English Pear and Freesia

Sunday, 16 January 2011


What is it about perfume that makes a girl's heart sing? Husband has just returned from a week in London for work and just happened to pop in to Selfridges for this glorious bottle of Jo Malone cologne... something I've been coveting ever since fawning over the Malone collection of my dear friend Dani in Melbourne years ago (happy birthday for yesterday Dan!).

It's English Pear and Freesia and let me tell you - I wish the internet had smellovision because it's pretty divine.
Although I don't have an enormous collection, I do love a spot of fragrance. It all started with the Avon bottles my mum would collect when I was a child then I remember as a tween being obsessed with Jean Naté cologne. Oh how sophisticated I felt splashing on that summer fragrance after a day at the beach.


As for 'real' perfume, I remember falling in love in the 80s - and my very first major crush was Dior's Poison. I can still smell its alluring odour that tended to melt into folds and linger forever. Then it was Giorgio Beverly Hills (thanks to perfume promo work at Myer in Sydney) and the sickly sweet but oh so 80s Lou Lou by Cacharel.

Estée Lauder's White Linen and Nina Ricci's L'Air du Temps were next, the latter after living in France... and this is when I entered a more classic phase.

Then, after a trip to New York, I returned to sultry and sweet, with Calvin Klein's Obsession being a looooong favourite through the 90s, along with Mugler's Angel and then Chloe by Lagerfeld.


Soon after this, I headed away from the sweet and intense, and entered a more fresh and fruity phase with Bulgari's Au Thé Vert (Green Tea) and Elizabeth Arden's fragrance of the same name. And this, along with sultry spice, is where I'm still at.





Since the turn of the milennium, I've flirted with Ralph Lauren's Blue for women (loved it but they discontinued it, alas), Burberry's Weekend, Miss Dior, Chanel No.5 and Coco. I also love Crabtree & Evelyn fragrances, Lancôme's Hypnôse and Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely.

But my new obsession is Jo Malone and her exquisite blendings of deliciousness. I'll be loving every spritz... and it's just the perfect summer aroma.

What perfume obsessions have you had?

5 comments:

Dani and Nick said...

Oh Yay!!! This is actually on my surprisingly small list of things to buy when we get back to Aus as I am out. Gardenia is my fave! In my younger years Samsara and a wonderful green fragrance by Perscriptives, the name escapes me, were big hits. Now, as you know, it's Jo Malone for me and when I feel daring, you can't beat Chanel! XXX

Pauline Shirley said...

What a lovely tour down memory lane. When it come to the sense of smell and the lingering of the fragrance in the memory, many evocative images are brought to mind.

Anonymous said...

too funny - I wore Avon's Sweet Honesty in high school and college - Next went on to Chloe - wore that for ages! I still LOVE it! Then found Clinque's Happy - sweet scent - now only Chanel baby! TB

Anonymous said...

Funny indeed. I also wore Chloe & Lou Lou MANY years ago. For a while I wore Calvin Klein Eternity & then I discovered Jo Malone. It's been Jo Malone for me for the past 13 years & I cannot imagine wearing anything else. My favourite is Grapefruit (it has a hint of rosemary) & I've also used the Lime, Basil & Mandarin. Husband keeps a mail order catalogue in his desk at work! Enjoy!

ALWAYS CHASING said...

My staples are Classique by Jean paul Gultierre, Magnetism by Escada & Gucci 1 by Gucci. But there are many more that i would happily swan about in all day!

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