You may or may not be aware that I am somewhat partial to the odd floral or two. OK, that’s a severe understatement, I am a floral addict and if you were to examine me under a microscope you’d probably discover that my genetic makeup has been significantly altered by the sheer amount of white flowers that I wear. Maybe I’ll wake up one day and I’ll actually have become a flower? Is that pushing it? Thought so.

When most people think florals they think of summer; of golden sunlight beating down on fields and meadows of fragrant flowers shouting their narcotic odours into the warm summer breeze. But for me florals aren’t exclusive to spring or summer, in fact one of my favourite times of the year to break out my bottles of trapped flowers is the time, for the most part, when they are not blooming in the wild. My favourite time for florals is winter.

Floral fragrances are surprisingly versatile in winter, they can provide warmth and comfort or they can react with the cold stiff air to create a sparkling aura that freezes on the skin. So as the weather appears to be quickly changing and the mercury is heading closer and closer to the 0 mark (well it is here at least) I thought I would share with you some of my favourite florals for my favourite time of year.

Pure Poison is definitely not the best of Dior’s Poisons from a technical standpoint but it is easily my favourite. It’s also a fragrance that I never wear in summer, it just feels wrong for some reason, despite its heady blend of jasmine and orange blossom. I think part of why I enjoy Pure Poison in winter is because I associate it with Christmas, having received it as a gift one year. The fact that department stores reek of the stuff at this time of year only goes to strengthen my associations.

But what truly makes Pure Poison a glorious winter floral is its velvety lactonic quality. Along with the beautiful flowers you are enveloped (and I do mean enveloped, this stuff has the tenacity of smallpox) in creamy, musky floral milk, and whilst it does have a cozy bring-me-close-to-your bosom-like warmth it is also vampish enough to warrant its name. If this is the purest of poisons then consider me a lost cause.

Everyone knows that Chanel Nº5 is the Queen of Aldehydes and that is a fact I shall not dispute. But if we are to follow that logic then we must all admit that its younger sister Nº22 is the Empress of Aldehydes, and aldehydes are like magic in winter.

Nº22 is an atom bomb bast of aldehydes and sweet white flowers laid over a base of powder, vanilla and incense. In the cold winter air Nº22 acts as suit of glamorous armour that will protect you from the elements by creating an aura of sparkling fabulous-ness. Nothing can stop you when you’re in Nº22, no snowstorm, no avalanche, nothing.

I have mentioned my love for Puredistance I many, many times so I will keep this one relatively short and sweet. Puredistance I is an abstract, atmospheric floral that sings in the heat but is utterly incandescent in the cold. Wearing Puredistance I is like wearing a mood, its impossible to pick out individual notes because it is so well blended and spraying it on is like adorning oneself with liquid snow.

Yes I had to sneak this one in here but in truth (no pun intended) I do believe that this is going to get a huge amount of wear from me this winter. What Truth or Dare does rather wonderfully is combine the heady, rubbery and sweet blooms of tuberose and gardenia with gorgeously plush, edible marshmallows and vanilla.

Madonna may have wanted this to be all about whips, chains and fishnet stockings but Truth or Dare doesn’t have time for all of that, she’s too busy wrapping you in a snuggly blanket of flowers and sweet treats.

Iris Silver Mist is the gloomy side of winter. It is the bare trees and grey barren landscapes, the fog and the mist. It is Miss Havisham’s cold, dusty drawing room and haunted woodland walks. There isn’t really a word that suitably defines Iris Silver Mist and the only thing that comes close is “ethereal”, but even that doesn’t aptly describe the experience of wearing it.

Iris Silver Mist is not a fragrance you smell, it is a fragrance you feel.

Amaranthine most definitely falls into the category of warm florals. It’s the kind of fragrance you splash on in winter in order to create your very own personal central heating. In summer it is an all-out raunch fest with its tropical flowers, curdled milk and cumin, but in winter it offers a completely different story.

In winter Amaranthine’s flowers feel warmer and creamier yet it’s milky aspect is most definitely chilled. The spicy, raunchy side seems to hum along in the background offering a mere hint of the pleasures to come. If in summer Amaranthine is the bed sheets after the nookie, then in winter it is the idea of hopping into bed simply because it is the warmest place in the world. A scent for duvet days perhaps!

Join the Discussion!

Do you like to wear florals in the winter?

What are your favourite winter florals?

Do you have experience with any of the fragrances mentioned here?

Please leave your thoughts in the comments box below!

Disclaimer

Image 1 Frozen Flowers by Frozen Stardust on Deviantart. Image 2 perfumebee.com. Image 3 perfumetr.com. Image 4 perfumeriaquality.pl. Image 5 thefragranceshop.co.uk. Image 6 via Serge Lutens. Image 7 fruugo.co.uk.