Perfume for the Occasion: Beachy Scents

Ah, summer..! The occasion for this month’s PFTO is versatile and malleable: a summery state of mind. Whether you’ll be making your escape to an exotic local, a cosmopolitan resort, a blindingly white Mediterranean isle set against the endless blue, a relaxed camping where you’ll be spending your days at the beach bar and your nights drinking frozen beer around a campfire on the sand or right here in the city, escaping every evening and weekend to the roof-garden of a hotel to sip cocktails by the poolside with your friends, forgetting every little worry, you’ll need the perfect perfume to enhance the experience, the perfect fragrance to complete the marvelous sensory pleasure-bomb that is summer.

When looking for a fragrance to accompany your picture-perfect summer memories, the best idea is to look for something that makes you feel sensuous and ethereal at the same time. Perfumes that achieve this effect are a perfect match for the looks we all associate with summer: bright colors, light, natural fibers, revealing cuts, billowing fabrics, chunky, colorful jewelry, high wedges and sexy flat sandals. The most common note for summery scents is of course coconut, and it is indeed the note this month’s PFTO mostly focuses on. A lot of people would probably reference breezy, marine scents with obvious ozonic or watermelon notes for this occasion, but I think warm, sensual scents that manage to avoid being cloying or suffocating are better suited to the erotic, fun-loving mood of the summer holidays. Aside from coconut, look for notes of strawberry, vanilla, jasmine, orange blossom, tiare, gardenia and ylang-ylang. Before we take a look at my favorite picks for the occasion, a word of warning: If you are traveling somewhere where you are expecting really warm weather, and especially if you are going camping, make sure to decant a small quantity of your perfume into a purse spray atomizer and take this with you instead of your precious bottle. High temperature is perfume’s most vicious enemy – you don’t want to leave your bottle boiling in the heat!

· Beach by Bobby Brown : For those of you wanting to recreate the feeling of a retro beach, complete with colorful towels, wet bikinis, blinding, blissful sun and the sound of the rolling waves as the heat lulls you to sleep, this is definitely the ticket. Bobby Brown’s Beach is the most accurate rendition of Coppertone sunscreen, bottled as a scent. Memories in a bottle.

· Fire Island by Bond No. 9: Another very successful rendition of Coppertone sunscreen, Bond No.9’s Fire Island can easily be mistaken for Beach – they are almost twins. Fire Island is rather more citrusy up top, has a stronger sillage and a woodier base, but the effect is truly the same. Sand between your toes, beach ball games, laughter and sun. Smelling both Fire Island and Beach at the same time, I find it hard to decide which one I like better. Beach is more realistically close to its sun-block inspiration, but if I were hard-pressed to choose I’d probably go with Fire Island, whose sweeter approach has a more fun-loving appeal and a more interesting development than the more linear Beach.

· Ipanema by Satellite: From the absolutely stunning bottle complete with seashell decorations, to the saturated turquoise color of the juice, which matches the golden trimmings so perfectly to remind me of gorgeous summer outfits, all the way to the beautifully summery scent, I am utterly in love with Satellite’s Ipanema. I want this on my dresser, and frankly I am not sure I would be able to resist grabbing this one with me on my summer vacation. Forget decanting, I want the luxury of being able to hold this fabulous bottle in my hands every time I am ready to go out! It would put a spring in my step! A yummy, light coconut note, blended with white florals, which dries down to the warmth and sensuality of vanilla and woods. Visit Luckyscent to grab a bottle online, or visit Satellite’s own website to ogle the fabulous jewelry and find a stockist near you.

· Strawberry Perfume Oil by The Body Shop: Yes, yes, I know what you’re thinking... Strawberry? Body Shop? Really? But yes, really, this is so very summery, so very happy, I couldn’t help but include it. A juicy, strong smelling, girly fragrance which smells both fruity and warm. Perfect for a day of exploring the labyrinthine alleys of a sun-drenched Cycladian island or an evening beach party. If you’re a strawberry lover, give this a try. Much better than Miss Dior Cherie. Hah!

· Vanille Coco by Comptoir Sud Pacifique: This is one of my summer staples and an absolute favorite. It is the fragrance that comes closest to my beloved Hawaiian Tropic suntan oil it terms of scent, and believe me, I have searched for that addictive smell everywhere! This is the most delightful, warm and delicious vanilla-coconut combination I have encountered. For me, it is the smell of summer. Arm-gnawing worthy, edible perfection. My boyfriend hates it, but it makes me truly, absolutely happy. Sometimes a girl has to make some difficult choices.

