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Finding your signature scent is no easy feat. It needs to be something that reflects your uniqueness and never fails to lift your mood — and ideally, one that you won’t get bored of wearing every day. As beauty editors, we’re inundated with all sorts of new launches and trending fragrances yet very few of them pass muster. There’s no worse feeling than finding a long-forgotten bottle of perfume at the back of your bathroom shelf, only to discover that it has gone off.
So when we do land on that elusive scent we enjoy enough to spritz every last drop — and gladly go back for another bottle — it’s a pretty big deal. We don’t gatekeep perfume around here: Ahead, we’ve tapped our team to drop the names of their favourite scents that never let them down.
Glossier You Eau de Parfum, £62
“I remember writing a review for Glossier You when it first launched back in 2017 — that’s how long I have loved this perfume. I remember founder Emily Weiss describing it as something that smells ‘like your boyfriend’s neck after he has been wearing cologne for eight hours’. I’m not sure I fully agreed with her but I’ve gone through multiple bottles since then, so she was definitely onto something. It’s warm but fresh, if that makes sense — a balance of woody and musky with florals and pepper. It’s bright and sexy and best of all, it smells different on everyone. There is a lot of conversation around skin scents lately, which is precisely what Glossier You is — a subtle eau de parfum that’s supposed to melt into your skin and enhance your natural scent — proving yet again that Emily Weiss was ahead of the game. I’m excited because they recently launched a Glossier You body crème, so I can envelop myself in the scent even more.” — Sara Tan, beauty director
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Diptyque Orphéon Eau de Parfum, £153
“If I could go back in time and be a fly on the wall in just one decade, it’d be the Roaring Twenties. All hedonistic and glamorous, I can just imagine the sharp bobs and gilt jazz club interiors. I often wonder what that newfound freedom would smell like, too, and I’m guessing it’s pretty close to Diptyque Orphéon. With vanilla-like tonka bean, rich jasmine and juniper berries (which give gin its distinct flavour), it’s reminiscent of a Parisian cocktail bar — a highly exclusive one — where everyone is sharing tobacco and sipping on gin martinis. But it’s never too much. The dry-down is powdery and clean and feels comforting every time I catch a whiff of it on my clothes. I sprayed a little onto a dress last week and put it through the laundry that evening. Even though it’s been washed, I can still smell it. Here’s the thing: I’m very funny with perfume. I smell something and love it, then a few weeks later I can’t stand it. Not with this. It’s the only perfume I’ve ever used right down to the last drop and I can’t wait to spritz it every morning — even if I’m not going anywhere.” — Jacqueline Kilikita, deputy beauty director
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Elizabeth Arden White Tea Eau De Parfum, £37
“I’m practically addicted to the refreshing fragrance of loose leaf tea — and no other brand has been more successful at bottling it for a decent price than Elizabeth Arden. I love spritzing White Tea Eau De Parfum all over my body when I get out of the shower; it’s one of the most well-balanced scents I have ever smelled and can be described as floral, fresh and gourmand all at once.
“You catch invigorating whiffs of white tea leaves and mate (a herbal tea popular in South America) right away but it never becomes too grassy or earthy, thanks to the rose water and jasmine in the middle notes. I don’t like overpowering floral scents but here the tea leaves and white florals harmonise to create a delicate and elegant scent. It’s rounded out with tonka and amber in the base, which creates a warm, skinlike musk that lingers. I always get asked for the name of my perfume whenever I have this on. This complex and luxurious profile is right up there with some of my favourite designer tea perfumes, such as BVLGARI Au Thé Vert, £85, and Miller Harris Tea Tonique, £140, but at a fraction of the price. If I were to describe myself as a scent, this would very much be it.” — Venus Wong, senior writer
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Givenchy L’Interdit Eau de Toilette, £56
“I know eau de toilette is meant to be less powerful than eau de parfum but Givenchy L’Interdit was built differently. I wear this perfume every date night (in my experience, men absolutely love it) and whenever I want to feel a bit sexy, regardless of whether a man is involved. I also reach for it when I need my perfume to last because my god, does this last. So for example, if I have a long day at the office followed by socialising at night, this may well be what I’m wearing. And if you spray it on clothing, it will linger until you wash the item. I vividly remember leaving a guy’s flat the morning after a date, putting my jumper back on and being hit with this fragrance as if I’d just spritzed it there and then. Impressive and completely deviates from the general rules governing fragrance longevity. No notes.” — Tanyel Mustafa, senior writer
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Parfums de Marly Delina Eau de Parfum, £140
“Given the eye-watering price, it breaks my heart every day that this is the only perfume that I’ve liked enough to use up the whole bottle, but it really is that good. I’ve never tried another rose scent like it: a rich, sweet, fruity-floral concoction of rose, rhubarb, peony, lychee and vanilla that never feels too heady, powdery or saccharine. It’s hard to put into words but Delina is exactly how I imagine Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette to smell: ultra-feminine, elegant and luxurious but also fun and playful. I’m now waiting for my birthday and hoping one of my loved ones treats me to another bottle.” — Esther Newman, affiliate writer
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Armani Beauty My Way Eau de Parfum, £67 £56.95
“I’m a very superstitious person so if good things happen while I’m wearing a certain perfume, you best believe that I will be spraying it until the very last drop. A close friend gifted me My Way a few years ago when I was struggling in a toxic workplace, as a way to remind me that I could always forge my own path. There’s something about the sweet floral scent that makes me feel instantly more self-assured and confident. The blend of tuberose, vanilla and jasmine announces its presence without being cloying, while the bergamot and cedarwood add a bit of edge. It lasts forever even compared to the more expensive scents I own; I can still smell it on my wrists at the end of the evening. During this low point in my life, I wore it every morning as a pick-me-up and eventually garnered enough courage to cold-quit that job without a backup plan. Everything in my career has worked out since then and I can’t help but feel that I have this ‘good luck perfume’ to thank. I’m down to the very last drop of my bottle and am considering buying the new refillable version when I do run out.” — Venus Wong, senior writer
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Jo Malone London Honeysuckle & Davana Cologne, £118
“This is an easy everyday choice for me. It lasts for a workday, has some projection but nothing offensive to sensitive noses, and gets me compliments. It’s not too sweet nor too earthy and it’s perfectly balanced to my nose. To me, it’s sophisticated and grown up without feeling ‘old’. Ultimately, I feel put-together when I wear it. It’s the last step before I’m ready to leave the house. I’ve got through a few bottles of this over the years and I think it’s the best Jo Malone cologne going.” — Tanyel Mustafa, senior writer
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Lancôme Idôle Eau de Parfum, £60
“This was my starter fragrance — and I’ve never gotten over it. I see myself as a ‘girly girl’ and have a preference for sweeter scents. Not syrupy sweet, though; more like floral, fresh, ‘just hopped out of a good shower’ sweet. The fresh and floral notes in Idôle really speak to me. The jasmine, rose and chypre accord are all so lovely together on my skin and are just fun and flirty. I have since collected numerous refills. It’s been my everyday signature scent since high school and I will continue to be a patron of Lancôme Idôle for the rest of my life.” — Becca Sax, affiliate coordinator
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