When it comes to perfume I’ve seen beauty bloggers time and time again struggle when it comes to describing what a scent smells like. You know that you like it or you know that you hate it, you just can’t quite put your finger on which “note” it is that is driving your nostrils wild. Top notes, high notes, low notes, side notes, love notes… you may as well be speaking Swahili to me because I have not one clue how to describe my favourite perfumes apart from: “its sweet” “its musky” or “its spicy”.

This is something which I must try and improve on, but I rest sound in the knowledge that even the Essie Button’s of this world are like “I have no idea why I like it BUT I DO”.  Some of our favourite perfumes are made up of a number of layers to create a signature of fragrance which is where the “notes” come from.

Enter Library of Fragrance, a New York Based company whose individual “cologne sprays” are inspired by the scents of everyday life and created by a team of clever perfumers.  Ever wanted to bottle a “smell” and wear it on a daily basis?  Library of Fragrance has some of the most unique smells bottled and ready for spritzing including PlayDoh, the electric smell of a Thunderstorm, Marshmallows, Gingerbread, even the clean smelling fragrance of Soap.  Taking anywhere from a month to several years to recreate the particular “smell” into a fragrance to be worn on the skin, the work behind each scent guarantees quality fragrances with a linear structure.

What the hell does linear structure mean you may ask and why the hell is perfume so complicated?

A linear fragrance means that the smell of the perfume on the skin won’t change over time.  Where some perfumes have the “top” “heart” and “base” notes which interract with one another to evolve the fragrance over time and evaporate at different rates, meaning the smell can change significantly as you wear it and is why some fragrances may smell different on different people.  Linear means that Library of Fragrance are designed around a particular object or an experience.  For example, the smell of grass doesn’t really change over time, nor does baby powder, so the Baby Powder and Grass fragrances won’t either.  It’s basically a “does what it says on the bottle” jobby.

“Simple, Subtle, Singular Scents. Each Day, Everywhere” is their tagline.

I first came across Library of Fragrance in my local Boots tucked away in a corner next to the celebrity fragrances and the likes of So…! and Yardley.  I spent a good 15 minutes spraying an assortment of smells and being amazed how perfectly they’re captured.

At the retail price of £15 for 30ml or two for £25 at Boots, the Library of Fragrance cologne sprays weigh in at reasonably priced for the quality and longevity of the smell.  The secret to being able to offer such quality fragrance at such a low price?  Low to no advertising costs and simple packaging.

I have the Peach* and the Gin & Tonic* fragrances which are not only beautiful on their own but work so well together when layered together to create your own signature scent.  What I love about the Peach cologne spray is that even though it’s sweet and smells exactly like you’ve bitten into a ripe furry skin peach on a summers day, it lacks the artificial syrupy scent which is commonly linked with peach fragrances.  There’s a crispness to this scent: it’s sweet without smelling like a Barbie Doll perfume and offers a grown up version that doesn’t break the bank.

As for Gin & Tonic, I’ve had friends break out in laughter when I’ve told them of my latest perfume love.  “Gin & Tonic? Why do you want to smell like a drunk old lady?”  Gin & Tonic surprisingly doesn’t smell like you’ve thrown a glass of G&T over yourself.  It’s a crisp light fragrance which embodies the “smell taste” of a G&T with a hint of Juniper.

I think what works so well with Library of Fragrance is the vast array of scents that they offer with something to appeal to everyone with the option of layering to create an even more individual scent.

I have my eye on the spice of Gingerbread and the subjective scent Moonbeam.