It has come to the muggy time of year. Fans are going, air-cons are churning, and we are leaving our windows open in hopes of getting a refreshing breeze. When summer hits and we all start to feel stale and suspiciously damp, we want something that helps to refresh us. Along with cool drinks and even cooler showers, your fragrances can assist in making you feel clean and fresh. Summer perfumes are cool and often have natural scents of florals, water or greenery that make you feel light and crisp in the hot part of the year. There have been plenty of fresh fragrances released in the past couple of years that have helped keep our summers light at CFD, and the list below is of some of the most versatile to last you into the new year.
Fresh fragrances for women are usually defined by white florals and gentle sweetness. This is can be a double-edged sword- these fragrances are light and delightful, but can quickly get boring. To avoid fragrances that smell nice but could get lost in the crowd, I have chosen floral fresh perfumes from the past couple of years that I think do something a little different. Daisy Love Eau So Sweet is a perfect example of a floral scent profile with something different. One of the most recent in the famous Marc Jacobs Daisy line, with unique notes that separate it from the rest, Eau So Sweet is a gentle floral fruity fragrance that is sugary sweet and mellowed lightly by musk. Eau So Sweet has top notes of raspberry, blackberry and a touch of fresh bergamot, middle notes of floral daisy and jasmine, and base notes of sugar, musk, powdery iris, and woody notes. While the Daisy signature notes of daisies and jasmine remain, the fruits and sugar add something that the original doesn’t have, making a light and delightful scent for the summertime.
Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle L'Eclat is in a similar sweet and floral vein. This is another addition to a popular line but has a twist that separates it from the original. La Vie Est Belle L’Eclat has top notes of mandarin, grapefruit, bergamot, tea and fruity pink pepper, floral middle notes of orange blossom, neroli, jasmine and iris, and base notes of musk, patchouli, and vanilla. The opening of this fragrance is brightly fruity and sweet, but after a couple of minutes, the grounding powdery and floral notes will peak through. Compared to the Daisy Eau So Sweet, this is not a traditional summer floral; La Vie Est Belle L'Eclat is more mature, focusing more on the woody and powdery elements. It is also distinct from the original La Vie Est Belle, with a less prominent vanilla note and more day-time vibe.
If you want something different than the usual sweet-light-floral for your summer fragrances, there is Kate Spade’s Truly Joyful. The scent of this fragrance is a vibrantly orange as the bottle, with simple notes of prominent orange with more subtle pink pepper and ginger notes. This perfume smells like some squeezed an orange right into a bottle for you to wear, sunshine glow and all. Truly Joyful is an incredibly citrus-fresh perfume that is perfect for the warmer months, but the hints of spiced ginger and pepper mean that this fragrance can also last through autumn. Well-developed and versatile, this fragrance adds a kick to your summer fragrance collection.
Men’s summer fragrance have similarities to women’s, though without the persistent florals. Focusing on citrus and aromatic notes, men’s summer perfumes aim for bright and refreshing. Issey Miyake’s L'eau D'Issey Pour Homme Summer is one of those classic fresh citrus fragrances. The ever-popular Issey Miyake brand is well known for its fresh everyday fragrances, and its summer edition is no different, with top notes of grapefruit, kiwi fruit and coriander, middle notes of nutmeg and pineapple, and a base of cypress. Despite the variety of notes, the predominant scent of this fragrance is a crisp aquatic fragrance. There are more subtle notes that set this fragrance apart from other fresh men’s scents: the kiwi and pineapple add a bright fruity undercurrent, while the wood and spices add a masculine touch that keeps the fragrance from just floating away. While having undeniable Issey DNA, this perfume is well balanced and light, a fantastic summer scent.
Victoria Bitter’s fragrance Thirst is also an enjoyable summer fragrance- yes, the beer company. Victoria Bitter recently their first Eau de Toilette, shaped like a beer bottle, which became the fastest-selling fragrance in Australia when it hit the shelves in mid-2020. This is not just because of its iconic design, but also for its wearable fresh summer scent. Thirst does not smell of beer, as the brand and bottle imply, but takes the iconic attributes of the beverage and translates it into a fragrance through fantastic note choices. Bitter citrus is combined with icy notes to capture the bitter first sip of a cooled beer, with sweet hops (the same used in the VB brewery), freshly cut barley and gentle floral spice accents for a scent that is fresh, slightly sweet and invigorating. Thirst was designed to emulate the first drink after a long day’s work, and I think the note choices have achieved that. I hope this fragrance expands outside of the Australian market, as it is a perfect summer fragrance that deserves the attention it gets.
Just like with women’s fragrances, there are men’s fragrances that bucks the trend of light and citrus summer fragrances. Versace’s Eros Eau de Parfum, while still having a strong citrus tone, focuses on sweet fruitiness with a touch of mint. This fragrance has top notes of candy apple, mint, lemon and mandarin, middle notes of geranium and clary sage, and base notes of vanilla, sandalwood, cedar, patchouli, leather, and bitter orange. The minty notes are prominent in the opening, while the fragrance dries down to a vanilla-sweet fruity fresh scent. Adaptable and addictive, Eros Eau de Parfum is a long-lasting fragrance that can and will pull you through the long summer days with its crisp sweetness.
Summer is always a bit of a slog in the land down under. Between hot houses and the blistering sun, it can be hard to find relief inside or outside. I often find myself turning to the things I can control to refresh myself, which is often my perfumes. Hopefully, you can get through this hot new year with the help of our favourite summer fragrances from the last four years.
Written by Miranda
