Last week’s bed weather won’t be the last in a stretch of days where it will be hard to change from your pajamas and not to constantly nap. It’s during these times that I appreciate a good scent.
Scents have a unique way of tapping into our memories and moods. The olfactory system is directly linked to this part of the brain. So it’s no wonder that a scent can transport you somewhere, lift your spirits and energize your day.
This is why I’ve written about how, even though we’re just at home, I still make it a habit to spritz on a scent. Now, I want to share a few perfumes with you that I love and that I constantly reach for.
How do I choose what scent? It really depends on what I’m feeling. I’ve got quite a collection of perfumes and sprays that I can play around with.
Over the weekend, I reached for Byredo Mojave Ghost. The name comes from the Mojave Desert. Hence, the scent is very unique. It’s mostly woody with top notes of musky ambrette and Jamaican nesberry. Midnotes are a powdery violet, sandalwood. Base notes include Chantilly musk, crisp amber and cedarwood.
If you’re still browsing around for a new scent, look up the brand Frédéric Malle. The man behind the name is a perfume publisher or an editeur de parfums. He committed his whole life to the creation of perfumes. “Frédéric Malle is one of the few to be able to grasp perfumery as a whole because he has a deep knowledge of every aspect of it: from creation, composition, manufacturing and packaging design, to store design and communication,” reads his website.
Malle’s knowledge is somehow backed up by instinct: His maternal grandfather Serge Heftler-Louiche is the founder of Parfums Christian Dior.
In 2000, he established Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, elevating perfumes into artistry. Under this brand, prestigious perfumers are given the chance to show off their know-how and are given the recognition to the scents they create.
Unique combinations
Log on to the website and to find unique scent combinations you didn’t think were possible. When looking for a scent, you will be asked to select up to three different categories among the following options: green, aldehydic, bright, floral, patchouli, fresh, musky soft, noir, citrus, oriental, opulent white flower, woody crisp, vanilla warm, amber warm and rose.
Maison Margiela is another brand whose perfume I like to collect. The Replica collection isn’t just about the fragrances. It’s about the exact mood, time and place they represent. You’ll see it immediately in the names like Jazz Club, Lazy Sunday Morning, Coffee Break and Springtime in a Park, to name a few.
I like Beach Walk because it provides an escape to salty shores with notes of bergamot, coconut milk, musk, pink pepper and ylang-ylang.
Le Labo Fragrances is another go-to fragrance brand. Its ethos is quite powerful, including lines on the website like, “We believe fine perfumery must create a shock—the shock of the new, combined with the shock of the intimately familiar,” and “We believe it is more humane to test cosmetics on New Yorkers than on animals.”
What you get are social media stars like Santal 33. In the description notes, the scent gives celebration to the Marlboro Man of yesteryears. It’s a mix of cardamom, iris, violet, ambrox Australian sandalwood, cedarwood, some spicy, leathery, musky notes. A unisex scent, you can layer it with the shower gel and body oil editions.
There is also Rose 31. It’s aim is to “transform the famous Grasse Rose, a symbol of voluptuousness and unqualified femininity, into an assertively virile fragrance that can be worn by men and women.”
My last on this list is from Van Cleef & Arpels. The name of the scent? First, the primary scent from the jewelry brand, made in 1976. It’s described as “invisible yet overwhelming.” The bottle is crafted after the high jewelry Snowflake and is a feminine scent of hyacinth, jasmine, amber and sandalwood.