Everything's coming up smelling of roses in beauty for spring. Lisa Haynes sniffs out products with petal power.

By Lisa Haynes

You don't have to wait for next Valentine's Day for a bunch of roses. The beauty shelves are currently packed with flowery offerings to keep you smelling sweet.

Once the reserve of ancient aunts, rose-scented products have been brought bang up to date with contemporary formulations - think fresh and alluring rather than pungent and overpowering.

"There has been a resurgence of rose-inspired scents as timelessness, quality and authenticity are major trends in the fragrance industry," explains Trudi Loren, vice president of corporate fragrance development at Aramis & Designer Fragrances.

"Today, the classic rose note is being reinterpreted in more fluid, luminous and effervescent ways - gone are the heavy and powdery interpretations of rose from our grandmothers' era."

With the beauty counters transforming into virtual flower stalls for spring, it's time to revel in rose. Take your pick from our bunch of fragrant product offerings.

:: Face flourish While real roses wilt, rose-based products can perk up complexions. Try Estelle & Thild's Rose Otto Advanced Age Prevent Face Cream. The rose otto oil is rich in hydrating properties to fend off post-winter dryness, £47 (www.urbanretreat.co.uk).

:: English rose Catwalk king Paul Smith has captured the essence of his cool English rose muse in a fragrance bottle. A lighter edition of his classic rose fragrance, Paul Smith Limited Edition Rose has a refreshing heart of tea rose, £34 for 100ml EDT (0844 561 6161/www.debenhams.com).

:: Big bunch Sometimes a single rose just isn't enough and only a dozen will do. For the beauty equivalent, inspired by Italy's romantic Tuscany, Di Palomo's Tuscan Rose extensive range includes bath, body and fragrance products, which can be layered up to scent the skin like a perfumed kiss, from £7 to £22 (John Lewis).

:: Florist mist Addicted to the fresh fragrance of roses, thorn stems and all? Boutique florist Gardenia of London has captured the essence of fresh-cut flowers and bottled it with their Red Rose & Magnolia Fragrant Body Mist, £2.99 (Tesco).

:: Rosebud aroma Float around the bedroom as if you're in a field of flowers with Malin+Goetz's Absolute Rose candle. Containing 16% eau de toilette and with 60 hours of burn time, it beats a bunch of roses any day, £37 (www.liberty.co.uk).

:: Blooming bomb As the name suggests, Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb La Vie en Rose doesn't skimp on the blooms. A summer edition of the legendary Flowerbomb, the intensely floral reinterpretation has three precious flowers at its heart: rose, sambac jasmine and orchid heights, £55 for 50ml EDT (Selfridges).

:: Flowery flush Be an English rose beauty with Bobbi Brown's Limited Edition Lilac Rose Shimmer Brick. The modern way to do shimmer, it contains bright pink, golden pink and icy pink pearl pigments that can be lightly dusted on cheeks, £32 (www.bobbibrown.co.uk).

:: Bath bouquet Kick back and pretend you're wallowing in a tub of luxurious petals with REN's Moroccan Rose Otto Bath Oil. Dispersing in the water it will leave your skin delicately fragranced afterwards, £30 (www.renskincare.com).

:: Pure petals Perfect for hopeless romantics, fall head over heels in love with pureDKNY Rose. The fresh and floral notes are bloomed in Turkey's Isparta valley, where the delicate pink blossoms of rose damascene variety are hand-picked each June, from £37 for 30ml EDP (nationwide).

:: Rosy glow Give your skin a spring clean with Melvita's Rose Nectar Milky Cleansing Oil. It magically transforms from oil to a milky lotion on contact with water to leave your face dewy fresh, £19.50 (uk.melvita.com).

Rose beauty benefits Still not convinced about rosy beauty? Industry experts sing the praises of rose petal power: Versatile "Rose truly is one of nature's miracle ingredients. Renowned for its warm, rich and feminine notes that appeal to a wide audience, rose is a popular fragrance component but also has toning, purifying and skin balancing qualities" - Sarah Deane, John Lewis assistant beauty buyer.

Therapeutic "Aside from the romantic associations, the aroma-therapeutic benefits of rose include the ability to reduce anxiety and stress and lift the spirit" - Jamie Grant, Gardenia of London owner.

Anti-ageing "Wild rose fruit is noted for its high vitamin C level that demonstrates significant repairing action on fine lines and pigmentation disorders. Wild rose oil, rich in linolenic acid, offers significant moisturising, healing and softening properties" - Lena Korres, Korres brand development director.

Tried & tested Ignore the weather forecast and celebrate the arrival of spring with an uplifting lip. Our testers try out glossy pink pouts: :: Topshop Lip Cream in Daze, £7 (www.topshop.com) Highly pigmented, just one coat of this creamy product and my lips were a Barbie-esque pink. On application, the colour is lighter and more vivid than it looks in the tube but can be blotted for a more subtle stain effect.

3/5 :: L'Oreal Paris Glam Shine Stain Splash in Marilyn 103, £7.99 (nationwide) This stain looked thick, pigmented and uber-pink in the tube but in reality it was quite tame and sheer, allowing my natural lip colour to show through. Fresh and pretty, it's ideal if you prefer a glossy hint of colour rather than a heavy, gloopy gloss.

4/5 :: Bobbi Brown Tube Tint in Pink Cloud, £16, available May (0870 034 2566/www.bobbibrown.co.uk) With a creamy but light moisturising formula, this handy tube is easy to apply. As my lips are quite dark and this formula is sheer, I needed to apply a couple of coats to turn my lips a delicate pink.

3/5 Buy it now Set your Sky+, Mad Men is back on the box - and Estee Lauder has got the Sixties-inspired look nailed. A must for vintage vixens, the Mad Men Collection sits pretty in original Estee Lauder paisley design packaging. There are three limited edition products available: See Thru Blush in Light Show, £48; Rich, Rich Lipstick in Pinkadelic, £26; and Nail Lacquer in Pink Paisley, £20 (0870 034 2566/www.esteelauder.co.uk).

Beauty bulletin :: Designer mani Match your nails to your favourite fashion trend with Nails Inc's new Guest Manicure service. The brand has launched show-stopping seasonal manis for customers to experiment with new looks. First up, the 'Monochrome Manicure', inspired by Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs S/S13 collections, followed by 'Denim'. The 15-minute service includes a shape, paint and polish application, from £15, available at Nails Inc nail bars nationwide (www.nailsinc.com).

:: Recessionista alert Aveda are doing their bit for the environment with their giant one litre bottles. Priced from £25, they're the equivalent of buying three normal bottles and getting another free. So you save money, and use 36% less plastic. Spend £30 or more and enjoy free standard delivery and a Stress Fix Body Lotion sample (www.aveda.co.uk).