The Invisible Secret to Exuding Perfect Style

A personal perfume is not about one fragrance you drown yourself in daily, but a bouquet of a few, well-chosen scents that make up your wardrobe of aromas. A bit like your perfect closet of clothes, it’s about finding the right scents for different occasions and using them at the right times. From day scents to evening ones it can be overwhelming picking the optimum odours but it really is like collating your dream wardrobe – it’ll take patience, a lot of samples and plenty of coffee beans along the way to palate cleanse your nose off the ones you don’t like!

In a bid to stop buying tens of products I don’t use and invest in a few of the right ones instead, I’ve finally triumphed with my curated trio of choices. I go with three basic options: an everyday scent, a dressy daytime one and an evening affair. By the time you lock down these three you’ll have enough little samples of these and others their brands do, giving you plenty of options to take on holiday too! It’s taken me a while but I’ve finally found my signature scents and below ill share a little bit about them.

My everyday scent

I adore a fair few of Chanel’s perfumes. And lord knows if I had the budget for it – Chanel no.5 would be my daily choice! But having tried various of their scents in samples of the years Gabrielle has to be my favourite.

Named after Coco’s real name, Gabrielle, this Eau de Parfum is created with notes of jasmine, yang ylang, orange blossom and tuberose. Now, my nose is certainly not refined enough to understand what this actually means I just know I like it for the reasons I do. It’s incredibly light and fresh so wearing it daily adds a subtle scent to your look, without becoming overwhelming overtime. Just a couple of spritz’ is enough to last the day and while you can’t actively smell it after a little while, this gorgeous perfume remains on your clothes beautifully. The packaging is light and luminous – reflecting the perfume accurately. it’s delicate glass bottle, classic labelling and matt gold top makes for an elegant addition to any beauty shelf.

My Special event daytime scent

It’s always nice to elevate your style for a daytime event – taking casual up a notch to dressy casual. And I like to do just that with my fragrances. Byredo’s Bal D’Afrique is my go-to for girly lunches, brunch dates and summer outings. Inspired by the Parisian flamboyance of the 1920’s, this Eau de Parfum blends notes of jasmine, sweet neroli and musk. Clearly, I’m a fan of jasmine and didn’t even know it!

Personally, I love it for its sweetness. it is, admittedly, an incredibly heady fragrance, and one that easy to overdo. But worn with just a spritz on my wrists then rubbed into my neck it’s the perfect balance of sweet subtlety. It’s quite a deep scent too in that it has richer, spicier notes that come through after you first spray it on. And one thing I love about this scent is that when moving, the aromas do come up again so you’re reminded of its scent throughout its wear. With its monochrome, minimal packaging, Bal’ d’Afrique’s little glass bottle and classic bottle top is simple but definitely stylish. I pair it with the Bal d’Afrique hair scent – again, just one spray no more – to really enhance the scent throughout the day.

My evening Scent

And finally, we come to what is probably my favourite of the three scents; my nighttime perfume. Celine’s Eau De California. It’s a rich, sweet and woody musk; almost caramelly, like it’s appearance. Not sickly sweet by any means though! Created with notes of Bergamot, White Orris Butter (I’m not going to lie – I have no idea what that is!), Palo Santo, Tree Moss and Patchouli, this perfume has a really natural, earthy feel to it.Its super sexy and certainly makes me feel so with just a few sprays. This one, i do like to spray all over! Just a couple spritz’ will do but I adore the scent and don’t mind constantly smelling it on my evening out. The packaging is ultra-luxe! The robust glass bottle and magnetic black lid, both with ribbed details, make for a beautiful case to the nectar like liquid within. Definitely a showstopper of a piece on my beauty shelf! And how a product looks and feels, not just wears, is equally important when picking it. You should covet having it as much as you love wearing it.

So, there you have it, my three signature scents and the all-important additions to my outfits. These are the lessons I’ve learnt through finding them. The first; be patient. It will take a fair few attempts to find scents you adore but you’ll know instantly if a scent is for you or not. The second; stick to two or three key fragrances, no more. And finally; never be afraid to advise loved ones of exactly what perfume is personal to you – don’t end up with a shelf of gifts you don’t wear and have to eventually throw away, leave to go off or sadly have to throw away.

consume less, more consciously
P x