Happy Friday fashionistas! Back in the swing of things after the holiday weekend?
Well I'm not. I can still smell the barbeque smoke from the 4th of July ya'll. I find this unacceptable. So I'm looking for a new summer scent to bring me through the rest of the summer months and the swampy Nawlins heat, where things finally cool down in... December. You can see this is necessary to my life. Hence, I have researched and come up with a fab cheat sheet for the top heavenly scents to sweep me away from the hot concrete jungle. Pull it up on your phone the next time you're ready to test some scents. I do hope these inspire!
1. Prada Candy L'eau (70$) - Strong notes of caramel, citrus, and sweet pea. This is a lighter iteration of an earlier fave fragrance, Prada Candy Eau de Parfume. I can't wait to try it! To wet your appetite, check out this short film directed by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola specifically for the fragrance. Ooo, tres sophistique!
2. Valentino Valentina Assoluto (120$) - Notes of peach, orange blossom, patchouli, and sandalwood. Just based on the bottle, I am intrigued, despite the fact that I shy away from heavy scents like pachouli, especially for summer.
3. Bond No. 9 Central Park South (200$) - Named after the famous tree-lined Manhattan street and with the price tag to match (sheesh), this perfume offers notes of grapefruit flower, black currant buds and green ivy leaves. But can it substitute for a visit to the Big Apple? Not hardly.
4. Jo Malone Limited Edition Plum Blossom Cologne (120$) - Yellow plum, honey, sandalwood, and white musk bring visions of dappled sunlight and cool breezes. Perfect for the hammock in the garden with an Arnold Palmer if you ask me. I must also wear espadrilles while rocking this scent. Don't ask me why.
5. Guess Girl (70$) - Girl power! I hate to hate sweet, super-girly scents, especially for summer. The natural joy of being a woman manifests itself in me as a youthful aura, and this scent seems appropriate for those maxi dress days when I am once again a teeny bopper. Notes of melon, sandalwood, and vanilla may make take the lead of the sensual or the slick scents in the end. Only the sniff test will tell.
6. H2O+ Blue (45$) - Cool as poolside, this perfume smells of peony, rosewood, nectarine, and bergamot. I love the peony and nectarine notes in this one in theory, but only smelling the scent will let me know if this is what I should be wearing to all those pool parties I'll be attending this summer.
7. Vera Wang Lovestruck Floral Rush (78$) - I can't think of Vera Wang without thinking of weddings, and her perfume is no exception. Notes of apricot blossoms, champagne, white freesia, cashmere woods, sheer musk, and white amber. I think of brides, or a bridesmaids, or wedding attendees. Even without any weddings to attend I would spritz away.
8. Jimmy Choo Flash (98$) - By all accounts, this perfume is aptly named. Pink pepper, tangerine, strawberry, tuberose, jasmine, and white lily give this perfume a slick edge like the glittarati luxe hotel jetsetter that I am in my dreams. This makes me think of ankle bracelets made of precious stones.
9. Ralph Lauren Romance Summer Blossom (75$) - Fruity and floral blend in classic RL style with notes of mandarin, guava, jasmine, coconut, and vanilla. I picture myself rocking this one for formal night on a cruise with a fling! (Don't judge my fantasies.)
10. Boucheron Jaipur Bracelet (105$) - The name alone sold me on testing this fragrance. I loved my visit to Jaipur in India, and smell was one of my most stimulated senses while I visited. Described as "an exotic blend of fresh violet leaves, basil and lemon scent of verbena behind a mysterious veil of silky marigold, hyacinth and cypress", I can't wait to sniff. I envision my own hands, brown with henna tattoos, clinking with bangles, scented with this scent... and I am riding an elephant. (Again!)
11. Oscar de la Renta Something Blue (85$) - Sticking with the effortless luxe Oscar de la Renta signature, this scent pulls in lily of the valley, mandarin, and white musk. I must try this one because I've shared a mythical connection with Oscar ever since I found an original clutch purse of his at a salvage store in Mississippi for 5$. He wants me to find him. He waits.
12. Lanvin 'Me' (100$) - What's summer without blueberries? This perfume incorporates that as its strongest note. But before you start turning up your nose at smelling like a berry patch and attracting all the honeybees for miles (like I did), know that the scent is rumored to be tempered with mandarin, licorice, tuberose, and sandalwood. I can't wait to try and see for myself.
13. Vince Camuto Fiori (100$) - Although fiori is Italian for "flowers", this is reportedly not a very floral perfume. In fact, it's strongest note is pink grapefruit, followed by powdery iris root, white nectarine, and then sweet freesia. Surprise, surprise. I love perfumes like this, that take the punch out of the summer floral bouquet and give people like me a break from overdosing on the flonase. Thanks Vince!
Use this cheat sheet, try out these scents and share your opinions by email, facebook or below. We can't wait to hear from you!