If you’re peering at grey skies and sighing, why not consider delving into your fragrance collection for a spritz of sunshine? We bet there are many scents sitting neglected on dressing tables and shelves around the U.K. right now, which you keep looking at, wistfully, and whispering ‘…not yet, my precious, We’ll wait for a nice warm day again.’
Well look – we’ve had some gorgeous spring weather thus far and cannot really complain at a blustery day or the rainfall the gardens have sorely needed. I mean, we DO, but we shouldn’t. Instead of glowering to match the mood, uplift it by raiding your stash this instant. Don’t you dare save these for summer – wear them now and make it happen in fragrant form…
VALENTINO BORN IN ROMA YELLOW DREAM DONNA
Celebrating ‘a new beginning, full of life, hope and optimism’ (YES please!) we’re imagining a golden sunrise over Rome – lemon coloured blossom carpets the pavement as a confident woman strides forth to greet the new day. Floral yet fruity (in the most grown up, effervescent way), this gives us vibes of just-washed hair gleaming in the sun, a vibrant yellow dress, heels kicked off, a musky trail followed in bare feet on sun-warmed cobbles.
From £35 for 10ml eau de parfum valentino-beauty.co.uk
GOUTAL LE TEMPS DES RÊVES
Goutal effortlessly whisk us to the sun-drenched Mediterranean on a breeze of orange blossom absolute, neroli, bergamot and myrtle. Annick Goutal herself began her training in Grasse; now, Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen revisit the landscape of a thousand bitter orange trees and Provence’s garrigue (its characteristic aromatic trees and scrubland), introducing sandalwood and a bran absolute note for a pashmina-like, cocooning finale.
£152 for 100ml eau de toilette johnlewis..com
BDK SEL D’ARGENT
Holiday sea breezes and azure waters: does anything get better than that? Lucky for us, Sel d’Argent features in BDK’s Collection Azur, and captures that shimmering coastal magic of the Mediterranean, with its clear blue waters (echoed in the flacon), and its salty accord – further freshened by grapefruit and bergamot. But this is more enduring than you’d expect from that initial freshness, warmed and softened in its sunset moments by come-closer elements of Timebrsilk, Cashmeran, Ambroxan and white musk. Dreamy, indeed.
£190 for 100ml eau de parfum selfridges.com
JEROBOAM GOZO
Holiday in a bottle? Well, this was dreamed following a meeting between Jovoy’s globetrotting founder François Hénin and Qatari social media megastar and A-list perfumista, Abdulaziz Al Ajail. As ever with Jeroboam, perfumer Vanina Muracciole translated the travel-lust vision into scent, swirling together a heady cloud of tuberose, cedarwood and Ambroxan to evoke ‘heaven on earth’: the Maltese island of Gozo. Let’s close our eyes and go-go there in our dreams!
£110 for 30ml extrait jovoyparis.uk
JUSBOX NIGHT FLOW
Within their clever series of musically-inspired fragrances, here we get to spin a vibrant cocktail of saffron, raspberry and pink pepper that seamlessly segues into the darker floral heart of fruity osmanthus, smouldering davana and hypnotic jasmine sambac. When the base kicks in with a salty lick of ambergris atop patchouli, leather and tolu balm, you’ll be lost in the rhythm of this fragrantly alluring flow. Bring on summer party vibes with this perfume, we say!
£200 for 78ml eau de parfum harrods.com
Written by Suzy Nightingale