Sample sessions: November

Long lunches, Liberty London and a duo of high-street hits

Nov 11, 2024

I mentioned in last week’s Monday menu that I had carved out some time between meetings, lunches and launch events to have a nosey (ha!) at some of the new scents that have hit my list, and some less new but no less demanding some attention. I managed not to go over the top, as my time was limited and I have a few fragrance features in the pipeline, so I prioritised and was particularly punctual, and I am pleased as punch to be reporting back with what I found.

Chuc’s Restaurant, Dover Street, Mayfair

My escapade started at Chuc’s in Mayfair, a fabulously small 8-or-so-table restaurant that is bold and brassy, intimate yet lively, and a really relaxing, warm place to be. It is decked out with blonde wooden panelling, brass rails and a mass of photography and art lining the walls— I will hopefully have some insider intel on these within the next week or so. We dined on calamari to start, and for the main, I had a plateful of monkfish with warm romesco sauce, and a side of broccoli laced with toasted almonds and smacking with garlic. Monkfish is up there as one of my favourite meat/fish to eat, and something I have only ever cooked myself once before, so it always feels like a treat. I didn’t drink anything exciting, unless you consider a pot of Earl Grey as exciting, in which case, I had a riot of a time.

Post-lunch, I made my way to New Bond Street, revelling in the narratives presented in the exquisite window displays of Loro Piana, Chanel and Dior; the twinkling diamonds of Cartier and Van Cleef; and had to spend a little time in Ralph Lauren, who are already decked out with their festive decor. It was on this hallowed road that my work began: at no.107, Maison Diptyque. I went straight to Lilyphea, a fragrance I most recently wrote about in my cardamom edit, and loved more than before. It was stronger than I remember, so poetic and beautiful in its essence. But Thursday was about the other four in the Les Essences collection, and it was Rose roche and Bois corse that came out on top.

Rose roche by Diptyque, £255 for 100ml
More often than not, my senses get away from me and I find myself exclaiming my opinions out loud, regardless of who is or isn’t nearby. Rose roche made me ‘oooh’ and ‘mmm’ at least three times over. It is created to evoke the desert rose crystal, a mineral formation made of crystal and sand grains sculpted by nature over hundreds of years into these incredibly intricate, rose-like shapes. The fragrance is remarkably zesty and bright, packed with a tart lemon essence and a mass of minerals which bounce and burst around a beautifully warm pink rose at the heart. An earthy patchouli anchors the scent without harming its effervescence. If you imagine a real rose suspended in the desert, covered in sand that glistens in the morning sun while an oasis twinkles in the distance. Now add the shock of an ice-cold cloudy lemonade, that pleasurable first sip during the long, hot months. That is what this feels like. It is raw and beautiful, settling softly and easily on the wrist.

Bois corse by Diptyque, £255 for 100ml
A fragrant translation of tree bark— it doesn’t sound particularly appealing, does it? But alas, it really is. I expected something stark and overly woody, but it is far smoother and wonderfully balanced, offering a textural expression of both the rough outside and the golden plane of what lies beneath. This is achieved by combining cedarwood with tonka bean and sweet vanilla (the inside) with roasted coffee (the outside), resulting in a warm, resinous and realistic wood, with a touch of pastry shop too. The coffee is like freshly ground roasted beans sitting in a metal pot, ever so slightly burned in the oven. There’s something cosy about it, but it isn’t comforting in the usual sense. I didn’t test it on my skin, but it was light and lovely on paper, suitable for any gender.

Ianthe oud by LBTY (Liberty London), £225 for 100ml
Earlier this year, Liberty’s fragrance brand launched three new fragrances and it has taken me until now to spend some quality time with them. I had to bypass Vine Thief, as the scent of strawberry gives me terrible migraines, but I do not feel that I have missed out at all, because Ianthe oud is gorgeous. Each fragrance inspired by an archival Liberty print. Ianthe, meaning violet in Greek, is a tale of English violets entwined with woods and abstract florals. The fragrance makes an incredible job of capturing it: English violets are paired with deep notes of agarwood, guaiac wood, cedarwood and rich myrrh. Mimosa brings a beautifully bright, honeyed floral note, allowing you to visualise the colours in the fabric as you inhale. It has some real weight to it, and will perform well in terms of longevity, so ensure to skin-test before you purchase.

Zephirine by LBTY (Liberty London), £225 for 100ml
Not one of the new additions, but the one I loved the most. It is so lucious and ripe, packed with plump juicy figs hanging from their vines. It transports you to a dense garden, so thick it looks like night time, surrounded by fruits and plants, stems and leaves and nectar included. There is a beautiful pink rose that unfolds from within, followed by a soft, woody suede as it dries down. It is so sumptuous, no wonder it is one of their most successful. I was hooked.

