Colin Farrell feels nostalgic when he smells the late Dame Elizabeth Taylor's perfume.

The 38-year-old actor was good pals with the legendary actress - who passed away in March 2011 aged 79 - and admits he finds it unusual when he is going about his day and gets a whiff of the same scent she used to wear.

He said: ''My friend Elizabeth Taylor used to wear a particular perfume - I'm not sure what it was - but since she passed away a couple of years ago, I've only smelt it twice, and it's a real head-spinner.

''That's how fragrance works - it inspires some sense of nostalgia, it ignites comfort or familiarity.''

Despite being the face of Dolce & Gabbana's Intenso fragrance, the 'In Bruges' actor insists he doesn't know a lot about perfumes.

He told Britain's Glamour magazine: ''I'm terrible, I have no knowledge of labels and fragrance names.''

While he is well groomed in the advert for the scent, Colin admits he is usually ''very low maintenance''.

He added: ''I do prefer to feel a little less slovenly. I usually work out a bit more - I do yoga and go hiking.

''But my grooming 'routine' mainly involves a tube of toothpaste and most days it stops there. I'm very low maintenance.''