A scents of memory
By Geraldine Fitzgerald
A whiff of a significant perfume will take you back in time - simply close your eyes and the flood of feeling returns.
What more beautiful memory to hold onto than the joining of two people who love each another? The fragrance you choose for your wedding day will linger on your skin for a while, on your clothes for a bit longer and in your heart forever.
It should be familiar, but with a twist. Something that you know works well on you, expresses your personality and makes you feel great.
When you’re testing, the top notes are what you smell first – the initial impact. As the fragrance dries down, the middle and base notes come to the fore, and they are the ones that linger on the skin.
White floral scents are hugely popular, with a feel-good component that magnifies the joy of the occasion and smell wonderful on everyone.
The queen of white florals is Flowerbomb, brainchild of avant-garde luxury fashion house Viktor&Rolf.
The concept behind the iconic fragrance is an expression of a thousand flowers in a powerful profusion of sensations - mood-lifting and positive.
Top notes of tea, bergamot and freesia quickly pass to the heart notes of Cattleya orchid, Sambac jasmine and Centifolia rose before weaving into amber, patchouli and cashmeran. It is a bouquet in a bottle.
In 2012, Viktor&Rolf launched their first men’s fragrance, Spicebomb, with an explosion of spicy notes, sharp and radiant with a burst of freshness.
With top notes of pink pepper, bergamot and grapefruit, Spicebomb bursts into being. Middle notes of cinnamon, saffron and paprika warm its embrace, and base notes of tobacco, leather and vetiver linger beguilingly.
In this year of restrictions, Viktor & Rolf declared that love is not cancelled and expressed their commitment to love with a series of ‘Dress Up your Bottle’ customisations for their fragrances, as a gift for both wedding celebrations and anniversaries. They launched the limited Flowerbomb ‘Mariage’ edition, the 50ml bottle dressed for the occasion in its own white couture veil, and it’s a garden party in a bottle; the whirling floral scents deepened into a concentrated eau de parfum.