RELAX & WIND DOWN

She Was An Anomaly by Etat Libre d'Orange is a woody musk eau de parfum for women and men - Daniela Andrier's answer to an AI brief, written after Givaudan's Carto proposed an overdose of two materials she then had to make wearable. Green tangerine flickers at the top, iris, vanilla orchid and a white flower accord sit in the middle, and sandalwood, cedarwood, ambergris and a great deal of musk do the rest. It reads less like a perfume than like very clean skin. "An almost transparent fragrance - the smell of skin that smells of nothing at all, done on purpose."

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Deep Dark Vanilla by D.S. & Durga is an oriental vanilla eau de parfum for women and men - real vanilla absolute as it actually smells, which is green, smoky and faintly herbal before it is ever sweet. David Seth Moltz opens it on cabreuva, pink pepper and orchid, runs vines, green vanilla leaves and cypress root through the heart, and lands it on vanilla absolute, dark patchouli and hay. Reviewers call it a forest-floor vanilla, and that is a fair warning as much as a compliment. "Vanilla the way it grows - green, damp and a little wild."

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Moonlight in Heaven by Kilian is a floral fruity eau de parfum for women and men - Calice Becker's tropical night, built on the idea of mango sticky rice eaten somewhere warm after dark. Grapefruit, lemon and pink pepper open it sharp, mango, coconut milk, rice and tuberose make the creamy middle, and vetiver, tonka, vanilla and heliotrope settle it. It is the house's warm-weather fragrance and one of its most loved. "Mango and coconut rice under a moon - balmy, quiet and a little sweet."

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Vanilla Powder by Matière Première is a powdery vanilla fragrance for women and men - Madagascar vanilla absolute dried out with coconut powder and heliotrope and set against white palo santo wood, so it reads cool, airy and almost crystalline instead of sugary. It is a dry vanilla rather than a dessert, and a little goes a very long way. "Dark vanilla beans, pale wood and a cloud of powder."

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Emerald Shores by AromaMeta — Sand still cool from dawn. A morning snap of bergamot, mandarin, and Sicilian lemon. An oasis heart of oolong tea, fig, lavender, and rosemary drifts in, delivering serene greenery. Sheer amber and clean musk ground the freshness. Refreshing yet refined — coastal tranquility, worn from desk to deck chair. Built on tea and lavender — the composition of an afternoon that finally slows down.

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Cotton Air by AromaMeta — The calm of a porch in summer. A fresh-line burst of grapefruit, lemon, and dewy green accents. A heart of powdery iris and delicate white petals settles in. A feather-light blend of sandalwood and clean musk finishes the scent like a clean cotton tee warmed by the sun — effortless, comforting, and eternally wearable. Bright citrus over soft powder — uncomplicated, and meant to stay that way.

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Spirit of Freedom by AromaMeta — The hush after the wood fire dies. A crackling spark of lime, fresh ginger, and aromatic juniper. Smoky oolong tea folds into green vetiver and basil, creating a calm, reflective warmth. Sandalwood and supple leather finish the scent in a soft, confident hush — for nights when resilience speaks softly but surely. Citrus and smoke over sandalwood — quiet, and sure of itself.

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Mud by BORNTOSTANDOUT is a milky gourmand fragrance for women and men - Nathalie Lorson's 2022 take on first rain on sun-baked ground, written by the house as wet soil and a dark, barely sweet melted chocolate. On skin it reads softer than the name: milk and almond open it, chocolate, plum and Turkish rose fill the heart, and vanilla, elemi, sandalwood and amber settle it into something like hot chocolate stirred with almond milk. "Hot chocolate and almond milk by a rain-streaked window - soft, warm and comforting."

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Nuts by BORNTOSTANDOUT is a nutty gourmand fragrance for women and men - Margaux Le Paih-Guérin's 2023 creamy nut accord, first released as Happy Nuts. Pistachio, almond, caramel, honey and rum open it rich and toasty, vanilla, sesame and davana carry the heart, and tonka, tobacco, guaiac wood, white musk, ambergris and patchouli give it a smoky, woody base. It smells like a corner coffee shop on a cold afternoon. "Pistachio, caramel and rum at a coffee-shop counter - creamy, toasty and warm."

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Chocolate Greedy by Montale is a chocolate gourmand fragrance for women and men - Pierre Montale's 2007 quest for childhood comfort, and still one of the most realistic cocoa scents in perfumery. Bitter orange opens it like the zest on a chocolate orange, cacao and vanilla fill the heart like hot cocoa or a warm brownie, and coffee bean and tonka bean dry it down to a soft, biscuit-like vanilla. "Hot cocoa, a chocolate orange and a warm brownie - comfort in a bottle."

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Blue Madeleine by Atelier des Ors is a woody milk-tea fragrance for women and men - Marie Salamagne's tribute to Proust's madeleine, framed as an afternoon tea at the house's villa in Grasse and paired with the blue of an old cyanotype print. Bergamot, pink pepper and cinnamon open it over a wisp of cade smoke, black tea and a milky accord with centifolia rose form the heart, and Peru balsam, sandalwood and a little praline warm the base like a cup held in both hands. "Black tea with milk on a rainy afternoon, and a little smoke from the fire."

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Bouquet Ideale by Xerjoff is an oriental woody fragrance for women and men - from the Casamorati line, based on a 19th-century Casamorati perfume that was almost entirely floral, which Sergio Momo set out to recreate without a single flower. Cinnamon and nutmeg open it warm, cedar, guaiac and sandalwood give it a dry, gently smoky heart, and coumarin, tobacco flower, musk and vanilla settle it into cozy spiced vanilla. "A bouquet with no flowers in it - just spice, warm wood and vanilla."

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