Shut out any distractions and put your feet up for a scroll through the perfumes that the Mood Scent 4 turn to when they want to kick back. I’ve chosen four very difference fragrances that all induce a feeling of calm in me. Not everyone uses fragrance for mood-altering purposes but I find it particularly useful for this and regularly choose my Scent of the Day based on how I feel that day, or how I’d like to feel.
Slowdive by Hiram Green
Neroli, Orange Flower, Tobacco Flower, Dried Fruit, Beeswax, Tuberose and Resins.
Imagine floating in a warm pool of honey while watching a beautiful orange-tinted sunset. That is the blissed-out feeling you get when wearing Slowdive. This tobacco/honey fragrance is full of the mellow fruitiness and hazy sunlight of early autumn. The languid feeling of summer still lingers but without that season’s oppressiveness. Walk through the orchard at harvest time and look ahead to an evening cosying-up with the comforting scent of woodsmoke in the air. The hint of floral creaminess from tuberose adds to the languor.
Passage d’Enfer by L’Artisan Parfumeur
White Lily, Frankincense, Aloe Wood, Benzoin and White Musk
I associate quiet incense perfumes, such as this, with peace and a kind of meditative tranquillity. Instead of being restricted to the room where you’ve lit that stick of Nag Champa, you can take that soothing incense with you. Not all incense fragrances are relaxing though. Avignon by Comme des Garcons is an exemplar of the genre but it’s too powerful to enable me to unwind. Passage d’Enfer is a low-key, woody incense with the soft, waxy petals of lily to aid its gentility. You’re entering a cool, musty church and taking a moment to soak up the mystical atmosphere. I wear it on days when I’m feeling the need for a bit of centring.
Iris Silver Mist by Serge Lutens
Iris Pallida, Galbanum, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Clove, Incense, Vetiver, Labdanum, Musk, Benzoin and White Amber
This is the fragrance that descends on me like a calming fog; obliterating all annoyances. It is the one I turn to when life is feeling just a little too harsh and I need something to buffer me from the world. The rooty iris is grounding, beautiful and supremely relaxing to the point of anathesatic. The stark, breath=taking beauty of it is enough to make the earth stop turning for a brief moment. It’s a fragrant form of respite and an escape route to another place where is all is well.
Rahele by Neela Vermeire Creations
Green Mandarin, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Violet Leaf, Osmanthus, Rose, Magnolia, Jasmine, Iris, Violet, Cedar, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Patchouli and Leather.
I’ve always found osmanthus to be a dreamy floral scent. Its the aroma of ripe apricots caught on a cool breeze. Rahele is a composition based on osmanthus, accented with other muted florals to create a perfume with the same meditative quality you sometimes get when spending time in nature. It possesses space and air, giving the wearer lots of room to breathe.
While you’re taking time out to do a bit of reading, carry on at Megan In Sainte Maxime, I Scent You A Day and L’Esperessence to see their laid-back perfume choices.
Is there a perfume in your collection that you find relaxing?
A Bottled Rose 