COSMETIC CRAVING

THE majority of new scents fail to stay on the shelf for 18 months. But perfumer Bernard Chant’s classic Aromatics Elixir (£26 for 10ml, clinique.co.uk) celebrates its 50th birthday this year. Complex, uncompromising, and great in every sense, the fragrance has acquired a cult following — even its matching body lotion (£33) is legendary. Aromatherapeutic with notes of rose, jasmine, ylang ylang and vetiver and an incense-rich base, it tends to sell well at Christmas, yet I love it in the summer when it smoulders on the skin.