Treat yourself to a perfume WARDROBE
Signature scents are passé. Now you need one for every mood
Calvin Klein’s Eternity? My old French teacher Mrs austin. nina Ricci’s l’air du Temps? Unmistakably my grandmother, who wore nothing else. When it comes to fragrance, for years women have been encouraged to find a ‘signature scent’, which is why even a whiff of a particular perfume is enough to conjure up the person we associate with it.
now, though, experts say the last thing we should do is stick to wearing the same fragrance every single day.
‘There is a quote from Estee lauder which i think sums it up,’ says Jo Fairley, founder of The Perfume Society. ‘She said that you wouldn’t wear the same dress to play tennis and go out to dinner, so why would you wear the same fragrance?’
The latest fashion is to build up a ‘scent wardrobe’ of fragrances that can be tailored for each occasion.
it sounds an expensive pastime. But fortunately, brands have been quick to catch on to the trend and are selling their most popular scents in small sizes, so you can try several without spending any more than you would on one full-sized bottle.
Better still, a whole host of new subscription services will pick scents for you and send them out every month.
Research from market analysts Mintel suggests 59 per cent of perfume lovers have different scents for every day, and for special occasions. Others change theirs according to the season, or mood.
‘The new desire to have a scent wardrobe can be limited by purchasing power,’ acknowledges Charlotte libby, Mintel’s global colour cosmetics and fragrance analyst. ‘it’s customary to have 30ml and 50ml bottles in the fragrance market, but with an audience interested in experimentation, smaller sizes are now often preferred.’
These miniature, less expensive vials of fragrance are bigger than samples, but smaller than a fullsize bottle. Boutique perfumers Floral Street sell all theirs in both 50ml and 10ml bottles, while abel vita Odor offers its collection in 15ml and 50ml sizes.
‘Two years ago everyone thought a 15ml bottle was a bad idea,’ says abel founder, Frances Shoemack. ‘But it’s the perfect size for travel, the price is accessible and people can try a new fragrance without having to commit to a large bottle.’
So, what should you have in your scent wardrobe?
Jo Fairley advises: ‘For a start you want something fresh and sporty — the perfume equivalent of a white shirt and a pair of jeans. a classic cologne such as Jo Malone’s lime, Basil & Mandarin will make you feel relaxed but invigorated when you go to yoga or a gym class, or when you just want to feel uplifted.
‘Then you want a scent for the office which won’t overwhelm your colleagues. For that a pretty floral is ideal — such as Coach Eau de Parfum. Save big, blousy florals for evenings.
‘i also like a power fragrance, that makes you stand a little taller. Chypres, warm, woody fragrances such as Guerlain’s Mitsouko and Sisley’s Eau de Soir, are great for that.
‘Finally you want an evening fragrance that works like a pair of high heels or sparkly earrings. That’s where i think Oriental notes come in — they’re the sexy ones that make you feel glamorous. Try Gucci Guilty and Chanel’s Coco.’
Here are the best places to build up your perfume wardrobe without spending a fortune.
TIME TO EXPERIMENT
sniph.co.uk LAUNCHED in november, Sniph will send you a 7ml vial of different scent every month — if you fall in love with it, you can buy a full-size bottle via the website. COST: £17.99/month. WHAT’S ON OFFER: You choose a collection or theme — Female Classics, Clean, avant-Garde — and they’ll send you something that fits with that. The perfumes tend not to be High Street — expect niche brands such as Etat libre, Swedish perfume house agonist, and Parisian label aether Parfums.
CLICK ON A CLASSIC
scentaddict.com FROM the people behind The Fragrance Shop, this service sends an 8ml vial of the perfume of your choice every single month. There are more than 200 and you can either reorder the same one, try something new, or use the £12 towards a full-size bottle.
COST: £12/month. WHAT’S ON OFFER: Perfumes you’d find in department stores — everything from abercrombie & Fitch and azzaro, to Yves Saint laurent and Zadig & voltaire.
FOR SOPHISTICATES
feelunique.com FEEl Unique’s Pick ’n’ Mix service allows users to choose up to five samples per month and pay only the shipping and handling fee. You’ll also get a £3.95 gift voucher which you can redeem on a future full-sized purchase. COST: £3.95/month.
WHAT’S ON OFFER: Big names such as Calvin Klein and Gucci, but also more exclusive (and expensive) perfume houses such as Maison Margiela and Tom Ford.
ECLECTIC ELEGANCE
perfumesociety.org THE PERFUME SOCIETY offer the opportunity to try a range of fragrances, grouped according to theme, in their discovery Boxes. COST: From £17.50 per box.
WHAT’S ON OFFER: Everything from the latest launches (£17.50 for eight samples) to sampling sets from the likes of Miller Harris (£70 for six perfumes) and Prada (£36 for six miniatures).
TAILORED SELECTION
scentandco.uk SIMILAR to Scentaddict, Scent & Co lets you choose from more than 450 fragrances — or if you can’t decide, answer a few questions about your likes and dislikes, and an expert will pick one for you — then you are sent 10ml of the fragrance by post. COST: £14.95/month, with discounts for subscriptions of three months and more. WHAT’S ON OFFER: a pretty broad range of perfumes from mainstream and more niche brands. You’ll find Byredo alongside Burberry, and lancome as well as l’artisan Parfumeur.
SCENTS TO SAMPLE
DON’T forget that most independent fragrance retailers offer a sampling service to help you choose.
les Senteurs (lessenteurs.com) will send out up to four trial sizes at a charge of between £3.50 and £5 for each, plus £4 post and packing. Floris (florislondon.
com) sells samples from £2.50 a vial, plus P&P. Roullier White (roullierwhite.
com) will also send out testers of all fragrances in The Perfumery (£2 for a 2ml spray).