January 24, 2022

L’Amour du Printemps*

*Love Spring ~ Riviera Edition

Spring comes early in the South of France and first to see the warming temperatures and first blooms of Spring is my beloved French Riviera.

As the warm breeze blows in from the Mediterranean the denizens of the Cote d’Azur begin promanading and “Le jogging” up and down the coast line, along the Baie des Anges which stretches from Cap d’Antibes all the way to the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. Still far too cold for a dip, the azur blue sea becomes ever more tempting with the low sitting winter sun glistening from it’s tantalizing surface, reminding you of many happy days at the plage and many more to come.

After a particularly cold winter this year, one that threatens the harvest across the board from vines to olives, it’s a much needed relief to see the first signs of fertile flora and fauna. Menton is famous for its oranges and lemons, but they can be found in almost every town and hill along the Riviera and deeper into the countryside. January is the perfect time to pick these sweet treats and the annual “Fête du Citron” is happily back in full swing this year from the 12th to the 27th of February.

Then one of my favourite things of the year takes place. The Mimosa Season. Blooming into a thousand little winter suns, mimosa exhales a delicate, heady and powdery perfume. The first time I smelt it I didn’t like it. It was so alien as a fragrance that my English nose could not acclimate to it immediately, but with each year that passes I become more and more intoxicated with it and wait longingly for that first delightful sniff into a big bunch from my local florist.

Although used by the ancient perfumeries in Grasse as a stable ingredient, it is not easy to find a true representation of this smell other than straight from the flower itself, however, last year I was delighted to discover the Mimosa range by Diptyque (one of my favourite French Brands). I have only tested the Room Fragrance and the candle (bougie) but both smell almost exactly like putting your head in a Mimosa Tree in January and the scent lasts a really long time.