fragrance

Look, I’ll be the first to admit that Le Labo’s iconic Santal 33 scent smells really good. In addition to owning a bottle myself, the fragrance has become so wildly popular over the years that it’s basically a calling card for in-the-know Millennials. Basically, if you know, you know. But the Brooklyn-based perfume brand has so much more to offer in the way of its oil-based unisex scents beyond just its best-seller—and I’m here to walk you through where to even begin. It’s easy to see why the brand has become so popular; each of the fragrances are layered with an intoxicating medley of notes and since they’re oil-based, one spritz can last you all day. I know they can be pricey, but in my opinion, the cost-per...

There are few fragrance trends that I can’t get on board with. I like strong, deep and woody perfumes, I like lightly floral perfumes and I can’t get enough of warm, citrus scents, too. In fact, I don’t believe in sticking to one fragrance family at all. The truth is certain notes smell entirely different at different concentrations and when blended with others. My fragrance mantra is to choose your perfumes with your nose, not your knowledge.  This makes my job hard. But that’s why, when writing about fragrance, I try my very best to ignore talk of notes completely and instead attempt (often poorly) to describe the perfumes as a whole and the feeling that comes with them. Personally, I don’t find myself leaning towards any one note and instead gravitate towards what I ...

I’ll let you in on a little secret, I never (well, hardly ever) wear one fragrance at a time. I can’t recall when this became my go-to fragrance routine, but it has certainly stuck. It’s a spritz here and another spiritz of something completely different there, and sometimes I even use three or four different perfumes. You become your own perfumer, creating a more personal and unique scent, without the elite Grasse certification. What better person than yourself to blend the perfect scent for you, than yourself?  Enter fragrance layering, the creative way to use the scents in your fragrance wardrobe to create new unique scents. “I always think about fragrance pairing as a matching of moods & personalities as well. Each scent has its own energy or way of being,” says Phw...

Don’t get me wrong. I love a heady, strong perfume more than anyone. Perfume is the perfect way to make a lasting impression. But here’s a totally counterintuitive notion: Subtle perfumes make the biggest impressions. I rotate perfumes pretty much every day, and I’ve found that when I wear a subtle, inconspicuous scent, people are always the most intrigued. I think it’s because subtle scents inherently have a bit more mystery to them. They’re not in your face, but they definitely still make a quiet statement. That’s what makes them so appealing. A subtle scent will leave someone thinking about how good you smell, and it won’t seem like you tried too hard to smell good. Below, I’ve rounded up my favourite subtle scents, which are guaranteed to get you at least one “you smell so good” commen...

“Buying a scent online is arguably better than buying it in a store and for multiple reasons,” says Burr. “In both cases, you can see the packaging, bottle, font the brand chose—and really, who gives a damn? You don’t wear the packaging. The advantage of buying online is that you can read in quiet, sitting down, about the scent. You can read everything from the marketing copy to buyers’ comments, the history of the brand, and (for the hard-core perfume buyers) who the perfumers are. [Perfumers like] Maurice Roucel, Caroline Sabas, and Alberto Morillas each have very different résumés and strengths. It just allows you to know more. “It’s also easier to try on the fragrances because you can order samples—and you should (usually) order samples. Blind ...

If I could be any animal, I would without a doubt be a hermit crab. Much like the solitude crustacean, I too find great joy in curling up at home and, if I had the chance, would love to live permanently in such a state. Sadly for me, my job as a beauty editor requires quite a lot of running around from appointment to appointment, and so it’s not very often I find myself with masses of time at home. However, it’s because of this that I have developed a penchant for buying items that really level up my time at home. More specifically, I have become somewhat obsessed with buying and collecting luxury scented candles. The first thing I do when I get home is light a candle. I want my entire flat to be filled with a luxurious, mind-soothing aroma. You Deserve to Make Money Even When yo...

If I could be any animal, I would without a doubt be a hermit crab. Much like the solitude crustacean, I too find great joy in curling up at home and, if I had the chance, would love to live permanently in such a state. Sadly for me, my job as a beauty editor requires quite a lot of running around from appointment to appointment, and so it’s not very often I find myself with masses of time at home. However, it’s because of this that I have developed a penchant for buying items that really level up my time at home. More specifically, I have become somewhat obsessed with buying and collecting luxury scented candles. The first thing I do when I get home is light a candle. I want my entire flat to be filled with a luxurious, mind-soothing aroma. You Deserve to Make Money Even When yo...

Beauty editors love to talk about beauty. Obviously. But I’m not sure people fully understand the extent of our love for products. If you were to get a group of us together in a room, we could talk about beauty products for hours without coming up for breath. That’s why, whenever you drop us an email, DM or comment asking for some beauty advice, we’re typically all too pleased to dish the dirt. There does, however, appear to be one caveat to this statement. Over my many years of partaking in and observing conversations amongst beauty editors, I have come to realise that we tend to get a little flustered when it comes to talking perfume and fragrance. Not because it is a notoriously difficult topic to write about or because we don’t know our stuff, but because we get defensively s...

There is much to love about spring—a shift from heavy coats to lighter, brighter knits, a joyful colour palette that shakes off the gloominess of winter, and an excuse for some fresh nail art to celebrate the changing seasons. However, there’s one seasonal switch-up that excites me about all others and that’s the chance to bid farewell to my heavy winter fragrances (you know, the ones that are as warming as your favourite cable knit jumper and as heady as your nan’s sherry at christmas) and hello to lighter, brighter spring perfumes.  However, as someone that truly loves all that spicy vanilla and warm wood aromas that come as standard in typically autumn-winter scents, it has taken me a while to get my head around wh...

I think one the best things about the brand, which was founded in Los Angeles in 2015, is that so many of the scents can be paired beautifully; once you work out the notes that you love, you can kind of build a scent story through your living space. Don’t get me wrong the scent is strong, you don’t need to burn multiple candles but if you want to it makes the aroma even more captivating it’s amazing. Persnally, I love to burn Ash and Hinoki Fantôme at the same time for a sexy, woody warmth in Winter. However, this isn’t the case with the fragrance– I have three that I adore, but I have to wear them individually, they aren’t made to pair with each other or layer they are distinctly separate but last all day and then some especially on clothes, my home and wardrobe is basically a cacop...

Now, I can barely go a day without receiving a DM or having a friend ask me whether Baccarat Rouge 540 is worth the money, so I thought I’d share my advice here. In short: Yes, this perfume is worth every penny of its price tag. It smells unlike anything you will have ever smelled before. It’s warm, comforting and a little bit sweet. With a blend of jasmine, saffron, cedarwood and fir resin, it’s difficult to pull out any individual note. Instead, they all blend together to create one of the most beautiful perfumes I have ever smelled.  It’s inoffensive enough to be worn in the day with a cosy jumper or white shirt yet unique and powerful enough to finish off any evening look. In my opinion, there is no individual who wouldn’t be absolutely smitten with it. And as for the price, ...