I love searching out new summer scents, as through the Winter months, I tend to stick to the same faithful fragrances and rarely stray elsewhere. However, on holiday – I prefer something a little more fresh, fruity and versatile, so I enjoy scouring out my new scent.
Usually opting for the usual ‘yearly bestseller’ or a new celebrity fragrance, which has strong undertones of sickly sweet floral notes, I went a little more daring this year and tried several lesser known brands to see if I could find something better suited.
Les Senteurs Gourmandes – Vanille Abricot
As the name states, this gorgeous understated perfume is indeed mainly based around notes of Vanilla and Apricot. It has a lovely fruity fresh edge to it, before mellowing to a very sweet, silky vanilla based musk. The packaging itself is very classic and chic (just like the brand itself) and it is a lovely scent to take away on holiday with you, as it’s ideal for evening wear and for day wear or lounging by the pool. With creamy undertones, this scent can carry you through the next few months – even into autumn, as it’s very versatile and fresh. It has become a staple piece in my make-up/beauty bag over the last few weeks and has come everywhere with me. If the mix of Vanilla and Apricot doesn’t take your fancy, the range also offers Vanilla & Chocolate, Vanilla & Pamplemousse and Vanilla and Violette! They sound almost good enough to eat, don’t they! At £22.50 from Marks & Spencers for 100ml, the range is certainly value for money! I honestly can’t recommend this enough!
Ideal if you like: sweet, feminine fragrances – without being sickly or over the top.
This is a very classic fragrance, which I would usually associate with a more mature wearer, however for summer – this pleasantly surprised me with its sensual floral notes (rose and jasmine) and how these mix with coriander, pepper and cardamon. As a well known Italian lingerie brand, renowned for it’s timeless femininity, La Perla’s first fragrance was brought out to reflect all of its values and I can definitely vouch for the fact they have achieved this. It is quite a light and delicate fragrance, but is also very smooth and sensual – so I would have to say this is more of an evening, holiday scent rather than anything else. It is perfect for carrying you through until autumn, especially if you enjoy something quite musky. The packaging itself is also very classic and feminine, with a very chic, black and translucent shaped bottle! At £29 for 30ml, it isn’t throw away beauty prices – but you certainly wouldn’t want to throw it away!
Ideal if you like: smooth, sensual and floral fragrances. Something classic and light, but still noticable.
Di Palomo Wild Fig & Grape Irrestisible Eau de Parfum
Not only does this smell absolutely stunning, but it is presented in a stunning way too. With a gorgeous classic translucent bottle and a single leaf tied around the neck with string, it immediately gives the impression that it is going to be very nature/summer based – and upon first spritz, this image is upheld. The scent itself is quite rich and pungent, so it lasts on your skin for hours without fading or wearing away. With top notes of grape and floral gardenia, it mellows slightly revealing undertones of vanilla, fig and sandalwood. It’s rather musky, but is still very feminine – and is the perfect scent to carry you through summer, all the way through until autumn. It smells like an expensive, timeless classic. And at £19.80 for 50ml, you can’t really go wrong!
Ideal if you like: a mix of fruity and floral.
Di Palomo Orange Blossom with Wild Honey & Olive Irresistible Eau de Parfum
Again, this fragrance is very well presented – and lives up to it’s classic, yet feminine packaging. It is very delicate and sweet, but the olive undertones balance it out so that it mellows to become more musky. The overall scent reminds me of being at the beach (perhaps somewhere in Cornwall), which is certainly a positive thing – and I’d say this is more of a daywear fragrance, rather than a strong evening one. The orange blossom brings out floral notes, whereas the wild honey sweetens the fragrance and makes it a little lighter and more feminine.
Ideal if you like: sun, sand and sea. It reminds you of holidays and is perfect for summer daywear.
Do you have any summer scents recommendations? Do you chop and change your fragrances dependent on the time of year – or do you stick to one classic throughout?
