Need a new perfume in your life? To help you narrow down the choice – cos there’s a lot out there – we asked the team what their best women’s perfume is and a look at what new perfumes for men and women are out there. Whether you’re looking for gift or for yourself here’s a good place to begin.
Maison De L’Asie Discovery Set, $35
Founded in Singapore, luxury fragrance house Maison de L’Asie fuses fine French perfumery with Asian influences. The team partners with fifth-generation artisan perfumers from Grasse, France, to create evocative fragrances made with top ingredients from around the world. Featuring three Singapore-specific scents – Nanyang, Mother x Love, and Lost Lovers – the Discovery Set lets you sample a month’s worth of fragrances before you order. The best part? Once you’ve decided, you can offset the cost of the kit towards the price of a full bottle or Collector Box within 30 days of purchase!
Singapore Girl, from $28
Perfect as a gift for a friend (or yourself!), this iconic scent is a lovely mix of soft citrus, lotus, water lily and teak wood for a refreshing finish. The award-winning perfume was first launched in the 1960s, and stopped production in 2006. In 2014, local brand Singapore Memories acquired the formula, and has since been producing it in small handcrafted batches.
Bulgari Fantasia Veneta, from $263
Italian perfume house Bulgari’s Allegra range features five eaux de parfums in its core collection. The Fantasia Veneta is an exuberant composition of Indonesian patchouli with a decadent red peach accord and a touch of vanilla. Make the scent your own by layering on one of the essences from the Magnifying range; there’s musk, bergamot, rose, patchouli and vanilla to choose from.
Penhaligon’s Changing Constance, $420
Modern, vibrant and spicy perfectly describes this intriguing scent by British perfumery Penhaligon’s. It starts with cool cardamom and hot pimento, followed by a salted butter caramel and tobacco blend, rounded up with hints of vanilla. This one’s not your typical floral fragrance; it’s shocking and rebellious, yet strangely alluring.
Tommy Hilfiger Impact, $115
Lads will love this bold and masculine eau de toilette spray, which combines striking citrus, smoky aromatics and precious woods, including Akigalawood, a spicy extract of patchouli. The scent is also available as a hair and body wash and a face moisturiser, as well as a grooming oil.
Michael Kors Wonderlust Eau De Voyage, $155
For something light and daytime-friendly, this number by Michael Kors ticks all the right boxes. It starts with soothing French lavender notes, followed by orange blossom, jasmine sambac and spicy dianthus. The scent then settles with salty musk and woody base notes, which mimic being by the ocean – just what we need!
Which Women’s perfumes do the Expat Living team love?
I have worn Red Door by Elizabeth Arden for years and it’s what my children associate me with. Now I love Givenchy Dahlia Divin, especially for evenings. I bought the first one at a duty-free shop not long ago and I’m now onto my second bottle. Another favourite is Victoria’s Secret Noir Tease, which is great for travelling (little plastic bottle). My younger daughter loves it too! It’s a lighter scent that’s perfect for any time of the day. – Rebecca Bisset
From freshly cut grass to the sweet smell of a ripe mango, scent has always been a strong emotional trigger for me, bringing back happy childhood memories and carefree summer days. This is why I love everything about the Maison Margiela Replica fragrance range, aimed at replicating fond memories through scent. The scents include ‘Lazy Sunday Morning’, ‘Floral Market’ and ‘Whispers in the Library’, but my hands-down favourite is ‘Beach Walk’ – an impeccably bottled day at the beach. I could honestly spray this on in the depth of winter and it would whisk me back to a hot summer’s day on the sand – salty skin, sizzling sunscreen, crashing waves and a hint of coconut. Who knew you could bottle nostalgia! – Leanda Rathmell
I’m a big fan of the Jo Malone range of perfumes, especially for daytime wear as they are quite light and refreshing. My husband often picks up the travel set for me, which contains five of the signature scents in miniatures – perfect for carrying around in your handbag. I particularly like the citrus range of fragrances, my favourite being the Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin Cologne. – Juliet Keys
This Fragrance Mixology Set from Oo La Lab is by far the most exciting ‘fragrance’ I have ever received – a box the size of a kid’s shoebox, packed with rows of little scent vials and empty spray bottles with a guide on how to personally design nine fragrances. It’s a little daunting at first, but there are scent strips provided where you can combine your choice of top, middle and base scents to see if you like them as a combination before you leap into mixing. With fragrance notes like rose, fougère and tea, that you can blend with amber, vanilla, musk and more, you could make a new scent almost as fast as mixing a cocktail!
The nine spray bottles are only 3ml each, but with 12 vials of 5ml fragrances, I have plenty to play with. I’m already thinking how I will use the leftovers – in my wardrobe perhaps, or a spray bottle for room spray. I have made two formulas so far: fougère with oriental and muguet, and tea with vanilla and musk. I’m enjoying these for now, and in about a week’s time I’ll make a brand new fragrance blend to fit my mood! – Danielle Rossetti
My favourite special occasion perfume is Maison Francis Kurkdjian À La Rose. I love rose scents but I’m quite picky about them, and this number is perfect in my books. It’s not your ordinary floral fragrance; apparently the essence of 250 freshly bloomed roses from Grasse are added into each bottle! The soft and powdery scent rounds up with woody and musky notes. It’s my go-to for a night out or a dinner date! – Anthia Chng
My all-time favourite is Miss Dior Eau de Parfum. I love its light flowery and citrusy scent – it’s great even for short trips out of the house! The bottle may appear small but each spritz stays on well so it’ll last you a pretty long time. – Lindsay Yap
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