Christmas may be receding into memory but the winter weather hasn't left us yet, if
anything it’s gotten colder out there so it is time, perhaps, for some scented
indulgences to chime with the crispness of falling snow or warm us up with fire
and spice we can wear close to our hearts.
I’ve
picked out the six perfumes which most remind me of winter.
If
you’re longing for the sharp crispness of snow brushing your face
then I think La Fille de Berlin by Serge Lutens brilliantly captures that
exquisite feeling.
Fille
De Berlin is the most delicate snowflake of a perfume by which I do not mean
that the perfume is light, although it is suitably subtle. No, I mean that from
the first moment I smelt it, it reminded me of a winter’s day, two or three
years ago when it began to snow whilst I was out shopping. Perfect crystal
flakes danced down out of a sky suddenly radiant Madonna blue, flakes large
enough that, when they settled on the dark sleeves of my coat, revealed each
detail of their intricate crystalline structure without the need for a
magnifying lens.
That
is Fille de Berlin to me, delicate, intricate and the embodiment of snow. Its
notes are simple and dazzlingly effective: rose and geranium layered over
patchouli and honey.
The
other stand out snow perfume, in my opinion, has to be Floris’s
Snow Rose which feels as if the frost has embraced a single bloom. Snow Rose
starts off a little greener than Fille de Berlin and with vanilla rather than
La Fille’s honey note providing the slight sweetness of winter air but with an
equally crisp, fresh geranium note.
However,
if you’ve seen too much of snow and it’s left you
shivering you just might want to turn to a perfume that’s going to warm you up
rather than bring in the weather then there are plenty of perfumes that fit the
bill with their spicy warmth and smoky depths.
Annick
Goutals Encens Flamboyant has all the sharp woodiness of an open fire conveyed
in intense notes of incense alongside pepper, nutmeg and balsam fir. You can
almost hear this perfume crackling invitingly as you curl up in your favourite
chair. The pure perfume is stunning in its depth and longevity but
the eau de parfume equals it for staying power and for sillage so that you can
be sure that your blanket of winter warmth is following you wherever you go.
Equally
reminiscent of winter to me is Coco by Chanel with its
citrus and spice notes reminds me of the Christmas Pudding scene from Charles
Dickens A Christmas Carol, “In half a minute Mrs Cratchit entered: flushed, but
smiling proudly: with the pudding, like a speckled cannon ball, so hard and
firm, blazing in half-a-quartern of ingnited brandy, and bedight with Christmas
holly stuck in the top.” One can’t help but envy the skill with which Dickens conjures,
in a few lines, a pudding one can almost smell, almost taste on the tip of your
tongue! It’s also a perfume reminiscent of the clove studded oranges which
perennially adorn the pages of lifestyle magazines in December as well as our
own Christmas tree this year. Not entirely surprising as clove and Mandarin
orange are both notes in Coco’s composition. Coco is a perfume which just
invites compliments whenever you wear it so you’d better be prepared for people
to ask you what you’re wearing pretty often (the appreciation of others is no
real hardship though, is it).
I’m
going to be a little naughty now because my next winter perfume choice is
something a little rare but very special. If you are lucky enough to find a
bottle in ebay, at a flea market, in a vintage store, anywhere in fact, then
treasure it.
My
fifth, and possibly favourite, winter perfume is: Winter Delice by Guerlain.
Like
Encens Flamboyant, Winter Delice is a strong and sensual balsamic perfume
bursting with the warm embrace of pine tree branches and resin but snow has
settled on this Winter landscape, it’s chill breath just
creeping in with a note of vanilla (always so good at conjuring snow) and
sugar. It’s such a rich perfume that it feels like it demands you acquire a
sleigh and velvet cloak at once. Although I happen to think that you can get
away with this perfume even when you are not all dresses up; in a jumper
(sweater) and jeans you could use a few spray of Winter Delice to feign a
sportive walk in the woods. Or wear it all dressed up and unleash your inner
Snow Queen.
Now,
I have two last, very indulgent, winter perfume suggestion: if you’re
hungering after the indulgent desserts and sweets of Christmas still but have a
New Year resolution you’d like to keep then L’Artisan Perfumers Traversee du
Bosphore should help to assuage the cravings of a sweet tooth. It’s notes of
nougat, sugar, honey, pistachio, red apple and spices would make as beautiful
an ice cream as they do a perfume! Also worth trying if you crave the sweetness of Christmas dessert with a hint of snow is Coudray's Vanille et Coco which smells exactly as it's name suggests and is very charming.
Well, those are my winter perfume choices, I hope you've seen something you like, Or at least something which feels like winter to you.
I wish you all a warm and beautifully perfumed winter!
