Book in for this fragrance consultation and choose a new scent for autumn …
WHAT A scent discovery experience. Discover Your Signature Scent is a half-hour session with one of the inhouse beauty experts, Aidan Corcoran or Elena Costello, at Brown Thomas on Grafton Street, Dublin 2.
WHY What could be nicer than chatting about perfumes and discovering new ones that you love? This personal consultation will help you sift through the latest launches through to existing classics – a great help at a time when new perfumes are arriving constantly.
WHO The service is popular with wedding parties; brides often come in as a gift from their bridesmaids (what a lovely idea), while grooms enjoy the guidance, too. It’s both an experience and an education.
THE LOWDOWN The team will be in touch before your appointment, so that they can get an idea of your preferences and pull together a considered edit.
THE COST If you’re thinking of investing in a new scent, it makes sense to book this first: the fee (€100) is fully redeemable against purchase on the day.
NEED TO KNOW The keynote for autumn is oud.
Check out the newest launch from Tom Ford, for example: Oud Voyager is a blowsy floral with geranium and a red peony accord. Corcoran recommends the dazzling Frederic Malle Desert Gems collection, with ouds such as The Moon, should you be in the market for an investment scent that costs more than your winter coat. Head to Co Cork for oud expertise at new boutique, Republic of Oud.
Here’s our selection of standout scents for the new season as a starting point …
1 FOR BRIGHTENING UP THE DAY
Le Labo Thé Matcha 26 is a soft and airy blend of fig, vetiver and cedarwood. No, it’s nothing really to do with matcha, but it’s a light daytime scent nonetheless. From €90, 15ml.
2 FOR MAKING A STATEMENT
Tom Ford Black Orchid Reserve eau de parfum is a soft floral chypre with notes of tonka, amber, truffle and patchouli. This is as rich and delicious as we’ve come to expect from Ford. I actually prefer this version to the original; it’s softer, somehow, and more velvety. €157 for 50ml.
3 FOR STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD
Creed’s most luxurious perfume yet, Oud Zarian, is a sensation. At €350 for 50ml, this is definitely at the luxury end of things, and that’s because it goes big on precious, 80-year-old oud resin, harvested from the heartwood of the Aquilaria tree which, Creed tell us, “takes decades to mature, and even longer to perfect”. There’s a brightness in Oud Zarian’s opening (bergamot, frankincense, ginger and a really unusual spice accord; it’s almost vegetal, green like celery). It unfolds into a warm and soft Rose Centifolia and then practically hums on your skin with a cracking base of oud plus patchouli, sandalwood, myrrh, liquorice and tonka bean. I find it wintery in the best possible way (all that frankincense and myrrh) and can’t stop smelling it. Luckily, I have a little travel-size atomiser, so I can bring it everywhere. NB: splash out on this and you qualify for this gorgeous free gift.
4 FOR GLAM NIGHTS OUT
I feel that Van Cleef & Arpels scents are a bit of an insider’s secret. Some of the world’s best perfumers are behind this collection, including Julien Rasquinet, Sonia Constant and Quentin Bisch. Tom Ford fans will be drawn to the strong, heady scents such as Orchid Leather, Moonlit Cherry and Moonlight Patchouli, as well as the chic bottles. These are big impact scents, priced at €188 for 75ml (compared with, say, €338 for 50ml of Ford’s Lost Cherry).
5 FOR KEEPING IT IRISH
For a super-light daytime option that’s ideal for wearing in the office, Green Angel’s first perfume, Loana, is a blend of floral, woody and oud notes. It’s luminous and airy, with broad appeal. While it doesn’t have huge longevity, its freshness and softness makes it very easy to wear. And we love that it’s made in Dublin. Available in selected stores including Kilkenny Design in Dublin 2 and online. €65 for 50ml.
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