On the high street, Mémoires de la Méditerranée La Fantasia by Mango (currently unavailable online) struck me as a goodie. It opens with a very bright raspberry (the brand note also says strawberry, but I— very gratefully— didn’t pick this up), then layers up with juicy pears and a floral note of peonies washed with morning dew. A subtle undercurrent of nectar and mosses give it a naturalised feel that I found refreshing and surprising from a high street bottle. Due to the lower pricing and EDT formula, I imagine you will need to reapply a few times throughout the day, but it is definitely worth seeking out.

My most appreciated high-street hit is Rose Gourmand by Zara, just £22.99 for 80ml. It’s a rich and sweet incarnation of the rose that pulls in other florals such as spicy carnation, sensual jasmine and soft peony, along with notes of caramel and vanilla. The outcome is a sweet and creamy rose that doesn’t sway into saccharine territory. It had good projection and lasted well on my skin when I tested it, however it was layered over another scent so I can’t credit it wholly. This and Femme are the only two Zara scents I rate at the moment.

Libre flowers and flames by YSL, £102 for 50ml
A noteworthy flanker, would you believe. I was unsure about flowers and flames given the inclusion of coconut, lily and vanilla, however I do like another of the Libre fragrances and the inclusion of lavendar— one of the most interesting notes in perfumery that I will be exploring far more— peaked my interest. It is prettier than the other Libres, softer in nature but still strong enough to hold it’s own. Like the others, the focus is on sultry florals, namely orange blossom and lily, but it is energised with a breeze of bergamot and the elegant lavendar. It then becomes a little beachy, evidently from the coconut and palm leaf, but doesn’t feel like a try-hard beach scent. It sits nicely in the creamier, floral category, and is one I would consider a ‘safe scent’, i.e. it isn’t going to cause offence. It will be on plenty of Christmas lists, no doubt helped by Dua Lipa as the face of it.

Perfect elixir by Marc Jacobs, currently £97.50 for 100ml at Boots
I received a sample of this a few weeks ago and I am surprised to report that I actually like it. It begins with a strong and really sparkly rhubarb note, which quickly dissipates into something cosier and creamier. There is a dose of honey sitting comfortably with the sweet, white florals of orange blossom flower, and the woodiness from patchouli develops quickly on my skin. The florals then drop a little further, making way for ambery woods and cakey vanilla bean that hold well for a few hours. I don’t tend to get on with Marc Jacobs scents, so was happy with this.

A few others I have sampled recently:

For your love by Mizensir, £200 for 100ml
Another bright raspberry opening which settles into a sweet and musky, strong and sort-of sexy scent. The perfumer, Alberto Morillas, has worked on scents by Bvlgari, Armani, Versace, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana and Marc Jacobs Daisy, to name a few. This newer fragrance feels recognisable in that in carries many of the tropes you can find in the fragrances aimed at making women feel sexy— a fruit, something caramelly, something powdery and something carnal— so, although it made me go ‘oohhmmm’, it isn’t particularly remarkable.

Gucci Flora gorgeous orchid by Gucci, £135 for 100ml
Another easy hit. It almost went into generic gourmand-floral territory, however there is something a bit different (and really quite delightful) about the use of just vanilla orchid in the formula. It is paired with vanilla and ozonic accord: luminous, uncomplex, creamy and long-lasting. An easy win.

New releases that have caught my attention:

21:50 Rêverie by Victoria Beckham, £170 for 50ml
"21:50 Rêverie represents a profound instant of change in my life in 2001. With this fragrance—a dark, raw vanilla—I am taken right back to an otherworldly night on the island of Java where thousands of tea candles surrounded us.A luscious, earthy scent was in the air and the flames twinkled like flickers of my new life ahead.” Tobacco, plum, vanilla, tonka bean and cedarwood. What’s not to love?

Catch me if I fall by La Pyae Apothecary, £185 for 100ml
This is on my radar as it is the first fragrance to be released by Vogue Beauty Editor Kathleen Baird-Murray under her new brand, La Pyae Apothecary. I love the way the notes are listed: ‘The instant attraction’ (top notes) are Bergamot zest, cardamom pods, neroli, green leaves. ‘The beating heart’ is Jasmine sambac, ambrette, freesia, iris. ‘The grouding hug’ is Upcycled cedarwood, sandalwood, white musk. It is described as joyous and luminous, moments of tenderness and enlightenment, and to remind you that you are loved. I imagine it to be fresh and soft, easy and comfortable to wear, but only the wrist will tell.

Cuir de Connolly by Connolly, £295
Created in collaboration with Lyn Harris, Cuir de Connolly is the first fragrance in the brand’s 146-year history. Harris was initially asked to create a candle for the store in Mayfair, creating a scent that evokes the heritage of the leather specialists. The fragrance is a blend of leather, vetiver and smoky notes, created very much with the Connolly man in mind. The price tag is because only 200 bottles were made, and it was made by Harris and Connolly, so not much more needs to be said.