In case you didn’t know it already, scents have the powerful ability to fundamentally alter how we feel. In fact, your sense of smell is more closely interlinked with your emotional response than any other. So if your gloom matches the dreary weather outside right now, a quick spritz of a sparkling, beachy scent can as good as transport you to warmer, sunnier climates. On the other hand, if the rain is convincing you stay indoors and put a candlelit dinner together for you and your partner, a romantic perfume will only add to the ambience you’re creating. Scroll ahead for our edit of the perfumes you want to add to your top shelf this monsoon.
Hermès Un Jardin Sur La Lagune
Un Jardin Sur La Lagune—the sixth iteration in the Hermès’ Jardin series—is a crisp, airy blend of musk, magnolia and lilies. The perfumer, Christine Nagel, describes it as a “floral breeze between dream and reality,” due to its soft lilting notes. “To create this fragrance is to give this garden another life, an olfactory reality; it is to enable everyone to imagine and to dream of it, to enable everyone to open the gate and discover this secret oasis,” she once told Vogue.
Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gio Absolu
Love heady, warm scents that convince you that it’s okay to stay in bed all day? This one fits the bill. The woody Acqua di Gio Absolu creates a balance between floral and fresh notes like bergamot and lavender, with deeper notes like patchouli and wood. You’ll want to spritz this when your weekend includes a Netflix and chill session with a special someone.
By Kilian Love The Way You Taste
If you’re dreaming of a summer escape, you’ll want to keep this on your top shelf. The sparkling lemon, mint and magnolia are reminiscent of a refreshing cocktail, so one languid whiff is all you’ll need.
Amouroud Lunar Vetiver
Summer romances may be more popular than those that begin in the monsoons, but there’s something about the season that brings out the romantic in most of us. This unique concoction is created by combining the aphrodisiac qualities of Indonesian patchouli with the airy notes of bergamot, pimento, and pink peppercorn. If you’re looking to play house with your significant other, this romantic fragrance will set the mood. Plus, it’s unisex, so you two can share.
Elizabeth Arden White Tea
If sweet feminine florals are not your cup of tea, reach for this iteration which includes both musky and woody tones. Elizabeth Arden White Tea opens with notes of Italian mandarin infused in the sensual sea breeze accord. The heart is made up of delicate iris, white tea extracts and mellow, leafy mate, lying on a base of madras wood and amber.
Malin + Goetz Stem
The perfect blend of spicy, woodsy and citrus, this herbaceous blend effortlessly lifts your spirits on a dull, rainy day. The cooling top notes of hyacinths are accentuated by the warming tones of vetiver, cedarwood and musk. If you’re not in the mood to actually brave the rain to smell the wet grass, this one will help you to do it from the safety of your bedroom.
Calvin Klein CK One Platinum
Keeping with CK One’s rebellious spirit, this one breaks the rules by combining warm and cool accords in the same bottle. The fragrance opens with fruity notes of crisp green apples spiked with cardamoms. The brew gets spicier at the mid notes, with pink pepper, red cinnamon and lavender kicking up an aromatic storm on a base of amber, cashmere woods and vetiver.
Byredo Blanche
Like freshly laundered sweaters on a windy day, this clean fragrance is comforting to say the least. Ideal for those with a sensory overload, it features top notes of white rose and pink pepper with a base of neroli, peony and violet.
