Scents of Spring

Spring is a season we all look forward to as it signals a time for something new. ?The heavy cloud of gloom associated with January can be forgotten as we embrace feeling renewed; lighter and ready for a change. ?And nothing says change like a new scent. ?I’m an avid perfume user. My dresser is full of rows-upon-rows of bottles and tubes, each that evokes a different mood and memory.?Switching my perfume as we reach a new season has a significant effect on my mood; one spritz and the endorphins?kick in. Oddly, I work backwards; my?Winter smell is Chanel’s Chance?(a favourite I’ve had for years) with my Spring choice being a tad heavier: Elie Saab Eau de Parfum (?53). With its signature scent of orange blossom and rose honey, this scent was actually created as a midday perfume and the notes of?oriental?flower keep it light, making it ideal for during the day. Other perfumes have tried to woo me, but come springtime, this is the only one that stays put.

?Ellie Balfe, Digital Director, IMAGE Magazine

Being a huge fragrance fan ?(I have a rather large perfume collection), ?I love to switch up and swap scents per season. Also being quite the victim to the seasons, it feels right to me to wear something dark and hypnotic in Winter and lighter and fresher in Spring. ?This past Winter I found my favourite?of recent years; Oud & Bergamot (?135), from Jo Malone’s Cologne Intense Collection, is a blend of Eastern Oud with bergamot and orange. It’s a deep, unusual, and dare I say, sexy scent, that I think I’ll be loyal to for a long time to come. It’s also one I have had the most comments on in years – it’s intense but not overpowering, and really quite lovely.

My bottle is almost empty, so I’m sparing the spritzes these days before I transition to Spring’s scent which, for years and years has been Philosykos by Diptyque (?70).?This pure note fig is a subtle, soft, natural fig fragrance that smells nothing like the mass market attempts?at this note. I’ve worn it since I lived in London in the mid-nineties, and it has become somewhat a signature scent since. My friends know me by it, strangers remark on it – it’s a long love affair that cuts through my large fragrance collection on my dresser. Therefore I know, it’s real love.

As I get older I’m finding that I’m refining and maturing my scent. And rather than collating a number of random-smelling scents, I’ve started to curate my collection to suit my personality and lifestyle.My ‘year-round’ or safe scent is Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle (?68): it’s luxurious and it’sets me on the right path for the day. I use this through summer and winter because it’s not too heavy and not too light, and it stays on your skin throughout the day.

My spring scent is definitely Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh?(?75) because it’s both light and floral; which is a good working combination for me.