Confession time: whenever a perfume promising to bottle a fresh bouquet lands on my desk, I internally sigh. While I appreciate the blooms that spring has to offer, I don’t want to smell like them.

They remind me of my first fragrances in my teens: either too floral and fruity for my liking or too traditional and old-fashioned for my tastes. Artificial floral notes are often headache-inducing for me, and it’s so obvious that humans aren’t supposed to smell like a bunch of roses, which kind of gives away the game a bit. Plus, the fact that florals are not known for their longevity has me ignoring it as a fragrance category almost altogether.

However, when Glossier’s newest fragrance, You Fleur, landed on my desk, I immediately sprayed it without reading any of the notes and was shocked to find it’s classed as a ‘luminous floral blend’ when its first impression said otherwise. 

You Fleur is Glossier’s fourth fragrance as part of its popular You collection. While I liked the original, it quickly became the go-to smell of the beauty community and ended up reminding me of other people rather than myself, so I gradually tapped out.

Do not judge it by its name. You Fleur is described as an ‘airy’ scent packed with a mineral salt accord, osmanthus, ylang ylang, apricot skin and topped off by a musky ambrox base. On paper, it’s not my type at all, but in person, it’s like a cosy, creamy cocktail served on a breezy, sunny beach – no flowers in sight.

On the first spray, I immediately got a whiff of coconut – not one of its listed notes, and I’m also not a fan – but that quickly developed into a ‘your skin but better’ scent that’s far more subtle than its predecessors. After a while, it turned into a musky, gentle, skin-like scent that’s neither feminine nor too masculine. It’s ideal for everyday wear.

As a person who steers clear of florals, it seems like I’ve finally met my match; I cannot stop wearing it. Something is comforting and nostalgic about it – it’s as if the traditional flowery scents we doused ourselves with when we were younger have had a grown-up cool-girl upgrade.

Although it’s had me do a 180 on foral fragrances, it hasn’t changed my mind on the longevity struggles of these fresher scents – long-lasting, it is not. However, it’s the type of perfume I’d happily carry around with me; with its pretty, petite bottle and understated scent, this is not going to alert everyone around you when you’ve spritzed it – it’s the opposite of loud and bold.

If you’re not usually a fan of traditional floral perfumes, Glossier’s You Fleur is about to change your mind. 

Images: Adobe; Charlotte Bitmead