I find selecting the best perfume to wear on any given day a relatively easy task. When the days are hot and balmy, I naturally reach for milky, citrus scents that drench me in rays of sunshine with every spritz. For cold and grey days, I like to opt for cosy, long-lasting perfumes that fill me with comfort. For autumn, I like to reach for invigorating and fresh perfumes that clear the senses. When it comes to spring perfumes, however, I'm not quite so prescriptive with my choices.
Truth be told, for times like now, when the weather switches between warmly optimistic and bitterly drab, I like to be more fluid with my perfume choices. However, as a beauty editor whose job it is to test every perfume that comes my way, my collection is somewhat vast. With my collection inching closer towards three figures with every working day that passes (believe me, I know it's grotesque), I'm spoiled for choice.
Right now, the only criteria I have for my spring perfume is that it must get me compliments. As much as I like to wear perfume for myself, whether it be to boost my mood or make me feel more myself, I also wear perfume for work purposes—so I can make sure I'm only recommending you the very best products. My testing process for perfumes is, to put it bluntly, wear whatever new formula that's come my way and see whether it gets me any compliments.
Personally, I think the making of a great perfume is its ability to pique interest. In my opinion, if my perfume smells intriguing enough to stand out in a sea of sweet, floral crowdpleasers, I know I've done something right by giving it a go.
And of all the fragrances that have come my way of late, there's only 11 spring perfumes which have won me enough compliments to justify reaching for them regularly. In fact, these are the only perfumes I plan on wearing until summer arrives...
1. Jo Malone London Musk Memento
The very bottle of this perfume oozes spring-time joy—and what's inside it is even better. Although it's musky and skin-like, it has a sherberty fizziness to it which tickles the nose and lifts any mood. The floral element is mind-soothing, slightly earthy and moreish, too. Perfect for warmer spring days, it possesses a cool freshness that feels like the first rays of sun of the year. To be honest, I think I'll be wearing this well into summer.
2. Loewe Aire Anthesis
If you want to understand what Loewe Aire Anthesis smells like, avoid getting too caught up in the notes. The blend contains 'Loewe accord', an olfactory note created by the brand. It's deep, earthy and raw, based on the rockrose, a Spanish wildflower. Around it are various floral and fruity notes. Together though, they create one of the most stunning aquatic and salty fragrances I've ever smelled. Like waves crashing down on wild shores, Anthesis is sense-clearing and refreshing in every way possible—it holds all of the optimism spring should bring.
3. Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Flora Verde
To me, the original Bronze Goddess is one of the most iconic and beautiful summer perfumes of all time, but this year's accompanying variation, Flora Verde is the ultimate uplifting spring spritz. It has the same sun-drenched, beachy and tropical vibe as the original, but it is enveloped in white, velvety petals that make it fresher and more bouquet-like.
4. The Body Shop Bluebell Fragrance Mist
If you're after a super-light fragrance to put a spring in your step this season (pardon the pun), this is what I recommend. It is, essentially, spring in a perfume. Like a wild bluebell meadow, it is green, floral and bright, without veering into the realms of powdery or cloying. The longevity isn't there (it's just a fragrance mist, after all), but it provides a beautiful pick-me-up.
5. Parfums de Marly Perseus
The latest fragrance from Parfums de Marly, Perseus, is the ultimate late-spring scent that will also carry you into summer. It is bright, zesty and punchy, but there is a prominent earthiness to it that paints a picture of rolling Italian hills on the hottest of days. I have worn it a handful of times this month already and someone has commented on it each time. My fiancé has become so infatuated with it, in fact, that I noticed he has moved it onto his side of the fragrance shelf.
6. Tocca Lucia
This is, hands down, one of the most crowd-pleasing spring perfumes in existence. Luminescent, bright and sweet, it also has a creamy floral base that smells like a bouquet of flowers has melted into your skin. While it's light on the nose, it's not sugared or citrusy in the slightest—just an expensive-smelling delight.
7. Ffern Spring 24
Ffern's approach to fragrance is, in my opinion, genius and revolutionary. You sign up to the waiting list in order to become a member of the Ffern ledger. Once there's a space, you become eligible to receive the brand's seasonal, limited-edition perfume for £89. They'll send it over with vials and testers so, if you don't like it, it can be sent back for free. Spring 24 is this season's scent, and it's exquisite. Championing the juicy bite of rhubarb, it's joy in a bottle.
8. Creed Queen of Silk
If you're a fan on punchy, warming, creamy scents (think Baccarat Rouge 540), this one is for you. I fully expect Creed's Queen of Silk to reach cult status. It is the sort of perfume you want to spray all over after slipping into the most luxurious of silk dresses before heading out for the night. Be warned though, people will flock to you.
9. Elie Saab Le Parfum Bridal
It's wedding season, and this perfume is wedding in a bottle. Without being overly floral and pretty, it manages to capture the soft beauty of a wedding day. It's like layers of delicate tulle—powered, musky and skin-like, all while being beautifully delicate.
10. Hermès Hermessence Rose Ikebana
Light, effervescent and heart-warmingly sparkling, this is one of the best rose perfumes I have smelled in years. It isn't obviously rosy, so rose-haters might actually see the appeal here. With rhubarb, it is bitingly juicy and somewhat water-like—akin to stepping out of the shower after using the most expensive body care you own.
11. Dries Van Noten Mystic Musk
This one is green to its core—and it's one of the most beautifully unique scents I've come across in ages. It is like sticking your nose into a pot of sea salt flakes. Having said that, there's a green mossiness to it that keeps it fresh and inviting. It's expensive, yes, but the 200ml bottle could last a lifetime, which for me it's going to need to if my fiancé continues to pinch it from me.
