I have never done one of the spit-or-scrape genealogical tests, but I have always suspected that my family has secret Nordic or Baltic blood, as both my brothers are enthusiastic enough about outdoor swimming that they'll do it in early May or October... in Canada. While I hesitate to frolic in 50F waves, I do sport sandals until snow accumulates, drink Arnold Palmers in January and I'm the only non-menopausal female in my XX-dominated workplace who enjoys our arctic air-conditioning. In a similar fashion, I wear citrus colognes all year. When it is my turn to list summer fragrances around here, I remind myself that normal people generally turn to crisp, refreshing eaux only when the temperature rises. Having exhausted my stable of favored classic colognes in previous posts, though, I thought that this time I'd highlight some atypical choices. Please bear with me. I did test these on myself in the heat, but YMMV.
The Zoo NYC Spacewood: The comment perfumer Christophe Laudamiel makes about his new Zoo scent Carré Blanc might well represent a more general Laudamiel philosophy: "do not wear this one on a plane, at the theater or anywhere where you might sit next to someone who doesn't like you." Well, okay. It's not as worrisome as all that: mostly these scents are just radiant, unapologetically synthetic and focused on fun. Spacewood is a candy-colored fresh floral with seltzer gas shot through it.
Nishane Boszporusz: Speaking of gas, marine scents go over with most perfumistas like another kind of that stuff in church. For this reason, I'm always impressed when a niche line does an aquatic fragrance, and a bilgy one is especially brave. Salty, oily and with a touch of petrol, this is an evocative portrait of the world's gateway to the Black Sea.
Arquiste Ella: This honeyed jasmine chypre is apparently a tribute to the discos and golden sands of 1970s Acapulco. Though certainly more animalic than the standard sun lotion scent, Ella has at its base the same sheen of Ambre Solaire oil as many beach fragrances. Add in waves of hairspray and cigarette smoke and voilà... instant midnight pool party!
Anatole Lebreton L'Eau Scandaleuse: Early in my perfume education, I got my first car with a leather interior. I left a blotter sprayed with Robert Piguet Fracas in the cupholder in July and returned to a horror movie possession of my new ride. L'Eau Scandaleuse smells like my car did after we let some desert wind whip through it for about a week, pink and racy and husky-voiced.
Ineke Idyllwild: With notes of rhubarb, lavender, fir, cypress and agarwood, Idyllwild is a deep breath of forest cool.
Bottega Veneta Essence Aromatique: Angela objected to the "Suddenly, Last Summer" marketing of this one as well as the sandalwood-patchouli drone of its heart and dry down. (Watch out, lady. The immaculate white bathing suit and jade green sea didn't work out well for Elizabeth Taylor's Catherine.) The first moments of Essence Aromatique are among my favorites in perfumery, a big rush of bergamot and lime tinted with the funkiness of coriander. After that, it does become a bit like an extended bagpipe solo. But like the relentless tide, the pipes can go on long enough that I begin to appreciate near microscopic variations of tone.
SP Parfums Sunmilkflowers: There should be some 'sap' in the name — though that 'p' is phonetically bad and replacing the flowers makes it too close to "milksop"— and there are also light caramel notes, but the scent is so lovely I shouldn't quibble.
Aedes de Venustas Copal Azur: When it launched, this was not an Aedes scent that I was excited about. Sampling Copal Azur over the last three years, though, I have become quite fond of it. A fine example of what Robin calls an outdoor incense, it manages the neat trick making a cathedral-ceilinged radiation of frankincense seem at home in the sea air.
Hèrmes Cèdre Sambac: One of Christine Nagel's new fragrances for the Hermessence collection, Cèdre Sambac is a very abstract perfume. Sometimes it seems as milky as sandalwood can be, but sniffing around I also notice cedar's suggestion of sweat. Encountering blooming jasmine in India, I realized it smells intensely alive, like it is lurking around, waiting for you. It's not particularly floral, or maybe is really just more than floral and there is something of that spicy, creamy fresh open-endedness in this blend.
Kerosene Copper Skies: This is an intense wash of amber, honey, tobacco and clove. Does what it says on the bottle, use as directed.
Do add your own favorites in the comments, and check out the summer lists at Bois de Jasmin, Grain de Musc and The Non-Blonde.
Note: top image is _dsc4373-A7s-Olympus 90mm F2 [cropped] by Jas Man at flickr; some rights reserved.
I really enjoyed my sample set from the Zoo but because they’re such a generous size, I could only afford to get one half off The set. The fig one is to die for, though.
I’ve been wearing a lot of my Un Air du Samsara (or Samsara for blondes), any of my Hermes colognes (I prefer the cool-toned ones, to be honest), and my myriad vintage treasures. I seem to find something cool every other week! Summer in Texas is a great test for a blind vintage buy.
Wish I had tried more from your list but I’m so behind in niche, it’s embarrassing!
If you’ve gotten to The Zoo, I don’t think you’re behind. I really enjoyed my set, too, including Fig My Love, but would still also like to try Everlasting, as well as the two new ones, Sailors and Vetyver Rain Skin.
