Scents for Valentine’s Day

Sassy beauty blogger Danielle tells us about her picks for memorable Valentine’s Day perfumes… You may just want to drop a hint!
The memory of scents is believed to be stored in the deepest recesses of the human brain, triggering vivid memories and whisking you to another time and place. Have you ever associated a friend or a partner with a particular scent? Exactly.

There are two ways of applying perfume – one is by spraying onto clean skin (use a non-scented body moisturiser to avoid clashing smells, or the same range of moisturiser for a longer-lasting effect); the other, if you prefer a lighter effect, is to spray the scent in the air and walk through it.

Remember that perfumes and Eau de Toilettes smell differently as they react to the chemicals in your skin so ask for a spritz on your wrist and keep it on the whole day so you can determine how the top, middle and base notes complement you. While I am a huge fan of women who are confident enough to pull of men’s scents, woody notes don’t work for everyone!

Here are some of my top picks for a lasting impression this Valentine’s.

Flirty & feminine
Dior – Miss Dior
Stella McCartney – Sheer

Clean scents
Jo Malone – English Pear & Freesia
Marc Jacobs – Cucumber or Rain
Anything from the Clean range, although I’ve only tried Laundry and can testify to the authenticity of the freshly laundered scent.

Seductive
Issey Miyake – L’Eau D’Issey Femme (or, if you’re feeling bolder, the male version)
Guerlain – Idylle
Chanel – Mademoiselle (I think it suggests a younger, more playful counterpart to its older, seductive cousin, the No.5)