Stylish scents for fashionistas

Fragrance ought not to be seen in isolation but as a vital part of your wardrobe, as the essence of your very own style.

It’s helpful to have a signature scent, as indeed many women do have – a perfume that they adore and which says something about the woman they are.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the same fragrance can vary in aroma, depending on the wearer, mingling with a person’s natural scent, their body temperature and lifestyle so that it smells quite differently on different women.

Estée Lauder launched Sensuous, a warm woody-amber fragrance back in 2008 and it’s become a favourite of women looking for a wearable but complex and intriguing scent.

Now Sensuous Noir (the face of the campaign is Carolyn Murphy, above) is a deeper, richer version, with Exotic Purple Rose, a symbol of passion prized for its seductive beauty and exquisite scent, blended with Rose Essence. Jasmine, and a rush of Black Pepper which brings a spicy vibrancy. It would make an ideal Valentine’s Day gift and the 30ml eau de parfum costs £32, on the Estée Lauder counters.

For the perfect day scent, try Liz Earle’s Botanical Essence No 1, which is hand-crafted from natural botanical ingredients – including high-altitude lavender from France, damask rose from Turkey, Italian bergamot and spicy patchouli from Indonesia. It doesn’t smell the same on any two women, says Liz.

It’s £40.35 for 50ml at Liz Earle stores in Yorkshire and on www.lizearle.com.

The daughter of a classic and now a classic itself, Coco by Chanel is an oriental floral, exotic and captivating, created for Ms Chanel by Jacques Polge who set off around the world in search of inspiration, finally blending Oriental Jasmine, Damask Rose, Tonka Bean from Brazil and Indonesian Patchouli. The 35ml eau de parfum spray costs £44.94 at Boots.

Daisy Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs is new for 2011 and it’s a gorgeous floral, fruity fragrance with top notes of grapefruit, green notes, raspberry and pear, middle notes of jasmine, rose, violet, and apple blossom, and finally base notes of musk, virginia cedar and plum. In a beautiful floral tribute of a bottle, it costs £64 for 125ml at Harvey Nichols Leeds.

For the extrovert rock chick, Loud by Tommy Hilfiger is an exciting and explosive scent, definitely not for the wallflower, combining elements of Rose, Lychee and Dark Patchouli, just like diving into a big bowl of rose petals, says the brand. It’s £27 for 40ml eau de toilette at John Lewis, House of Fraser and Debenhams and The Perfume Shop.