Every good story so they say, begins with a journey and the shelves of Les Senteurs can take us around the world in eighty minutes: we even have a fragrance named Tapis Volant, a sweet-smelling magic carpet to whirl you to destinations unknown! Discover your perfect holiday-inspired scent in our new Holiday Fragrances Collection.
Have you planned a holiday yet? Somewhere warm or bracing, according to preference? If not, our perfumes may inspire you - or even prove a substitute: a vacation in a bottle!
I often wonder why so many perfumes find their genesis in the exploration of foreign countries and climates. There’s the celebration of the exotic, of course; the scents, cultures, colours and tastes of the six continents. Then, there’s the thrill of discovery - smelling unfamiliar raw ingredients and oils that are found or which grow under a hotter fiercer sun than ours. Perfume and memory are inextricably entwined. The nostalgia stimulated by our sense of smell recalls the past and evokes mental pictures much sharper and more brilliant than any words or photo.
Heading to the mountains?
Hills of the North rejoice! Head for a bracing trip to the mountains and breathe in L’Air Des Alpes Des Suisses, Silver Mountain Water or Himalaya. Mountain scents are cool, invigorating, calm and peaceful: they elevate the wearer far above the turmoil of life in the plains and lowlands. There’s a Mountain Flower Candle too, from the Emerald Isle. All three fragrances in the Kingdom Scotland collection reference the flora, rocks and minerals of some of the most ancient and beautiful landscape in the world; austerely rich, liberating and illuminated by a poetic imagination.
Or maybe something warmer
If all this is too chilly for you, why not try the desert - here in the Face of the Infinite you can inhale aromatic spices, whirling warm winds and legendary gums and resins from the dawn of civilisation. As we travel east, we meet the wicked wanton Salome in Palestine; and, in Egypt the ancient God Anubis, Guardian of the Tombs of the Pharaohs. To take on a cargo of dates, wines, honey, cedar and incense we sail into the ports of Phoenica, before treading the hot golden glittering sands of Desert Suave and Musc Des Sables. For those enchanted by the romance of the desert night under a starry sky and the cooler smells of the darkness, try Tauer’s iconic duo: L’Air Du Desert Marocain and the more intense Au Coeur Du Desert. Serge Lutens loves the smell of the wind over the simmering wastes: Chergui, which scorches and crystallises as it passes, leaving a legacy of liquid gums and resins in its wake.
The more intrepid traveller and perfume connoisseur should make the extra effort and cross the Jordanian wilderness to climb the rose-red peaks of Petra. Santal Nabatea is an uncannily accurate olfactory recreation of this ancient abandoned city carved from living rock and glowing with all the hues of sunset.
Exploring the east?
Then all aboard a slow boat to China, docking en route to smell the sweet lush floral freshness of the Gardens of India where jasmine glows like pearls in the moonlight. Revel in the bosky green beauty of the forests, jungles and rivers of Thailand recreated in Issara and Erawan. Meditate in the Zen gardens of Kyoto and be amazed by the skyscrapers of Tokyo: Yuzu Fou is a dual portrait of Japan, ancient and modern.
Relaxing on a beach?
On! on! Ever onwards to the Isles of the Southern Seas and their coral caves heaped with pearls and perfume. Virgin Island Water, and Coccobello are fantasy tropical isles of white sand, green sea, coconut flesh and salty palms waving like wings in the breeze.
A European retreat?
Shall we return to Europe across the Mediterranean aboard the Creed luxury yacht, the gallant Erolfa? We can smell the lavender and mint wafting out to sea from the Greek peninsular Laconia; and then take a cruise through the islands. Inhale the green rainy coast of Corsica Furiosa; the sunny lemon groves of Sicilian Wood and the herbs of Jardin Du Poete; not to mention the wonderful fruits and flowers of Un Bateau Pour Capri as our ship makes her stately way into port through Eau D’Italie.
Travel broadens the mind and creates albums crammed with wonderful memories: Lonestar Memories!
Bon Voyage!!