fragrance

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, ...

We’ve already talked about the prevalence of beloved notes like rose and vanilla in what feels like the majority of our favourite perfumes, and cosy sandalwood is another unanimous favourite. It manages to feel warm and woody, but it also possesses a creamy richness, which makes it the perfect base note for a wide range of fragrances—not just the sweet, spicy or musky types you might initially assume.  Whether you’re already a fiend for sandalwood like us or are new to or unsure of the popular note, we’re going to go ahead and say adding a sandalwood perfume to your winter fragrance wardrobe is one of the best moves you can make this season (especially in the “you smell so good” compliment department). Thanks to its surp...

I’ve written at length about how much I love scent layering. I love to start my scent journey in the shower, using body cleansers that give a delicate perfumed base before moving on to body creams to solidify my chosen notes—cedarwood, vetiver and figgy scents are mostly my vibe—then finishing off with a few sprays for my perfume. This has worked for me over the years, and I can trust that my scent will carry throughout the majority of the day. However, as someone who has an obsession with the beauty benefits of oils, I knew it was only a matter of time before I delved into the world of perfumed oils, and it has honestly changed my scent longevity. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving...

We love all things beauty here at Who What Wear, but if there’s anything we love above all, it’s fragrance. We could talk about fragrance for hours on end and would not get sick of it. We’re constantly Slacking about new fragrance launches, our favourite perfumes of all time and how a certain scent smells on our body chemistry. It’s truly a lifestyle. I personally use fragrance as a way to enhance however I feel that day. When I first started wearing perfume, I wanted to find a signature scent or something I could wear every day that would remind people of me. (Funnily enough, I chose Tom Ford Black Orchid, which you’ll find on this list.) As I got older, I realised that fragrance could be more than something someone remembers about you. Fragrance can be a form of self-expression—the ...

It is worth remembering, of course, that this collection was created by the perfumer who brought the iconic Lime, Basil & Mandarin and Earl Grey & Cucumber scents by Jo Malone London into the world, so it’s really only to be expected that the scents are as good as they are. But now, there’s a new collection on the block. The Zara Olfactive collection comprises of eight perfumes, each inspired by a different city, and they are equally as exquisite as the Emotions fragrances. Housed in beautiful boxes that you’ll want to keep out on display, the perfumes are stunning blends that smell almost impossibly expensive. In fact, a couple of the perfumes in the new Zara Olfactive collection just might knock some of my existing Emotions fragranc...

However, fragrance is no doubt a personal thing, which makes buying perfumes as a gift a particularly tricky thing to navigate. The good news is here at Who What Wear, we get to try hundreds of perfumes every year, meaning we get a pretty good sense of which ones make the best fail-safe gifts. While there are plenty of fragrances that would make lovely gifts, we think it’s most responsible for us to share only the crème de la crème of winter scents—because no one wants to get it wrong. The biggest benefit of getting to try every perfume out there is that come gifting season, we have a whole stash of beautiful scents to give to loved ones as festive treats. But the truth is the real teller of the best winter fragrances around are the ones that we end up keeping for ourselves. We’re tal...

Has anything about your approach to beauty changed over the last year and are there any particular makeup looks that you’re looking forward to trying once we’re out of lockdown? Honestly. anything [makeup artist] Jo Baker throws at me! In the last year my approach prioritised health over decoration—obviously—so I’m ready to get creative again. You must spend a fair amount of time on set with makeup artists and hair stylists, are there any insider beauty secrets that you’ve picked up from the experts? Hydrated skin seems to be the key to everything… oh, and also that Kevyn Aucoin mascara (£22) never smudges.  Wellness and beauty are so intertwined—do you have any wellness practices or supplements that help to give you a boost both mentally and physically? Wate...

Nothing gets me excited for winter quite like a really great candle. Whether I’m throwing open the curtains first thing or snuggling down on a cold, dark evening, you better believe I’ve got a candle burning. The thing I love the most about candles is, unlike perfumes, you can chop and change them depending on your mood. While I might like to burn a fresh, up-and-at-’em sort of candle to get me ready for the day, come evening, I want to be enveloped by warm, cosy scents. It is because I use candles in such a way that I am always on the hunt for the best ones around and burn through them at an alarming rate. Rather embarrassingly, I have been known to get through more than five candles in one month. As a result, you’d be hard-pressed to find a candle I haven’t tried. You Deserve to Ma...