I'm delighted to be back online!

We moved house on 31st January - and I've been offline since then. It's so refreshing to FINALLY be back online. Dear blogging friends and loyal readers - thank you so much for sticking with me.

At the same time as moving house my nose seemed to go offline too. But happily it's now back in full working order. I can't wait to start trying some new perfumes. I've recently been promised samples of a couple of things, so I'm hoping those will arrive in the next few days.

In the meantime - What did I miss?

Fortnum and Mason's Perfume Section

Several people have mentioned how extensive the fragrance section is at Fortnum and Mason. On Saturday I finally had the chance to visit, and they do stock a lot of niche lines. that are hard to come by elsewhere. It almost rivals the Liberty perfume room if you ask me.

Niche brands in Fortnum and Mason include Grossmith, Annick Goutal and Clive Christian. A large section of the third floor displays are room fragrances from lots of different companies. Definitely well worth a visit. 

It's hard to find any information on the Fortnum's website about their perfume section. There's an old link to a Micallef event here, where you can see this cute photo that only hints at the treats there:

And here's a glimpse of the Caron display:

Whilst in Mayfair, I quickly popped into Ormonde Jayne, where they were kind enough to give me a sample of Tiare. I'm toying with the idea of buying a full bottle. I'll see how I feel about it after I've finished this sample.

Melvita Gardenia Ylang Ylang - Fight the Winter Blues

The lovely Shelley from Notes from the Ledge was kind enough to swap some perfumes with me recently. I've just received two brand new perfumes Jacomo Silences and Violette Precieuse by Caron. 

From a very brief first-sniff, Silences is reminding me of Annick Goutal's Grand Amour.

I've read that Silences is very green. In fact what attracted me to it was that quite a few descriptions compared it with Chanel No. 19. I'm pretty familiar with No. 19 as it's a scent that I grew up smelling. But Silences is actually quite different. It's more of a sweetened green. Imagine, if you can, slightly caramelised lily stems that have been snapped and crushed. Fresh, but with an extra edge.

I also have to mention my current anti-winter favourite. It's Melvita's Gardenia - Ylang Ylang.

It's a new scent, from the Melvita range, which prides itself on its natural ingredients. If you want a perfume that's going to remind you of a tropical island, this is it. It reminds me of coconut, which is a first for any perfume. Absolutely gorgeous.

British Vogue February 2011 - Perfume Ads

Not one. Not one single perfume ad in the February issue of Vogue.

However, there is an editorial on 'understated scents'. Featured perfumes include the new Hermessence Iris Ukiyoe and a range of five new perfumes from Roger Vivier. The article also notes that Michael Boadi (creator of Boadicea the Victorious) had developed Illuminum, "a range of 16 fragrances, each created from only eight ingredients".

There's also a fabulous picture of some fragrances, which I can't resist including. The bottles pictured are of Chanel No. 5 Eau de Parfum; Tom Ford Private Blend White Suede Eau de Parfum and Prada Infusion d'Iris Eau de Toilette.

Some Family Photos - Children and Food

Here's a picture of my two smallest having tea today. Not to say I'm a bad cook, but look what they're doing with the food.

And here they are having a cream tea in Cornwall six weeks ago. Cake is a different story.

They're one an a half and totally adorable (if I say so myself).

Comme des Garcons Series 3: Incense Avignon

During the We Three Kings joint blogging project I read so much great stuff about Avignon that I gave my husband a bottle of this deep, rich Comme des Garcons incense fragrance for Christmas. Smelling it over the last week has made me very happy. There's a beauty and grace to churches, even for non-believers like me, that's awe-inspiring. Is it the memory of vaulted ceilings and coloured sunlight pouring through stained glass windows that gives Avignon perfume its ethereal charm? Or is it something innately graceful about in frankincense/incense that makes Avignon so appealing? Either way it's a proud and slightly flamboyant perfume that I'm loving.

 

The first spray of Avignon has an incredibly dark inky quality. It initially reminds me of Serge Lutens's Daim Blond. That's not to say that these two fragrances smell the same, but there's a similarity in the richness and dark depth. Avignon is also quite woody. I'm not usually a fan of woody fragrances, but this is old piano woody rather than pine forest woody.

In a review from 2006, Robin from NowSmellThis describes Avignon as "what I think of as the industry standard" for incense fragrances. Praise indeed. Over at Scent of the Day Krista Janicki asks "Does heaven smell of frankincense?" If you like the smell of church incense. Or if you've every walked into a cathedral and been overwhelmed by the beauty of the architecture, then you should definitely try Avignon.

