I appear to have developed a penchant for the sort of beauty packaging that looks as though it’s come straight from the set of an Alice in Wonderland film. I’ve become a real sucker for vintage-style perfume bottles, interesting pots, dainty tins, jars with fancy lids and anything that might look fabulous on my fantasy dressing table. Which is, in case you’re wondering, a glass-topped ornate-legged affair set before a huge Georgian sash window. (I think this fantasy is a subconscious rebellion against minimalism after years and years of living in mid-century modern houses!)

Anyway it’s all very Alice, this penchant of mine, and the collection keeps on growing – oversized glass decanters, candles with rabbits on and tiny little tins containing tiny little soaps. Curiouser and curiouser. This preoccupation with all things quirky started with the arrival of Roger & Gallet’s new Extrait de Cologne*, which comes in a whopping great big 500ml bottle.

It really is quite impressive, dwarfing all other perfume bottles in my collection, and I love the stopper in the top and the label that looks a bit like a wax seal. There are a few different Extraits in this collection, each created by a different perfumer, but Neroli Facetie is my favourite – orange flower, neroli, ylang ylang and vetiver, it’s just so uplifting and joyful. It’s a cologne, so relatively light and designed to be worn liberally – good job, seein...