· Hula Hula by DSH: This is one of the most summery fragrances the absolutely lovely Dawn Spencer Hurwitz has created! Hula Hula’s opening is a mad cornucopia of fruit and cream that fills the mind's eye with swirls of interchanging colors. After the initial explosion of fruit, this delightful fragrance settles down to a creamy, beautiful combination of yummy coconut, pineapple, light florals and mango. This is one of the most innovative summer scents I’ve ever tried, and truly worth its spot in my summer fragrance wardrobe.

· Bronze Goddess by Estee Lauder: When all is said and done, Bronze Goddess is Azurée Soleil’s twin sister, a clever move by Estee, seeing as Azurée Soleil became a bestseller. Unfortunately, when it comes to packaging, Azurée Soleil’s bottle was far more summery and attractive, but the juice remains as lovely. Bronze Goddess is truly this summer’s must-have fragrance; if you’re going to invest in only one beachy scent this year, let it be this one! As last year's review of Azurée Soleil indicated, this one has it all: tropical dreams, coconut flavor, ripe fruit, narcotic blossoms, sea-spray and sensual, mildly animalic hints that make this fragrance scream of midsummer eroticism.

· Sampaquita by Ormonde Jayne: An absolutely unisex fragrance in my opinion, Sampaquita smells like grassy sambac jasmine and water lilies, surrounded by a warm cloak of spicy black pepper. An all-day round scent in the rest of the year, Sampaquita becomes an essential evening addition to a summer wardrobe where it perfectly reminds one of the day’s heat accumulated on streets radiating into the air in the nighttime and lovingly mixing with the scents of night-blooming flowers, which hangs thickly in the air. Sampaquita is one of the three Ormonde Jayne scents that also comes in the lovely pots of gold, Parfum d’Or Naturel, a dazzling, alcohol free way to wear your fragrance, perfect for summer evenings.

Lastly, before I close this rather long post, I have to mention three fragrances I have not personally had the pleasure of sampling myself as of yet, but which I have heard are perfect for the summer. These are: Patricia de Nicolai’s Cococabana, Anna Sui’s Dolly Girl on the Beach and Ava Luxe’s Venus Sands, which you can sometimes find in her Etsy Shop. For true beachy scent devotees, these are worthy of investigation!

What do you think of Beachy scents? Do you think they are bottle worthy, or do you hesitate before making an investment in a bottle that doesn’t often see the light of day during the colder months? Do you have a favorite? Let me know!

Images: Flickr by Januszl, Flickr by PinkMoose, wikipedia.

Skin² by Ava Luxe : Perfume Review

Give me something that blurs the lines between the point where my own skin’s scent ends and the point where the fragrance itself begins and chances are I’ll love it. I passionately seek these fragrances out and it always gives me such a feeling of satisfaction when I find a new one to add to my collection. It comes as no surprise then, that when I found Ava Luxe a year or so earlier, the first fragrance I wished to sample was Skin². The blurb, which read “A wonderful classic skin musk scent. This is a clean and slightly powdery musk that blends with your natural skin scent and creates your own unique fragrance.” was simply irresistible. My expectations were so high, I was almost disappointed when my sample arrived. I was expecting the Holy Grail of skin-emulating scents; the skin scent that would end the search for any other once and for all. Of course, as any perfumista will confess, this is a futile aspiration: There is always something else to sniff. Hope springs eternal in the true perfume addict – there is always something else to sniff and who knows, it might be extraordinary, more extraordinary than last time. It is the search for the ultimate high, if not its darker twin, the search for the original high... But, as I was saying, the sample arrived and before I had the chance to be fully disappointed by the fact that it was not perhaps the One, I fell deeply in love. I placed an order for a full bottle the next day, without ever feeling the need for a second thought, for Skin² is, as it turned out, perfect.

