Who: Oxana Polyakova, owner, Bloom Perfumery. Oxana has two beautiful perfume stores in London, one in Spitalfields and one in Covent Garden, which are delightful places from which to buy interesting, niche and excellent quality fragrance. We love her for her straight talking and knowledgeable advice and she also has very good taste.

Today I’m Wearing Coeur de Noir by a new brand from London called BeauFort. It’s very original and it’s been a while since I came across anything so interestingly bold and spicy. It’s elegant and at the same time feminine, although it’s very definitely a unisex smell. It has ginger which wakes you up and it works a little as an aphrodisiac, as it makes your blood run faster. Although you haven’t actually eaten ginger, your brain thinks you’ve had some and tricks you into waking up.

Major brands should be releasing challenging interesting scents like this, but they don’t.

When I wear my perfume, firstly I put it on my wrist to check that i do want to wear it, because you can wash it off from here if you change your mind. Then I spray it all over me; on my hair, neck, decollate. If you put it only on your wrist and then complain it doesn’t last, there’s a reason! You haven’t been generous enough.