Which are the cool-toned Hermes colognes? I must confess that in recent times I do tend to wear warmer Hermes, generally — Equipage Geranium, Osmanthe Yunnan, Epice Marine. But the only cologne I wear loyally is Concentree d’Orange Verte and I’m not sure whether I’d consider that warm or cool. Probably cool?
Hello, I’ve read NST for a while but never commented. However it is a bitter Winter’s day/night (I’m working the graveyard shift) and I’m missing summer so it seemed like a good time to join the conversation 🙂
Ooh I’ve always wanted to do one of those genealogical tests. My family are all Polish and immigrants but I have a theory there was a Mongolian horsewoman somewhere in our history!
I am very curious about Cèdre Sambac as Myrrhe Eglantine was an instant love for me. I know they are very different but I think I like the velvety feel of Christine Nagel’s perfumes. Another Hermes (Osmanthe Yunnan) will be worn extensively when Summer comes back around.
Emilie, welcome! Where are you in the global south? I’ve wanted to do one of the tests, as well, but there seems to have been a lot of discouraging information about them lately, the genetic marker info exaggerated, tests not catching dog DNA, etc. I feel a lot of us might have some Mongolian horsewoman in us, though. 🙂
I love Nagel’s style, too. I enjoy many of the Ellena Hermessences, as well, and OY is still my favorite.
Thank you Erin 🙂 I’m from South Australia, up in the hills. Even though every year we get frost (or even light snow) no one ever seems prepared for it!
Yes I love many Ellena creations too. I hope he has some secret project ready in the wings but it is a selfish wish.
Hi Erin!
I totally agree about Idyllwild and Copal Azur. L’Eau Scandaleuse would be probably too much for me but also from Anatole Lebreton a 2017’s Grimoire or this year’s Cornaline would do the trick.
I would add a couple of more (probably I should write my own post of top perfumes for summer 2018), like Gabriella Chieffo Acquasala, Jul et Mad Aqua Sextius, Berdoues Peng Lai, Prada Infusion de Mandarine.
I also considered Lebreton Bois Lumiere, which some people might find similarly a bit much for summer, but leather and honeyed ambers work for me as long as I control the dose. I haven’t tried either of the new Lebretons, but would love to sample them and particularly Grimoire.
Jul et Mad Aqua Sextius is very refreshing but for some reason I can’t forgive it its (suspicious!) similarity to Humiecki & Graef Eau Radieuse. I’d forgotten about that Peng Lai, though — osmanthus, must try it.
My favorite summer scents are:
-Bandit by Piguet – the dry leather and galbanum bloom beautifully in dry heat.
-Magie Noire and Sikkim by Lancome – dry woods and leathers, both are beautiful in cool or hot weather.
-L’ Eau Trois by Diptyque, incense, herbs and spices – perfect for a scorchingly hot day.
-Bouquet Imperiale and Fleur de Figue, both by Roger & Gallet, spices, cumin, musk, fruit and flowers. Elegant and surprisingly long-lasting (with moderate sillage).
-Eau de Camille by Goutal, ivy, seringa, green stems and honeysuckle.
-Chanel No 22, vintage eau de toilette. The dry incense base in the vintage is grounding and delicate, mysterious and perfectly balanced with the white floral mid-notes. The newer eau de toilette of No. 22 gets an honorable mention, the modern version with it’s joyful aldehydes has a champagne-like quality that sings in summer heat.
-Chanel Cristalle or Eau de Patou, both zippy citrus/chypres (oakmoss is apparent in the dry downs in older versions), elegant dry down.
-Estee Lauder’s Aliage (vintage), crisp and sporty, with loads of green and woods notes. Warmer and more approachable than No 19.
What a lovely selection. No.22 seems to feel right to me in every season. Perhaps because it is just that beautiful!
Love Cristalle and Eau de Patou — think they’ve made my previous lists for this time of year. I’m impressed with the L’Eau Trois! That’s an atypical pick right there; many people would find any of the older Serge Kalouguine perfumes for Diptyque strong for high summer. I used to adore Virgilio, but it’s hard to get now, and my favorite of the more available oldies is probably Eau Lente, which I’ll have to try tonight in the heat.
Summer in Scotland tends not to be hot–though that’s relative and I tend to think of anything over about 20C as glorious summer weather. But it means that the cooling/refreshing/crisp things that people in warmer climates yearn for are less of an imperative.
Heavy ambers might get pushed aside, and perhaps I tend to switch over a bit more to more vetiver, or to saltier scents–MH Fleurs de Sel smells a bit flat when it’s cold, Chypre 21 too is better on slightly more outdoors skin. And I’ve got a 10ml of Copal Azur waiting for me when I get home on Monday. Huzzah!
I was under impressed when I first tried Cèdre Sambac, because I had one of those homeopathic doses from a Hermes SA and just couldn’t find anything in it. A proper dousing, however, and I’m convinced: it’s *gorgeous*.
