Isn't dabbing on the right perfume as crucial as choosing the right clothes? No wonder an aquatic splash falls flat at a cocktail party and a spicy one for an outdoor day picnic invites curled up noses. Striking just the perfect notes is like creating a magic potion, and ingredients are sacrosanct. While wood, leather, single and floral bouquets and amber have been traditional fragrant notes to be bottled, modern day scents include bright floral, aquatic, citrus, fruity and fresh notes.

If you thought that an exotic blend of mango and passion fruit or pretty verbenas from a remote village in Europe are as exclusive your perfume can get, the fragrance details of the latest perfumes are sure to intoxicate you in more than one way. Firstly, by their sheer scent and secondly, by their uniqueness to the perfume industry.

Game to introduce some fun, some divine and some totally quirky fragrances into your life? Here are five of our favourite picks.

A tea break

Whether it's the mild waft of green tea or a zesty fresh white tea, the ‘tea' is one of the most sought after ingredients in fragrances. While those blended with floral scents like jasmine are popular with women, plain ones are lapped up by men too for a mood-uplifting experience.

Must have pick: Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea fragrance, L'Occitane's fascinating tea collection that includes The Vert perfume with green tea extract as its heart note and the lovely Bergamot tea fragrance.

Sinful cinnamon

Love the smell of cinnamon wafting out of your slice of apple pie? Now you can add it to your collection of fragrances too. Cinnamon is usually used as a heart or middle note to add warmth and depth to the fragrance. It is also a favourite today for perfumes for men because of the slightly spicy and woody note it adds to the fragrance.

Must have pick: Paco Rabanne's Black XS for men goes deep with cinnamon at its heart along with black cardamom and balsam. The addition of sage, rosewood and patchouli make this a top pick for a woody yet heady fragrance.

Oud la la!

Add some mystery to your evening with an oud-based fragrance. Oud is the resin- embedded heartwood produced when South-East Asian Aquilaria trees are infected by a particular mold. When burnt or distilled, this heartwood produces a complex fragrance. It is therefore highly valued today by top perfumers. Oud is used as a base note for its dense, earthy quality that matures with time. It is used mainly in fragrances for men. With oud, a little goes a long way.

Must have pick: The Giorgio Armani Prive Collection Mille et Une Nuits celebrates the intensity of oud with Oud Royal. The woody tones of oud are enriched by amber, myrrh and spices.

The Spice route

Pepper will no longer belong to the kitchen closet alone. Wars have been waged over this valuable ingredient, so it is only fit that it finds its place in luxury perfumes today. Pepper adds a certain spicy note to perfumes, the smell of which depends on the type of pepper used. Black, green and pink pepper notes add different qualities each to the perfume and are usually brought out best as top notes. Perfumes with hints of pepper in them are described as having an oriental, mysterious fragrance.

Must have pick: 7 Loewe for men carries the power of pepper with other strong elements like cedar, vetiver and red apple to create a fragrance filled with magnetism and depth. Love, Chloe for women is the perfect pick with the tang of pink pepper, orange blossom, soft lilac and wistful wisteria blossom.

Orange fiesta

As summer gets underway, the perfect perfume for a picnic or trip to the beach should have one essential scent, that of orange. The list of orange varieties used in perfumes is endless but it is the orange blossom that captures everyone's fancy in summertime. This delicate flower produces a light and fresh fragrance that adds a sweet note to the perfume. Orange blossoms usually form the top note of fragrances.

Must have pick: Lady Million by Paco Rabanne will carry you from day to night with its sweet blend of orange blossom, raspberry, patchouli and amber. Also for women, Lancome's O de L'Orangerie is filled with the scent of orange blossom, orange zest and jasmine.

Beyond the fragrance

What comes first, the exotic fragrance or the more exotic bottle? Crystal majors can take a bow. Fragrance lovers are increasingly picking up perfume bottles more for the sake of its exquisite carving. Some brands absolutely crave-worthy include:

Lalique

Don’t expect to walk into any luxury perfume store and spot a Lalique. Uber exclusive and ultra luxurious, each of Lalique’s perfumes is a tribute to crystal crafting and intricate carving. This Sans Adieu bottle in rich emerald green is a collector’s prized possession for sure.

Waterford

The Waterford Lismore Eau de Parfum is the latest addition to the Waterford brand line. Inspired by the Lismore crystal pattern, this soft floral fragrance comes in a beautiful vase-shaped bottle that can be added to your crystal collection.

Swarovski

The Swan makes its presence felt in the perfume world too. Among other beauties, this Swarovski Aura, cylindrically shaped and topped with asymmetrical crystals, cases a fragrance with fruity litchi, roses and pink pepper notes.

anushya@thehindu.co.in

archana.a@thehindu.co.in

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