Picking a perfume with these exact notes can lift your mood, from feeling sexier to settling anxiety
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Fragrance sales are suffering less in lockdown than many other beauty products, despite the fact that we can’t spend blissful hours at perfume counters sniffing out the latest and greatest scents.
But the stress and aggravation of the past year has reminded us of the massive role scent plays in managing our moods and even our minds, making fragrance something we’re learning to appreciate more than ever before.
Fragrance discovery kits have become massively popular and are a genius way of acquainting yourself with scents you might have never considered.
If you like something unusual, try Malin + Goetz Fragrance Discovery Kit, featuring five ultra-chic unisex scents that conjure things like Dark Rum, Cannabis and Vetiver. Buy it here for £22.
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Enjoy some me-time with this month’s OK! Beauty Edit box with over £40 of products from just £16.50
Or if you want to be showered in flowers, try The Yardley Flowerful Collection, a sample set of five modern floral EDTs that’s part of this month’s brilliant self care-themed OK! Beauty Box. It contains over £40 of goodies which you can get here for as little as £16.50, including p&p.
Pick up your “me-time” moment Beauty Edit box from just £16.50* here.
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For a fragrance kit that covers everything from rich oriental scents to gourmands, try Floral Street The Discovery Set, which has no less than eight of the brand’s EDTs to sample. Buy it here for £14
Enjoy some me-time with this month’s OK! Beauty Edit box with over £40 of products from just £16.50
Sets such as these also allow you to layer scents for a bespoke cocktail, and, importantly, to learn to go with your gut and mix and match your fragrance to your mood, or the mood you wished you were in, on any given day.
To give you a little guidance, here are some scent notes famous for the feelings they can bring about. Use them to your advantage when you’re feeling a bit “off”, or when you want to enhance the mood you’re in!
Rose for lifting the blues
Associated, of course, with romance, rose is also lauded for its significant calming properties. Its essential oil has been shown to help release dopamine in the body, which explains why it has anti-depressant and even pain-relieving effects.
A good pick-me-up when you feel down in the dumps, Yardley Opulent Rose EDT (which you’ll find in the Flowerful Collection in the OK! Beauty Edit box) has a note of freshly-cuts stems as well to keep your mood buoyant.
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Vetiver for settling anxiety
Vetiver is a type of grass but its scent is extracted from its roots and is classed as a woody note – and like all wood notes, it is grounding, known to settle anxiety and make you feel safe.
Not headachy like some darker woods, its perfume is bright yet warm and comforting and both helps you feel alert as well calm enough to sink into a deep sleep. It’s great if you feel a little lost or anxious; Malin & Goetz Vetiver EDP teams it with cardamom and amber, which are equally good at bringing comfort. Buy it here for £75
Ylang Ylang for feeling sexy
Like many white flowers – think jasmine, tuberose and gardenia – ylang ylang has a hypnotic, almost narcotic effect that can make you feel sexy and in control. A good one to wear on days you don’t feel so sure of yourself and need a confidence boost, especially in the romance department.
Try Floral Street’s Ylang Ylang Espresso EDT, where ylang ylang and jasmine are teamed with coffee, Sichuan pepper and cocoa beans for a real energiser bunny of a fragrance. Buy it here for £98
Iris for creating confidence
Dry, powdery iris is extracted from the root of the flower and smells quite unlike a frivolous floral; instead, its scent is chic and serious and gives you an air of meaning business.
Great for a job interview or a taxing Zoom meeting, inhaling iris will ensure nobody will dare to mute you. Yardley Elegant Iris EDT (also in the OK! Beauty Edit’s Flowerful Collection discovery kit) adds a calming woody base and mind-sharpening crisp green notes to let anyone know in no uncertain terms who’s boss.
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