By Alex Edwards
While it’s always fun to guess what ingredients are mixed into your fancy perfume bottles, it’s sometimes too hard to tell. Most fragrances are categorised into various families depending on their make and scent. Luckily, Aspects Beauty has stepped in to inform “perfumistas” about the evolving fragrant world with a pocket-sized beginner’s guide, The Little Book of Fragrance.
The simple and accessible book is apart of the Aspects Beauty event that displayed all of their brands, #MyFragranceStory. The showcase featured illustrations by Emma Smith (@emiloumakes on Instagram) and was held at the London Edition Penthouse suite. We loved indulging in all of the luxurious scents, and highlighted a few of our favourites below.
Angel Schlesser
While Angel Schlesser is a big name in the perfume world, the Spanish brand wasn’t fragrance-first. In 1983, designer Angel Schlesser created his first menswear collection followed by one for women. He gained prominence quickly for his strongly feminine clothing mainly geared towards the urban woman. It wasn’t until the late 1990’s that Angel released his first perfume which instantly gained national recognition. Like his clothes, Angel likes to keep the perfumes simple with a hint of his personality. The fragrances in the latest launch, Bergamota and Peonia Rosa, are apart of the Selection de Memoires collection, inspired by Angel’s travels. In the line, his goal is to have customers smell everywhere from India to the shores of the Mediterranean to the Granada. The fragrances have an aura of simplicity that is still luxurious. With Bergamota, hints of citrus, florals and woody smells put it in multiple different fragrance families. Peonia Rosa smells purely floral and fresh, with notes that include rose, jasmine and peony. Both bottles also reflect the designer’s fashion with its minimalist design, but sense of luxury. You can buy either exclusively at Harvey Nichols for £75/150ml.
Berdoues
As a brand that has been around for over a hundred years, Berdoues is a pioneer in the field. A family-run company, the current CEO is the founders’ great-granddaughter, Sophie Berdoues. She created the newest collection Grands Crus, intended to represent the history of the brand. To create the line, ingredients were used from all over the world – from Tahiti to Malaysia – to create an exotic feel. None of the fragrances are gender-biased, as the aroma is intended to take each individual on a voyage. This July, an old classic is coming back as the first fragrance released in the collection, Violette. The material used has been inspiring the Berdoues brand since 1902. With a modern smell that has an aura of warmth, your emotions will be set off with the citrus notes of iris, patchouli and violet. The bottle is a clean white with deep purple streaks to represent the vibrance of a violet flower, but still maintain the luxury of the brand. Berdoues Violette is available in 100 ml Eau de Parfum and you can learn more here.
Eight & Bob
The brand history of Eight & Bob is just as exciting as its scents. The story goes that Albert Fouquet created his own scents, and was wearing one when he ran into a young American and later president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. JFK was captivated by the smell, so Albert left him a sample with the quote ‘In this bottle, you will find the dash of French glamour that your American personality lacks.’ A hit among JFK and his friends, he later asked Albert for eight more samples with an extra one for “Bob.” And so, Albert sent a box labelled Eight + Bob, the fragrance became a success, and a name was born. This summer, the company is celebrating the South of France with its new floral perfume, Champs de Provence. With the aromas of the countryside, the notes include bergamot, orange, pear and jasmine, and is for both men and women. It was inspired by Albert Fouquet’s trips to the French Rivera. It is priced at £125 for 100ml and you can learn more here.