FRAGRANCES I'D BUY IF I WON THE LOTTERY

It takes a village

There's no shame admitting when you have a problem. Acceptance is the first step on the road to recovery. Everybody has their vices. These are mantras I recite as I click the 'buy now' button on the latest batch of 1ml fragrance samples that bring my current collection up to triple digits.

Feeling like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole I am compelled to pen this letter, confessing my sins, in the hope of absolution.

Let's backtrack a little. About a month ago I stumbled upon a corner of the internet known as PerfumeTok. Driving the commodification of fragrance spearheaded by perfume influencers and content creators, this booming community has officially initiated its latest member.

Since my introduction to the Cult of Olfaction, which came in the form of the delectable @perfumesiren showing me teasingly affordable dupes of the most viral luxury perfumes on the market, my algorithm has been flooded by a wave of unusually beautiful people telling me exactly why my life won't be complete until I 'get my nose' on a particular fragrance.

Social media informs me daily that with a small investment, I can be unceremoniously chased down the street thanks to my heavenly scent bubble. Do I dream of smelling like a syrupy peach drenched in sunlight? That I do. Would I like to waft around the office like some sort of ethereal wood nymph with a halo of woody musk trailing behind me? Hell yes.

My obsession began to grow when I discovered a host of websites that allow you to buy small samples of fragrances to try out before committing. What began as a way to prudently save money - testing the waters before wasting big bucks - quickly spiralled into a slew of purchases based on influencer recommendations and reviews that has surely set me back more than a full-sized Maison Francis Kurkdijan or Amouage. Now, as I stare forlornly at my 200-strong collection of tiny atomisers whose fragrant liquids appear to mock me from my dresser, and I lament a woefully insufficient bank balance that flashes up at me from my Halifax app, I feel as if I may be in need of an intervention.

Still on the hunt for my 'signature scent', and having compiled a fragrance wishlist that would make Coco Chanel blush, I don't see the expensive love affair ending any time soon. So, to put my many hours of education and research to good use, I thought I'd compile a shortlist of the fragrances I'd buy tomorrow if money were no option. And by the way, it was nearly impossible to do a top 5...

#5 Valaya by Parfums De Marly

A name you're likely to hear time and time again, particularly when talking about 'beast mode' perfumes that last all day, is the niche house Parfums de Marly. Their collectible bottles with pretty tassels absolutely dominate TikTok (particularly the baby pink icon, Delina) and have become synonymous with projection and elegance. Any fragrance in the range will set you back between £165 and £270. Whilst there are a few I'd like to sniff, Valaya (original, not exclusif) seems to have the notes I'd prefer. I even purchased a reputed 'dupe' of the scent to get an idea of its profile. You've got top notes of soapy peach and citruses, middle notes of lily-of-the-valley, vetiver and orange blossom and a base note dry down of musk, woods and vanilla.

#4 Soie Malaquais by Dries Van Noten

A slightly more under-the-radar fragrance house that I've heard good things about lately is Dries Van Noten. Renowned for its expertly blended concoctions, luxurious ingredients and signature scent worthy creations, the house released its first fragrance in 2022 so is a bit of a newcomer. The fragrance I am most drawn to that has been called a masterpiece, is Soie Malaquais. From the nose of Marie Salamagne, it has top notes of blackcurrant and bergamot, heart notes of silk and rose and base notes of chestnut and cacao. As a fan of Montale's Chocolate Greedy and Givenchy's L'interdit Rouge Ultime - notes of cocoa are my favourite. You can pick this up at Selfridges for a cool £260.

#3 Philosykos Eau de Parfum by Diptyque

Diptyque, famous in my household for its stunning candles, produces equally stunning bottles of perfume. Adorned with delicate monochrome artwork, there are so many fragrances from this house that I'd love to have on my shelf. One that I have in fact sampled, is Philosykos. Supposedly a firm favourite of Emma Watson and Elizabeth Olsen, the delicate but powerful fragrance is green and earthy. Top notes of fig leaf and fig give way to a heart of coconut and green notes, before drying down into cedar and fig tree. A love letter to fig that encompasses not just the juicy fruit but its leaves and the tree itself, the £160 perfume sat so well on my skin and comes across clean and effortlessly chic.

#2 Dama Bianca by Xerjoff

Saving this one for my wedding day. The OG in bridal perfumes is constantly described as the most angelic, ethereal, feminine potion on the market. With a bottle that would look amazing in pre-nuptial photos, Dama Bianca comes from the well-respected premium fragrance brand, Xerjoff. There are a number of fragrances from this house that take people's breath away with their sillage, performance and attention to detail, but Dama Bianca takes the biscuit. A complex and hard to imitate scent, it has unique top notes of kumquat and lime, Egyptian jasmine and purple flowers in the mid (violet, iris, lilac) and musk, ambrette, vanilla and sandalwood in the base. It's giving fairy princess.

#1 Moon Glory by The Harmonist

A brand that is sadly entirely inaccessible to me thanks to its £280 price tag, is The Harmonist. A fragrance house inspired by ancient philosophy, with collections centred on the four elements and just a tad of tarot reference, it's potion-like bulbous bottles have a reputation for lasting for hours on skin and clothes. My favourite of their offerings that I'm dying to smell has to be Moon Glory. The mystical silver bottle houses top notes of ylang ylang and lychee, heart notes of honey and flowers and base notes of hinoki wood, peru balsam and white musk. Described as a fruity, white floral dripping in honey, I haven't heard of anything similar.

Bonus: Blanche Bête by Liquides Imaginaires

I can't actually bring myself to complete this list without mentioning my absolute favourite fragrance I've tried to date. The reason I didn't include it in my top 5 imaginary rich list, is because I'm pretty sure I am actually going to buy this one as a present to myself. There aren't enough words to describe the beauty of Blanche Bête by Liquides Imaginaires. A sensual, lactonic, cloud-like fragrance with unusual top notes of milk, ambrette and mystikal (look it up, it's a smoky element that basically smells like the divine moment you blow out a candle), heart notes of tuberose, incense and jasmine and a super long lasting dry down of vanilla, musk, tonka bean and cacao. This lasted a good 6 hours on my skin with a few sprays and is the most ethereal, sweet, milky, creamy white floral with a hint of smoky woods that will have you smelling like a goddess and absolutely turn heads. I have to have it. No one really needs both kidneys.