Read This Before You Ask For A New Fragrance This Christmas

They say that seeing is believing but as far as we’re concerned, the most potent of the senses has to be smell. Think about it; smelling freshly baked bread will get your mouth watering before you’ve even stolen a glimpse of the sourdough, the scent of your mum’s perfume will comfort you before she’s given you a hug, and smelling the flower that grew outside the Airbnb on your first girls’ holiday will instantly transport you back. Smell is the king of the senses – many of our most important memories are tied to scent, whether it’s the body spray you doused yourself in at school or the bedding in your childhood room.

Scent can uplift you (zesty notes), induce nostalgia (aforementioned adolescent body spray) or even send you to sleep (lavender), so choosing a perfume is every bit as important as finding your perfect pair of jeans or that your-lips-but-better lipstick. When you wear a scent every day, you want to send a message out to the world, and also to yourself. "I wanted to create a fragrance that was like a smile," explained Nicolas Beaulieu, the perfumer extraordinaire behind Ghost Dream. "I wanted it to be a feelgood fragrance, something you wear for yourself to make you happy, which would bubble over into carrying yourself with confidence and walking tall. It’s about a sense of optimism and wellbeing, with nothing overpowering or cloying."

Ghost Dream is exactly that – a "harmony" of notes in perfect accord, as Nicolas explained. "It’s a blend of light florals, slightly musky patchouli and uplifting orange flower. It took months to get the scent in perfect balance, and to get the notes together in the soft, almost surreal finish I wanted. My inspiration came less from the world of smells, but more from the world of touch. How could I create a fragrance that felt like it almost cocoons you, like a cloud? The result is Ghost Dream." Designed for free-spirited women, Malaika Firth (an effortless, delicate beauty if there ever was one) is the face of the scent. "She’s incredibly successful and is a very natural beauty," explained Beaulieu. "And she’s had a great success as a black woman in a field that can be very prejudiced. Her career is something of a revelation – the kind of spirit I wanted to capture." Given that a scent has the power to alter your mood in a way that’s pretty much unparalleled in the world of beauty, we can’t think of a better pampering and pragmatic gift for the friend/sister/colleague/cousin (or yourself!) who could use an indulgent pick-me-up.

Read on to learn about the key notes in Ghost Dream, and how a pro ‘nose’ balances base, middle and top notes…