Luca Turin's Perfumes: The Guide calls Chanel's Eau de Cologne an object lesson to every perfumer since the 1790s. There is a special pleasure to witnessing tired classics dusted off and played properly—for... among others; and oh, that big, singing amber, didn't you met it in Guerlain's Guet-Apens? This fragrance was designed to claim a great inheritance, and it fits in the family portrait perfectly. TS

Having just finished reading "Perfumes - the guide" by Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez and I'm now utterly bewitched by the descriptions of scents that I've never tried. So much so that mum and I are taking...reassuringly absent! This was the perfume I wore throughout my holiday in Sicily and I just couldn't get enough of it. I would be very interested to hear of other favourite perfumes and why in the comments.