrance.
Chanel Bleu de Chanel Parfum Twist and Spray, 3x20ml €111, Chanel counters
Chanel’s Bleu de Chanel first launched in 2010, created by in-house perfumer Jacques Polge, whose son Olivier is now at the reins. Jacques created numerous classics at Chanel including Coco Mademoiselle, Allure, Chance and Bleu de Chanel. This men’s scent is timeless with lemon, mint, pepper, incense and patchouli. It also contains ISO E Super, that mysterious molecule that adapts to a person’s skin and is distinct to the wearer. The Travel Set with three 20ml vials is great for scent on-the-go. €118/50ml - €163/100ml,
Brown Thomas
Costa Azzura has long been popular at Tom Ford. This new parfum is a deeper expression of the original. Created to capture the feel of a carefree escape to the Mediterranean, it’s luminous, spirited and vibrant. More intense than the earlier fragrance, the parfum opens with crisp Italian lemon before becoming woody with oakwood, cypress and a blend of amber notes. Ford is famous for his sexy fragrances and this is a real people-pleaser if you’re looking to gift a signature scent for Valentine’s.