Daily delight: Aesop's Marrakech

When I travelled to Sydney to cover Australian Fashion Week several years ago, the one thing that really stood out in my mind from the week of chaos, beauty and plain old insanity was a fragrance oil I bought in the basement of David Jones. Called Marrakech, it was the creation of Aesop, Melbourne-based purveyors of all things beautiful.
Creating quality skincare since 1987, the exquisite scents for which Aesop is renowned are an incidental treat. The company values “all human endeavours undertaken with intellectual rigour, vision, and a nod to the whimsical”, and the scent of Marrakech epitomises this most grand of mission statements. includes a healthy diet, sensible exercise, and a regular intake of good books. For Marrakech, the creators drew inspiration from a city “cloaked in colours of the desert, where artisans work on rugs hewn by hand, and hot wind holds lute music and smells of the spice market. It is a city that has called to traders and travellers for thousands of years, a place where chaos and an ancient stillness coexist…” The result is a spicy fragrance with Clove, Sandalwood, and Cardamom that is quite frankly, bloody gorgeous. Available now as a Parfum, Eau de Toilette and Baume de Parfum, I’m almost out and hoping that it’s available at the just-opened Marr Lab in The Department Store in Takapuna. Fingers crossed, and there goes my pennies.