Oh I love a good scent.

Whether it’s for the body or for the home, nothing delights my Taurus tendencies more than a good smelling domain. I have a slight obsession and an extensive collection of scents and so had to really have a hard think about what scents to include in my yearly fragrance roundup. When it comes to notes, I’ve always been a citrus and woody sort of babe, but for the sake of this, I wanted to try and include a variety of different notes and scents depending on people’s tastes, so without further ado, let’s get into it!

The 7 Virtues – Blackberry Lily

Blackberry Lily by The 7 Virtues is a unisex aromatic fruity scent that was launched in 2020. I came across this scent by chance during a walkthrough in Sephora and was absolutely taken by the scent – which actually surprised me, as fruits don’t come high on my list of preferences when it comes to fragrance.

Longevity for me: Around 3-4 hours before I need to top up again.

The top notes are Blackberry, Black Currant and Lily. The middle notes are Lily-of-the-Valley, Davana, Rose and Magnolia. The base notes are Caramel, Haitian Vetiver, Cedar, Patchouli and Egyptian Pelargonium.

Shop Blackberry Lily here.

Carolina Herrera – Good Girl

Good Girl by Carolina Herrera is an amber floral fragrance for women, and is presented in a sexy and sleek black stiletto with a gold heel; this bottle demands to be put front and centre on the mantlepiece honey! Good Girl was launched in 2016, and features top notes of Almond, Coffee, Bergamot and Lemon. Middle notes include Tuberose, Jasmine Sambac, Orange Blossom, Orris and Bulgarian Rose. Base notes include Tonka Bean, Cacao, Vanilla, Praline, Sandalwood, Musk, Amber, Cashmere Wood, Cinnamon, Patchouli and Cedar. PACKED full of amazing scents!!

Longevity for me: 6 hours

Shop ‘Good Girl’ here.

Floral Street – Wonderland Peony

Floral Street is one of my favourite fragrance houses of all time, and for good reasons. Every single one of their scents are incredibly unique and potent and when it comes to floral scents? They are the Kings of it. Absolute EXPERTS (hence their name). Wonderland Peony is a unisex scent which is fruity, floral, sweet and fresh, with an almost powdery, vanilla base scent which is interesting, as I wouldn’t normally pair fruit and vanilla together! Top notes include guava, red berries and sicilian lemon, middle notes are violet, raspberry and violet, while the base notes include candy floss (!!), vanilla, cedar and vetiver, the latter being a scent that is fast becoming one of my favourites!

Longevity for me: 4 hours.

Shop ‘Wonderland Peony’ here.

Diptyque – 34 boulevard Saint Germain

I remember smelling this scent on one of my PR mates a couple of years ago and instantly fell in LOVE. I also had the candle version of this at some point and again? Fell in LOVE. 34 is a unisex scent that is – for lack of a better phrase – incredible sexy. THIS is the kind of scent you throw on when you’re trying to seduce a potential love interest. Whew! It’s a woody, spicy, powdery scent that encases the senses, and I tend to wear it during the evening. Absolutely sensational and tbh, Diptyque absolutely knocked it out of the park with this one! Top notes include cinnamon, clove, pink pepper and citrus. Middle notes include iris, violet, rose, geranium and tuberose, and base notes include sandalwood, amber and vanilla.

Longevity for me: 6-8 hours.

Shop 34 boulevard Saint Germain here. (as a note, this is the eau du toilette version. The version I have above is parfum!)

Penhaligon’s – Cairo

The Cairo fragrance from Penhaligon’s has developed somewhat of a cult status over the last few years, and it’s not hard to see why. Alongside my Sunflower Pop fragrance by Floral Street, Cairo is that fragrance that I ALWAYS get asked about whenever I wear it. Similar to 34 boulevard, this scent is very much a sensual, sexy, evening scent designed to seduce. It is incredibly expensive however, so you’d probably want to do what I did and wait until the sales come around before getting this. I also noticed that this was a scent that had a grow on me – I didn’t bond with it immediately, which was interesting. I’ve always been a citrus babe, so this woody, spicy, earthy scent took some getting used to and now I can’t get enough of it.

Top notes include Damask rose and saffron. Middle notes include vanilla and Cypriol oil and base notes include sandalwood, patchouli and cedar. Longevity for me: up to 9 hours.

Shop ‘Cairo’ here.