5 Favourite Spring Perfumes

Though I’m never one to care much about the latest trends, I do like to give a nod to the changing seasons; a new silhouette here, a change of lipstick colour there. For me, fragrance is one of my year-round style staples; a spritz of scent in the air as I dash out the door each morning lends, as Christian Dior once said, the finishing touch on a look.

Once the clocks go forward and the first blossoms appear on the trees, the scents I associate with winter – my beloved Diptyque Do’Son or Jo Malone’s Blackberry & Bay – make way for clean white florals and fresh notes that so beautifully complement spring’s warmer temperatures and lighter mood.

Much like my personal style, I’m always drawn to pretty, classic feminine scents rather than anything too sexy, spicy or overpowering. But if like me you like a clean, fresh floral, then you’ll probably love these too. These are the favourites I’ve been wearing on repeat the past two months to match my spring mood:

Aerin ‘Aegea Blossom’ // This is hands-down my favourite new perfume of the spring, and one I know I’ll love for years.  I have been a huge fan of Aerin Lauder’s beauty and lifestyle line from the very start, but I was fortunate enough to be seated next to her at a breakfast a few years ago and officially want her to adopt me because she is as lovely as she is chic. Aegea Blossom is the latest edition to her collection of fragrances, and is inspired by the blue sea and warm breezes of the Greek Islands. The white floral top notes of bergamot, orange flower and jasmine give way to crisp green notes of verbena, vetiver and white musk. It is clean, crisp and feminine but very subtle and not too sweet – perfect for those who hate anything too floral or overpowering. To me it smells exactly like my childhood memories of freshly washed cotton sheets drying in the sun while the perfumed orange blossoms lingered in the air. I’d say this is now tied with Mediterranean Honeysuckle as my favourite from the brand (and they now both rank as two of my favourite scents full stop).

Goutal ‘Petite Cherie’ // Anyone who knows me knows I have a mild obsession with anything pear-scented or flavoured, and this perfume is one of my great fragrance loves. It smells of ripe juicy pears, pear blossom, rose petal and freshly cut grass – to me it will always smell like a lovely day in the park in Paris. Even though it’s fresh and youthful, it still smells as perfect to me in my 30s as it did when I first discovered it in my early 20s (and I can’t say the same for all the perfumes I wore back then). I can clearly remember the first time I smelled this perfume; it was my first trip to Paris in 2006. I stumbled upon the Annick Goutal boutique in Le Marais district, couldn’t resist the heavenly smell wafting from the door, and went inside. It was love at first sniff and I have been wearing it every spring and summer since then. The brand recently rebranded as simply ‘Goutal’ and changed their packaging to a slightly more modern design, but the juice inside is still – thankfully – the same.

Byredo ‘Inflorescence’ // Did you know an ‘inflorescence’ is a cluster of flowers on a stem? If you’re as obsessed white floral scents as much as me, this one is for you. It’s a fresh, gorgeous tumble of spring blossoms in the form of rose petals, magnolia, freesia, lily of the valley and jasmine and smells unlike any other perfume I’ve come across. My husband knows how enthusiastic I am about good scents so bought me this for my birthday last year and I absolutely treasure it. It’s not cheap but it doesn’t smell it either, and it has incredible staying-powder so a little goes a long way (which is very rare for such a ‘clean’ scent without a spicy or woody undertone). I don’t like to keep perfumes for a special occasion, but I like to save this one a little so it feels more precious, and I know it’s always going to be a good day when I wear it.

Jo Malone ‘English Pear & Freesia’ // It’s hard for me to pick a favourite Jo Malone scent for each season, but this one smells like spring in England. It’s fresh and pretty, juicy but not too sweet, and floral but not twee. I first bought it when I first moved to England 10 years ago and pull it out every March when I can’t take another moment of winter, and it always brings me joy to wear either alone, or layered over my signature Orange Blossom later in the season. Their newest release, Frangipani Blossom, is a beautiful alternative if – like me – you’re desperately craving a vacation somewhere warm and exotic; it smells exactly like the frangipani blossoms that fill the evening air with their sweet, tropical scent in summer in Australia.

Miller Harris ‘Coeur de Jardin’ // I make no apologies for the fact I have included three pear-scented perfumes here, because I think they’re all gorgeous and unique in their own right. I have only recently fallen in love with Miller Harris, but I wish I had discovered them sooner. I was invited to the opening of their new boutique at Coal Drops Yard in Kings Cross where the CEO gave me a scent profile, and this is one of the two she recommended for me. It was so hard to choose, but in the end – desperately craving spring on that grey winter day – I went for this one. Similar to Petite Cherie in that it has dominant notes of pear, but this encapsulates the essence of a wild English garden after the rain; the freshness of ripe lemon, pear and peach trees, the lightness of blooming rose, tuberose and jasmine, and the earthiness of wet foliage and moss. Although it smells like a spring fragrance to me, I’ve been wearing this ut of all of those included here, this is the one that would feel just as right in colder months.

Pictured: Aerin Aegea Blossom perfume c/- // Goutal Petite Cherie perfume // Byredo ‘Inflorescence’ perfume // Miller Harris ‘Coeur de Jardin’ c/- // Jo Malone ‘English Pear & Freesia’ // Chanel ‘Gardenia’ perfume // Fresh ‘Morning Rose’ perfume // Diptyque jasmine candle // H&M gold tray // Gray Malin Central Park print // Astley Clarke pearl earrings c/- // ASOS flower earrings.

I’d love to know: do you have a year-round signature scent, or do you change your perfume with the season? Let me know if you have any favourites and I’ll try them!

Love, Briony xx