You know that feeling after you've just had your everything shower, slipped into your fave pair of PJs, climbed right into a freshly-made bed and oh, it's also raining outside? Well, you can capture that in a scent – and use it to the advantage of your all-important beauty sleep.
Selected as one of the top fragrance trends of the moment by Cosmetics Business, bedtime perfumes are like a hit of melatonin for your nose. Functional fragrances have boomed over the past several years; we're no longer just wanting to smell good, we want our scents to work harder, making us feel things and get into certain moods. So is it any wonder we're now turning to them to get us to sleep more easily?
The following eight scents are some of my favourites for spritzing before slumber; they're calming, relaxing, and incredibly soothing to the soul: just what you need for the sweetest of dreams...
1. Gabar 04 (NOLITA) Rise
Gabar's skin-like scent is soothing and calming, perfect for bedtime to balance the senses. It leads with juniper and pink pepper, gradually enticing the nose with mellow notes of lavender, lily of the valley and eventually, cashmere wood. It's also unique enough to make your 'signature scent' for daytime, too.
2. Glossier You Fleur
Glossier's original 'You' scent is a beloved skin scent, but 'You Fleur' is slightly more elevated and better suited for that cosy pyjama aesthetic if you ask me, thanks to its musky, powdery nature. It features comforting cashmeran at its heart, with understated ambroxan at the base, making it both familiar and gentle.
3. Phlur Vanilla Skin
Phlur's range of gourmand scents are totally irresistible for those with a sweet tooth (or in this case, nose!). They're also perfect for the nighttime hours where winding down becomes a real self-care process. 'Vanilla Skin,' in particular, is both sweet and soothing, enveloping the skin with notes of cashmere wood, sandalwood and of course, delectable vanilla.
4. Charlotte Tilbury Calm Bliss
The name of Charlotte Tilbury's 'Calm Bliss' really does speak for itself; this is a super mellow, relaxing scent that's sure to get you in the mood to wind down and enjoy your beauty sleep. The blend combines a number of fragrance oils that smell beautiful while also soothing the soul, from fresh bergamot oil and sweet neroli oil to lavandin oil.
5. Le Labo Lavande
Combining bright, zesty citrus floral notes of neroli and bergamot with soothing lavender and creamy musk, amber and tonka, Le Labo's Lavande 31 is one of its lesser-known scents, but one that suits the 'bedtime perfume' category perfectly. It's both sexy and soothing, meaning sweet dreams all round.
6. Tsu Lange Yor Luca
Perhaps my favourite thing about Tsu Lange Yor's scents are how grounding they manage to be; most have an earthy, natural feel to them, which is calming and perfect for soothing the nervous system. This one is a personal favourite; it features top notes of bergamot, black pepper and elemi, which are complemented by cedarwood and moss at the heart and musk and sandalwood at the base.
7. Maison Margiela When the Rain Stops
Maison Margiela is notorious for successfully creating scents that honour core memories and feelings, offering the ultimate sensorial experience. When The Rain Stops recreates that deliciously irresistible feeling of hiding in bed when it's chilly and drizzling outside. Aquatic, woody and green notes are combined to create a fresh yet cosy olfactory experience.
8. Vyrao Witchy Woo
Perfect for the colder Autumnal months, Vyrao's Witchy Woo is exactly how it sounds: mysterious, sensual and with a touch of magic. It's a warm, spicy scent that delivers a hit of black pepper and incense, immediately balanced out with delicate rose and creamy sandalwood. A spritz of this and you'll get right into that cosy, sleepy mood.
