The Fragrance Foundation UK

I bought BYREDO Accord Oud in Liberty during a fragrance testing session. I’m not usually an ‘OUD’ person but when this touches your skin it transforms! – Just goes to show it’s better to try on your skin rather than on testers. It’s a complex scent – woody, spicy, and leathery – its warmth and depth remind me of beautiful trips to India and Morocco.

The smell of sun-kissed tomatoes on the vine transports me back instantly to childhood and to summer, being in a greenhouse surrounded by an intense and uniquely wonderful heady scent that is almost addictive: botanical, leafy, herbaceous, rich and earthy.

For me this scent symbolises instant sunshine and energy every time!

It’s quite simple really. A go-to button. An instant time-machine with a fast–return switch. Eternity, by Calvin Klein, who’s name is intrinsic to the emotions it stirs. The top twists and, before I’ve even splashed the subtle green-gold onto the palm of my hand, I’m there. August 14th, Orsett Hall. Surrounded by my boys, my past school friends from so many years passed school. We’re all laughing, wolfing down the sandwiches we’d snagged on the way to the venue. All fumbling with silken rouches and frock coats. This is it. The day. And, although I’m nervous, I’m not scared. The potential for the day to go wrong doesn’t even cross my mind. It won’t. I’ve only really got one thing to concentrate on. Just how gorgeous will my fiancé be as she stands next to me? As we both share those particular words in front of our friends, families, and loved ones. Then, there she is. Beautiful in ivory-gold. And, as the cool droplet hits my skin, and the aromatic flavours spin into the room, there she is again. Still beautiful, thirteen years later.

My best scent memory is when I first met my boyfriend (now my fiancé), on holiday. He was wearing Paco Rabanne 1 Million and I instantly fell in love with it. So now the scent reminds me of all our amazing moments together when our relationship started – we climbed up a mountain, hiked through stunning waterfalls and had our first lunch date overlooking a historic town. Now he wears it every day because he knows how much I love it (he loves it too, of course) and he even made sure he was wearing it when he proposed to me on top of a snow-capped mountain. I’ll be making sure that he wears it on our wedding day!

My grandmother is somewhat of an eccentric. I have such vivid memories of her bursting through the back door of our childhood home, rushing into the kitchen in her headscarf and shouting “cooeee” to announce her arrival.  In the winter she would bring the cold in with her – the icy smell of harsh winter air would cling to her, although she herself felt impervious to such trivial things as the elements.  I would always greet her with a hug and I loved the smell of her waxed Barbour jacket.  It was metallic but soft and warm, accented by the smell of her perfume.  The smell always meant good things; hugs from Granny and if we were lucky: sweets!

I’m lucky to be part of a very close, loving and supportive family – and many of my most treasured scent memories centre on this. My Dutch grandmother in particular has lived around the world and continues to be an inspiration to me today. She speaks eight different languages and raised four children across four continents – my father being one of them. She has the most incredible stories of her life in far-flung places, always infused with much excitement and a touch of old world glamour that only eras past can evoke. Her signature scent, “Rive Gauche” by YSL is extremely distinctive and she’s worn it for as long as I can remember. It’s the perfect balance of gentle florals and warm woody notes infused with a subtle sharpness that always has a comforting, calming yet motivational effect on me.

My mum died when I was only 2 years old. In my dad’s bedroom, on the dressing table, there was an empty perfume bottle that he never threw away, no label on it, cut glass, that had been used to decant perfume into. I always remember that when I was a kid, I was forever taking out the stopper and sniffing the bottle, I never knew what it was, but I knew it was my mum’s. When I got older and was truly interested in perfumes, I happened to try out Guerlain’s Shalimar, as soon I as I took a sniff, I started crying, because I realised that Shalimar was the perfume that the mum that I never knew wore, and was the scent of that empty scent bottle.

My #ScentMemories favourite that comes to mind is Ralph Lauren Romance – my Mum’s fragrance when I was a teenager!
It’s the first perfume I ever borrowed from her and reminds me not only of summer nights and holidays with family, but also when I borrowed it, it made me feel “grown up” for the first time. The scent always makes me feel equally happy and nostalgic all at the same time! Fragrance started to become a big deal for me then – one of my fondest memories is shopping with my Mum, we’d always head to the fragrance hall first and spend ages trying them all.

When we’re asked about our scent memories we always go for the first smell that we remember or our first fragrance. I’ve said before that my answers would always be mandarin and Paco Rabannne XS, which was the first perfume that I ever bought, but another one of the scent memories that has been with me all of my life is leather.

Growing up in the eighties we all loved our leather jackets and I remember the smell that you used to get when you went into one of those stores. It was a rich, luxurious scent that just seemed to surround you. Throw in a suede coat and it felt like you were standing in the middle of a classic fragrance. I always used to remember back to that time whenever I smelled my rescue dog Rhino’s leather collar and lead. He was an absolute bundle of energy but unfortunately he died last year. So now when I smell leather it reminds me of him, and it always makes me smile.

When I launched LIGHT & DARK ORIGINAL in 2014 I wanted a classic, sensual fragrance that felt like you were being embraced when you wore it. This classic oriental style used patchouli, myrrh and amber to create the rich aroma, but I didn’t include leather. Maybe I should think about that for my next launch, perfume number five?!