As you guys always ask me which perfumes I am wearing myself, I’d like to present you my current daytime fragrances. As you possibly may have noticed, I have a little baby boy born in January and therefore I can only wear light scents – sometimes even nothing.

My absolute favorite after a short night – one doesn’t really get a lot of sleep during the first months – is Absolue Pour le Matin by Maison Francis Kurkdjian. In this little cloud of freshness and ease I can smell a certain Nivea note which I totally love. Some time ago I have read an interview with perfumer Francis Kurkdjian in which he revealed that Nivea is his grooming staple. Absolue Pour le Matin has everything in it that I love: bergamot, lemon, neroli, thyme, lavender and a powdery violet.

Dahlia Noir L’Eau by Givenchy is the new kid in town. In this case the flanker is better than the original. I really love this cool, green scent which is so elegant and chic. Soft rose petals, peony, slightly tart lemon, some patchouli – gorgeous!

My Little, the smallest size of Chloé by Chloé is always in my handbag. I had loved this scent already when it came out but back then everybody seemed to wear it, so I waited and some Chloé releases later, I dare to wear it. It is an absolutely amazing clean rose scent which has an outstanding longevity. I have to buy a large bottle because I love the vial with the nude ribbon so much!

Unter den Linden by April Aromatics has healing vibes. When I am totally exhausted after a day with my little baby crying and not sleeping, I spritz a little bit of Unter den Linden and lean back. Silence, ease. All perfumes of April Aromatics are infused with precious stones that reveal a certain energy to the scents. Unter den Linden was infused with Herkimer diamond. By the way all ingredients are 100 per cent natural, if possible organic.

Last but not least my all time favorite: Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic by Guerlain. You can bathe in this perfume without smelling too intense. This scent has real power. Smells as if you squeeze a tangerine and add some green tea and basil. There is nothing better for hot weather. I’ve put it in the fridge to cool down.

About the picture above: I’ve arranged my collage on my favorite magazine Self Service. I really like the Charlotte Casiraghi issue.

Which are your favorite fragrances for the daytime?

On the occasion of its 50th anniversary celebration in 2011 Diptyque launched 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain. Named after the address of the first Diptyque boutique in Paris the unisex scent presents a mixture of green notes, spices and a woody base. I smell geranium and finest suede and think it is a very delicate scent for men.

Now the French perfume house has released the unisex fragrance L’Eau du Trente-Quatre, the white companion and a homage to the change of seasons on Boulevard Saint-Germain. Perfumer Olivier Pescheux created a soft spring melody with citrus notes like bitter orange, lemon, grapefruit and verbena in combination with spicy nutmeg and cinnamon on a base of incense, patchouli, moss and musk. The result: A great citrus scent with longevity that doesn’t drown in the quicksand of thousands of other citrus scents. The longer I wear it the more I love it. Bitter orange and musk are the two dominant elements of this creation. For me this one is for the girls! And as a lover of purism I adore the simple chic of the vial with its magnetic white cap and the sheathed atomizer tube.

If you prefer a scented candle I have good news for you: Diptyque has added a new spring candle to its collection – Jonquille, the French term for narcissus. The funny thing is that I don’t smell narcissus but jasmine. Try it out yourself…

Category: unisex
Year: 2013
Perfumer: Olivier Pescheux
Notes: bitter orange, lemon, verbena, grapefruit, lavender, juniper berries, nutmeg, cinnamon, geranium, tuberose, musk, patchouli, incense, cedar wood, cistus

www.diptyqueparis.com

Much has been written about the new luxury line & Other Stories by H&M that will be launched in Spring 2013 offering ready-to-wear, lingerie, accessories and beauty products.

And there will be a perfume! Who is the man behind Rose Revival? No other than perfumer Ben Gorham, I can’t tell you often enough to try Rose Noir by Byredo (his own brand) – it’s amazing. He’s definitely the perfect choice for a rose scent. And this makes me very curious!

