Perfume for a Princess

and that Princess would be mine. My princess (second daughter) not to be confused with my angel (first daughter) and not forgetting adorable son, turned twenty one this week. I had all the thoughts and emotions that any mother has - how could she be twenty one - where did the years go - it was only yesterday that she started school and now she is about to graduate from university - and most shockingly of all, how did I become such a grown up. 

I like to mark special occasions with something memorable and one of the gifts I have always given is perfume. I am a great lover of scent and believe that for every person there is the right fragrance. Fragrance is about so much more than a few dabs of alcohol on the wrists and a touch behind the ears - it is your signature and a sensory declaration of your taste; it is how you want to be noticed and how you wish to be remembered.

The scent of Lys Mediterranee by Frederic Malle is the fragrance that my birthday girl loves. 

There are seventeen different fragrances that make up Editions de Parfums and these  have been created by nine different noses or perfumers for Frederic Malle. These are some of my favourites as best described by the house of Frederic Malle.

'Iris expresses raw classic beauty. Tonka bean, musk and vanilla bring softness and warmth, while the base of sandalwood and vetiver adds a melodious resonance. If Pierre Bourdon's IRIS POUDRE were a garment, it would be a cashmere sweater - classic but personal, appropriate for most occasions, something one never tires of.'

'Dominique Ropion introduces a new essence of vetiver, stripped of it's bitter edge, which he matches with five woody notes to play up the scent's various facets. The result is something surprisingly fresh and crisp.'

'Inspired by the fleeting whiff of an angelica bouquet gathered just after a shower. Jean-Claude Ellena's arrangement plays out like a chamber music arrangement. One detects the sparkling, spicy tonic notes of this slightly musky flower, softened by a hint of juniper berries and coriander, and drying down to musk and cedar. ANGELIQUES SOUS LA PLUIE - a splash of emotion.'

'Imagine a scorching summer evening as the mediteranean sea spray mingles with the mildly spicy scent of ginger lillies. Edouard Flechier's creation is an impressionistic scent - a tribute to this opulent white flower - but done in a new way - with a fresh accent. Orange blossom gives wway to a top marine note. One inhales the froth of the lily with hints of musk and vanilla. Radiant.'

'With nature Tuberose offers her own take on dramatic olfactive clashes. These pretty flowers exude a mixture of flower shop freshness and carnal opulence. This natural contradiction has fascinated generations of perfumers and Dominique Ropion is no exception.'

'A fragrance carved with hefty chunks of cashmeran, sandalwood, musk and patchouli, reinforced with incense, softened with heliotrope, coloured with violet accord. An intimate but deep sensuality, an exalted skin scent, the real essence of the perfume.'

The holidays and the twenty first birthday celebrations are now over and my princess has left to start a new term at university, but when I enter her bedroom I can still detect the sweet lingering notes of her presence. This perfume is gentle and soft, sweet but not cloying and the merest hint makes me think of her. 

Perfume is the trigger that takes me back, is it yours? xv