Ever since I watched Cate Blanchett grace the silver screen in The Aviator back in 2006, I’ve been a no holds barred fan. She’s leagues above many of the so-called actresses that dominate Hollywood today. Her coy charisma, magnetic charm, beautifully porcelain skin; she’s a thing of great beauty on just about every level. 

It’s hardly surprising then that Mr. Armani himself has chosen Cate to be the face of his latest fragrance, Si, which launches tomorrow at Harrods. Ironically, he met the actress back in 2006 when she won an Oscar for her role in the film, and the rest was history. Moved by her graceful presence, Armani was totally star-struck, which is hardly surprising

Being the modern-day Grace Kelly that she is, Cate knows a thing or two about scent. Which is perhaps why the collaboration seem so natural. From the specific way she applies her perfume to the less obvious ways she likes to scent her life, it’s a subject she appears to knows quite a bit about. Another notch on that skinny belt of hers, then. Here are her definitive five ways when going about fragrance:

On applying scent in a less obvious manner
‘I like to spray my scent around me rather than directly on me.’

The perfect scent should have a ‘taste’ 
‘A delicious fragrance, a fragrance that you continually want to wear, is one that you want to almost taste as much as smell.’

On how much is too much  
‘I don’t think a fragrance should ever enter a room before a woman but certainly when a woman leaves a room, you want the residue to linger.’

On turning to nature’s pure forms of scent
‘One of the most powerful scents for me is the smell of the beach, of water. That smell of tea tree and salt on the skin… this scent is incredibly powerful.’

On lifting the senses through a journey of fragrance
‘Whether it’s a candle that I’m burning in a room or a fragrance that I put on in the morning, it’s an important part of how you enter the day or how you enter an evening.’ 

Armani Si, from £44, launches tomorrow at Harrods