We Three Kings - Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

Three Kings Icon ©2010 Megan Ruisch

This whole joint blogging process has made me really nervous. Usually my posts are for me alone and anybody else who cares to read them. As it's only me that's culpable I don't feel that I've let anybody down, or made an obvious blunder with my very patchy perfume knowledge. Knowing that this post is contributing to the We Three Kings joint blogging project has rather prevented me from putting metaphorical pen to paper. What shall I say and how shall I say it? I caught myself seriously contemplating the idea of writing a whole post in rhyme. Enough is enough. I'm just going to pile in and apologise in advance for any mistakes or omissions.

First of all, Gold, brought by Caspar of the Three Wise Men or Three Kings. Gold had me slightly foxed as a theme. I couldn't think of anything other than Gold by Donna Karan. I wish I could say that I love this Donna Karan number, but really, I'm not crazy about it. It's pure lily, and to my nose, pretty much unadulterated. It's fresh and green and wholesome, but not something that I could fall in love with. In my book it's an 'interview scent'. You're not going to offend anybody wearing this, but it would be a great leap to feel passionate about it.

I toyed with some other perfumes linked to gold. Gucci Guilty springs to mind, largely because of the packaging, but also because I mistakenly think of it as 'Gilt-y'. However, my children unceremoniously wrote off Guilty, saying that it smelt like custard. I know what they mean, although perhaps that's not the exact description that would have come to my mind.  I will persist in my quest for another gold related scent over the next few days, to find out if there's something more befitting of Caspar.

Onto frankincense, brought by Melchior. I found selecting a good frankincense fragrance much more enjoyable. Frankincense is churchy and religious in a good way to this devout non-believer. It's more tricky to single out an individual frankincense fragrance, as there are more than a handful of beauties.

My local SpaceNK store has recently started stocking some of the Comme des Garcons fragrances. I've been nipping in regularly to test and retest Comme des Garcons Series 3: Frankincense Ouarzazate. Firstly, the name, for anybody who's visited Ouarzazate in Morocco, is incredibly evocative. Ouarzazate is a remote desert town, surrounded on every side by sandy wilderness. The local film studios also happen to be the location for a whole load of block busters. It's intriguing to drive to somewhere so remote and for it be still strangely familiar from a whole host of major films, including Indiana Jones, Prince of Persia, Gladiator, The Mummy and a stack of others that you can see here.

My husband and I were on holiday in Morocco years ago where we'd hired this most ridiculous new car. It was so factory-fresh that we practically had to strip off the packaging before getting in. We may as well have been wearing signs saying, Mug us, we're new here. Heading out of Marrakech in the direction of Ouarzazate, we got hopelessly lost. In a moment of blind panic, my husband wound down the window at a roundabout and shouted "Qu'est que ce Ouarzazate?" (What is Ouarzazate?) to the bemusement of the driver in the car next to us. A bit like driving round Piccadilly Circus and shouting out, Wherefore Brighton? Classic holiday-maker idiocy. 

With all that in mind I wanted to love a perfume that brought back such happy holiday memories. Initially I thought I did, and was all set to write a shiny, happy review of Ouarzazate. Lucky Scent's description is "a crossroads of perfectly blended, spiced incense of the Middle Eastern variety" with which I can agree to an extent. It is spicy and exotic and complex. Everything you hope for from an incense fragrance. And yet, and yet...

So, yesterday I rummaged to the bottom of my sample collection and came across an untested sample of Heeley's Cardinal. And blimey that's good stuff. In a review from 2006, Robin at Now Smell This compares Cardinal to Comme des Garcons Avignon, which he labels 'industry standard', so perhaps I've been sniffing the wrong Comme des Garcons all along. Like several other excellent Heeley scents that I've sampled, Cardinal is not subtle. As a rule this brand tends to be more of a smack in the face rather than a whisper in your ear. For me, this is  no bad thing, particularly when it dries down relatively quickly to something more subtle and equally enjoyable.

The Heeley website gives the following official notes: baie rose, black pepper, aldehyde, labdanum ciste, frankincense, vetiver, gray amber, patchouli. Whilst I can't smell all of those notes, I think it's the frankincense and patchouli mix that gives the ethereal frankincense an intriguing earthy tone. It's a bit of a perfume ying and yang, which I'm really enjoying.

