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.

Happy May Day! Mini Reviews of Five Muguet Perfumes

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May Day originated in Northern Europe as a celebration to welcome summer and the growing season and was associated with Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers. As Europe became predominantly Christian the holiday lost its pagan associations and became a more secular celebration. The maypole is one tradition commonly linked to the holiday, but a charming custom for those of us that love perfume is the offering of muguet, or lily of the valley, on May 1. The custom dates back to 1561 when King Charles IX of France was given a sprig of lily of the valley for good luck. The King continued this tradition in the following years by offering the flower to the ladies of his court on May Day. The tradition was reinterpreted in the early 20th century, and the giving of posies of lily of the valley or other spring flowers, often as a secret gift, became a way to show appreciation or admiration.

If I could script my life on my terms I would now be reviewing my bottle of the new Guerlain Muguet May 1st introduction for 2016. Look at this beautiful bottle. I've lusted after each and every one for the past few years but this one is quite different. A jewelry store created a silver filigree design of lily of the valley to mark the ten year anniversary of the Guerlain May 1st limited edition bottles. There are only 2148 exclusive bottles (I'd love to know the significance of that number?).  But unfortunately I do not have any of this juice so I will review what my local Singapore department stores had available for my perusal. 

Annick Goutal Le Muguet 

This starts with a very green lily of the valley note. It is pretty representation of the flower but it doesn't last long on my skin. It changes and becomes a little sour on me and sometimes has a plastic smell. It fades rather quickly. This is a fail on my skin.

Christian Dior Diorissimo

I remember spraying this on in the 1980's when I was first becoming interested in perfume, and the world literally stood still for a moment...it was that gorgeous. I know a lot of bloggers have written excellently researched pieces about what changed and why it did. And it's not that Diorissimo is bad. It's a good representation of a lovely lily of the valley, and after a harsh opening which quickly disapates, I like it. It's just not the masterpiece I remember and I find that hard to forgive.

Crabtree & Evelyn Lily 

Umm, where's the lily?

Penhaligon's Lily of the Valley

This was nice, if unremarkable. It smells like lily of the valley and it was pretty tenacious on my skin. I found it prettier than most I tried, but I'm beginning to think that muguet is just not for me.

Muguet En Fleurs Yves Rocher

This is a very light spring sprinkling of lily of the valley. It's transparency is part of it's delicate charm. It is very light and disappears very quickly but it's cheap as chips and Yves Rocher is constantly having sales. If I can't have my $600-plus bottle of Guerlain Muguet Limited Edition 2016, I'm thinking this one might suit me just find. It doesn't last long but I can in good conscience shower my body with a spray every hour or so. It's a simple, uncomplicated green lily of the valley scent.

I think you can't fight your body chemistry and I believe lily of the valley may not be my note so you may have happier results with these perfumes. As for me, I think I would rather be gifted on May Day with a bundle of real live lily of the valley!

Top photo from Google. Bottle of Guerlain Muguet from Guerlain.com.

Annick Goutal's Rose Perfumes

Rose Absolue

The house of Annick Goutal Paris introduced this rose in 1984. Things were simpler then. It was okay for a rose perfume to just be a rose. This perfume is comprised of roses from Turkey, Bulgaria, Egypt, and Morocco, as well as Rose de Mai and Damask Rose. It is a beautiful true rose fragrance but if you're looking for more than that you'll be disappointed. Those who love rose and find it a calming, beautiful fragrance can appreciate this one as a high quality representation of the flower. 

Rose Splendide

This rose was introduced in 2010 and at the time its scent was said to mirror the fragrance found in Annick Goutal's lovely luxury skin products. The Annick Goutal website describes the scent: "A bucolic walk in the garden drenched with morning dew. A rendering of the flower's soft and fresh, green and musky facets." It's true that this is a very fresh, green rose and never ventures into the opulence of a "bedroom" rose. The first few minutes on my skin Rose Splendide presents as very peppery and vibrant. It is fresh and appealing but I'm left a bit mystified as pepper is not listed as an ingredient in the perfume. Perhaps it is just how the greenness manifests itself on my skin. In any case the perfume evolves to smell like the leaves, branches, and twigs on the rose plant. The green holds court for a short time and then the rose scent itself makes an appearance. This is described by others as a pink rose, as it's more like a soft tea rose rather than a rich red winey rose. It is a very different take on rose and is appealing enough that I've considered buying a bottle. On Fragrantica people mention all sorts of notes, so this one may be best tested before buying.

Rose Pompon

This is the newest rose by the esteemed French house. The perfume was created by Camille Goutal

and Philippine Courtiere and released in 2016. It is classified as a fruity floral and the ads seem directed toward a younger market. The bottle is sweet with its pretty pink juice.

The fragrance opens with a fruity freshness, featuring notes of raspberry, black currant and pink pepper. The rose appears, plus the addition of peony adds to the sweeter, younger appeal. The fruit is subtle. This isn't the fruit blast of some more mainstream brands to be found on department store counters, but for Annick Goutal, this is much closer to mainstream fragrances than they've ventured in the past. But never fear, this is the house of Annick Goutal after all, and it keeps within the bounds of good taste and never comes close to being a sugar bomb. There is a soft musk drydown, mixed with the fading rose and fruity notes. This is very nicely done for the fruity floral family but is still a little sweet for my tastes, but then, I'm definitely not the demographic they are aiming to appeal to with this fragrance.

Ce Soir Ou Jamais

Ce Soir Ou Jamais (tonight or never) was created in 1999 and the main note in this perfume is an opulent Turkish rose. My husband once brought me home a little vial of rose essence he bought at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul and this perfume replicates the richness and the deepness of that rose scent. It has added notes of hibiscus and ambrette. I have no idea what hibiscus smells like as any I have been around are scentless. The ambrette adds a warmth and further depth to the perfume. Some people talk of a boozy opening when describing this perfume, and it does have that red wine feel through the richness and slight fruitiness of the rose note.  This perfume has excellent longevity on me. A full 24 hours later I can still smell a strong rose note if I put my wrist to my nose. Annick Goutal scents sometimes have a reputation for going off at a fairly young age. I can't speak for all the scents but my bottle of Ce Soir Ou Jamais is ten years old and still going strong. This is my favorite of the roses listed here and the only one that I own a full bottle. This is the prettiness of Rose Absolue with an added omph, but it never gets too complicated and it projects rose, rose, rose. It's definitely worth a try if you enjoy rich rose scents.

Top photo unknown source on Google. Other photos from Annick Goutal website.