My Top Five Perfumes for Spring

My perfume habits are very heavily influenced by the changing seasons, and a change in the air brings a reshuffling to the perfumes displayed on top of my dresser. Summer brings forth coconut beaches and heady florals. Autumn's falling leaves usher in warm gourmands and more contemplative scents. Winter cold is the perfect setting for smokey scents, ambers mixed with resins, or fierce aldehydes which can only be tamed in frigid air. But perhaps my favorite change of season, and here in Texas the one with the briefest duration, is spring, when the earth awakens from her lazy slumber and we look forward to fresh rebirth.

This spring has come in like a lion. A hail storm sent ice stones hurtling down hard enough to break through two thick panes of glass on my kitchen skylights, destroy my roof, and most tragically, kill some beautiful flamingos at the nearby zoo who didn't reach shelter in time. Spring here is not the melts of the North; sometimes we have just two weeks of spring and then go straight to hot. But while it lasts, I love to wear those certain perfumes that seem made for this hopeful time of year. Here are my top five choices this spring.

1. Diptyque L'Ombre Dans Le Eau
One of my favorite fragrances to express the coming of spring is Diptyque L'Ombre Dans Le Eau; in fact, I would go so far as to say I only reach for this scent in the months of March, April and May. To me it is the perfect essence of  unturned black earth, tender green plants waiting to be tucked into their new home, and scattered rose petals ground into the damp soil. On first spray there is the aroma of dirt, then a quick tomato scent which morphs into an astringent green smell. It reminds me of my garden the first time I dig into the earth after winter to plant green seedlings. Next comes a blackcurrant note which adds freshness and tart fruitiness. This perfume never veers anywhere near a blackcurrant dessert. It is more of an elixir you might add to sparkling water or Presecco. Rose is a listed note but on my skin it is very subtle and I would never really call this a rose scent. The smell of fresh dirt, green vegetation, subtle blackcurrant, and a mere pinch of rose may not sound as if it has much promise but I find it the exact smell of working in my garden in early spring. L'Ombre Dans Le Eau has a bitter quality that may not be for everyone, but I find it wildly different and strangely appealing at this time of year. After the first hour the scent remains fairly linear and lasts the entire day.

2. Balenciaga L'Essence
Balenciaga L'Essence is a seemingly simple green violet scent that is uncomplicated and easy to wear. However appearances can be deceiving and there is a lot more going on here than is initially evident. I think L'Essence delivers a sophisticated scent in a unique way. The more I wear it, the more I love it. It's big sister, Balenciaga Paris, is an equally beautiful scent if you want more florals and a complex dry down in your base notes. Read my review for more information.

3. Jour d'Hermes
This scent never fails to thrill me with it's magical green opening, there for a moment then gone, carried away on the breeze. But the soft bouquet that unfolds next is equally pleasing. Jour d'Hermes is a perfect choice for spring and you can read more about it in my review.

4. DSH Perfumes Giverny In Bloom
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz has created a splendid rendition of a garden in bloom; one in which the green backdrop of the garden takes equal footing with the fragrant flowers. It is a watercolor rendition of a gardener's palette. Read my review of Giverny In Bloom, along with the other three perfumes from the Giverny collection, and you will see that I find this to be the perfect green fragrance to celebrate the season. I would like my house, my garden, and myself to smell of this glorious green scent!

5. Melange Perfumes Green Notes Palette No. 1
Melange Perfumes in California offers scented goodies in roll on perfumes, creams, and individual

solid perfumes, but my favorite product offered is their scented palettes which come in various note families. I have Green Palette No. 1 which includes Green Tea & Honeysuckle, Cut Grass & Paperwhite; Cucumber, Sakura & White Tea; and Mimosa, Mint & Citron. My favorites are Green Tea & Honeysuckle and Cut Grass & Paperwhite. In the first, the green tea tempers the sweetness of the honeysuckle;  I flash back to warm nights as a child, pulling out the stamen of a honeysuckle bloom and sucking the nectar like an oversized hummingbird. This smells so true to nature! The Cut Grass & Paperwhite...well have you ever smelled paperwhites? If so, I shouldn't need to say more. Heaven! Like most solid perfumes, these stay fairly close to the skin and offer minimal projection. I'm traveling later this week and this palette will be thrown in my carry-on as it makes the perfect traveling companion.

These are my top picks for spring. What is everyone else loving right now?

These perfumes were all from my personal collection.