Most luxury and boutique hotels have their own signature scent, a scent which reminds you where you are as soon as you enter the door. The scent always stays the same and embraces you each time you return.
I have tried long and hard to evoke the scent of a luxury hotel in my own home, but I am unable to make decisions, so I tend to buy more than one diffuser fragrance. The result is that the air in my home ends up being a mish-mash of differing air-flavours. It smells sweet but of nothing in particular.
My skin fragrance, on the other hand, is less mixed up and I have some absolute favourites that make me smell like I’ve just stepped out of a luxury hotel, after making use of some extremely good luxury toiletries.
Jo Malone: Basil and Neroli
Probably my favourite summer fragrance is Jo Malone: Basil and Neroli, but why stick to just one? I love all the fragrances outlined below. Jo Malone: Basil and Neroli is summer in the bottle. They say: “London at its most fashionably young and fun. Flirt with oh-so floral neroli and a delicious wink of basil. Quintessentially British, always playful. Fresh, fun, full of adventure.”
I say: It smells citrusy and clean but also superbly sophisticated, modern and fun. It could be worn on the French Riviera or in a pub garden in London.
Jo Malone: Orange blossom fragrance
Fragrances don’t come more close to an orange grove in the sunshine as Jo Malone’s Orange blossom fragrance, which was inspired by a stay in the Hotel Bel Air in Los Angeles. They say: “A shimmering garden oasis. Clementine flower sparkles over a heart of orange blossom and water lily, with warm undertones of orris and balsamic vetiver. Pure delight.”
I say: This romantic clementine scent mixed with water lilly, smells like an orange grove or the Orangerie of a stately home in a more Northern climate. Lovely.
Molton Brown: Suede Orris
My winning fragrance for a “just stepped out of the bathroom and smell gorgeously clean” is Molton Brown: Suede Orris. They say: “A sensuous fragrance comprising precious notes of Tuscan orris, rose and jasmine absolutes with creamy undertones of cedarwood and mandarin. Top notes: mandarin, olibanum and elemi. Heart notes: Tuscan orris, rose and jasmine absolutes. Base notes: cedarwood, labdanum and patchouli.”
I say: It smells super clean and yet feminine, matching the pink box and fragrance colour. There is a hint of sweet smelling talc. My overwhelming feeling after spraying this fragrance is that I have just stepped out of an ultra luxury bathroom, after a long bath or shower. It’s the scent of cleanliness and being doused in luxury.
Diptyque: Eau de Minthé
Brand new for this summer and launching in May (I got a sneak peek!) this fragrance is a blend of mint, patchouli and geranium. Diptyque: Eau de Minthé is my favourite fragrance with a woody tang. They say: “After its first boutique opened in 1961, diptyque began expertly hand-crafted its personal fragrances seven years later. This site – 34 Boulevard Saint Germain – is where the magic happens.
I say: To me, this beautiful fragrance is spicy and slightly woody. The fragrance lasts for ages but is not overpowering and makes your skin smell delicious. This fragrance should be worn (by men or women) on a warm summer evening on Cote D’Azur.
Acqua Di Parma Blu Mediterraneo: Cipresso di Toscana
My winning fragrance for evoking a clifftop walk in Capri (although it is actually meant to represent the smells of Tuscany) is Blu Mediterraneo with Cipresso di Toscana. They say: “There are moments filled with light, when everything seems possible. When letting yourself go as you step into nature is as easy as breathing. These are the sensations radiated by the Blu Mediterraneo fragrances, each one inspired by the unique landscapes of the Italian Mediterranean – like Cipresso di Toscana. Acqua di Parma’s new fragrance embodies all the vitality of a walk in the Tuscan nature parks, where the Cypress tree, with its slender shape and aromatic, balsamic, energy-giving scent, a tree so quintessential and symbolic of the Tuscan landscape, reigns supreme.”
I say: This fragrance hits the button and does indeed smell like a fresh breeze that blows through the canopy of the cypress tree. There is even a shower gel version, so you can be clean whilst smelling like that warm Tuscan hillside.
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