Some fragrances take time to get to know the wearer – the initial spritz doesn’t always tell the whole story. I certainly have scents in my collection like this. The following three, however, fall into a different category, one I like to call “love at first sniff.” Nowadays, it is rare for me to smell a fragrance and fall instantly head over heels, but the ones on this list are delightful exceptions. While preference is, of course, personal, I would highly recommend these to anyone on the hunt for a new fragrance.
Dedcool’s Taunt put a smile on my face the second I tried it for the first time. There is something in this that takes me back to adolescence; it evokes a sense of magical nostalgia for the 2000s. The actual notes are bergamot, fresh dew, florals, cassis, vanilla and amber – a harmonious blend that feels like sunshine on skin. It’s youthful but not immature, sweet but not syrupy – the bergamot is the star of the show, in my opinion. At risk of being cliché, it is happiness, bottled.
Jasmin de Minuit by Veronique Gabai is the fresh white floral of my dreams. It smells like the most luxurious load of clean laundry you’ve ever smelled – which is exactly my type. This is not your heady jasmine; this is a bright yet delicate scattering of soft white petals, gently nuzzled by a midnight breeze. It’s white linen dried in the springtime sun. This is one of those fragrances that, upon application, makes you feel like you’re freshly showered. I am simply in love. Bergamot, jasmine, vetiver and patchouli make up this heavenly elixir.
The third standout – and the first-discovered of this list – is Creed’s Wind Flowers. This lavish blend of jasmine, orange blossom, tuberose absolute, rose de mai, iris, musk and more is the scent that struck me out of a rut. Due to market trends (and olfactory fatigue), fragrances tend to start smelling alike. This one, though – it’s a true masterpiece. When I first got my nose on this fragrance, my mind was blown as I was reminded how much I could love perfume. It’s a fresh, sweet floral that dries down to an honeyed, airy cloud that reminds me of running barefoot through a meadow dotted with pinprick pink buds. Simply divine.
