Unexpected holidays (or getaways!) call for unexpected scents. For us, it’s always a delight to discover a scent that takes us to places we’ve yet to explore. Into the niche category we go, where we sniff and spritz on scents that are hard to make of, or perhaps may be an acquired taste. Either way, the fascination, rarity, and one-of-a-kind allure trumps it all, and we end up choosing them again and again.
We’re keeping this short and sweet, as we’ll be taking off soon. Find below the chosen ones we’ve rounded up for a vacation—and why they’re worthy finds in our book.
Parfums de Marly Valaya
First on our list is a happy scent go-to: Valaya. It is every bit true to the Parfums de Marly brand DNA and if we’re to put it, this personal favorite could just be Delina’s alter ego. It would please Delina fans and appeal to non-fans who want a fresher, more citrus take on the iconic feminine scent. It is, after all, also by perfumer Quentin Bisch.
It opens bright, citrusy with bergamot and mandarin orange but it is not transparent. It’s soft and sweet with peach and aldehydes and the patented note Nympheal that accounts for its fresh-creamy, aquatic facets. It’s truly delicate but also powerful. The drydown, albeit more intimate and more skin-like, is where it gets quite close to Delina, with musk, ambroxan, akigalawood, and vanilla. It’s also in the drydown that one can smell everything the fragrance house describes Valaya to be: “a luminous aura and at the same time an intangible softness. Like the scent of fresh cotton.”
We love all its similarities to Delina, but we are also drawn to it because of its differences. Longevity is almost a given when it comes to Parfums de Marly, and this delivers on that aspect. Perhaps the cleanest we’ve smelled from this French niche fragrance house, Valaya is considerably a superstar.
Parfums de Marly Valaya
P19,800, Art of Scent
Xerjoff Erba Pura
Xerjoff Erba Pura is a gem from our discovery set with a crazy projection, so truly a couple of spritzes is all we need to make this scent work. It’s like an ambery fruit punch with some vanilla and musk. It is complex in a good way and it’s quite hard to decipher the notes on their own, but definitely a nicely blended masterpiece in our book.
Xerjoff Erba Pura
P11,115, Art of Scent
Memo French Leather
Memo French Leather is a major hit for us—it’s actually more sweet rose than sour leather so do not let the name deceive you. The rose gets some spice with pink pepper and more complexity with citrus. We love the woody undertones that make it a rosey, musky suede perfume. It smells expensive and of high quality.
Memo Paris French Leather
P14,150, Art of Scent
Ormonde Jayne Arabesque
This wasn’t a scent we thought we’d be obsessed it when we read its notes (top: saffron, black currant, black pepper, bergamot; middle: rose and jasmine; base: agarwood, musk, patchouli, and moss)—but boy were we wrong. This has gotten us a lot of compliments.
Ormonde Jayne Arabesque
P13,500, Art of Scent
Vintage painting by © ArtsyBee. White pedestal by © beemore via canva.com
