Do we already have the right to talk about spring? If the weather is still grey and rather gloomy in Amsterdam (and probably in most northern European capitals) my mind is already elsewhere. It is already in spring. Not in the clouds, but among flowers.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the luminous nectar of white flowers, about spring blooms still on their stems, uncut, whose green and fresh notes evoke a garden just emerging from winter. Even when the sky remains low and overcast, I find myself searching for that very precise feeling: a quiet, intimate sense of renewal. Over the past few weeks, I’ve felt the need to turn toward spring scents. Fragrances that have the almost magical ability to lift my mood instantly in the morning. I’ve reached for a few floral perfumes again, those I wear only in spring, when the heat has not yet reached its peak and fragrances can remain delicate, luminous, airy.
These are perfumes with enveloping floral trails, yet never heavy. Scents that evoke joy, rebirth, like a large garden in bloom, captured at the exact moment the flowers begin to open. Fragrances built around a heart of radiant white flowers: orange blossom, of course, jasmine (which I adore), tuberose. Solar yet clean flowers, always light and airy, conjuring the image of a garden in full daylight, still fresh with morning dew.
In this spring garden, I also love the smell of green stems and leaves gently crushed between the fingers, that almost damp sensation of fresh sap and tender grass. Green notes, natural and sometimes slightly bitter, that signal the return of light and give flowers their most honest brilliance: petitgrain, galbanum, leafy notes, blackcurrant bud, ivy. There is also rose, but a discreet one, fresh, never opulent. A young rose, lightly fruity, almost aqueous. And then, always, a soft base: clean musks, pale and airy woods like sandalwood, very gentle ambers, and a trace of vanilla, present, but never gourmand.
My spring garden is optimistic. Made of white flowers, tender greens, luminous freshness, and softness. I hope you will like it.
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1. L’Artisan Parfumeur – La Chasse aux Papillons
Jasmine, linden blossom, orange blossom.
I had been searching for a fragrance built around linden blossom for some time, a scent I discovered during a summer walk in Amsterdam, when the trees were in bloom and the air felt almost honeyed. Joyful, luminous, spontaneous, and green, it is the very heart of my spring garden.
2. MDCI – Un Cœur en Mai
Blackcurrant bud, mimosa, galbanum, petitgrain, rose, green and woody notes.
A perfume of sap and foliage, almost impressionistic in spirit. It evokes a garden still damp from winter, alive with green, herbaceous notes, where flowers seem to be just beginning to open. Un pur bonheur!
3. Forever and ever Dior
Bulgarian rose, freesia, jasmine petals.
One of my favourite perfumes, which I reach for whenever I crave a rose that feels fresh, young, and delicate on the skin. A tender, luminous fragrance I have worn for over a year, and one I never seem to tire of.
4. MDCI – Rose de Siwa
Moroccan and Turkish roses, lychee, peony, violet, cedar, musk.
An absolutely sublime perfume. A dry, almost mineral rose, vibrant and full of light, with an immediate mood-lifting effect. MDCI is, without question, one of my favourite perfume houses today.
5. L’Artisan Parfumeur – Histoire d’Oranger
Neroli, orange blossom, white musk.
I had long been searching for an orange blossom that would bring back memories of Marrakech and Seville, and long spring walks through Parque de María Luisa. Fresh, joyful, and solar, this is, to me, one of the most beautiful interpretations of orange blossom, like the first warm rays of sunlight on flowers just beginning to bloom.
6. Diptyque – Do Son
Tuberose, orange blossom, jasmine.
A tuberose in the open air; luminous, slightly salty, and expansive. I love wearing it at the end of winter: it instantly gives me the feeling that spring has already arrived, even when it hasn’t yet. It is also the most long-lasting fragrance in this selection.
