I’m always open to new and exciting ways to wear fragrance – methods that add to or change the standard way to wear scent, which is to spray (because dabbing is waste of everybody’s time, let’s face it). Of course there are many gimmicks out there and it is really difficult to beat a good old spray (or ten) but every now and then a decent alternative comes along that either changes the way one wears fragrance, or at the very least enhances it.
I was recently contacted by Vanacci, a British Company who make a range of scented jewellery, in addition to many other luxury accessories for men. Now, the idea of fragrant accessories isn’t entirely new and many niche fragrance brands offer some form of scented wearable, whether that be the high end jewels with scentable ceramic inserts of By Kilian or the scent-soaked leather bracelets offered by Maison Francis Kurkdjian. But what makes Vanacci different is their affordability, in addition to the fact that they use a special porous material called ‘Lockstone’ which absorbs fragrance and slowly releases it throughout the day. The idea is to have a fashionable accessory that carries with it, the scent of your favourite fragrance. Colour me intrigued!
What struck me about Vanacci’s Lockstone collection is just how attractive it is – the products, which include bracelets, cufflinks and pendants across a number of capsule collections are handsome and streamlined. They’ve managed to create scented jewellery that is simple and unobtrusive, and that can be paired with any outfit. In particular though, my eyes were drawn to the Solaris bracelets, which I must say, were particularly eye-catching. So, to put Vanacci to the test I trialled two of their Solaris bracelets over a few days so see whether; a) they really were as stylish as they looked; and b) they hit the mark as a suitably scented accessory. Let’s see how they faired…
First things first, let’s talk aesthetics and on that front, Solaris really hits the nail on the head. The bracelet is comprised of a number of beads, available in a variety of semi-precious stones, and a set of Lockstone beads that have been crafted to represent the solar system, with Earth marked in silver. The look is really cool and the variety of stones available means that it’s easy to pick something that matches one’s style. I opted for the black agate, because black goes with everything, and the nebula because sparkles. Both look fab and whilst they have a bold design, they really work with most outfits, presenting a very modern and masculine style.
Applying scent to the Solaris bracelet is really simple. All you do is invert the Lockstone area of the bracelet (in this case the planets) and spritz generously. After leaving the stones to dry for five minutes or so, you are good to go. Vanacci state that oncee spritzed, the fragrance is locked into the stone and the micro-absorbent structure will then allow the scent to be gradually released through contact with the skin and air. So, to put Vanacci to the test, I paired my bracelets with two bold fragrances to really see if they did what they claimed to do.
We’ve established that these bracelets look pretty damn good, but the burning questions is whether the Lockstone technology actually works. Well, I’m happy to report that it works pretty well. I paired my black agate Solaris with a generous helping of Comme des Garçons’ Blackpepper (I was feeling somewhat hipsterish at the time) and for the nebula, I went for Alien because, once again – sparkles. Both held on to the fragrance strongly for about 48 hours but they remained noticeable in the Lockstone for much longer and sniffing them now, four or five days in, both signatures are noticeable, albeit more subdued. They really work and for me, they’re the kind of thing you’d use on those days when you want to be doused in your favourite scent or those times when you just want a hint of it, making for a really versatile accessory.
For me, the Vanacci Lockstone collection is a hit but I would say that the scented aspect of the products comes secondary. I would wear these whether they were able to infuse with my favourite scents or not because they’re just so darn handsome, so the fact that they do have this scented element is a real bonus. I spritz on a ton of fragrance whenever I wear it (which is all the time, obv.) so my use of the Lockstone products would be to either enhance or contrast my fragrance of the day (I like the idea of applying an opposing scents to your skin and Lockstone to layer in an unconventional way) but your mileage may vary, and you may opt to spritz just your Solaris bracelet, which would create a more subtle fragrance experience. Either way, the choice is yours and you’re going to look cool af whatever you choose to do.
Availability
The Solaris bracelets are available in Agate, Nebula, Lava Stone, Lapis Lazuli and Obsidian. Prices range from £34.99 to £54.99. More details can be found on vanacci.com.
Disclaimer
Samples and quotes via Vanacci. Images are my own.
The Candy Perfume Boy 