Chelsea Flower Show: fragrance edition
Everything I wore, some noteworthy newness, and chocolate indulgences (the edible kind)
Hello, is anybody there? It’s me, Amie Elizabeth, and I survived 10 days at the Chelsea Flower Show after months of planning, hundreds of emails, and countless sleepless nights (though I probably could count them, because it started when I was enlisted as coordinater for the Country Life magazine tradestand)
An exhaustive but wholly enjoyable experience. I met so many people, was showered with praise for Country Life, beamed with pride because I am a part of it, and had some really feel-good moments that I will treasure for a very long time.
I started my week with a determination to dress well and smell better. Though the temperatures didn’t play ball— it was gorgeous in the sun, but uncomfortably cold on duty— my commitment to fragrances stayed strong, and conversations about scent were unexpectedly (and happily) common. I wanted to use the week to trial some new scents and samples recently obtained, measuring how they fared against the long days, precarious commuting, outside elements and constant activity. I lent into florals and threw in something that I hoped would be invigorating enough to pep me up during the week. Here are my thoughts, and please share yours.
Purple Mémoire by Floris London, £180 for 100ml
One thing I love about Floris is that they are unmistakably traditional yet carry their heritage with subtlety and grace, and Purple Mémoire, my favourite fragrance of the week, is such a fine example of this. It’s a really beautiful, aromatic celebration of lavender, using soft citruses, white florals and powdery musk to remind us there is so much more to the purple flower than dried bouquets and sleep sprays. It opens with bergamot and lavender at the top, tenderly bright and refreshing. The scent then rolls into true lavender, supplemented by gentle jasmine and a soft, green spice. It has a beautiful creaminess to it (orris, sandalwood and tonka bean), warmth and a gentle muskiness, inviting you to indulge as it continues to unfold on your skin. Elegant and non-invasive, a gorgeous tribute to the sprawling English gardens of Ivy Lodge, Chiswick, where Mary Ann Floris, who took over the family business in 1878, lived for fifty years.
San Ysidro Drive by Victoria Beckham, £170 for 50ml
‘An expensive beach. Pink flowers, fruit like lychee or passion fruit. Warmth of the sun— saffron, a little amber? Subtly sexy.’ These are my exact notes, written on my iphone as I scurried down the road ready for another day at the show. I have sampled San Ysidro Drive on paper, but this was the first time I was testing it on my skin, and it played out so differently. Though tropical notes of passion fruit and pink flowers are strong from the outset, they are warm and unhurried, tempered by saffron and freshened by something quite minerally. Agarwood is a welcomed addition here, bringing a resinous, slightly sweet element that balances out what could have been too beachy. You know those moments when you can feel the sun permeating every fibre of your body? This is what San Ysidro Drive feels like— quietly revitalising, restorative, and a little bit sexy.
Ocean eyes by Who is Elijah, £105 for 100ml
I was going to save this for an upcoming feature, but I was desperate for something fresh and lively, and the promise of grapefruit, mandarin, salt and juniper, ‘clean yet full of energy’, was more than enough to sway me. Straight away you get the aquatic rush, really invigorating. I instantly associated it with mens shower gel, but then you get this slightly lighter, almost floral essence from the combination of citrus and juniper. The latter is lively and peppery, and stays this way on the dry down. It settles into something woodier, but retains a salty, herbaceous character, which I liked better. A scent for a day of outdoor activity, but a bit too much for the office.
Cœur de jardin by Miller Harris, £140 for 100ml
It would have been a sin for me to exclude a Miller Harris fragrance this week, and with Wednesday’s weather being off-and-on rain, it felt like the perfect time for Cœur de jardin, a scent to evoke an English garden in the typical British summer: the warmth of the sun after a passing downpour, water still sparkling on the petals. It opens fruity, with a combination that smelled melon-like to me, with the notable elegance of pear. Florals-wise, jasmine is strong, but it is the tuberose that really sings, and the fragrance leans into this as it dries down on my skin. The lightly damp earthiness of patchouli and moss ground the scent (literally), and play into the concept of a garden after the rain. I chose to layer it with a touch of Bitter peach by Tom Ford to bring out more of the fruits from the top notes. Only later did I realise that peach is one of the ‘star notes’ listed by Miller Harris, and I was rather smug. The combination was a delight.
Columbia Road by Norfolk Natural Living, £75 for 50ml
A bountiful bunch of flowers that will raise your love for floral fragrances (and Norfolk Natural Living) by 100%. The brand had a (5*) stand at Chelsea this year, which gave me the perfect excuse to slip away from my duty and battle the crowds, with the promise of a reward at the other end. I was not disappointed. It opens with a gorge of lily of the valley— a real morning flower that smells light and bright, delicate and fresh. You then get a fantastic dose of fig leaf, bringing its herbaceous, slightly bitter essence, akin to freshly picked leaves from Mediterranean trees. It lends itself perfectly to the intensity of wild jasmine and tuberose, which unite with lily of the valley at the heart. The fragrance remains on the skin as a soft bouquet, allowing you to carry the scent of the flower market all day.
Vetiveria by Ormonde Jayne, £195 for 88ml
On Thursday night, I made my way to The Green Bar at Hotel Cafe Royal to celebrate the launch of Vetiveria, the latest fragrance from British brand Ormonde Jayne, and a wildly striking one at that. It starts with an electric burst of bergamot and lime, so tangy and green! Woody grass then starts to rustle, while Timur pepper— a Nepalese spice made from berries and in the same family as Sichuan peppercorns— brings this real sparky element. Gloriously earthy vetiver then unfolds. On my skin, the citruses stay prominent, accompanied by plenty of sage. One of my earliest comments was that it smells like a vetiver-infused G&T, and looking at the notes (juniper, sage, lavender, moss), it doesn’t surprise me that I interpreted it this way. It leans towards masculine, but there is a slight feminine nuance coming from florals at the heart. A fine scent for gents, and an intriguing one for women to wear.
Snack happy
As much as I love fragrances, man cannot survive on scents alone, and my week of toing and froing meant a lot of food-on-the-go. Though I am a savoury girl (which I could dedicate a whole other newsletter to after recent weeks) there were some sweet surprises that I feel compelled to share.
HU hazelnut butter dark chocolate and cashew butter dark chocolate
Linking the variety pack so you can see (and sample) every flavour. High quality, no junk, indulgent and utterly enjoyableBounce chocolate dipped dark choc brownie ball
Oozes with peanut butter, better than a Snickers, and hits every darn spot you need it toM&S 70% dark chocolate cocoa dusted almonds
I stuck to the snack-size sachets because I tend to lose control when the share bag is involvedGail’s pistachio financiers
Sticky, sweet and the perfect size for snaffling when time is of the essence. I love their buttermilk cheddar cheese crackers tooAmie Elizabeth
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you must still be tired after 10 days at the show! Sorry to have missed you
LOVED THIS!! Hope you’re going to write about your time organising Chelsea!