Okay so if you’re reading this, chances are that you’re not jet setting around the world like the other half seem to be! Same here. But hey, we love Melbourne so we ain’t complaining (too much!).
Next best thing is a fragrance journey around the world. So pack your bags, get excited, we’re sharing our fragrances that immediately transport us to some of our favourite holiday destinations. ✈️
Years ago when I first smelt Rima XI when we launched Carner Barcelona, I was immediately transported back to holidays in Bali. And while it’s been quite some time since I’ve travelled there, it always takes me back. The sweet, sweet smell of Hindu offerings in the air as you wander the streets in the powerful heat of the afternoon. That soft, smoky scent of incense wafting up to the open blue skies; warm spices of cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg enhancing that feeling of the sun on your bare golden skin. Of course the island is dotted with gorgeous tropical flowers and the warm air makes them smell even more intense. The jasmine is heady yet balanced by the spice in Rima XI. The mint in amongst the spice and creamy floral note lends a refreshing coolness, like that moment when you step into an air conditioned space.
Perhaps this is just me, but when I smell Rima XI I can smell freshly cooked rice (despite this note not being in the fragrance!). It charmingly carries me back to the sight and smell of the Hindu offerings throughout Bali. Rice, spice, flowers and incense. A gourmand fragrance in the most unique, enchanting and of course reverent way.
Bo Bo captures a blissful getaway to Cadaques, one of the most captivating Mediterranean villages in Costa Brava, Spain. This endearing fisherman’s village is home to whitewashed houses with periwinkle-blue doors and Salvador Dalí, Barcelona’s most renowned surrealist artist, who was inspired by the beauty of this coastal village, its sea and its landscape.
I remember the first time I laid eyes on the Catalan town of Cadaques. I found peace as the crystal blue water lapped along the shore and fig trees rustled in the breeze. I wandered the labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets adorned with purple and pink bougainvillea as the boats bobbed with the tide. All my senses had been awakened with the strumming of a busker’s flamenco guitar and I found myself sighing with happiness at every corner.
Bo-Bo is that blithesome carefree nature of the Mediterranean. It not only captures the fresh aquatic notes of a glistening sea on a sunny day, but it also captures the yearning to return to that bliss. Fresh and citrusy with a hint of tradition, Bo-Bo dances with notes of African Orange Flower, Italian Bergamot and Mandarin along with White Amber and Musk. Indian Jasmine and Lily of the Valley add a drop of delicate sweetness. A scent that is bursting with enthusiasm and energy!
Edinburgh is a city of stories, and home to the world’s oldest University English literature department. Seek out knowledge in the hallowed halls of Edinburgh’s libraries; rows of leather bound tomes, full to the brim with ancient paper, crackling and popping with the memory of their writers, who left their marks of dark ink and sometimes dark hearts. Beaufort London’s “Coeur de Noir” is leather, rum, paper, and ink fragrance, created as an ode to the art of narrative: the lengths we go to for adventure, and the endless mission to make our memory immortal. Write a new story for your skin with this intriguing, deep, and romantic scent.
I’ve never been to The Caribbean…but I like to fantasise Sweet Leaf by Room 1015 captures precisely how it might smell. A fresh, earthy, outdoorsy and effortlessly ‘otherworldy’ fragrance, reminiscent of long hot days of relaxation and inspired reverie in the Caribbean sun…surrounded by lush and verdant untouched tropical surrounds.
Inspired by the sweet green leaf from which it draws its name (not to mention a legendary Black Sabbath song), this perfume has a crisp, cool eucalyptus and grapefruit opening that slowly transforms into a deeper shade of green. The combination of cannabis and turpentine (pure pine oil in its essential form) both renowned for their medicinal powers, intermingle intriguingly with the soft sweetness of jasmine, and delicately infuse themselves atop a base of resinous, sappy goodness for a slightly balsamic tone. The elemi and angelica give off fragrant wafts of an elusive smoke, akin to the light ash rolly paper might make as it burns and then cools in the unspoilt island breeze.
A lush background of earthy greens that keep giving and living on the skin for hours. Unique and oh so intriguing are Sweet Leaf’s aromatic and herbaceous leanings. Simultaneously soothing and uplifting: Mother Nature’s Medicine for the Soul. So take a toke, breathe in deep and let the good times roll. 😉
Semper Fidelis is a Latin phrase that means “Always Faithful” or “Always Loyal”. Nevermore is that for me. I traveled to Alaska in 2017 to unfortunately attend a funeral at a Military base in Anchorage. I needed something to capture this memory as I knew it would be such a delicate one. The icy white mountains and the fresh air really let Nevermore shine the way it should. With notes of teakwood, black pepper and leather was the perfect thing to keep me feeling cosy and loved in such a hard time. My favourite thing about Nevermore is it really holds to my skin and clothes like it never wants to leave and always stays with me. I am thankful I was able to find something special to help me in a hard time.
Well, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve travelled, or had a holiday longer than 4 days (student life, am I right?). So these days I rely pretty heavily on scent to transport me to far away lands, it’s like a whirlwind holiday is just one spritz away. My go-to holiday scent currently is Coven by Andrea Maack.
Simply put, this reminds me of my last little escape; my partner and I jetted off to Tasmania for a short four-day escape before Uni started up again. A holiday spent frolicking in nature, whilst it poured with rain. Surrounded by earth, greenery and water; it was an ideal escape for the two of us. Since then, every time I apply Coven, I’m instantly taken back to Tassie, walking through thick fog toward the summit of Mt Wellington, then heading back into town for a whiskey tasting at Lark Distillery. A soft earthy scent, layered with soil, whiskey and clove. It’s the perfect winter holiday perfume. The power an earthy scent holds in its ability to take you back to a moment in time is pretty outstanding and puts a pep in my step with every spray.
Jasmin Satin transports me straight to China’s capital city, Beijing, in the springtime specifically. The fragrance of course has a lot of jasmine (mòlìhuā in Mandarin), which in China represents love, purity and is supposed to be the scent of the heavens. One of my strongest fragrance memories is triggered by a pure jasmine perfume I bought in Beijing – which I think kicked off my obsession with Jasmine scents! I also drank iced jasmine tea the whole time I was there, and had it with me when I visited each of the city’s breathtaking ancient sites. Jasmine Satin also has peach (táozi) in it, which according to Chinese folklore is also a symbol of love, immortality and longevity. The first place I went to when I first visited Beijing was a fresh fruit market, where the peaches looked so good I just had to buy one straight away. To this day, it’s the best peach I’ve ever had – it was so ripe, tangy and yet sweet, just like the peach in this fragrance. So not only is Jasmin Satin evocative of Beijing for me personally, the notes it contains have rich and ancient folkloric meaning in China, which I think is pretty special.
Start spreading the news, Robert Piguet’s Atomica is New York, New York in a bottle. The city’s cold concrete landscape is brought to life through notes of ginger and elemi that start this fragrance’s journey, evoking images of metal skyscrapers and the electric hustle and bustle the city that never sleeps is known for. The woods, cedar and amber through the base of Atomica I like to imagine is a fun nod to the city being known as a concrete jungle, creating a fragrance that is both earthy, yet futuristic. If you are a lover of metallic or incense fragrances, come in store and experience Atomica for yourself.
