KEY POINTS:
It must be something in the air, but I'm loving the latest premium perfume releases after years of finding almost everything too cloyingly sweet, too overpowering, too fruity, too fresh or too green. Having ruled out most of the modern fragrance families, I've been checking out the classic French florals I've always loved and longing for a revival of elegant rather than airy or scary scents.
At last we're seeing it: some concocted with a hint of oriental underpinning, some based in the new woody ambers. Single note scents are losing favour too, except as spritzers; classic combinations are being revived and re-engineered for modern tastes; and parfumiers are pushing the boundaries to subtly incorporate new ingredients into rounded aromas - reminiscent of heritage men's colognes, but with enough warmth to be wonderfully womanly. If you've gone stale on scent, these top-of-the line releases may just rekindle your love affair. I've found two new favourites. Most of these perfumes are available in several sizes and some with accompanying body products.
Check them out on counter, so you have plenty of time to drop the hint for Christmas and watch out for more seasonal releases in the weeks ahead.
1 Estee Lauder Sensuous eau de parfum
$165 for 100ml
This subtle but intriguingly distinctive fragrance will be a sure-fire success. I'm smitten already with its light complexity, more a modern descendant of Youth Dew than EL's typical florals. To underline the idea of its broad appeal, the advertising campaign is the first to use all four of the company's spokesmodels (Gwyneth Paltrow, Elizabeth Hurley, Hilary Rhoda and Carolyn Murphy), each clad in simple white shirts. The bottle, with its rose-gold cap, wavy diagonal stripe and purple title is similarly modern yet classic. Soft woody and amber notes are mixed with an enveloping floral accord of lily, jasmine and magnolia where no one note dominates and sandalwood, black pepper, mandarin and honey give a delicious depth.
On counter from next Monday.
2 Chanel No 5 eau premiere
$278 for 150ml ($199 for 75ml)
The world's most famous fragrance is actually one of several different fragrances to bear the No 5 name, this being the latest version of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel's fifth choice of the scents she tested back in 1921. The Chanel No. 5 most people are familiar with is the eau de parfum first released in 1986, and this will continue to be sold. It is altogether headier than the 2008 retooling. Eau premiere is made to appeal to a new generation of perfume lovers who are used to lighter, fresher scents. Chanel describes it as the watercolour of the No 5 painting. Accordingly it lacks the staying power of the eau de parfum, but has the same classic abstract floral qualities, rooted in rose and jasmine, with hints of neroli and ylang ylang, which were combined with the then new synthetic aldehydes plus vetiver and vanilla. So one for day, one for night, perhaps, or the difference between a 21st and 30th birthday gift.
Both No 5s come in the same famous square-sided bottle that has for eight decades signified sexy luxuriousness in campaigns fronted by some of the world's most beautiful women - from Marilyn Monroe (who famously quipped in 1954 that she wore nothing to bed but a few drops of No. 5) through to Suzy Parker, Ali McGraw, Lauren Hutton, Candice Bergen, Catherine Deneuve, Carole Bouquet, Estella Warren and again Nicole Kidman.
On counter from October 13.
3 Chloe eau de parfum
$165 for 50ml
A delicate, powdery rose scent, with the warmth of woody notes, a hint of magnolia and lily of the valley and freshness from freesia and lychee. Unashamedly feminine and wedding day romantic. The fluted glass walls of the silver-plated bottle draw their inspiration from the pleated sleeves of a Chloe dress and its petal-coloured bow is hand-tied. Actresses Chloe Sevigny and Clemence Poesy and model Anja Rubik front the campaign, chosen to represent the varied, youthful spirit of Chloe.
On counter now.
4 Lancome Magnifique eau de parfum
$145 for 50ml
From its weighty, rounded, ruby red bottle in chiselled glass with diamond cut stopper to its enduring after notes, this, Lancome's biggest release in several years, is destined to become a favourite of many women, me included. Spicy, floral, woody and wonderfully rounded. Combined are: saffron, rose, jasmine, sandalwood, vetiver, and the smoky essence of nagarmota, an Indian plant from the papyrus family, new to Western perfume-making. The oriental-style fragrance is represented by actress Anne Hathaway, Lancome's latest face, with the tagline "You are unique, you are Magnifique".
Now on counter exclusively at Smith & Caughey, and from October 20 at other Lancome stockists.
Summer in the air
As the weather warms and you're looking for an uplifting aroma to start the day, spritz on a fresh scent. These choices are bright and breezy and will carry you through to high summer holidays.
5 Clarins Eau Ensoleillante (Sunshine Fragrance), 100ml eau de toilette $72
The scent is warm and envigorating, with an underlying zing of grapefruit. With a combination of plant-based properties and essential oils, as in Clarins' two other treatment fragrances, Eau Dynamisante and Eau Tranquility, this mixes extracts of tropical fruits, flowers and woods. The secret ingredient is griffonia - an equatorial African shrub with seeds containing an amino acid similar to the one our body uses to produce serotonin, the happiness promoter. Take a sniff and feel your mood brighten.
6 Hermes Un Jardin sur le Nil, 50ml eau de toilette $141
This limited edition release in a handsome green glass bottle celebrates the River Nile, inspired by its island gardens where green mango, lotus flowers and rushes mingle with sycamore. Subtle staying power and an appeal as satisfying as that first sip of gin and tonic on a warm evening.
7 Estee Lauder Emerald Dream, 50ml eau de parfum $82
Gaze into the faceted green bottle and dream of emerald waters. A tad sweet for me, but the honeysuckle and mimosa and hints of iris blended with woody and fruity notes will make you feel you're lounging somewhere tropical and tranquil.
8 Elizabeth Arden Mediterranean Breeze, 100ml eau de parfum $159
Early notes include grapefruit, and there's violet, jasmine and almond in a mix anchored with cedar, sandalwood and musk. Sweet but not cloying. Comes capped with a statement rose-gold stopper.
