It’s an especially millennial, Larry David-ian dilemma: the euphoria that comes with canceling plans. There’s a lot of talk about our generation’s likeliness to opt for Netflix and chill(ing) over an all-night rager. We all occasionally make plans we know we’re going to inevitably wriggle ourselves out of—it’s all in how you go about taking advantage of your reclaimed evening to yourself.
Take a page from Poppy Delevingne—who, as she demonstrates in the video above, is something of a professional in the arena. Of course, when you’re cozied up in a dreamy suite at The Bowery Hotel (that bathroom!) and an endless supply of Jo Malone London products, it’s hard not to find a reason (or two dozen) to try to stay in. Once you draw yourself a rose-oil-doused bath, light a decadent candle, and start creating your own bespoke scents by layering your favorite Jo Malone London together—your original plans for a night out are bound to take the back seat.
“You never know what you’re going to come up with, and I think that’s what’s so wonderful about it,” Poppy enthused. “I love the experimental aspect of it, the results are always really unexpected.” As for first-timers? “Be adventurous! At the end of day, you’re basically making a fragrance that’s bespoke to you. Sometimes it’s easier to start with a lighter fragrance and then mix it with something that would be a little bit stronger and darker.” The brand’s new Fragrance Combining trios go even further, offering up their best-selling scents in a series of convenient sets, to layer however you see fit.
To get you started, Poppy shares her signature scent combinations, the sweet stories behind her favorite fragrances, and the perfect binge-watch accompaniments to your next night in.
Basil & Neroli Candle + English Pear & Freesia Diffuser:
“This combination is very pure, light, and fresh. Very vintage.”
Red Roses Bath Oil + Lime Basil & Mandarin Candle:
“One of my favorites. To me, the Basil is very old-school—a fragrance I grew up with. It was always in my home, my mother wore it for a while, and I find that it always takes me back. It’s very sumptuous and is nice when you’re putting fragrances together. Red Rose is a fragrance that’s very feminine, very London.”
Peony & Blush Suede Body Creme + Orange Blossom Cologne:
“This combination would probably be the prettiest. Very feminine, very gentle, and...just pretty.”
Tuberose Angelica Cologne + Orange Blossom Cologne:
“That’s my Poptastic duo [ed. note: Poppy’s limited-edition fragrance set for the brand], so that’s my number one combination. It’s a little bit naughty, with the Tuberose Angelica, and the Orange Blossom Cologne is nice and light. The combination can be whatever you want it to be.”
Poppy’s Perfuming Lessons:
1. “One really unexpected one that I never knew is when you put fragrance onto your wrist, you’re not meant to smush them together. Apparently it distorts the fragrance.”
2. “You should wear the fragrance. Don’t let the fragrance wear you. You know when you’re a teenager, and you start wearing fragrance, and you literally empty out the bottle all over you? Then the fragrance walks into the room before you even do. It’s an overpowering smell.”
3. “After a long, hot bath, when you’re even just still a little bit damp, apply your fragrance. It lasts longer.”
“I was really inspired by wearing Orange Blossom Cologne to my wedding. Every time I wear it now, I still get butterflies from that day.”
Date Night: “Incense & Cedrat Cologne is my favorite, but I may mix it up a little bit, and say Velvet Rose and Oud. It’s not too far away from Tuberose Angelica for me, but I really love it at the moment.”
New York City: “Ooh, I need to give this one a little bit of an edge… Maybe Pomegranate Noir. It’s got a little kick to it. Sometimes I think it’s a little bit masculine.”
Crazy Workday: “I would always turn to Red Roses. It’s the fragrance I get the most compliments on. I feel like if you’re going into an audition or a meeting, you kinda want a talking point, and I feel like Red Roses could be that talking point. I’d say 90 percent of the time that I wear it, people comment and ask, ‘What is that? I need that.’”
Weekend Getaway: “Definitely Wood Sage & Sea Salt. It’s very light and airy, and everybody loves it.”
Los Angeles: “For me, 100 percent Orange Blossom, without a doubt. Even though it’s my wedding scent, where I’m staying at the moment in L.A., they have these beautiful orange blossom trees, and it reminds me of that.”
Night Out: “I would say Peony & Blush Suede, because for me, that fragrance is so feminine. It reminds me of being with my girlfriends. It’s kind of candy-coated and pink. I love it.”
London: “I would definitely say Basil & Neroli. That campaign was all set in London. It was a very sort of ’60s-inspired shoot, and for me now, when I wear it, it reminds me of sort of wet pavement and late nights.”
“I wore a certain fragrance to fashion week, and it will always remind me of the shows I saw or being with that one person. I love the sensory overload you get with fragrance.”