This is probably the most important time of year to launch a new fragrance - in time for the Christmas rush. The festive season 2005/6 has attracted perhaps more than its fair share of newcomers and old favourites with a new twist. HILARIE STELFOX reviews a selection of the fragrances that we can expect to find in our Christmas stockings
MISS Dior Chérie is the new one from the design house whose pedigree goes back nearly 60 years to the chic New Look of Christian Dior. Despite its name this one is nothing like the famous Miss Dior fragrance that has become a classic. It's fresher, younger and fruitier. According to one Miss Dior fan, the new Chérie is a pretty fragrance with a warm heart. However, she says, don't buy it for someone who likes Miss Dior thinking that they will necessarily like it. Top notes of strawberry and green tangerine overlay floral and sugary heart notes and a musky, patchouli base. A 30 ml eau de parfum is £24.25. (The model used by Dior for this fragrance is the grand-daughter of Elvis Presley - Riley Keough).
` Paul Smith fragrances are the height of contemporary fashion and art. His bottles are always works of understated art, while his famous multi-stripes usually find their way on to the packaging. His new one, simply called Floral, is a bit of hippy chic with a psychedelic logo and a scent that combines citrus fruits, white flowers, musk and amber. It's quite distinctive and comes in a round metal can, just like the Gaultier fragrances. A 30ml eau de parfum is £22.
` Cherish is the new one from the makers of Ghost. Although this is a pretty floral scent with an instant appeal, it has to be said that it has poor staying power. You'd need to use a lot - spritz it all over - to get a fragrance that lasts more than half an hour or so. Still, there are some people who want a really subtle perfume and don't mind re-applying at regular intervals. Price £28 for 50ml eau de toilette.
` Escada's new signature scent is a fresh floral that promises a sparkling fragrance. It's a complex perfume with heady topnotes of bergamot and blackcurrant subdued by fresh green notes and a floral bouquet of magnolia, jasmine, rose and orange blossom. There's lots going on as it dries down too - with vanilla, musk, amber and sandalwood to give it lasting oomph. A 30ml eau de parfum is £25.
` Flower by Kenzo Oriental is a new take on what has been an extremely successful fragrance for the Japanese designer. The original is powerfully floral while the Oriental has aromatic woody notes, pepper, violet and rose to make it appeal to those who want something a little more punchy and distinctive. Packaged in the signature `bent' bottle with crisp white packaging, it's a true oriental fragrance. Price £43.50 for 50mls.
` 5th Avenue After Five is yet another new take on a previously successful fragrance. From Elizabeth Arden, it is aimed at the young, clubbing female who wants a modern oriental with a hint of sensuality. As the name implies this is a night time fragrance, too heady for daytime wear, and has some unusual notes - bergamot, coriander, honeysuckle, saffron and tonka are among the ingredients. A 30ml eau de parfum spray is £25.
` Yves Saint Laurent is celebrating the first anniversary of its perfume Cinéma with a gold collector bottle. The fragrance is the same but the bottle is a work of art - studded with gold and the YSL logo. Apparently, there are people who buy such limited editions to keep in the cupboard - but this one is definitely too good to tuck away. Cinéma has a rich, luminous scent with lots of white musk, vanilla and amber as it dries, and top notes of soft almond tree blossom. In time it may become a classic.
Price, £39 for a 50ml natural spray.
` Gaultier² (to the power of two) is actually one for both him and her. It's a neat idea. One bottle, with a metallic side, that can be fastened magnetically to another. The same fragrance, but you have your own bottle. This one makes a refreshing change from all the strongly floral scents around at the moment, but then few male fragrances have floral notes. Instead it is spicy, delicious and very different. There's amber, musk and vanilla in a warm, harmonious mix. Not one for strict vegans though as it contains expensive ambergris from whales that have been cast ashore in the Pacific and Indian oceans (that's according to the publicity blurb). The musk, however, is synthetic. A single bottle of Gaultier² is £27 for a 20ml eau de parfum, while a pair is £50 for two 40mls eau de parfum.
` Lacoste Essential is one of those zingy, mountain-stream fresh fragrances, heavy on the green and ocean notes. It's a real breath of fresh air among the heavier men's fragrances and even contains rose - why not? There's nothing too effeminate about this one. What's more it contains something called Time Release Technology, which means that it will have staying power. Why can't all fragrances have this? Price £30 for 75ml eau de toilette.
` Hugo Energise is more of a traditional men's aftershave. It has sharp citrus top notes and dries down to sandalwood, nubuck leather and cocoa. This is one that you either love or hate - there's no middle ground. Price £30 for 75mls eau de toilette spray.
You could be a winner - by a nose!
WHICH fragrance do you hope to find in your Christmas stocking, and why? Tell us about your favourite perfume; what you like about it and why you started wearing it and you could win a bottle of fine fragrance as an early Christmas present. We'll choose the best letters for publication. Write to: Hilarie Stelfox, Features Department, Huddersfield Examiner, PO Box A 26, Queen Street South, Huddersfield HD1 2TD. Or e-mail: hilarie.stelfox@examiner.co.uk
