Flower Fairies

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In the third of my series on the fragrance wheel, I'll be throwing a bone to all the real girly girls out there who love flowery, truly romantic fragrances.

This doesn't mean that such fragrances are always superficial, trite or cheap-smelling; quite to the contrary, many floral fragrances are classics that have been adored by women for many years.

One such classic ladies' perfume is Cacharel's Anaïs Anaïs, which combines rose and lily with some of the woodier and more oriental scents previously discussed, such as sandalwood and amber, to make one of the beauty world's most-loved perfumes. Cacharel hit the spot again with Noa and Noa Perle, using a similar blend to capture the essence of forest flowers on women's wrists the world over.

Another cult favourite came to the world of floral perfume in the form of Yves Saint Laurent's Paris, which also nods to the woods with its sandalwood and amber notes alongside its dominant mimosa flower, orange and rose. Originally released in 1983, it's also packed with jasmine and violet, and has inspired many spinoffs from YSL, including the more recently released Parisienne, which is more heavily dominated by violets and is more sugary.

However, floral fragrances are not just stuck in the seventies and eighties, with many more modern floral perfumes having taken the world by storm in recent years. Daisy by Marc Jacobs, for instance, captured the world with its dreamy and dazzling gold bottle, adorned with daisies. It not only uses the popular violet scent but also utilises jasmine and gardenia along with some fruitier undertones and muskier, more vanilla-like overtones. This captivating combination has held the public's attention ever since it first hit the shelves (although it is perhaps not purely floral due to its reliance on other members of the fragrance wheel, perhaps making it more of a Fougère fragrance - more on this soon!).

Other, perhaps more obvious, examples of floral fragrances that have arrived on the scene this century include Valentino's Rock 'n' Rose. Categorised as a floral oriental perfume, it blends orange flower and rose to create an edgy, unique new scent for modern young women. Lastly for today, there's Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb, which almost speaks for itself. It contains everything you could think of for a floral scent: jasmine, rose, orchid, freesia, and a hint of patchouli just to mix things up a bit. This last one is one of my favourites, although I'd also recommend Anaïs Anaïs (mentioned before) - though I'm sure there's a myriad of floral fragrances out there just waiting for me to discover them.

Don't Go To The Aftershave Counter Without Me

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In the previous article in my perfume series, I mentioned the dauntingness of the perfume counter for women. However, it's also not always the most comfortable place for men either, and this is perhaps magnified by the fact that they perhaps feel that they shouldn't even being going into perfumeries at all. Boots or Debenhams is one thing; a specialist perfume store is quite another.

I also talked in my previous article about some of the negative attributes of salespeople in these shops; however, this is not to say that it's all bad. The UK and US' customer service is perhaps second to none, and it's something I've really missed since moving to France (where in the job for life culture, shop assistants do have a tendency to act like they're doing you a favour, and know that almost no matter what they do they'll still keep their job). If you're not sure about what to buy (which is perhaps especially true for men, given that they are often not as predisposed as women to be seduced by prettyful packaging), then you shouldn't be scared to talk to a sales assistant - many are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Nevertheless, as I have discussed in the past, there is nothing wrong with having some idea of what you're looking for before you begin, hence my little tour of the fragrance wheel, started in May.

While women's fragrances are likely to encompass all areas of the fragrance wheel, men's are likely to only fall into two or three categories, perhaps favouring woody and oriental scents over fresh and fruity ones (though that isn't to say that there aren't aftershaves that fall into these latter categories - Hermès in particular is a brand that thrives with its fruity and fresh fragrances, perhaps due to its marketing strategy of publicising them as unisex rather than specifically as male or female perfumes). Yves St Laurent aftershave boasts another wide range of scents, showing even as an example of just one brand that there really is a fragrance out there for every man. Kouros provides a highly 'woody' experience, featuring cedar wood and camphor wood, while still making mild forays into freshness with eucalyptus and into the oriental zone with incense. Woods mixed with spices come to men in the forms of La Nuit de l'Homme and (perhaps YSL's most famous fragrance?) Opium pour Homme. However, even at YSL things can still get floral and fruity for men: Jazz offers notes of rose and carnation alongside the heavier leather, Pour Homme incorporates lemon and lavender with those now-familiar woody elements, and lavender and rosemary meet clove and vetiver in Rive Gauche Homme. There - I bet you're feeling better about this whole aftershave thing already.

