Scents and sensibility

How quickly a particular smell can delight the senses, or send us nose-scrunching in disgust.

I'm thinking specifically of a boat trip that I treated the Baby to in Ireland (I imagined a gentle cruise along the coast, but it turned out to be 90 minutes of high-sea, stomach-churning waves). Within minutes of setting off, poor Baby had gone greener than Neptune's beard and vomited all over herself, the boat, and me.

"Thas' what they call projectile vomitin'," informed the Captain in his thick Irish accent. He even called the coastguard to tell him that he'd never seen a baby so sick. He didn't turn the boat round though.

Now I can handle a bit of sick, but it hit me directly in the side of the head. And asides from the acidic locks now dangling centimeters from my nose (what a day to forget a hair elastic), I had to endure the whiff of fish guts emanating from the Baby's lifejacket which, it seems, had taken a dip in the boat's own bouillabaisse. My turn to feel nauseous.

But to dry land we did return, and after three shampoos and lots of cuddles, the Baby and I were clean again. My nose, however, had not forgotten, so I reached for the one thing that I knew would make my senses happy again: perfume.

One spritz of Jo Malone Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne, £29.50 (www.jomalone.co.uk), and everything felt right again. The perfect mix of sexy and not-too-sweet, this fragrance is limited edition so snap it up while you can. For other scents to rebalance an upset nose, try pleasantly powdery Philosophy Pure Grace, £34.40 (John Lewis), or this Summer's incarnation of Stella McCartney Sheer Stella, £36 (www.escentual.com), a green-smelling mix of freshly cut fruits and flora.

Let me know your favourites too - we've a boat journey coming up in August, and I need ammo.