The smell of the forest, the countryside... transports us to a Zen state.
Getting into vacation mode sometimes requires a little extra push. If this is your case, do not forget to put a perfume capable of changing your mood in your toiletry bag. And, if you have already spent your vacations and have to recover routines, all the more reason, help yourself those notes that will immediately transport you to a bucolic landscape where only good things are yet to come. Close your eyes and inhale... you will step on those green paths again, under the cool shade of flowering trees.
The aroma of exotic fruits brings sweetness and those notes are the ones that usually remind us of vacations (with echoes of deserted and paradisiacal beaches). Citrus fruits are, as we know, the most sought after by the Spanish, and they will give you energy and a good mood. But if what you need is to reach a slightly zen state, look for formulas that combine these notes with hints of grass, moss, wood, flowers... and get wild, there is nothing better!
Next, our favorite perfumes to travel to the countryside with the senses.
Tarragon, mint, green tea, yerba... close your eyes, relax your mind.
From Italy: an infinite horizon of green...
... which is confused with the sky. This is the starting idea of Yerbamate, a grass and hay eau de toilette by Lorenzo Villoresi Firenze. It contains notes of innumerable plants and small flowers, of the aromatic herbs scattered through the fields, stirred by the wind and fed by the sun. This is how they describe it, like a solitary fire in the immense meadow, the calm ritual of tea and mate, a wisp of smoke that rises and envelops us with its lightness. Doesn't sound bad, does it?
For more data, Its notes are fresh and green at the top: tea, citrus, aromatic herbs, mate, mint, tarragon, rose wood, Ylang-Ylang). In the heart notes, there are also hay and lavender, and finally, the base notes include mate, laudanum, oak moss, patchouli, vetiver, aromatic woods, powdery touches and gently spicy notes (€110/100ml).
Bo-Bo, a light and summery niche perfume.
The Mediterranean spirit of Barcelona
Within the Fresh Collection of Carner Barcelona we have found three fresh and cheerful perfumes that they transmit the festive attitude of the coastal summer, focused on the sea, culture and Salvador Dalí. But we have been especially captivated by Bo-Bo, an eau de parfum that evokes an ancient folk dance through Italian bergamot and mandarin, black currant, African orange flower, jasmine, lily of the valley and a base of white amber, musk and vetiver.
You can find the aromas of this firm that manufactures 100% in Barcelona, and that was born in 2010, in Isolée (€150). Your idea? That each perfume has a story related to Barcelona and his culture.
The gardens of the mythical Villa Nellcôte where the Rolling recorded inspire this perfume.
Exiles on the Côte d'Azur
Facing the bay of Villefranche is Villa Nellcôte, a 19th century Belle Époque mansion that was used by the local Gestapo during the Nazi occupation. “In the spring of 1971, rebellious new tenants and their colorful entourage inhabited the property for six months. The barefoot hippies, the beautiful settings and the dark past formed a perfect mix, which materialized in a rock album”, says Johan Bergelin, founder of the perfume firm 19-69, referring to Exile on Main Street, the iconic Rolling Stones album that was recorded there.
The seventh perfume from the firm 19-69 takes its name from this estate in Villefranche-sur-Mer, and is inspired by the aromas of the garden and the surroundings. Refreshing and floral, it has grapefruit, bergamot and petitgrain at the top, violet leaves and rose petals. in the heart, and a base of cabreuva and cedar, among many other notes that take us to the high wrought iron gates, the scented pines and palm trees that keep unwanted visitors at bay. On the front lawn, magnolia blossoms, jasmine, and flower beds. And on the top floor of the building, bouquets of roses and vases full of fresh flowers that fill the farm with a magnificent aroma, that captures this bottle (€155/100ml).
Freshness and vacation escape, in a bottle.
Spanish summer: let's open this melon
Few things more summery than a melon, right? Well This delicious unisex citrus perfume by La Mota – aptly named Freshness – has the relaxing sweetness of this fruit as its top notes. Its aroma reveals hints of cyclamen, the sensual Persian violet, which in ancient Rome was considered an amulet that attracted fortune. Then it sits on a tobacco fragrance (soft and woody notes), which gives it a special almost aphrodisiac touch (49€/ 50ml).
PS: In case you don't have it on the radar, This Spanish firm, which only manufactures products ethically and responsibly, was created in 2015 and successfully debuted with Color & Cream, some masks with pigment that go away progressively in a few washes and that do not damage the hair.
A walk among fig trees inspired this perfume.