And finally Myrrh, brought by Balthazar. Hmm. Honestly speaking, I wasn't aware of myrrh being in any perfumes. But I was so wrong, it's in an awful lot. Myrrh, like frankincense is a dried resin. Roja Dove, in The Essence of Perfume says of myrrh, "..it has the slightest hint of warm, soft liquorice. ..myrrh rates as one of the best fixatives available to the perfumer". So it's a useful element of perfume as well as having a charming smell.

Grand Amour by Annick Goutal was to be my selection for Balthazar- bringer of myrrh. As far as I'm concerned Annick Goutal can do no wrong. So many of her perfumes, as I've written several times before, are absolutely gorgeous. They particularly appeal to me because so many of them are floral, with little hint of much else. And ultimately I'm the biggest floral fan. A lot of other fragrances really pass me by.

This is the list of notes that Annick Goutal's website use to describe Grand Amour: "Floral, green, soft amber, White lily, hyacinth, honeysuckle, hint of Turkish rose, jasmin, base notes of amber, vanilla and myrrh, musky note". Which all in all creates a pretty, pretty perfume.

But we're talking about the Three Kings here. Does Grand Amour really give any perfumer lover an idea of what myrrh really smells like? I'm sceptical. Something much more atmospheric is needed, and I think I've recently found it in Caron's Parfum Sacre. A small sample of Parfum Sacre has languished in my sample collection since I bought the Make Up Alley's Top 25 perfumes from The Scented Court about a year ago. I can't even remember if I properly tested this fragrance at the time. If I did, then I was too dumb to realise that Parfum Sacre is an absolute classic. It definitely includes myrrh, and almost reminds me of frankincense and it is 'churchy' as the name suggests. It's wintry, aromatic and spicy. I'm gutted that I've just finished my sample, having taken so long to properly discover it.

So that's it, We Three Kings. I'm delighted to be part of this joint blogging project. Please check out the websites of all the other bloggers involved:

All I Am - A Redhead

Bonkers About Perfume

Chicken Freak's Obsession

EauMG

Notes from Josephine

Parfumieren

The Perfume Chronicles

Scent of the Day

Redolent of Spices

Dancing Elves

Some festive fun - my family as a troop of dancing elves. There are a couple of short ads at the beginning.

Announcing We Three Kings - A Joint Blogging Project

I'm delighted to be amongst a group of bloggers working on a joint blogging project this Christmas season. We Three Kings is going to be a review of three perfumes; one for gold, one for frankincense and one for myrrh. All the reviews will be coming up next week.

Three Kings Icon ©2010 Megan Ruisch

 

Please check out the blogs of the other fragrant members of the We Three Kings project too: 

All I Am - A Redhead

Bonkers About Perfume

Chicken Freak's Obsession

EauMG

Notes from Josephine

Parfumieren

The Perfume Chronicles

Scent of the Day

Redolent of Spices

10 Top Tips for Increasing Visitors to Your Blog

For what it's worth - here are my top 10 tips for developing your blog and increasing visitor numbers. I get between 300 and 400 visitors each day, which, after a year is ok, not brilliant. If you've got any additional tips, then please add a comment.

1. Know where you're starting from and where you want to be. To do this you need a visitor monitor. I use Statcounter, which I first read about at LibertyLondonGirl more than a year ago.  I also have Google Analytics monitoring my site. They both present information in slightly different ways, so worth uploading a couple of different gadgets for this mighty task.

2. Tweet. Sometimes I feel very brave and tweet a lot. Then I have days when I feel like a shrinking violet and can't tweet at all. However you're feeling, Twitter is a great resource, and is there to be used.  

3. Submit your RSS feed to Google. No, I don't understand what it means either. Just Google the phrase and follow the steps. I've got London MakeUp Girl to thank for this tip. Take the time to do it (now).

4. Everybody says it. I'm just repeating it. Get involved in your community. Comment on other people's blogs. Consider writing responses to posts you've read elsewhere. Link to other bloggers. Update your 'blogroll' so it reflects which sites you're actually reading rather than what you think you should be reading.

5. Develop a weekly running order. This isn't something that I do myself (yet) but I think I might put one in place. For instance, I love the Lazy Friday Poll at Now Smell This. This is a tip that I saw in a Design Sponge video recently (which I can't find now otherwise I would link to it).

  

6. Don't over-estimate the success of other sites. Although it's only a rough guide, Alexa can give you a general idea of how any website is doing. I search my own blog on Alexa, which currently ranks at about 2.7 million (I know) then compare it with other sites. Sometimes Alexa can yield some surprising results.

