My taste in perfume has changed quite a lot over the years - and while I don’t dislike any of those that I once wore, I’m now drawn to a completely different type of scent. I once had two distinct types: rich, leathery orientals like Jo Malone Dark Ginger and Amber Lily or D&G (Red); and skin scents, like Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Liquid Nude or Laura Mercier Fresh Fig (there are LOTS more, but we could be here all day).
Fresher, brighter fragrances seem to be my thing these days and while I always love to try new ones, I can’t resist the allure of Diptyque Philosykos, Narciso Rodriguez ‘Narciso’, and Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay. Here’s why…
DIPTYQUE PHILOSYKOS
If I could only wear one perfume forevermore, Diptyque Philosykos would be it. I’ve known this perfume for many years as my sister and close friend both wore it and obsessed over it, but I didn’t get it until I bought my own. Even then it wasn’t instant love… at first I liked it, but soon grew to love it. Philosykos is a fig based scent and to my nose, is juicy-sweet, woody and fresh in equal parts. Uplifting, calming and invigorating all at once… how can that even be possible? 18months on, it’s love at every single spritz and I can’t imagine ever tiring of it. FYI that’s a long-term perfume relationship for me as I’m very fickle, get bored with/ go off scents easily and usually love to switch them up a lot. I’m curious to try another Diptyque scent now and have lost so much time sniffing them in the corner of Space NK, so would love any recs you might have.
Diptyque Philosykos £58 (NB mine is in the old bottle shape - new one is even prettier)
JO MALONE BLACKBERRY & BAY
Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay is not a million miles from Philosykos. It’s less sweet and skin-like, but has that uber authentic outdoor air about it that I love. The bay comes through strongly at first - in a gorgeous herbal hit that’s unlike anything else I’ve tried. I chose this for a Christmas gift and have just noticed that I’m halfway through the *bottle; seriously regretting that I didn’t get the larger size at the time (I did choose to get the smaller one AND a coat instead so really not complaining!). The blackberry notes contrast beautifully with the bay and this is a feel-good perfume that evokes a sense of freedom and memories of countryside walks.
(*I photographed these in Feb, it really is half empty now!)
Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay £40
NARCISO RODRIGUEZ NARCISO EAU DE PARFUM
I’m a huge fan of Narciso Rodriguez scents for both men and women - and hoped I’d love Narciso Eau de Parfum as soon as I saw pics of the bottle online. I mean, look at it. Here’s another look…
It’s like an ornamental piece of sculpture, suspended in glass. Very different from my other two favourites, this is more of an original me scent, with a modern twist. Warm, sensual and intoxicating, this is my evening perfume, though I did love wearing it on the coldest Winter days and imagine it will also work well in the Summer heat. It starts out as a heady floral (gardenia and rose) but settles to an elegant sweet, musky wood - of the grown up variety. No surprises that it contains some of my favourite notes: vetiver, white musk, amber and cedar. This is really something special and I’m very grateful to my lovely sister for treating me as she knew how much I wanted it (thank you if you’re reading P! xx).
Narciso Rodriguez Narciso Eau de Parfum £32 (15% off)
What’s your favourite scent at the moment? Please leave me a comment below! You can read about more of mine by clicking on the Fragrance tab at the top of this page.
I’ve just received details of an event that any Ireland-based perfume lovers out there might be interested in - a one-day perfume-making event where you can learn about what goes into perfumes and make your own scent to take home! It’s happening on Saturday 9th May in Dublin, hosted by perfumenotes.ie with Sarah McCartney of 4160 Tuesdays.