This short movie allows us a first exclusive glimpse at his work… it’s only a moment… click here

www.stories.com

When I heard, that the new perfume Volutes by Diptyque has been inspired by a childhood memory of founder Yves Coueslant, namely by a passage from Marseille to Saigon, I immediately thought of one of my favorite books – The Lover by Marguerite Duras. I also love the movie and its soundtrack. It’s a blue, bittersweet melancholia amidst the scenery of the fertile landscape of Vietnam.

Perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin has created the image of elegant ladies on a steamboat, standing at the rail smoking Egyptian cigarettes and sending smoke rings into the cool sea air. I imagine the famous scene from The Lover, the little French girl wearing a man’s hat and braids, putting her worn down stiletto on the rail while the Chinese man is observing her.

Volutes is a very feminine, soft scent with spicy nuances, yet cool. Sweet-smoky-spicy-cool to be precise. Iris is very dominant in the composition and functions as a metaphor for the silk dresses fluttering in the wind. It is also a very good contrast to the sweetness of honey tobacco. Dried fruits and oriental spices reveal an aroma of an oriental market, maybe a stopover of this journey. Resins represent the ship’s engine room. Volutes is a very round and strong composition, an intense woody oriental perfume. I don’t find it suitable for men. Amber pulls us into the depths of the ocean while the smoke rings fly to heaven. Volutes spreads the word into all cardinal directions.

Category: unisex

Year: 2012

Perfumer: Fabrice Pellegrin

Notes: pink pepper, pepper, saffron, clove, tobacco, honey, suede, hay, strawflower, amber, iris, myrrh, opoponax

www.diptyqueparis.com

The journey of Coco Chanel to Venice in 1920 served as an inspiration for Chanel’s in-house perfumer Jacques Polge. Coco Chanel travelled to Venice after her lover Boy Chapel had died. The opulence of the Byzantine architecture impressed her deeply.

The day of Coco Chanel’s birthday, August 19th, Chanel launched its new flanker Coco Noir in an elegant, amazing black vial. After Guerlain had launched La petite robe noire (Little Black Dress), the item which made Chanel famous, Coco Noir is not such a bad idea – as we have seen many black perfumes become bestsellers, e.g. Black Orchid by Tom Ford, Back to Black by By Kilian, the classics Arpège by Lanvin or Narcisse Noir by Caron. Black sells.

For me Coco Noir smells less like the deep oriental Coco as than the romantic Coco Mademoiselle. It could also have been named Coco Mademoiselle Eau du Soir. The Coco devotees will be rather disappointed, I guess.

Coco Noir is sensual and yes: sweeeet. Even sweeter than Coco Mademoiselle (of which I only use the Brume Fraîche Version, which I find the best), nearly as sweet as Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf. The scent reminds me of all these rather pink perfumes: Flowerbomb, Miss Dior Chérie, Mademoiselle Coco or Jimmy Choo.

On a blotter Coco Noir is very intensive, on skin there has been written a lot concerning longevity. It works for me: even the next day I can smell Coco Noir everywhere – on my skin, on my clothes, in the apartment. It’s a statement.

Coco Noir is a typical fruitchouli. Fresh and sweet in the opening, sweet and fruity in the middle notes and musky, woody and sweet in the base. The pink pepper is very present and overlaps the sweetness, which saves the scent from being mundane. Coco Noir is very well done but not innovative. But I like its kind sweetness with an oriental touch without the heavy spices from Coco. The floral elements of rose and jasmine are softened by vanilla and contrasted by geranium leaves for some tart effects.

To be honest, I expected something completely different, but I am not disappointed. Coco Noir for me is an interesting alternative to Coco Mademoiselle and I am sure the scent will become a bestseller.

Category: women

Year: 2012

Perfumer: Jacques Polge

Notes: grapefruit, bergamot, pink pepper, jasmine, rose, narcissus, geranium leaves, vetiver, sandalwood, patchouli, frankincense, vanilla, tonka bean, musk

www.chanel.com