7. Use a book like "Search Engine Optimization An Hour a Day" to understand how to make your blog appealing to bots. Even if you implement just one element of the advice, it's going to pay off.

8. Consider the title of your blog. If your name includes a highly searched word, then it's really going to help. For instance Peter (from Peter's Paris) mentioned to me that anybody searching for "Paris" in any context would eventually stumble across his blog. This, clearly, isn't the only reason for the success of this intriguing photoblog, but it has certainly helped. I've just checked on Alexa and the ranking for Peter's Paris is 643,250, which for a personal blog is phenomenal.

9. Be controversial. Last month Brian at I Smell Therefore I Am wrote this entertaining and somewhat controversial post. There are 57 comments, and counting. Some people agreed (me), some people got upset, but whatever Brian's intentions, it sure got a lot of readers. And that, after all, is what it's all about.

10. Include photos. I love photos, and as a result of blogging I take a lot more of them, which has been really positive for me personally. I now have a lot more photos of my children.

I would love to hear what you've done to increase visitor numbers to your blog. Please do leave a comment.

Dear Grazia magazine, about your recent article....

Dear Grazia magazine,

Your recent perfume article (6th December) is incredibly confusing for perfume wearers and lovers alike. You've divided perfumes into two varieties 'more' and 'less'. In the 'more' group:

Tom Ford Private Blend

Chanel Exclusifs

Dior J'Adore L'Or

Chanel No 5

Guerlain Shalimar

Mary Greenwell Plum

Chloe Love

Michael Kors Very Hollywood

Diptyque Eau Duelle

In the 'less' group:

Illuminum

Chloe floral trio

Marc Jacobs Splash range

Dior Diorama

Lalique Fleur de Cristal

Philosphy Eternal Grace

Nasomatto Nuda

In the complicated world of perfume choice, your article has, I feel, made the picture more confusing rather than less. Perfumes, as we all know, don't fall into neat groups. They need to be tried and tested and worn and experimented with. 

What's more, the article glosses over the interesting stories behind many of the perfumes mentioned. It feels like a missed opportunity to properly educate your perfume-wearing readers. For instance, Plum by Mary Greenwell. I want to know why a make-up artist has decided to develop a fragrance, rather than developing a make-up range. You mention Tom Ford Private Blend and Chanel Les Exclusifs - but what are they? Surely some of your readers would like to know more. 

Your readers are much more informed than you realize. We don't want an article listing all the latest releases to keep your advertisers happy. We want to hear from perfumers about the latest trends and be given credible advice from a beauty editor whose opinion we can actually trust.

Best wishes,

Jess at MyPerfumeLife.com

Rumba by Balenciaga - Perfume Review

Balenciaga Rumba is my most recent perfume discovery. Having read nothing about this fragrance I did a blind swap. And, as it turns out, Rumba is pretty fabulous in a truly unfashionable, 1980s, big perfume way.

I looked to other, wiser perfume bloggers for their thoughts. Bois de Jasmin writes (in a review from 2005) "Rumba is miles away from minimalist. It is vibrant and exuberant, expanding into waves of warmth interspersed by beguiling darkness." A comment on Fragrantica goes on, "Rumba gives you the big rich debutante's bouquet, honey and fruits on the table and patchouli and leather in the night air." Angela from NST, had this to say in 2006, "Rumba is big and deep, and is a strange but compelling combination of a hot electric burner, fruit, and beeswax". And Patty at Perfume Posse writes "Rumba sounds deeply, desperately not my sort of thing", and goes on to say how much she likes it.

Rumba isn't a muted edgy 2010 fragrance. Released in 1988, it was created by Jean-Claude Ellena and Ron Winnegrad and has a very old-school feel about it. It's a giant step step away from the usual kind of perfume that I would buy or like. But the soft beeswax and honey elements make it gentle and wearable without being overtly sweet. 

Rumba is definitely going to be a regular feature in my perfume wardrobe this winter. Of course I'll be wearing it in a retro, tongue in cheek kind of way. 

Christmas Present Wishlist - Perfume Sample Set from Etat Libre D'Orange

When I wrote about Perfume Sample Sets last week, I knew that there would be some genius ones that I would forget to mention. A few days ago I was reminded on Twitter that there is an excellent Etat Libre D'Orange sample gift set. It's called the Coffret Prestige and consists of 16 x 10ml miniature bottles. 

At the Lucky Scent website the price is $150. It's also available from the Etat Libre D'Orange website for €120.

I like Etat Libre D'Orange because it's quirky and tongue in cheek. The perfumes don't necessarily get the best reviews ever, but it's a fun brand with some entertaining ideas and concepts.

