If you’ve not already binged Emily in Paris Season 3, have you even got a Netflix account? Continuing our series of matching characters in popular series to scents they should wear, of course I had to pick some perfumes for the cast of Emily in Paris!
Okay, perhaps you avoided it thus far and thought it beneath you, somehow? Well cast off your snobbiness, wind back to the first two seasons and give it a go! There’s a lot of talk about scent, for a start, with an ongoing storyline about the creation of a fragrance and (in the third season) a plot involving Emily trying to save a potential disaster for a lavender farm’s luxury perfume. Fun, frivolous and with some absolutely gorgeous Parisian scenery, it’s one to watch when you just need something easy, breezy and beautiful for a change, and while fans await the much-anticipated fourth season of Emily in Paris, here’s some fragrance choices to explore in the meantime…
Emily (played by Lily Collins) – Lancôme La Vie Est Belle
Optimistic, confident (even though her French, fashion sense and romantic decisions are sometimes shocking) Emily’s joie de vivre often gets her in trouble, but her plucky spirit and great ideas save her. She embodies the joy of this free-spirited fragrance by a trio of top-notch noses (Anne Flipo, Dominique Ropion and Olivier Polge), which was reportedly with 5000 trials in the making. Starring a contemporary, silky iris swagged by radiant orange blossom and sparkling jasmine, its fruitiness is woven with praline (to satisfy her sweet tooth). Pretty, perky, with a long-lasting trail, it’s a scent that says ‘I’m here to stay, and you’re going to love me!’
£65 for 30ml eau de parfum lancome.co.uk
Alfie (Lucien Laviscount) – Jack Piccadilly ’69
Suave, sarcastic, but with a seemingly good heart, Alfie’s the ambitious banker [NB: not a spelling error] who’s fully London-born and proud of it, with no intention of fitting in to the French way of doing things. Piccadilly was the third fragrance from Richard E Grant’s house, and similarly swaggers with pride. Based on Grant’s own first venture to the big city in 1969, and working with talented perfumer Alienor Massenet, these extraordinary memories are evoked via rich patchouli, Earl Grey tea, ginger and leather swirling against the backdrop of a vibrant city, cool cars, petrol fumes, illicit parties, a buzz of excitement. Thrillingly addictive!
£95 for 100ml eau de parfum jackperfume.co.uk
Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) – DS&Durga Bistro Waters
A talented chef conflicted by the ongoing battle between his heart and head (and possibly other parts, too), Gabriel gets away with an awful lot by looking soulfully confused and running his fingers through his hair. While dreaming up new ideas for menu, he should liberally spritz this: a savoury special of juicy green peppers and aromatic, just-chopped herbs with undercurrents of fancy cocktails to follow, late-night lock-ins and snogging the chef (when you really shouldn’t be), this always fun niche house nevertheless serve up seriously great fragrances. It’s the scent of a great night out and, very likely, will scent the morning after the night before.
£148 for 50ml eau de parfum libertylondon.co.uk
Camille (Camille Razat) – Histoire de Parfums This is Not a Blue Bottle 1.2
Ah, Camille – the gal pal unfairly turned love rival with secrets of her own to hide. I think her love of art would be intrigued by this contemporary niche French house’s scent inspired by ‘The Treachery of Images’ – a famously surrealist work from the 1920s by Belgian painter René Magritte. It resonates the dualities of sparkling light and fiery emotions, so perfect for Camille. From a bright beginning of ivy leaf with a fizz of pink pepper, the softness of lilac and lily of the valley are interrupted by passionate ylang ylang’s embrace, with the base of sandalwood and vanilla-lapped musk being sexy in a luminously insouciant but now subversively sexy way.
£105 for 60ml eau de parfum harveynichols.com
Sylvie (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) – Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche
Being the boss isn’t always easy, especially when you’re not sure you are the boss anymore, and you’re doubting your romantic entanglements; so I think Sylvie would reach for a classic that reminds her of more carefree times and boosts her confidence. Completely chic but with a bohemian soul, Rive Gauche was launched in 1971 and – shockingly, then – presented in tin casing so a woman on-the-go could throw it in her bag . Timelessly French Chypre in style but with that rebellious Left Bank spirit. Soapy, sparkling aldehydic bubbles burst to clean-cut woodiness with claws out, while the rich oakmoss dry down is an irresistibly seductive purr.
£75 for 100ml eau de toilette boots.com
Luc (Bruno Gourey) – Parle Moi de Parfum Woody Perfecto
Always dapper, slightly eccentric, but ever dependable in a crisis – even when everyone seems to desert Emily, Luc is a friend indeed and thus deserves a scent to match his quirky but warm personality. Composed by master perfumer Michel Almairac (who runs the house with his sons), expect mischievous names paired with immaculately blended fragrances that blend great taste with not taking yourself too seriously. This one wafts aromatic notes of coffee and cool, rooty vetiver with undercurrents of naughtiness implied by a smooth infusion of leather. Symbolising freedom, the scent is perfect for offices or star-studded parties alike.
£100 for 50ml eau de parfum lessenteurs.com
Julien (Samuel Arnold) – Christian Louboutin Loubicrown
Dramatic? As if! Okay, well sometimes he can go a tiny bit over the top in his reactions, but Julien’s tantrums never last that long, and he’s one of those friends you’d definitely want to party with (as long as you weren’t held responsible for their actions). Never exactly averse to a designer name with a bit of boldness and bling, his ever-colourful wardrobe needs a fragrance that’s just as fantastic, and I reckon he’d love the crowned bottle, too. The scent itself is one that beckons the red carpet via oodles of cedar, deliciously resinous patchouli and a tonka bean accord that will draw crowds of admirers for another sniff.
£235 for 90ml eau de parfum eu.christianlouboutin.com
Mindy (Ashley Park) – L’Orchestre Parfum Rose Trombone
Gregarious, loyal and super-talented, Mindy is a fave of Emily in Paris fans – a magnificent singer with a difficult background of a family who definitely don’t approve of her busking career choices. Mindy’s fortunes may be changing, but that means extra complications for her romantic life. This niche French perfume house couldn’t be more perfect – all their fragrances have songs inspired by them, written by world class musicians; this one’s a beautiful raspberry-tinged rose that turns into a smoky smooch of vanilla-laced rum. Think: torrid glances, forbidden kisses and the sultry voice of a chauntress rising above it all, aching with emotion, hushing a crowd.
£138 for 100ml eau de parfum jovoyparis.uk
Written by Suzy Nightingale