Sweet Smell of Spring

There is something about the beginning of spring that make me want to update my fragrance collection. All the fresh smells of a new season and blossoming trees get me giddy with excitement about summer.

This year, like any other, I wanted to get a fragrance that was fresh, spring-like but not too-sugary-sweet. Salvatore Ferragamo’s (best shoe designer ever, anyone?) Segnorina fits this description to a tea. It’s rosey and flowery with a touch of creamy sweetness. It reminds me of a delicious lollipop from childhood and airs out in to the scent of a spring flowerbed.

Plus, it helps me with my sweet cravings. Yum. 

Salvatore Ferragamo Segnorina from £39.00

Winter Scent-sation

Now that the nights are getting colder, the afternoons are getting darker and I have well and truly unpacked all my winter clothes: I am also doing the same for my perfume and makeup.
There is something about blustery wind of this yellow and orange season that also makes me want to wear more 'grown up' makeup and scents.
I am in the mood for more spicy scents, so my flowery, sweet perfumes from summer can have a rest for now. One of my front-runners is Sisley's Eau de Sisley 2, which is a sparkling, clean scent with cardamom, bergamot and basil. Water lily and rose add a feminine edge, but I love the 'leafiness' of this scent at this time of year.
And Neal's Yard debut fragrance is surprisingly elegant. Pure Essence Eau de Parfum No.1 Frankincense smells like a deliciously warm waft of spa. It's a deeper fragrance than Sisley's and heavier in its ingredients: frankincense, patchouli and pink pepper.
Both add a touch of warmth on a cold winter's day.
Sisley Eau de Sisley 2, £97.00
Neal's Yard Pure Essence Eau de Parfum No.1 Frankincense, £35.00

Wedding Princess

I totally forgot to mention that I went to the most beautiful wedding recently.
Two friends. One gorgeous venue. One beautiful bride. It made me dream about my own wedding one day. My boyfriend made them a card himself (above is one of his early sketches) and apart from the obvious (dress, makeup, shoes...) scent is underrated at weddings. What better way to remember your big day than with a perfume that will forever bring back sweet memories.
Vera Wang's Preppy Princess is a perfect example of a delicate, summery scent that is ideal for weddings. Aaaahhh

Vera Wang's Preppy Princess from The Perfume Shop, from £33.50

Detox Loophole

Since coming back from Istanbul and realising that I ate more meat in one week than I had in the whole previous month, I decided to go on a detox.  

But, that doesn't mean I still can't indulge a little. Malin + Goetz Rum Tonic fragrance is the perfect detox loophole. It's a heady mix of bergamot and leather all balanced nicely with a generous dash of rum. Cocktail anyone?
Malin + Goetz, Rum Tonic Eau de Toilette, £37.00

Apothecary Cool

I have been noticing a real trend for apothecary beauty recently. And I am loving it. Dark brown bottles. Pharmaceutical style packaging. And natural ingredients. Now Korres, one of my favourite brands, is not one that I would usually put in to this category. Their packaging is fun, floral, design-led and undoubtedly beautiful.
But their new fragrances are right on the money. Dark brown glass bottles and apothecary-style all the way. And the actual fragrance of course. If you are a regular Korres user, you will know that Korres products always smell a-mazing. So the new Eau de Toilettes are no different.

I am currently obsessed with the Saffron, Amber, Cardamom and the Peonia, Vanilla, Amber Pear. They are light enough to be able to layer over other fragrances, but last long enough for you to still get a delicious whiff at lunchtime.


Plus, at £24.00 you can afford to stock up on more than one.

Scented Memories

I am very inspired by scent. I get very excited in fragrance halls and no where more so than in Liberty in London. I find their Fragrance Hall an absolute treasure chest of undiscovered brands, beautiful bottles and delicious perfumes from all over the world. I find myself smelling dozens of different scents (much to the disdain of the sales associates who probably think I am a nutcase) and guessing their ingredients.

On one of my recent visits, I found myself drawn to Frederic Malle's collection of fragrances, in particular En Passant, which was created by Olivia Giacobetti. It reminded me of my childhood in Russia and that particular moment when spring was turning in to summer and there was so much blossom on the trees that I would shake the tree branches and pretend I was getting married. It was spring in a bottle. And it's mine by the time spring rolls around.

Frederic Malle, En Passant, from €95

Fragrant mood...

Today, I as I rode on a train through yet another rainstorm back from Manchester to London, I actually started looking forward to winter for the first time.
Something that helped me on my way was my discovery of a deliciously dark and romantic perfume that I sought out in Manchester.

I am talking about a new range from new-kid-on-the-block perfumer Killian. Exclusive to Harvey Nichols only this Autumn, I had a sneaky peek at the new collection and was immediately transfixed by each, every and all fragrances in the collection. My favourite though, was ‘Back to Black, an opulent, rich, velvety scent that reminded me of my grandmother’s homemade wild cherry conserve mixed with rum. It has actually been designed as an aphrodisiac with undertones of honey. I’ll vouch for the aphrodisiac part.

The man behind the brand, Killian Hennesy (heir to the cognac fortune) believes in ‘Perfume as a messenger to open a thousand doors in memory.” All I know if that even the next day, I felt bleary-eyed with each accidental whiff of the perfume from the night before.