Seatonica

A lovely combination of freesia and jasmine given depth and interest by mahogany and rosewood spiced with cassia, Sensi White notes is one classy white floral. Well done and discrete, it is everything White Linen should be for me but is not. Unfortunately, however, this Alberto Morillas creation for Armani is a mere blip on the cultural radar. I am left to mourn its passing and cherish what little I have left - so if you see it don't let it go! And if you want something similar try Bvlgari Femme.

In theory this is one of those perfumes I should find icky. Cotton candy and vanilla musk doesn't have my name on it. But truth is I really like MOR Marshmallow. I find vanilla + white carnation + musky rose quite delicious - albeit in small does and only when I'm in the right mood because here the combination is achingly SWEET.

What MOR Marshmallow perfectly captures is in fact the fragrance of Musk Sticks*, and it is no doubt something of a guilty pleasure for that. Maybe you need to be hard-wired to love the smell? I don't know. But for many Australians it's enormously appealing - a happy, good-time scent redolent of childhood and lollie bags. I wear the oil in winter and the perfume in summer. For some reason it's especially good when the weather is cloudy.

And MOR is by no means a down market brand btw. It can be found in gift shops and department stores however, alongside Lollia, Demeter and Tokyo Milk in my experience.

* A species of Australian confectionary found in a sweet shop - google it some time.

I know. There are lots of rose/patchouli blends out there. But I wouldn't call this one polite. Guerlain's Idylle Duet Rose + Patchouli is polite. And likeably, girlishly sweet. Lady Vengeance is thorny, dirty, red - more womanly by comparison. Does that make her dangerous? Not exactly. But it does make her more interesting. And wintery. And a bit cranky like me. I like that.

I enjoy tea fragrances in the summertime but as rubyred reminds me it's the warm Indian summer days of early autumn that provide the perfect invitation for l'occitane's The Blanc/White Tea. It's sunny liquor is delicate with the aroma of oranges and nutmeg, spicy with a hint of carnation, more woody than sweet. L'occitane teas are generally so well done. I like them for their freshness; for being flavoured predominately by tea, not flowers. They have character and body, and their longevity is usually good. White Tea lasts 4 hours on me at least. It's my favourite. If it wasn't for the fact that it's now discontinued I'd wear it as often as I wear its green tea companion.

Perhaps because they're affordable, sold in pharmacies and seem to have been around forever Yardley fragrances don't get the attention they deserve yet they're such good value and so well done. Soft, spicey and dry English Rose speaks Cecile Brunner "sweetheart" roses to me. Clean and discrete it's just right for the office, wonderful on sticky summer nights and the perfect spritze after bathing. Why waste time on those heavily promoted here-today-gone-tommorrow celebrity scents I ask you, or even those high-priced designer fragrances that are similar, when this unpretentious little number has so much to offer? Trust me girls, there's nothing fusty about it.