Greece: an ode to (being in) the fig tree
From the green freshness of the leaves to the white wood and milky sap of figs, Diptyque Philosykos Eau de Parfum captures all the dimensions of the fig. The sweetness of the fruit fades, the white cedar marks the woody power of the tree and its sun-warmed bark.
This fragrance was born from a memory: that of a summer on Mount Pelion, in Greece. To reach the sea, Yves Coueslant and Desmond Knox-Leet, two of the firm's founders, they had to walk through an orchard of wild fig trees. The sun warmed the land so much that the air picked up the perfume given off by the fig trees and their fruits. They kept some branches and dry leaves in a box, which long after still maintained the exquisite aroma. In love with it, they asked perfumer Olivia Giacobetti to turn it into a fragrance (€87).
Who doesn't want a little orange blossom in their day to day life?
Majorcan essence
Palmaria is a classic and could not be missing. The cosmetics firm that converts the aromas and colors of Mallorca into fragrances transports us with its Flor de Naranjo eau de cologne to the most wonderful holiday state. This Mediterranean aroma has been elaborated with the intention of taking us to the Majorcan landscapes on a splendid summer day.
The freshness of oranges pampered under the sun and the soft sensuality of their flowers remind us, in this fresh and unisex formula, that life is sometimes good... We go for a walk through the orange groves of Mallorca through a heart of lavender and mint, with a background of patchouli and moss and a sparkling top note of lemon, bergamot and orange blossom (€33/100ml).
L'Amandière, innocent notes to calm our day to day.
a spring excerpt
One of the first scents for self-taught English-born, Paris-based James Heeley was Menthe Fraîche (2006), a fresh debut for one of Europe's few remaining independent luxury perfume houses. In Laconicum we For this country list, L'Amandière stands out, a romantic and innocent eau de parfum that, as one consumer says, “smells clean and joyful”.
It has the almond as the protagonist, they explain to us, but it is not a hoarding protagonist, it leaves room for secondary aromas. Nor is it a bitter almond, so it does not remind us of disappointed love (as happened in Love in the time of cholera), nor sweet; it is balanced and green. The almond is surrounded by wild flowers in this version of an Extrait de Parfum of the same name. Its pyramid presents green almond and fresh mint at the top); hyacinth, bluebells, rose and linden flower in the heart and white musk in the base (€130/100 ml).
Silvestre is the most emblematic fragrance of the Catalan firm Bravanariz.
Feral in the Ampurdán
We are passionate about the Bravanariz project, an immersion in the aromas of Alt Empurdá that reminds us that “We are nature, although we do not stop doing a thousand absurd things to forget it”, as Ernesto Collado, its founder, says. His formulas take us to specific landscapes: For example, Bosc captures the wooded mountains of La Albera and Les Salines, on the border with France. Muga, the exuberance of spring in the Alt Empordá plain and Cala, the coastal paths of the Costa Brava.
We stayed with Silvestre, his cologne based on an original formula that Ernesto's grandfather created in 1923 for his wife. On that citrus base, typically Mediterranean, they have worked to give it a personal wild touch. The result conveys the same feeling of freshness and well-being as a morning walk in the countryside. Its 100% natural composition, made from plants, fruits, wood and resins, helps you reconnect with nature. With wild-harvested rosemary tinctures and hydrolates, it stimulates your mood and awakens your instincts. His citrus heart, recognizable and welcoming, it brings a clean and fresh feeling, and the notes of pine and juniper transport you to the woods. You can find it at Nadia Perfumeries (€45).
The niche perfume Terre Initiale, by Jardin de France.
Burgundy and the scent of fertile land
Terre Initiale is the name of this perfume with echoes of a varied and incredibly fertile land, which offers us great aromatic richness and woodiness. Created by the nose Justine Brivet, this niche fragrance from Jardin de France was born in the heart of France, in Burgundy, where this firm has developed its savoir-faire for almost 100 years. “It seemed obvious to us that patchouli represented the idea of the earth. We wanted to compose a creation around an Indonesian patchouli essence with particular qualities with softer facets, a less camphoric variety, accompanied by davana leaves to give it a sweet fruity facet," explains Justine.
Available at La Basílica Galería, it boasts an opening dominated by aromas of absinthe and red berries, followed by subtler hints of davana flower, which mark the heart of this velvety fragrance. The cedar wood and incense background reveal the spiritual facets of patchouli (€125).
Bring home the aroma of your happy moments in nature.