Our lovely beauty writer Laura recently wrote an article entitled ‘Summer Scents’ and she’s pretty much covered this season’s ideal fragrances, however over the past few weeks I have come across several perfumes which I too love for day wear, evening wear (and most importantly) beach wear this summer so I decided you wouldn’t mind me posting about them too! I am a huge lover of perfumes and tend to mix and match different scents dependent on my mood or the event. On holiday and during the summer months I prefer vanilla musk scents, fruity citrus notes and fresh florals. So with this in mind, I tracked down a few of my favourites and have reviewed them below!
Rebelle by Rihanna
If I’m completely honest, I’m often quite cynical when it comes to celebrity endorsed products as they tend to be about benefitting the profile of the person, rather than standing as a great beauty product. However with Rihanna’s fragrance, this is definitely not the case. The fruity fresh plum and strawberry notes encapsulate what Rihanna is all about – being feminine, but also fun. The scent is supposed to reflect Rihanna’s Barbados roots and I can vouch for the fact this comes across in the after notes (or after the perfume has had a while to develop) as it smells really musky, but still very fresh and summer-y. You can definitely imagine wearing Rihanna’s perfume on a tropical beach somewhere therefore, I think it’s this season’s ideal scent!
Yves Rocher’s Monoi Fragrance
If blue lagoons, white sandy beaches and emerald palm trees sounds like your ideal summer getaway, then Yves Rocher’s Monoi is guaranteed to be your ideal summer scent! This is my personal favourite at the moment and I’m planning to take away my 100ml bottle with me on holiday. It is quite overpowering and strong when you initially spray it, but after a few minutes it tones down to the most gorgeous vanilla musk and coconut scent (which literally makes you feel as though you are sunbathing somewhere tropical!). It’s quite reminiscent of Hawaiian Tropic Tanning Oil which if you’ve smelt it, you’ll know is gorgeous.
Escada Limited Edition Fragrances
The limited edition Escada range seems to be very on trend at the moment, as every perfume shop I’ve been into recently has featured this as one of their major summer sellers. There are three limited edition fragrances in the range, each with a different scent based on a different holiday destination. My favourite is Rockin Rio which is a really exotic fragrance, blending creamy sandalwood notes, tangerine and papaya. It’s a glamorous scent, but it also connotes a real sense of passion and fun (everything the vibrant city of Rio is all about, I suppose!). The Sexy Graffiti fragrance is more of a city girl’s scent (perhaps those of you who are spending your summer sunbathing in London’s parks or shopping) and contains uplifting fruity undertones which include strawberries, raspberries and a hint of vanilla. Sounds good enough to eat! The Island Kiss fragrance blends mango, orange and passionflower to create a really tropical fragrance, that is again, perfect for summer wear!
Lipsy London Eau De Toilette
I love Lipsy and pretty much own enough Lipsy dresses to fit an entire store (slight exaggeration) so I was delighted to hear that Lipsy have created a fragrance! Unsurprisingly, the packaging of this product is gorgeous and the pink and zebra print box definitely encapsulates the girlie, romantic feel they are so good at maintaining with their dresses. The fragrance itself is very floral based which again, encapsulates what Lipsy is all about! It’s ideal for summer, as it isn’t overpowering but it upholds enough floral notes to keep you feeling fresh and girlie! The bottle is absolutely gorgeous (it’s heart shaped and pink!) and I think for £18, you can’t really go wrong!
Impulse Loving Words Body Fragrance
Although body fragrances are rarely put under the same branch as perfumes, I loved this body spray so much I thought it deserved to be on my summer favourites list. Although scented body sprays tend to be a little more diluted than strong, overpowering fragrances, Impulse’s Loving Words leaves you smelling luscious for several hours before the need for topping up and since it’s far more purse friendly then the rest of the scents on the list, you can afford to be a bit more liberal with your spritzing. The overall scent of this product is a gorgeously floral and fresh, with a hint of fruity undertones. Unlike many other body sprays, it’s not overly sickly and doesn’t smell cheap or tacky – but simply leaves you smelling summer ready! Plus, Caggie Dunlop has recently named Loving Words as one of her favourite fragrances and has even made a silent movie about the fragrance (click here to watch). Another Impulse body spray I absolutely love is the new limited edition Love Puzzle spray which is gorgeously sweet and summer-y, and lasts all day!
National Trust Rock Samphire and Driftwood Eau De Toilette
This is an unlikely favourite, as before discovering this perfume – I didn’t realize National Trust even did fragrances! However, if you prefer spending your summer months surrounding yourself with nature and immersing yourself in the countryside, then this scent definitely encapsulates what you need out of a summer fragrance. It’s soft, fresh and feminine, without being overpowering. The floral like base notes are complimented by woody (or driftwood) undertones, which I feel would really suit someone who loves the great outdoors. Plus, by purchasing a bottle you are also helping to protect the UK’s countrysides and supporting the National Trust!
DKNY Sweet Delicious Pink Macaroon
The DKNY Sweet Delicious collection comprimises of three sweet scents pink macaroon, tart key lime and creamy meringue and are all inspired by recipes for cupcakes. My personal favourite is the pink macaroon as its base notes include nectarine and rose marzipan, which although sound a little strange combined together – result in an amazingly good enough to eat scent which lasts hours. Although fragrances smell slightly different dependent on the wearer (due to everyone having a different level of acidity on their skin’s surface), this scent seems to maintain the luscious, sweet smell of summer. If you have previously tried DKNY’s Sweet Delicious range in apple, you will know how distinct and sweet these fragrances are – so if you have a sweet tooth and are drawn to deliciously sugary smelling scents, this is for you.
CK One Summer
I have been in love with the unisex fragrance CK One for years, so when a summer edition was launched, I was desperate to try it out. Calvin Klein seems to create really lovely, strong but not overpowering fragrances that last for days at a time. They have such a distinct smell, it’s hard not to recognise them. Many fragrance stores online describe this scent as a citrus-y cocktail of scents and I can definitely vouch for this. It’s refreshing, clean notes make it suitable for both men and women, and once the fragrance has developed you can pick out notes of cucumber, blue mint and lime.
Stockist information: CK One Summer (The Fragrance Shop), National Trust Fragrance (shop.nationaltrust.org.uk), Lipsy Fragrance (Lipsy), Rihanna Rebelle Perfume (The Fragrance Shop), Escada (The Fragrance Shop), DKNY Sweet Delicious (Debenhams), Impulse Limited Edition Body Sprays (high street stores nationwide), Monoi Yves Rocher (yves-rocher.co.uk).
