Q. While I was on holiday in New York I found a fantastic fragrance range called Calypso St. Barth Lea. I can’t seem to find it in the UK and I’ve got to the end of my bottle and am bereft! It’s got a wonderful baby powder smell that I’m simply addicted to.
A. There is a great American fragrance website called www.luckyscent.com, which carries a wide range of hard-to-find fragrances and will happily ship to the UK (unlike so many sites…) We sort of defy you to stop at just one fragrance because there are so many interesting brands on there, with well-described scents – but before you swing for the shipping for scents listed on the site, do just Google to make sure they’re not available in the UK, first! (The Calypso St. Barth scent isn’t, so you will need to order it from the US – or plan another vacation to stock up…)
Q. Years ago I was given a large bottle of perfume called Panache. I’ve not seen it in the shops, or indeed, anywhere else for many yars. My daughter will be 18 next month and I’d love to buy her a bottle. Does anyone know where I can buy some, please?
A. Yardley perfumes – who created Panache – were bought out by another company, Fine Fragrances & Cosmetics Ltd., in 1999; distribution is slowly improving for the range (but we can’t vouch for whether or not they have tweaked the fragrance – which has floral/aldehydic and musky notes. Panache is available on-line from a company called (terrible name) www.cheapsmells.com. (Better not let her see the outer box, if it is a birthday gift!) We hope you enjoy it as much as ever…
• Panache, £14.99 for 50 ml Eau de Parfum spray at www.cheapsmells.com – buy here
Q. I recently went on holiday to Wakefield, England and spotted a perfume that I adored. The only problem is that I can’t find the perfume here in Scotland, so I was wondering if they have a website. The perfume’s called Lolita Lempicka…
A. The perfume’s actually quite widely available and as you’ve already established that you love it, we suggest you do indeed buy on-line. (We’re not big fans of buying a perfume for the first time via the internet, as you need to allow it time on your own skin to make up your mind if you really do like it…) Details are below.
• Lolita Lempicka, £43 for 100 ml Eau de Parfum at www.londonperfumeshop.co.uk – buy here
Q. Can you help me locate a perfume called Ciara? I’m sure it’s by Revlon or Charles Revson – and it may have originated in the States.
A. Ciara was indeed a Revlon fragrance but was discontinued worldwide back in the late 1970s and is not available through Revlon at all. When we did a search of it on the internet, however, there are quite a few sites selling this fragrance – but we would like to point out that they are not endorsed by Revlon, who can’t guarantee the quality of the fragrance – if it is the right one (or indeed one that might have been kept in a warehouse for the last 30 years!) (If you want to do a search all the same, go to www.google.co.uk and key in ‘Ciara’, or click here for an eBay page with listings for this particular fragrance.)