I think anything over 20 C *is* glorious summer weather, but I’m Canadian (and of mostly Scottish ancestry, as far as I know), so consider the source. I’m not a huge wearer of vetiver scents, generally, but it is probably true that I turn to them more often in the summer; I’ve worn a fair amount of Aesop Tacit lately, and SP Parfums Licorice Vetiver once or twice. I love salty scents year round, but could see how MH Fleurs de Sel seems flatter in the cooler weather — that’s a lovely one.
And laughing about the homeopathic does from the Hermes SA! I was just in my local boutique this week, near closing, and the lady was sort of snotty, hovering over me, checking in case I “needed to buy something” because they were closing the cash and I looked like I “wasn’t going to have time to test the scents on skin properly” (read: make a purchase). I did make sure to reassure her I’ve spent about $800 on their perfumes in that store over the years and that I’d be surely back at some point.
Anatole Lebreton L’Eau Scandaleuse sounds really interesting and sexy, but maybe its something to dab on lightly during summer.
Yes, exactly! The dab’s the thing.
Hi Erin – I’ve never thought of wearing Copper Skies this time of year but I do own a decant so I’ll try it tomorrow. I’m no fan of the heat, I’ve reached the age where I have narrow parameters of acceptable weather, but I have some favorites that just smell better in warmer weather: L’Artisan Seville l’Aube, Un Jardin Sur le Nil, Etro Messe di Minuit to name a few. This year I’m hungry for new green scents and have added Zoologist Macque to my collection with Elephant soon to follow.
Oh wonderful, I just love Macque! Elephant was my favorite of 2017 Zoologists, too. I keep meaning to get to Victor’s website and buy a travel set with some of the newer releases from the line, but I become grumpy thinking about paying in US dollars when the line is in Toronto. Need to get over it, because they’re lovely scents.
LOL at having more “narrow parameters of acceptable weather” lately — I feel you.
From your list, Hermes Cedre Sambac is something I would like to try. Christine Nagel is one of my favorite perfumers.
For summer, I do love Orange Sanguine, Bronze Goddess, and Pulp. All 3 of these scent scream summer to me.
I know Robin has taken a few vacations where Bronze Goddess is all she wears — that one is all about summer! If you like Pulp, also, you might like a few of the Zoo NYC perfumes, like Spacewood, or (for the fruit) Fig My Love or Rhubarb My Love.
I think one’s summer picks have a lot to do with the weather. Choices for Scotland (waving to Crikey) may not work in Washington, DC, and DC choices might not be great for, I dunno, Arizona or the Outback.
My summer weather isn’t usually *quite* as hot and humid as DC weather, but it’s close. I seem to do well with fruity florals — no booing, please 😉 — and citrus florals in summer. Classic colognes bore me and I’m not a big vetiver fan, so… light florals it is.
Some favorites: Moschino Funny!, Parfums de Rosine Rose d’Ete, Hanae Mori Haute Couture, the first Ines de la Fressange, and Pamplelune. Tommy Girl is great when it’s super humid. I also just ordered a deeply-discounted bottle of VC&A California Reverie and I expect that one will get sprayed a lot this summer.
Well, I love Pamplelune to cheer me up at any time of year, but otherwise our EFT status seems to continue, mals. It’s like an 80s soap opera — but I promise I won’t cut the brake lines on your car! You enjoy that California Reverie and I’ll be over here in Gucci Envy 😉
I am heading to an afternoon church wedding, in weather that is much cooler than anyone anticipated. I will need a sweater over my sleeveless top (and no, I am not concerned about going sleeveless in this particular church or at this particular wedding).
Was thinking about 32 RC, then figured it would be too warm today and I’d default either to Cristalle Eau Verte or Infusion d’Iris, but the cool weather today is luring me back toward Rue Cambon.
Wish I had the opportunity to try Bandit in a DRY summer heat (comment above). I love it, but it would probably suffocate me in the muggy East Coast (US) summer.
Rue Cambon is always a beautiful choice — I’ve worn it to two weddings. Hope the event goes wonderfully…
Wearing citrus year round is my thing too. I love colognes and am grateful I live in a moderate climate where lighter scents work well. Eau de Guerlain, Cologne du 68, and Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat are favorites.
I really want to smell Spacewood! And am glad you mentioned Cèdre Sambac, I want to try it but fear forgetting, too many new things to try. Copper Skies sounds fun, I want to smell Walk the Sea from Kerosene also, a house I’ve not met yet.
Ooo, love Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat. My other all-weather favorites are Eau de Patou, Concentree d’Orange Verte, Eau Fraîche de Dior and ITB Cologne a la Francaise.
I try to keep up with Kerosene, but haven’t tried Walk the Sea yet either. Jessica made it sound worth trying. Of the newer scents / LEs, Summer of 84 was really fun and I’ve worn Broken Theories way more than I expected to this last year.
Erin, Thanks for a terrific article!! There are a few on your list that I own FB’s of so it was a fun treat for me. there are a couple of others that I’d like to try particularly the Hermes and L’eau Scandaleuse!!
Thanks for your kind words! Glad you own a few. I’ve tried to cut back my larger FB collection over the years, so I love ones that come in 7 – 15 ml sprays, like the SP Parfums or Aedes one.