And now for an entirely subjective top 5 aftershaves from the man of the house:
Hermès Terre D'Hermès ("A woody, vegetal and mineral eau de toilette")
Dior Fahrenheit ("warm, subtle, and distinguished". Contains: nutmeg, sandalwood, cedar, patchouli...)
Chanel Allure Homme Sport ("Possesses a blend of vetiver, amber, neroli, Atlas cedar...")
Cartier Roadster (bergamot, mint, vanilla, patchouli, vetiver)
Dior Dune ("This masculine scent possesses a blend of leaves, basil, mandarin, moss, sage and cedar")
Hermès Voyage ("a woody fresh musky scent")

Yves St Laurent Parisienne Eau de Parfum

RRP: from £34 for 30ml

--What does the promo say?--
"The portrait of a woman incredibly free. Free to think, free to act. She was not born in Paris, but Paris adopts her, because she conveys the joy of living and loving in the moment. A precious flacon, intricately carved like the labyrinth of Parisian streets, as soft as the sheets she has just left behind, as pink as an early morning sky, as couture as the YSL label on black leather. A grand floral with a woody structure, luminous even in its mystery, PARISIENNE is the perfume of ultra femininity, warmed by the touch of the man who embraced her. The top note adds the shine of vinyl, an ultra modern wink to gloss, varnish or the metal of a spike heel, before the tartness of cranberry adds a point of bitter sharpness - the evocation of a certain impertinence softened by sparkling, succulent, fruity blackberry, symbol of an epicurean PARISIENNE. The floral heart beats wildly with the absolute femininity of the Damask rose, which harmonizes perfectly with the powdery violet, sensual and carnal like leather worn by Kate Moss. In contrast, the peony gives a breath of PARISIENNE youth and a hint of morning freshness. The base note brings tumult and intensity in its woody wake. First with patchouli, the ultimate in mystery. And when the masculinity of vetiver flirts with the feminine eroticism of musk and sandalwood, one knows that this PARISIENNE knew a 'night of love'."

--Packaging--
With echoes of Viktor and Rolf, it's unusual while still being romantic as the lilac liquid shines through the glass bottle. This is set off by a high-shine gold top that you simply pull off, and with the trademark YSL label stuck to the front in black and gold.

--Application--
Spritz onto pulse points, and go.

--Appearance--
While the liquid appears purplish in the bottle, nothing is visible on the skin.

--Scent--
The overriding smell is of violets, so this definitely takes some getting used to. Some of the scents described in the brief are virtually undetectable (cranberry, for instance), while some of the others emerge later on (such as patchouli). I personally don't hate it, but this is definitely a personal thing: many people will find it too sweet and I certainly wouldn't call it a classic fragrance that will live forever.

--Longevity--
About average, I'm afraid. Expect to reapply at least once or twice a day.

--Value for money--
A nice enough fragrance (absolutely not down there with the horror of Sisley's fragrances) but for the money I'd expect something more timeless and something that lasted longer on your skin. As an English girl living in Paris, the concept of the perfume definitely appeals to me, but it's debatable as to whether the quality of the fragrance truly lives up to the vision. Go for Viktor and Rolf's Flowerbomb instead.

perfect partners
Parisienne Eau de Toilette, from £32 for 30ml
Parisienne Body Lotion, £28 for 200ml
Parisienne Shower Gel, £27 for 200ml

Yves St Laurent Touche Eclat

RRP: £22.50

Shades available: 4

-- Packaging --
A somewhat chunky golden pen with a smooth shine and the YSL logo on it in understated black font. Black click button at one end, brush in the style of a pen nib at the other. Comes in a similarly styled cardboard box.

--What does the promo say?--
"An ultra-glamorous pen..Just two or three clicks to coat the brush, a makeup tool borrowed from the pros, ideal for applying and diffusing touches of light with absolute precision, with a texture that is ultra light, fine, impalpable, and literally becomes one with the skin. It blends with day cream, a makeup base, foundation or powder, making it ideal for touch-ups anytime, with no overload. It boasts a magical formula combining airy lightness, softness and light. Extremely light oils (volatile silicones) ensure quick, even application. A blend of moisturising, refreshing components provide a feeling of sublime softness on application and extreme comfort throughout the day. A micronised powder combined with crystalline and lamellar structured pigments allow the skin to react to light the way a prism does, giving the complexion new radiance. Their microscopic size ensures an ultra-fine, even film on the skin, and for touch-ups they blend with the pigments of makeup that's already been applied."

--Application --
Click the button at the end a few times until the product starts to appear at the end of the brush/pen nib thing. Apply directly to face.

-- Purpose --
The beauty of the Touche Eclat (and probably why it's become such a classic - it even has its own website, http://www.touche-eclat.com/) is that it seems to have multiple purposes. I use it as a concealer; others use it to brighten the complexion; others use it to disguise under-eye circles.

--Appearance--
On the pen, it appears slightly runny. On the face, it takes on the appearance of powder and it doesn't appear blotchy on the facial areas where it's been applied. It also works very well with any brand of foundation or powder - at present I'm using Max Factor foundation and L'Oréal powder with it.

-- Texture --
Blends into the skin beautifully. Feels powder-light.

--Coverage--
Pretty good, but it's probably more suited as a highlighter and as a dark-circles cover-up than it is for other blemishes such as acne.

--Longevity--
No need to reapply throughout the day.

--Removal--
Easy to remove.

--Value for money--
Frankly excellent - you're getting a very high-quality product that lasts a long time. If they ever stop making it I might cry.