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HOW TO SMELL YOUR BEST POST-LOCKDOWN

Predictably it involves spring perfumes

26.03.2021

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From hand sanitiser and sourdough to Milli Taylor’s BBBB (brown butter banana bread, for the uninitiated) recipe and the stench of stagnant despair, the last year has been somewhat of an olfactory adventure. But we’re bored by all of that now – triggered, even! We want to smell things we’ve never smelt before, not stuff that’s reminiscent of a period in history we’d rather forget (no matter how pleasant some of it was at the time). Which brings us to spring perfumes. As we edge towards total freedom, the next few months are going to smell just lovely.

SERGE LUTENS

SERGE LUTENS LA DOMPTEUSE ENCAGÉE EAU DE PARFUM, £110

Well, this is a treat for anyone who likes metaphors about lockdown. The latest fragrance in Serge Lutens’ Collection Noire, La dompteuse encagée translates to ‘the caged (female-identifying) tamer’. What a way to live – at least she has notes of almond and frangipani for sustenance and stimulation.

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JO LOVES

JO LOVES COBALT PATCHOULI & CEDAR FRAGANCE, £115

What Jo Loves, we tend to love. And – as captured in her Cobalt Patchouli & Cedar fragrance – this time it’s blue skies and the freedom they represent, which can apparently be as extensive as notes of grapefruit, patchouli, cedarwood and geranium.

LOEWE

LOEWE SOLO ELLA EAU DE PARFUM, FROM A SELECTION

A sunset is a joyful thing to witness, so we don’t blame you for wanting to smell like one. Conveniently, LOEWE Solo is a family of fragrances inspired by just that. Our favourite, however, is the feminine and floral perfume, Solo Ella. This probably has something to do with its notes of green apple, neroli, white woods and green tea, but the suitably orange hue of the bottle and its wooden lid certainly help.

CHANEL

LES EXCLUSIFS DE CHANEL LE LION DE CHANEL EAU DE PARFUM, FROM £165

Astrology fanatics, assemble! This one – unless you have reservations about Leos – is for you. But LE LION DE CHANEL isn’t just a Chanel perfume, it’s a Les Exclusifs de Chanel perfume. To that end, it will also appeal to those who have no interest in astrology whatsoever. We mean, who doesn’t want to smell as powerful as notes of labdanum and patchouli that have been brightened by notes of vanilla, bergamot and lemon?

MARC JACOBS

MARC JACOBS DAISY EAU SO INTENSE EAU DE PARFUM, FROM £45.90 AT JOHN LEWIS

‘Intense’ is often levelled as a veiled insult, but we rather like it. Intense people, experiences and things can be life-affirming. And, with ten diverse fragrance notes in total, Daisy Eau So Intense – a deeper twist on the original perfume –is just that.

MALIN+GOETZ

MALIN+GOETZ STRAWBERRY EAU DE PARFUM, £75

To dismiss the strawberry eau de parfum by MALIN+GOETZ as girly and infantile without smelling it first would be to make a grave mistake. What it actually offers is a genderless scent that deconstructs the common garden strawberry with ten distinct fragrance notes.

D.S. & DURGA

D.S. & DURGA JAZMÍN YUCATAN, £148 AT E-SCENTS

We’re never entirely sure of what to anticipate with a D.S. & DURGA scent, but that’s part of their charm. The Jazmín Yucatán eau de parfum, for example, transports us to the Yucatán Peninsula. But, with dense jungle to contend with and the air thick with humidity, it’s more of an experience than a holiday. And maybe that’s just what you need.

JUSBOX

JUSBOX NIGHT FLOW EAU DE PARFUM, £160 AT SELFRIDGES

JUSBOX sounds like the name of a club night, so the fact that they have an eau de parfum called ‘Night Flow’ seems fitting – especially when we’re missing going out out more than ever. And with tops notes of saffron and raspberry, we shall most definitely be wearing this on June the 21st.

2787 BARCELONA

2787 BARCELONA HAMACA EAU DE PARFUM, £155 AT HARVEY NICHOLS

With names like '#hashtag', 2787 Barcelona's fragrances are largely inspired by millennial experiences. That said, it might have been a while since you experienced anything like its Hamaca eau de parfum, which is supposed to smell something like a gentle breeze on salty skin mingled with coconut. One spritz and you'll be sulking.

MEDEAU

MEDEAU ORIGIN EAU DE PARFUM, £85

From people to workplaces, life is just full of toxicity. We hate it! And so does Medeau, a new fragrance brand specialising in non-toxic scents. Origin is their debut perfume. We'd describe it as a fresh start in a bottle, but the specifics involve notes of elderflower and cyclamen – amongst other things.

SHIRO

SHIRO FREESIA MIST, FROM £95

We could just describe Shiro's Fressia Mist as 'lovely' and leave it that, but we're not sure that would encapsulate just how lovely it is. Think a flower market in spring beneath blue skies lovely. What could be better?

VERONIQUE GABAI

VERONIQUE GABAI SUR LA PLAGE EAU DE PARFUM, £245 AT NET-A-PORTER (LAUNCHING SPRING 2021)

You might not be able to be 'sur la plage' at the moment, but that doesn't mean you can't smell like it. And, according to Veronique Gabai's Sur La Plage eau de parfum, that smells something like orange blossom, magnolia, jasmine, tuberose, pink pepper and cedarwood. Get us on a cramped plane immediately.

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