New Store on Sloane Square - Ormonde Jayne

There's a brand new Ormonde Jayne store on Sloane Square. Infinitely more accessible (for me) than the Royal Arcade, so I'm looking forward to visiting very soon. 

The Ormonde Jayne Discovery Set featured in my recent blog post about sample sets for Christmas gifts. Worth considering.

Link Love and Festive Decoration Ideas

Link Love

I always have that *gaah* feeling when I read about other bloggers' perfume finds. Having wrestled with the green-eyed monster, LondonMakeUpGirl's review of Roxana Illuminated perfume is definitely worth a read.

In Vienna there is a showroom dedicated to one lonely perfume. I can hardly believe it. Read about it at Olfactoria'sTravels.  

An intervew with one of the co-founders of the brilliant Atelier Cologne at CaFleureBon.

EauMG has a Christmas gift list for your favourite goth.

GetLippie recommends a some luscious scented candles in her Christmas picks.

Did I mention that I love Christmas decorations?

This felt ball Christmas decoration looks wonderfully festive. If I get round to making one I'll post a photo.

Forget traditional Christmas cake. This is THE cake that I'm going to be making with my children during the holidays. 

Some beautiful suggestions for Christmas gift wrapping from StyleMePretty. 

Gorgeous pom-pom wrapping ideas from BugsandFishes.

Christmas Present Wishlist - Perfume Sample Sets

There's no doubt about it, perfume sample sets make a lovely Christmas present. Here's my pick of the bunch, ranging from quite economical to absolutely lavish.


The Bond No 9 Bon-Bon Box is covetable for its multi-coloured sweetie-paper packaging alone. This set of 18 different 6ml samples will set you back an enormous $260. This isn't actually bad value at only $2.40 per ml, but it's a hefty investment.

The Ormonde Jayne Discovery Set includes 12 samples of 2ml each, for a bargainous £42, which is £1.75 per ml. As a fan of Ormonde Jayne, this is a great set to own.

,

For devotees of Penhaligon's you could try the economical Scent Library for £15. It includes 10 samples of both male and female Penhaligon's fragrances. The samples are probably 2ml sizes, which gives a price of £1.33 per ml.

Make your own selection of Tauer perfumes to  create a unique Discovery Set at $31.30. This is pretty pricey at more than $4 per ml, but as Tauer creates some truly distinctive  fragrances, this might well be worth the investment.

At the luxury end of the market, the Clive Christian Traveller Sample Set includes 3 fragrance samples in 10ml sizes bottles. For the total price of $310, that's just under $1 per ml, which is less than half the price of the Bond No 9 samples. You just need to make sure that this gift recipient likes at least one of these Clive Christian scents.

At Hermes you can select 4 perfumes to create a bespoke coffret of 15mls samples from a total of seven Hermessence fragrances. At €100 this works out at pretty good value for €1.66 per ml. And finally, the Parfumerie Generale collection of 20 perfumes for €430. The sample size is 15ml so this works out at excellent value: €0.69 per ml.

Happy shopping.

New Lalique Book Signing at London's Lalique Boutique

The Art Of Rene Lalique is a new book by Christie Mayer Lefkowith. 

It illustrates the journey of Rene Lalique from his time as a jeweler until he was commissioned by Francois Coty to design their beautiful perfume flacons. As a result, Rene Lalique revolutionised the perfume industry. His designs elevated the presentation of perfume and powder boxes to the level of an exquisite art form.

On Tuesday November 30th 2010, Christie Mayer Lefkowith will be making a personal appearance at the Lalique Boutique, 47 Conduit Street, W1 for book signing.

Recent Perfume Haul - Latest Exchanges

Stacks of new perfumes have been dropping through my letter box over the last couple of weeks. Thanks to everybody who has already traded with me. If you're interested in making any perfume exchange, you can see my list here.

Noix de Tubereuse is a perfume that I've liked for a while. Sadly, my husband isn't a fan. So I will be wearing this one secretly when he's at work.

Passion is unlike any other Annick Goutal that I've previously tried. This is how the Annick Goutal website describes it:

Passion is the first fragrance that Annick Goutal composed for herself. By recapturing the base of the scent Folavril, she added with her artistic talent all the heady white flowers that she loved so much.
Passion is a tailor-made fragrance, which looks like her, the one of a passionate woman, in love with life... 

Passion was launched in 1983 and includes notes of jasmine, ylang-ylang, tomato leaves, tuberose, patchoulie, oakmoss and vanilla. This all ads up to something that I should love, but at the moment it's reminding me of shaving foam. 

