I have three friends who loathe fragrance – one because she suffers from migraines, one who thinks all perfumes smell the same, and another who just likes to annoy me. I’ve cured all but the last with what I misleadingly describe as “anti-perfume perfumes” – scents with a more natural aroma, that bed down politely on the skin without the dizzying whiff of department store.
I got the migraine sufferer on to E11even (£80) and she’s on her fifth bottle. E11even was founded by TV presenter Cat Deeley and her makeup artist friend Amanda Grossman. The latter blended their only product, an uplifting, rollerball scent, from ethically and fairly sourced natural oils such as patchouli and geranium, by hand at her kitchen table. In the best way, her lack of experience and training as a perfumer shows. Soft and earthy, the scent has an intimacy, almost a naivety, and on the right person (regardless of gender), it can be hard to determine where natural skin scent ends and perfume begins. Even I – a fragrance addict – have been known to swipe across the rollerball on a relaxing weekend at home.
