fragrance Archives - Conversations through the middle

Summer citrus – 2014

August 11, 2014

Summer time means summer fragrance and for me this year it has been Bronnley’s Lime & Bergamot Eau de Toilette. It’s part of their new citrus collection, which also includes Orange & Jasmine and Lemon & Neroli. The fragrance is light and subtly fruity, not overpoweringly citrus. It’s a daytime scent – it doesn’t last for hours, but then I wouldn’t expect it to, yet because it’s light it can be respritzed at will without becoming overpowering.

Back to the 70s with Aqua Manda

June 4, 2014

Boozy oranges, lipstick, powder and other people’s mums…

I have just received a bottle of Aqua Manda perfume, it has only just been delivered by courier and I’ve only just opened the bottle, but I am already back in the 70s and a kid at school.Read more

Summer scent – Alesha Rose Quartz

May 16, 2014

At last, it’s sunny and warm in Newcastle today and it feels like summer’s here. One of my favourite things in summer is the fragrance of roses, that heady, heavy, scent I associate with August, the six weeks holiday and playing outside as a child. Aunty Mary and Uncle Stan lived opposite us, across the back lane, and their garden was full to bursting with rose bushes, big, glorious blooms that spilled out their perfume in the air, especially in the evening. Happy days.

My daughter has inherited my love of that flower’s scent, though it’s a shame she won’t get to experience the joy of Uncle Stan’s garden as I did. Her love of roses though translates to perfume – currently one in particular, Alesha Dixon’s Rose Quartz.

(It’s a press image – our kitten chewed up the perfume box before I got a chance to take my own photo)

Containing geranium, bergamot, grapefruit and magnolia, I don’t know if this eau de toilette includes any actual roses, but it smells like it does. It is very light, not cloying, so will suit a wide range of people. In the absence of actual roses around our way this is an enjoyable substitute. Not that I get to wear it often – Dot has acquired it and added it to her getting-larger-every-day haul of make-up and fragrance.

Usually I’m not one for celebrity scents, but this one is a belter.

Rose Quartz by Alesha Dixon costs £24.50 for 100ml from here.

Summer scent – Figue Sauvage from Les Senteurs Gourmandes

May 9, 2013

With the outbreak of warm weather we’ve had this past week or so I’ve gone into full summer mode when it comes to perfume. I’ve put away the heavier scents along with my winter jumpers and dug out my favourite light fragrances, including the fresh citrus one I told you about here.

I’ve also received a new fruity number to try – Figue Sauvage, part of Les Senteurs Gourmandes collection by Laurence Dumont. It’s a blend of sweet figs, ylang-ylang and bergamot, which settles into a heady sandalwood and vanilla base on the skin. The company is based in south west France – an area I knew very well many years ago – and I like to think I can sense a hint of sultry evenings in the mix (though perhaps the less said about that the better!)

Figue Sauvage is one of 14 fragrances in the collection, which also includes Musc Blanc, Vanille Monoi, Tendre Madeleine and Vanille Framboise. They cost £22.50 for a big 100ml bottle, which should last ages, and they are exclusive to Marks & Spencer.

According to Veronique Planchon, R&D manager for Les Senteurs Gourmandes: “In Spring and Summer the humidity in the warmer air carries scents to our noses more quickly, making us more sensitive to smells. In turn, most of us naturally opt for lighter and fresher scents with citrus, light floral and green notes all ideal for complementing our natural body chemistry.”

I’d agree with that.