I've longed for some perfume from The Etat Libre D'Orange range, and finally I have one, Divin'Enfant. The ELDO website says:

..after the gentle top notes of orange blossom and marshmallow, breaks the unexpected accord of coffee, leather and cold tobacco...

I didn't expect to like this one, but it's so far it's been a lot of fun and easy to wear.

Then, out of the blue Miller Harris sent me some of their delicious Figue Amere. This is a fig fragrance with real personality. 

Today I received the delightful Cuir de Lancome. 

Traditionally I haven't been a fan of leather fragrances, but on first sniff, Cuir de Lancome is beautiful. I can see this one making a reglular appearance in my perfume wardrobe.

As if all that isn't enough, I've also been sent a sample of Serge Lutens L'Eau, which I've only tried briefly once before. I'm looking forward to wearing this one. 

And, three samples from Apothia Los Angeles: Pearl, If and Velvet Rope. I haven't even had a chance to try these yet.

More on all these perfumes soon.

Christmas Present Wishlist - Five Sexy Perfumes

Here's my roundup of sexy fragrances to buy your loved one this Christmas.

Houbigant Paris - Quelques Fleurs L'Original. It's said that this is Dita Von Teese's perfume of choice, so there's no questioning its sexy credentials.

What's more, the bottle and packaging are truly lovely. This re-release of a previously well-established fragrance would be a stylish gift for even the most difficult to please.

A sexy fragrance list wouldn't be complete without mentioning at least one Chanel fragrance. For me it's Coco by Chanel. A year ago, when I started my perfume odyssey, I would almost certainly not have liked this. But having tried a lot of perfumes in the meantime, I've now come round to the magical qualities of Coco. The smell defies description. For me there's a butteriness to it that is smooth and luxurious.

The golden lid and chunky design of the bottle add to the feeling of quality for Coco. 

The scent of the tuberose flower can be incredibly sexy. For the best of the best when it comes to tuberose fragrances, try Ormonde Jayne's Tiare. I don't (yet) own a bottle of this one, so here's a shot from Ormonde Jayne's website.

I find it impossible to stay away from tuberose when thinking about sexy fragrances. One that needs including on this sexy fragrance list is Miller Harris's Noix de Tubereuse. I've just made some delightful perfume trades with Carol from Waft and am now the happy owner of a bottle of this one. 

I wasn't quite sure about Noix de Tubereuse when I first tried it back in April. It's a creamy blend of almonds and tuberose - well that's how it appears to me. The Miller Harris description doesn't feature almonds at all, but I'm not budging. 

My final choice in this selection is Chinatown by Bond No. 9. For various reasons Bond No. 9 fragrances come in for a lot of criticism online. I rarely mention their perfumes. But Chinatown is one that I tried over a year ago, and I still really enjoy wearing. It's glamorous and sophisticated, despite the garish pink bottle. Do try it.

Christmas Present Wishlist - Six Fabulous Fig Fragrances

In the run up to Christmas, I'm going to be putting together some perfume present ideas. I'm kicking off today with everybody's favourite fresh note: fig. 

A good fig fragrance will not only remind you of the ripe fruit, it will also hint at earthiness and the wet leaves of a fig grove. Here are six great fig frags to choose from.

Number one on the list has to be Diptyque's Philosykos. Every woman (and man) needs a bottle of Philosykos as a reminder of the verdant days of spring and summer. Philosykos is mild and eminently wearable.  If that's not enough, it also comes in this gorgeous packaging in solid form for only £28.

If the man in your life isn't overly keen on wearing any kind of fragrance, then Heeley's Figuier may be the one to win him over. The no-nonsense bottle and packaging, combine beautifully with the uncomplicated fragrance of Figuier.

Figue Amere was my antidote to reading Robert Harris's scorched earth novel, The Road, earlier this year. The Miller Harris brand is perfect for 'natural' fragrance lovers, and Figue Amere is no exception.

You've seen the ads, now try the scent. Womanity by Thierry Mugler is by no means the most subtle of perfumes. Buy this if you want to score a big hit with the teenager in your life. They'll wonder how you got to be so cool.

For home fragrance fans, a scented candle is a welcome treat. The only fragranced candles that I buy are fig based. Figuier by Diptyque is potent and fabulous. It comes in white and green versions.

And last, but by no means least, my personal favourite Annick Goutal's Ninfeo Mio. Look at that bottle. What's not to love?