The great thing about building a fragrance wardrobe is that you can have a fragrance for every occasion, mood and outfit. Feeling fancy and want something flashy to show off just how utterly flamboyant you are? There’s a scent for that. Need something that perfectly matches the sleek and chic cut of a little black dress or tuxedo? There’s an aroma for that. Heading to work and need a perfume that screams ‘I know what I’m doing’ even when your internal monologue is repeatedly bellowing the exact opposite? There is literally a scent for that.
Perfume can be a costume we wear to project a particular image to the world. That image can be whatever we want it to be. It can also be an accessory – a finishing touch that complements our outfit or personality, rather than dominating it. It can also just be something that we wear to smell good without overthinking it, and there are days where that is all we want. Need a perfume that makes you smell good and doesn’t require much mental input? You guessed it, there is indeed, a scent for that.
I love an easy to wear scent. Some days we don’t want to have our olfactory senses challenged or stunned; we want them to be calmly satisfied with something that smells pleasant. There are occasions too, where the situation requires something less attention-grabbing, which means that scents that fly somewhat under the radar are an essential element in any fragrance wardrobe. So, with all of that in mind, we have five scents that are so easy to wear, you’ll find it hard to stop spritzing them.
1. The Clean Fragrance
There is no smell more pleasing than the scent of soap. Honestly, that ‘fresh out of the shower’ scent is hard to beat, and it’s one that many of us would like to carry through for the rest of the day. Smelling clean is easy with Pure Grace by Philosophy, which perfectly captures the snowy-fresh smell of soap. It’s a bit ‘No5’ (fun fact: Chanel No5 smells soapy because it was so popular, all soaps tried to replicate it – so No5 doesn’t smell like soap, soaps smells like No5!) but less floral and more squeaky-clean white musk. I think it may just be the easiest thing to wear in the entire world.
2. The Pure Fragrance
I’ve always likened NARCISO to an expansive space painted in bright, brilliant white. There isn’t a single imperfection within this space, just an overflowing abundance of light pouring in. NARCISO is technically a gardenia, but it feels more abstract than that, with hints of white petals, warm skin and dazzling light; this is a fragrance that should not be deconstructed or thought about intellectually, you should simply enjoy it. NARCISO is the scent of the colour white, and it’s just so easy to wear.
3. The Comforting Fragrance
When you think ‘easy to wear’ or ‘everyday’, sandalwood isn’t the first thing that springs to mind. Instead, thoughts of richness and warmth conjure up, but in fact, this wonderful wood can have such a smooth and airy texture, as demonstrated in Peau Santal by Miller Harris. Peau Santal presents a cool blanket of sandalwood, accented by pepper and saffron, with the mineral freshness of violet leaf and vanilla’s softness. Altogether it’s a cool, woody shroud to wrap yourself in. It feels soothing and calm – the perfect thing to wear when you want a little bit of understated comfort.
4. The Classic Fragrance
Classics are classic for a reason. They’re tried and tested fragrances that are hyped because people love them, and people love them because they’re good. So really, you cannot go wrong with a classic, and perhaps one of the easiest classics to wear is Colonia by Acqua di Parma. Packed with sharp citrus, evoking the sun’s glowing intensity, rich herbs and aromatics, white flowers and musks, Colonia is as easy as a bright summer’s day. What could be better?
5. The Ambient Fragrance
I’ve described Mon Guerlain as being “olfactory white noise” before, and whilst that may seem shady, it is intended as a compliment. Mon Guerlain is the fragrant equivalent of background noise – it’s pleasant and comforting, but unobtrusive. Like good background noise, it adds an ambience that enhances everything around it. Mon Guerlain achieves this through a soft sweetness that is pleasant, calm and enveloping. Lavender is the central theme, and it is the naturally sweet, malted notes of the material that are focused on, creating the impression of slightly toasted sugar sprinkled with sugar. The base is all smooth woods and caramel, finishing things off with a velvety-soft flourish. Ahh, it’s so gorgeous!
