Monday, August 8, 2016

Summertime, and the Livin' is Easy Perfumes


Here in Texas when we hit the dog days of summer I don't want to have to think about my perfume choice. I don't want it to be too inventive or unusual. I don't want it to be the least bit heavy; my beloved Oriental perfumes are pushed waaaaay to the back of the shelf. I want my summer perfume to be beautiful, not overpowering, cheerful, and hopefully give me a feeling of refreshment or enlivenment to combat the heat. Here are my top five this summer "don't even think about it, just spray" perfumes. While you're reading click below for mood music.






5. Le Chevrefeuille by Annick Goutal - This sprays on with a green and citrus blast, followed by the honeysuckle. What I like about it is the honeysuckle has that green sweetness that I remember as a kid  when we pulled the stamens out of the tubular flower and sucked on them like oversized hummingbirds. The elements in Le Chevrefeuille  are equally weighted: floral + citrus + green. It is pretty and makes me smile and gives me a nostalgic blast back to a childhood of chasing fireflies, playing hide and seek in the dark, and lying on green grass watching white puffy clouds float by in the blue sky.

4. L'Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse Aux Papillons - This pretty perfume has notes of tuberose, orange blossom, jasmine, and lime blossom. The white flowers are the main event but the lime blossom gives it a zingy citrus vibe. The tuberose is very well behaved and muted, giving way to the orange blossom and jasmine so that it is not all about tuberose. It is a sunny floral and you can spray with abandon and it still won't be too much, unlike some white flower perfumes.

3. Cinq Mondes Eau Egyptienne - This is a perfume I grab when I don't really want to smell like perfume. It is supposed to be a modern recreation of a kyphi perfume worn by the ancient Egyptian ruler Queen Hatshepsut. I am the perfect target audience for these romantic perfume inspiration tales! It blends notes of lotus, cumin, mint, cypress, rose, juniper, and papyrus. The vibe is herbal and sort of crunchy with notes of fresh wood. The scent is pronounced but wears fairly transparently, and it doesn't last a long time on my skin. It has a "I woke up in the woods this morning" smell to me, which I find refreshing.

2. Van Cleef & Arpels California Reverie - Effervescent jasmine, laced with honey, floating on a breeze.

1. L'Artisan Parfumeur The Pour Un Ete - There is a reason this is my number one. I love this perfume and if I ever catch hints of discontinuation I will be stocking up! The notes sound so yummy and cool for summer: tea, jasmine, bergamot, amalfi lemon, mint, mate, cedar, and musk. Put it in a glass with ice and enjoy! And the perfume does give me that cooling effect with its sparkling citrus notes. The jasmine is slightly more pungent than one might expect paired with tea notes, but it is beautiful and well complimented by the citrus and mint. The Pour Un Ete is classified as an aromatic green fragrance and it is totally unisex as well.

As might be expected, none of these have fabulous longevity but I think that is just a facet of citrus perfumes you have to accept. If you pour a glass of champagne it loses its bubbles after a time. The same holds true for these perfumes. Spray, enjoy, then spray again!

What are your favorite perfumes to beat the hot weather?

The photo is by www.begbicycle.com. The perfumes are from my own collection.




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