In celebration of World Perfume Day, the CF team share their absolute favourite fragrances and the stories behind them.
Including our founder’s signature scent to the perfume our fashion features director wore on her wedding day, consider our recommendations as your ultimate tried-and-tested fragrance shopping list for springtime and beyond.
Sheena Bhattessa, Founder
“I always wanted to wear a Chanel perfume, the bottle, the scent, everything about it had an elegance to it and for so long it just didn’t work for me. Until recently. I bought it in duty-free and opted for the Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Parfum Intense. It has a beautiful ambery woody fragrance that makes me feel very special and very grounded, and I take great pleasure in spritzing it every day. Perhaps it is an age thing that I’ve grown into. Until now (and still often), my go-to is Carthusia Lady, which was a gift from my brother following a trip to Capri many years ago and it’s a very striking, very special scent. Rose, gardenia, and camellia with their flowery notes give off a beautiful summery feel. I also use many of their fragrances at home as diffusers and soaps. The two perfumes now alternate depending on my mood and the weather, and have a very powerful effect on how I feel.”
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Carthusia Lady Fiori di Capri, around £67 for 50ml, SHOP NOW
Katie Silcox, Managing Editor
“For many years, my go-to was Elie Saab’s Le Parfum, which came onto my radar nine years ago when the Lebanese designer was guest editor of a magazine I worked on. I lived in Dubai at the time, and used to buy the fragrance at the airport’s duty-free every time I travelled. More recently though, I’ve moved onto Musc Outreblanc by Guerlain, which I picked up at the first (and currently only) Guerlain Spa in Greece, located at One&Only Aesthesis on the Athenian Riviera. The hotel’s spa can also engrave bottles; mine simply says ‘Katie’ underneath the bottle’s bee emblem. While quite different fragrances, both have a floral heart and a woody base that I really love.”
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Guerlain Musc Outreblanc, £295 for 100ml, SHOP NOW
Becki Murray: Beauty & Wellness Director
“Perhaps unsurprisingly for a beauty director who loves having a fragrance wardrobe, I’m often wearing a different perfume every day of the week. However, two fragrances have a special place in my heart. The first is Flower by Kenzo, which is the perfume I’ve worn for every job interview I’ve ever had (including the one that set me on the path to becoming a beauty journalist). It makes me feel sophisticated and feminine in equal measure. The second is Strangelove NYC’s Melt by Heart, which I more specifically wear around my neck as a fragrance necklace. It’s fast become my signature accessory.”
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Strangelove NYC Melt My Heart Necklace, £170 for chain and 1.25ml, SHOP NOW
Ella Alexander, Fashion Features Director
“I have two favourites, both of which I discovered while rifling through the beauty cupboard at work! They’re also both by Jo Loves, the fragrance brand founded by Jo Malone CBE. The first one is Amber, Lime and Bergamot, which I started wearing last year and reminds me of my wedding day and moving into our new home. The second is Jo By Jo Loves, which I wore every day when I was living in Sicily for a few months and it always transports me back there.”
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Jo by Jo Loves, £82 for 50ml, SHOP NOW
Rachel Story: Style & Commerce Director
“Maison Margiela Replica Whispers in the Library is actually a fragrance that I discovered in a beauty sale and it’s become my every day go-to – a woody fragrance, reminiscent of the scent of old books but with sweet base notes of warming vanilla. My second favourite is Jo Malone London Blue Agava & Cacao. It was actually discontinued for a short while, to the point where my husband sourced me a bottle on eBay as he loves it too. I wore it on our first date and on our wedding day, so that has to be my favourite of all time for sentimental reasons. A forever fragrance – so long as Jo Malone doesn’t discontinue it again!”
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Maison Margiela Replica Whispers in the Library, £93 for 100ml, SHOP NOW
Ella Mansell, Junior Culture Editor
“It’s a classic, and you can probably find it anywhere you are in the world, but it’s a sentimental scent for me too. My grandparents gifted me a bottle of Gabrielle Chanel a while ago, and whenever I smell it, it reminds me of them. For this reason, I actually quite like that I smell it often, wherever I am in the world. On a recent work trip to Saudi Arabia, I also bought a tiny glass bottle of Oud from the local souk, and love how smokey and “masculine” smelling it is. The tiniest amount lasts hours and hours on my skin, for a mysterious edge.”
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Chanel Gabrielle, £104 for 50ml, SHOP NOW
Bibiana, Head of Digital Design
“I first smelt Parfums de Marly Safanad in Harrods and fell in love instantly – it’s warm, velvety, and just delicious. Naturally, I told my boyfriend I wanted it for my birthday. I’m annoyingly hard to gift, and he’s absolutely rubbish at surprises, so he spent weeks pretending he hated it, claiming it smelt awful. He basically convinced me to forget about it completely just so he could surprise me with it on my birthday. Now, I love bringing it out for date nights and special occasions.”
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Parfums de Marly Safanad, £255 for 75ml, SHOP NOW
Sheila Victorio, Food & Drinks Partnership Director
“One of my old-time favourite fragrances is Cool Water by Davidoff. For me it’s quite nostalgic, because it reminds me of the first time I went to California in my twenties on a girls’ trip and that was the scent we all wore – not just me! Every time I smell it now, I get memories of that summer – the sea and the Santa Monica pier. It is proof that fragrance really does have the power to evoke the senses.”
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Davidoff Cool Water, £46 for 50ml, SHOP NOW
Morag Turner, CF Enfants Editor
“There are so many perfumes that I have loved over the years, and each reminds me of different stages in my life and evokes happy memories. Right now I’m wearing Jo Malone London’s Rose & White Musk Absolu. I love rose and floral based scents, so this one is perfect for me but it’s also quite heavy for this time of year and best suited to autumn and winter. For that reason, I’m changing to their new fragrance Beach Blossom for spring and summer. It’s so bright and fresh with a hint of coconut – just the thing for sunny days.”
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Jo Malone London Beach Blossom, £86 for 50ml, SHOP NOW
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