Escale à Portofino is one of Les Escales de Dior - the fragrance collection that was based on Dior’s Couture Cruise Collection. Inspired by the idea of casual cruise travel, François Demachy, Dior’s in-house perfumer, created a series of fragrances based on specific ports of call or ‘escales’.

M/Mink opens with sparkling, tingling aldehydes, leading to a cold blast of a fresh, salty, marine breeze. This fave of mine is the result of a collaboration between graphic design firm M/M and Byredo, the perfume brand founded by Ben Gorham.

Victor Wong, founder and creative director of Zoologist Perfumes, in 2015 launched the original version of Bat by nose Ellen Covey.

Ormonde Woman dries down to a beautiful intermingling of fresh and powdery and woody notes that’s a one-of-a-kind fragrance.

Eau Noire has a pungent, herbal start from warm sage and dry thyme. A note of licoricey anise joins the herbs, making the opening verdant and dark.

Comme des Garçons PARFUMS Series 6 Synthetic has five scents: Tar, Garage, Dry Clean, Skai, and Soda, and each one is inspired by the smells of life in the city.

Grand Soir opens with a rush of warm, spicy heat from cinnamon leaf. This is a rich, complex note; I smell its woody, boozy and sweet facets. 

LUXE Champaca is part of the Series Luxe collection from Comme des Garçons. The ‘LUXE’ refers not only to the quality of the ingredients but also to the depth of the fragrance.

On a hot, sunny day in Rome, I bought my first bottle of L’Eau d’Hiver, or "water of winter" in English, signed by legendary perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena. It was the start of a long and beautiful relationship.  

Part of the expanded La Collection Privée Christian Dior, Patchouli Impérial is that rare thing; a refined, elegant patchouli scent. Patchouli is a fickle note. On some skin, it just doesn’t last, lasts too long, or doesn’t work. 

It wasn’t until I smelled Blackpepper by Comme des Garçons that I found what I had been looking for: a unisex fragrance that’s unconventional, new and exciting and a joy to wear and to smell.

Canadian designer Mariouche Gagné and perfumer Isabelle Michaud worked closely on Harricana. The fragrance opens with nose-tingling bergamot followed by intensely green and slightly musky galbanum.

Oud is a fragrant dark resin that forms in the heartwood of Aquilaria trees infected with mould. The resin is used to make perfume oil and incense, which have been used in religious ceremonies.

Haunted Rose opens with a burst of nose-tingling black pepper; its spiciness warms an opulent note of rose that’s just a little powdery around the edges.

Tilda Swinton Like This opens with a note of sweet, tangy tangerine that’s bright, lively and captivating. It’s followed by a warm, spicy note of ginger that’s joined by creamy, earthy pumpkin.

Vetiver dries down to a gorgeous, green, floral-tinged beauty that celebrates vetiver's woody, earthy qualities without being dark, heavy, coarse or rough. That’s what I love about it.

Comme des Garçons Series 3 Incense opens with nose-tingling aldehydes that introduce a note of Roman chamomile that’s softly floral, camphourous and lemony.

Sycomore opens with a nose-tickling freshness from aldehydes and camphourous juniper berries. A gentle hint of rose adds floralcy and richness. 

One of the fastest-growing categories of niche scents today are ones that conjure winter all year round. On me, Bruvuvu opens with a bracing bright note of fresh ginger and a camphourous burst of aromatic red cedar. 

Green Irish Tweed Millésime opens with fresh, vibrant verbena, clean and lemony, its floral nuances heightened by a note of powdery, slightly sweet iris. It smells green and deliciously refreshing. 

Ambre Cashmere Intense opens warm and spicy from black pepper cut with notes of sweet, juicy mandarin and tart lemon. The fruits balance the pepper so that the opening is warm yet light, fresh and just a little sweet - the perfect setting for a heart of iris butter and violet.

PHI - Une Rose de Kandahar opens with a note of rich, fruity apricot gently warmed by spicy cinnamon. Almond appears and adds a soft, bittersweet note that tempers the richness of the apricot, while bergamot gives the opening a gentle brightness.

The first time I smelled Cèdre was from the bottle I owned. It wasn’t a blind buy; it was a gift from a very generous friend who thought I would like it. Well, I love her so I was sure I would like it, at least enough to honour her gift.   

Moon Bloom is one of those fragrances that doesn’t go through set stages. Instead, it reveals itself slowly over time.