Scents of occasion
When it’s time to spoil the parents this Mother’s and Father’s Day, the best gift is the kind that conjures up fond memories and helps forge new ones says beauty journalist Helen Clemson
“With travel still a challenge, why not bring an idyllic destination to your loved one?”
If ever there was a nostalgic tie that binds, it’s fragrance and memory. The trail of Estée Lauder Pleasures on my mother’s soft grey knit is mine.
The more romantic term is “sillage”, the French word for “wake,” used in perfumery to describe the trail that a scent leaves on skin. The same is true of food, where the smell of a favourite dish can linger long after the meal is over.
It’s this kind of nurturing olfactory link that makes us think of giving fragrances on Mother’s and Father’s Day, but you needn‘t go the obvious route and present an EDP or EDT either. Yes, it’s lovely to spoil someone you love with a signature scent or the hottest new launch, but fragrances for the home can capture today’s need for wellbeing perfectly. And whether your parents are the ultimate homemakers, love to entertain or just appreciate the simple things, a home fragrance will strike all the right notes.
With travel still a challenge for most of us, why not bring an idyllic destination to your mom/dad instead? Take Glasshouse Fragrances Sunsets in Capri (it comes in both a soy candle, R999, and an EDP R499 for 14 ml) with its mood-boosting orange box. It not only looks like a seaside terrace in Campania, but smells like a Saturday morning market, stands piled with white peaches and mandarins. “Mostly, we don’t smell things differently – we interpret and describe them differently,” says fragrance writer Tania Sanchez, co-author of scent bible Perfumes: The Guide (Viking) with Luca Turin. In other words, if you’re sceptical, go and experience the “scent of place” yourself.
And while you are browsing, you might like to sample another Italian marvel. Acqua di Parma Colonia C.L.U.B. EDT (R2 599 for 100 ml) starts with classic cologne top notes (the first few minutes of a fragrance) of fresh lemon and bergamot. It gets a modern twist of crisp shiso (Chinese basil or purple mint) with rosemary for aromatics and cedar for depth and warmth. It’s a contemporary spin on the house’s more customary colognes, originally created in 1916 by baron Carlo Magnani from Parma for his personal use.
So, not just a luxe gift but a sneak peek of a bucketlist dream if travel still seems out of reach.
On to Paris, and for Chanel lovers, your mother’s new favourite scent comes with mindful improvements, such as the removal of cellophane and advent of refillable inners. Sustainability for the new No. 1 de CHANEL collection means QR codes instead of paper and multipurpose products rather than more plastic.
It’s hard to choose just one product to gift (there’s skincare, colour and fragrance), but my choice would be the hybrid No. 1 de CHANEL L’eau Rouge Revitalising Fragrance Mist (R 2 155 for 100 ml). Think of it as soft scent meets skincare; the imprint of delicate red camilla with its youthboosting benefits targeting the first signs of ageing. Refreshing and slightly powdery, most of the ingredients are derived from nature. In other words, imagine spritzing on a fruity floral fragrance that comforts and nourishes your skin, either as a scent on its own, or as a base note before your signature fragrance. Sometimes the day calls for a little indulgence.
But of course, for some mothers and fathers, a bit of time out is the ultimate indulgence. Make it count by gifting them with a bath soak worth its salt – a happymaking favourite laced with vanilla and musky patchouli, for instance. Or, as the weather gets colder, something infused with the warming scents of vanilla and musk. My pick is Woolworths The Spa Range Relaxing vanilla-and-patchouli bath soak (R99.95). Here’s hoping! W