Perfume is a funny thing. It lives in a tiny bottle, yet somehow manages to hold memories, confidence, romance and the occasional identity crisis. You can wear the same outfit as someone else, buy the same lipstick and even copy their hairstyle, but spray on the same perfume and it will almost certainly smell different. Which is why choosing a fragrance is far more personal than simply picking one that smells nice on a paper strip in a department store.
Recently, The Perfume Shop kindly sent me three Eau de Parfums to try: Lancôme Poême, Gucci Intense Oud and Prada Paradigme. They couldn’t have arrived together at a better time because they reminded me that great perfumes are a bit like great friends. Each brings out a different side of your personality.
Why does perfume smell different on everyone?
Have you ever asked someone what perfume they’re wearing because they smell divine, bought the exact same bottle, then wondered whether you’d accidentally purchased washing-up liquid? You’re not imagining it. Our skin chemistry is unique. Natural oils, skin pH, hormones, diet, even the weather all influence how fragrance develops. That’s because perfume unfolds in stages: the top notes make the first impression, the heart notes emerge after a few minutes, while the base notes linger for hours. Those final notes interact with your own skin, creating something uniquely yours. In other words, perfume isn’t finished until it meets you.
What makes a perfume truly great?
A great perfume doesn’t simply smell expensive. It tells a story. The finest fragrances evolve throughout the day rather than disappearing after twenty minutes. They leave just enough of a trail for someone to lean in and ask, “You smell amazing. What are you wearing?”, without announcing your arrival five minutes before you enter the room. Most importantly, the right fragrance makes you feel something. More confident. More glamorous. More adventurous. Or simply more yourself.
My forever perfume: Lancôme Poême
I’ve been wearing Lancôme Poême for almost thirty years. Yes… thirty. My Californian friends brought me a bottle after one of their trips, and from the very first spray it felt as though it had been created especially for me. I have flirted with countless other perfumes over the years. Some relationships lasted a week. Others barely made it home from the duty-free shop. Yet somehow I always come back to Poême. There’s something beautifully timeless about it. Rich floral notes meet warm vanilla and amber, creating a fragrance that feels elegant without trying too hard.
Even now, decades later, strangers still stop me to ask what I’m wearing. That’s surely the highest compliment a perfume can receive. Whenever I want to feel feminine, confident or just a little bit irresistible, Poême is my refuge. Some people have lucky shoes. I have lucky perfume.
Gucci Intense Oud: confidence in a bottle
Then came Gucci Intense Oud, and what an entrance it makes. This isn’t the fragrance you wear when you’re hoping nobody notices you. Built around luxurious oud, warm woods, leather and amber, it feels mysterious, bold and sophisticated.
Hints of black pepper and cedarwood add depth, while the rich woody base lingers for hours. It’s officially a unisex fragrance, and I rather love that. On my skin it becomes surprisingly smooth and warm rather than overpowering. Think black velvet jacket, candlelit dinner and someone who always knows which wine to order. It’s not an everyday school-run perfume. It’s the perfume you wear when you want to make an entrance.
Prada Paradigme: modern elegance
If Gucci is the dramatic friend who walks into the party wearing sequins, Prada Paradigme is effortlessly chic. Fresh without being predictable and sophisticated without feeling formal, it has a clean, contemporary character that makes it wonderfully versatile.
It feels youthful but never immature, a fragrance that works just as well for a business meeting as it does for lunch with friends. What impressed me most was how wearable it is. Sometimes “fresh” fragrances disappear almost immediately, but this one stays close to the skin in a very elegant way. It’s understated confidence bottled.
The final spritz
Choosing a perfume is rather like choosing a favourite song. No one else can tell you which one should move you. Some fragrances become linked to weddings. Others remind you of your first kiss. Some transport you back to childhood within seconds. Mine will probably always be Poême because it carries thirty years of memories with it. But perhaps that’s the real secret of a great perfume. It isn’t simply the one that smells the nicest. It’s the one that becomes part of your life story. And that’s something no perfumer, however talented, can bottle for you.
Monica Costa founded London Mums in September 2006 after her son Diego’s birth together with a group of mothers who felt the need of meeting up regularly to share the challenges and joys of motherhood in metropolitan and multicultural London. London Mums is the FREE and independent peer support group for mums and mumpreneurs based in London https://www.londonmumsmagazine.com and you can connect on Twitter @londonmums
