Tag Archives: Perfume Bottle

The brightest star in the sky…

Top notes: aldehydes, bergamot and orange blossom. Heart notes: jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, blackcurrant blossom, carnation, iris and rosewood. Base notes: vanilla, sandalwood, musk and amber.

Last year I met someone whose taste in perfume perfectly mirrored their personality. While communicating online she told me a few of her favourite fragrances and it was then easy to pinpoint that she was drawn to aldehydic florals.

When we then met in person, it was clear that this category of perfume was a perfect fit for her. She is effervescent, bright and beautiful both inside and out. The correlation with her favourite fragrance genre was striking.

I gave her an atomiaser filled with Vega, which is my favourite floral aldehyde fragrance and as I anticipated, she fell in love with it. In her own words “I can’t even explain it to you…it transports me to an entirely new world. That is my heaven”.

I get a real kick out of being a perfume matchmaker so hearing this from someone who I felt an immediate connection with, was wonderful.

In the past, I never had much luck with floral aldehydes. They were usually too soapy for my taste and the bubbly effect irritated my sinuses. They just didn’t feel like me. Then Birgit generously gave me a decant of Vega and my eyes were opened. This was unlike any of the others, it was so soft and luminous: Pure aldehyde perfection.

This fragrance was first released by Guerlain in 1936 and relaunched as an exclusive in 2006. It shines like starlight and is as smooth as the most expensive champagne. You could separate out the different floral components but this is a fragrance that is more than the sum of its parts. I switch off and let it send me off into the ether.

I wear Vega for celebrations because it’s so sparkling; like bathing myself with a thousand tiny stars.  I picture it as pure white light and feel as if it’s shimmering off my skin. For me, it’s best applied by dabbing rather than spraying.

I wore it to my fabulous friend Thomas’s wedding and that was one of the few times someone’s complimented me on my perfume.

A great twist is that in the base there’s something warm and dark which contrasts so nicely with its cool and clean character. Truly intoxicating.

Unfortunately, Vega has been discontinued. Not only is it sad to lose such a transcendent scent but just look at that stunning Art Deco bottle!

Do you think the kind of fragrances you like reflects your personality?