What is perfume for it not to make
you feel beautiful? Leyla Tabaksert goes in search of the perfect scent for a
very special occasion – her wedding day
My earliest memory of fragrance is from the early 1980s; my
mother hoarded pretty bottles of perfume like they were miniature sculptures
and they adorned her dressing table accordingly. She didn’t have a ’signature’
scent as such (she still doesn’t). In fact, her favourite post-holiday,
duty-free purchase was a box set of teeny perfumes (Nina Ricci’s L’Air du
Temps, Cacharel’s Anais Anais and Estée Lauder’s Beautiful, all classics of the
time, would be among them) and she would switch between them all.
But the point is, she wore one every, without fail. As I do
now. For me, a spritz of scent is like the icing on my beauty regime cake that,
though it’s got faster (read more efficient) since having a baby, always ends
with fragrance. If I forget it, I genuinely feel odd, a bit like I’ve gone to
work without brushing my hair. During the day I feel a little less attractive,
too. And I’m not alone on this – 95% of us wear a fragrance solely because it
makes us feel more beautiful.
I love the way a fragrance makes me feel (prettier, more
confident, g rown-up, groomed), I love those moments when it unexpectedly
appears again throughout the day and, if I’m honest, I love that other people
might catch a hint of it or give me a compliment me on it. A man on a train
once asked what perfume I was wearing and I felt euphoric for days.
In search of ‘the one’
‘Could channel No.5 be strict to boosting your
attractiveness. According to a British survey of 3,000 women, one in ten
reported meeting ‘the one’ wearing it’. and though it was created in 1921, the
floral-aldehyde blend, which includes may rose, jasmine and ylang ylang has
stood the top of time – it’s still one of the top five bestselling scents.
But as much as I love fragrance, like my mum, I’ve never
dedicated myself to just one – though, naturally, I have a handful I truly
love. However, since getting engaged last year, I’ve thought about ‘the one’ so
much that I’m sure even Google sighed with relief when I stopped searching
‘wedding day fragrances’ and started auditioning my shortlist instead.
It’s not because I’ve gone off my usual favourites. More
that, the one my husband-to-be loves on me and the one I couldn’t live without
(Narciso Rodriguez’s woody floral, For Her) seems, well, too sexy for a day
that’s dedicated to romance. One of my other long-term loves, Chanel’s Coco
Mademoiselle, is incredibly pretty but just doesn’t feel beautiful enough.
What I’m really after is The Most Beautiful Scent in the World.
Bridal bouquets
Back on my laptop, I’ve discovered a handful that, funnily
enough, have been inspired by brides. Take the ever-classic Fleurissimo by
Creed, commissioned especially for Grace Kelly’s wedding – a heritage like that
means its on-going popularity is virtually guaranteed. Then there’s Vera Wang’s
first and hugely popular fragrance, named after the wedding dress designer
herself, which was created to capture ‘all of the emotion, dignity and joy of a
wedding’. It makes sense. After all, just as Mrs Lauder herself said when
deciding her fragrance ads for Beautiful should feature a bride, it’s the one
moment a woman can count on being incontestably, irrefutably beautiful’.
But what gives these fragrances their incredible
mood-boosting powers – and what will work for me? According to fragrance
specialist Roja Dove, it’s fragrances crammed full of flowers that slot into
the ‘beautiful’ band – but not just any old blooms. ‘Rose and Jasmine form one
of the most beautiful combinations in perfumery and lie at the heart of nearly
every typically beautiful scent,’ he says. ‘Rose on its own is very cool and
can come across as aloof, and Jasmine can have too much oomph, but find a
fragrance that combines them together (and lots of them) and it’ll make you
feel beautiful.’
John Stephen, master perfumer of The Cotswold Perfumery says
it’s all down to science. ‘The signals from your nose go to the base of your
brain and into the limbic system (where your emotional centres are) rather than
the cortex, the logical-thinking part of the brain that’s linked to your other
senses.’ What does this have to do with fragrance? Well, everything. The
emotional link means that perfume has a powerful effect on your mood; bringing
about confidence, say, or making you feel beautiful.
Beauty in a bottle
So have I found the ‘most beautiful scent in the world?’ Not
yet. According to Roja, it’s Houbigant’s Quelques Fleur that encapsulates
beauty in a bottle. ‘It defined the floral accord (the building block of floral
perfumes) when it was launched in 1912,’ he says. And for perfume expert and
consultant Michael Donovan, it’s a handful of favourites: Creed’s Fleurissimo
and the contemporary beauty of Illuminum’s White Gardenia Petals (Kate
Middleton’s wedding-day scent).
For me, the brand new Live In Love by Oscar de La Renta
comes pretty close, and the classic Lalique Fleur de Cristal is alluring, too,
but I’m leaving my options open. And when I do find my wedding-worthy scent,
I’m keeping quiet – after all, it’s one moment I want to be truly mine.
How
to buy fragrance
Bombarded by samples and wrist spritzes every time you go shopping
for fragrance? Here’s how to get it right…
1. Know your EDPs and Ts
Eau de parfums (EDPs) tend to be more intense and suit dark, winter
nights, wheareas Eua de Toilettes (EDTs) are lighter, fresher scents suited
to daytime.
2. Take your time
A fragrance takes a few minutes to develop, so wait five minutes
before smelling it and leave the perfume sales area first – so you don’t
confuse it with other scents lingering in the air.
3. Use fragrance blotters
If you’re trying more than one fragrance, spritz them onto the paper
blotters provided and write the names on the back so you remember which is
which
4. Leave it be
Rubbing your wrists together after you’ve applied your scent heats up
the fragrance, making it evaporate more quickly. Instead, spray it on and
then leave it to air-drry naturally.
5. Ask for samples
Most good brands will have mini-vials you can take away with you. Dab
on the fragrance at different times of day to establish whether it really is
your sort of scent
6. Get expert advice
Visit a perfum house to get one-on-one advice from a ‘nose.’ James
Craven at perfumery Les Senteurs in London is one of the best.
