We’re rather keen on the boudoir-esque perfumes and candles which are around right now. Soft scents of violet, rose, a touch of leather – real ‘Mummy’s handbag’ scents, which are sophisticated yet somehow comforting at the same time. Can a scent be both romantic and cosy? These would suggest the answer’s ‘yes’.

Falling into this ultra-feminine family of scented delights is the Urban Apothecary Velvet Peony collection. Urban Apothecary was founded by beauty entrepreneur Tajinder Banwait. Her philosophy is that ‘locking memories in fragrance, as if each were a scented snapshot, is a pleasing way to remember special moments.

Well, the special moment this conjures up for us is, literally, rootling around naughtily in Mummy’s handbag – a lovely lipsticky, powdery scent based around rose, violet, ylang ylang, peach and raspberry, with flourishes of amber.

It’s a smell that works well as a candle, diffuser, body wash, luxury soap (great for keeping in a lingerie drawer to scent your smalls before using) – and this luxurious body lotion, which is rich but not sticky, leaving skin really fragrant – frankly, it’s as if we’re wearing perfume, rather than a body product.

Other fragrances in the line-up include Oudh Geranium, Oriental Noir, Green Lavender, Fig Tree… You can sniff the range out for yourself in various spiffy stores (the list of stockists is here) – or skip the pre-sniffing and buy directly online below.

Wonderfully nostalgic – but contemporary too. Just utterly, utterly lovely, overall.

£24 for 300ml –­ buy here

Prize Draws