Fragrance is such a personal aspect of style; I’ve often thought of it as the beauty equivalent of lingerie. In many ways the two are very similar; they both wear close to the skin, can instantly make you feel beautiful and I would never leave home without either one. Perfume selection is also a very personal thing; some women will wear the same scent from decade to decade, whilst others will have a vast collection from which to adorn themselves.
Whilst perfumery is most often associated with the French, Australia does have a small but quality selection to choose from. MOR is the brand that immediately springs to mind when I think about great Australian companies who’ve built their label around beautiful smelling things. You would likely know MOR for their selection of decadently packed soaps and lotions, however, they actually have a small yet wonderful selection of perfumes as well.
“Australia has always been a constant source of inspiration when designing new fragrances and new collections,” says Deon St. Mor co-founder of the brand. “We are lucky to have such a broad selection of natural botanical flora and fauna.”
MOR’s fragrance range includes several beautifully packaged ‘Little Luxuries’ of roll on perfume oils, which make the perfect handbag companion. There are five scents in total including both floral and fruity varieties to please many different perfume preferences. When I asked Deon which scent best represented the brand he picked my personal favorite; Marshmallow.
“Marshmallow is our hero fragrance and a beautiful representation of the MOR Brand,” Deon tells me. “It’s a delicate, floral fragrance…English Rose inspired with a touch of Victoriana packaging.” Marshmallow also happens to be MOR’s bestselling fragrance, which is no surprise to this fan. What I love about Marshmallow is the wonderful powdery musk-like quality that it has, the feel is very ‘boudoir’ and it would not be out of place with a vintage clutch and your grandmother’s pearls.
For those who like their scents a little more mysterious; Cassis Noir delivers just that. A slightly heady mix of jasmine, rich plum and rose gives a sophisticated and darkly romantic vibe. Snow Gardenia takes the place of my ‘other favourite’ alongside Marshmallow, for its dewy mix of white flowers and smooth woody base. There’s something so utterly feminine about gardenia scents and MOR has really captured their beauty with this scent. Belladonna and Lychee will appeal to the fruity floral lovers out there and MOR manages to mix both elements in a unique way.
I’ve always been curious about how brands begin creating their scents, with so many wonderful smells to choose from, how do they narrow it down? “Fragrance selection and development is actually quite a complex process,” Says Deon. “At MOR, sometimes we conceptualise a new range from a scent or fragrance we have simply fallen in love with… we evaluate each fragrance once sampling is complete and our final selection for market release is made once the fragrance, product formulation and packaging elements are combined.”
The result is a well-thought out mix of scents, each with its own personality and style. For scents that, “cater to a discerning customer who prefers unique boutique fragrances,” as Deon puts it, the MOR scents are surprisingly affordable. The 9ml roll-on bottles are just under $20 and the Marshmallow eau de parfum is $69.95 for a 100ml bottle. The Little Luxuries roll-ons are my personal pick; keep them in your bag so that you’re never without a little piece of Australian luxury fragrance ever again.