There are so many things I find hard to pinpoint about this scent. One of them is why it feels so familiar, so comfortable. The first time I smelled it, I had this feeling of instant recognition, like meeting someone for the first time and having the feeling you’d met them before. The mind becomes confused, offering ridiculous explanations ranging from childhood occurrences to the even more unlikely memories belonging to the world of dreams. A year later, that peculiar feeling of deja vous is still there, but I can let go. Skin² and I have made our own memories together and they’ve slowly replaced the aimless search for something that is not really there. They are all beautiful memories – perhaps because it feels like nothing can go wrong when I wear this scent. Even though it is not what you’d call a “sunshine” scent, it is in my eyes wellbeing encapsulated. Its sense of comfort and balance is unparalleled, almost as though it works on a hormonal level. Or perhaps as though it contains positive energy. Describing how it smells without using the word musk over and over again is hard. I feel obliged to make it clear though –because the comparison has cropped up here and there in the past- that it does not smell anything like White Musk from The Body Shop nor like Alyssa Ashley’s Musk. Not by a longshot. I personally would say that it is in a way, clean and beautiful skin, but better. To fully appreciate it, one has to wait a while for it to warm up on the skin. It starts with a mind of its own, muskier, stronger than it will soon turn out to be. Then, sooner than you’d expect perhaps, it melds with the skin, becoming strictly personal, warmer, sensual. It is indeed slightly powdery, especially in the beginning, but at the same time very, very sexy. And then, there is this fascinating feeling of sweetness that never becomes full, just remains sheer, like an overall impression. Another thing that makes me fall in love with Skin² is the soft trace of what I interpret as the smell of a smooth spirit, like a very good, well-aged brandy. Which brings me to yet another thing I find hard to pinpoint about it... The peculiar sense of something vaguely woody in there, so minute that it can only be likened to a footprint in the sand, in the process of being erased by a gentle wave. I entertain the thought of the brandy again, aging for years in dark, wooden casks. These merest hints of something I cannot quite touch or explain still drive me crazy, like familiar words that have been jumbled beyond recognition. They are in all likelihood simpler than I make them out to be, I think to myself. But whatever they might be, I love them. As to whether this is my current holder of the Holy Grail of skin-emulating scents? No... But that’s a story for another day, isn’t it?

Image courtesy of http://specialoffers.starwoodhotels.com

A Coconut Lover’s Summer

I have been on a coconut bender for a while now. Even though I adore coconut, I never get the urge to actually smell of it during the colder months of the year. My love for it remains dormant all through winter, forgetting all about it. Come summertime though, my desire for its summery scent is instantly rekindled and I once again begin craving it, finding myself looking for the perfect coconut fragrance with which to scent my body with. I must admit, I have not found The One yet. Embarrassingly, my ideal coconut scent would smell like.... Hawaiian Tropic Dark Tanning Oil. There, I said it. I can’t help it; I have been lusting after its concentrated pungency for years! No, it would not be a refined smell, nor one I associate with elegance. But then again I simply cannot associate coconut with high perfumery anyway. To be frank, I am even loath to use the word ‘fragrance’ or ‘perfume’ in the same sentence as coconut. But there you have it: It is summertime again and as I am getting ready for my vacation in August, I am stocking up on all those favorite blends with which I can make myself smell coconut-fabulous once more. All to the chagrin of my boyfriend I might add, Coconut-Hater Extraordinaire. So far, I have settled on three very different renditions of this tropical seed to take with me on holiday, making my suitcase completely summer-ready.

Azurée Soleil by Estée Lauder: This is undoubtedly my favorite of the three suitcase essentials I am taking with me this summer. A true coconut-lover’s dream, Azurée Soleil is much more complex than any other coconut scent I have tried. It is, a tropical fantasy bottled. It starts out quite fruity, with what I perceive as ripe peach. The ripeness of fruit blends beautifully with heady white florals, but while the overall impression is sweet, it manages to abstain from being syrupy or overwhelming. Instead, once again despite the sweetness, one gets the sense of a salty breeze, carrying with it the aromas of a tropical coast. Needless to say, coconut is an ever-present, prominent figure in Azurée Soleil, but not one full of supercilious, impertinent conceit that would overshadow everything else with its presence. No, despite its strong character and the central position it has been awarded in this blend, it still gallantly allows the rest of the notes to shine and charm the wearer with their own distinctiveness. Perhaps most importantly for me, there is the merest hint of something slightly animalic hidden in the depths of this blend. It is this quality that truly seduces me. Lastly, before I get carried away with what I intended to be a tiny review, I have to say that I prefer the Body Oil Spray to the atomizer. I find that is has more tenacity as well as being more sensual.

Vanille Coco by Comtoir Sud Pacifique: Vanille Coco was an impulse buy, but not one I regret. I really surprised myself with this one I have to admit, because I usually have to smell something over and over again (if I have the luxury to of course) before I buy it. One sniff was enough though, to make me rush over to the register with a big smile on my face. I wanted it. I had to have it. Why? Because it is the closest thing I have ever smelled to that elusive Hawaiian Tropic smell. Vanille Coco positively screams “Sun, Sun, Sun!” and hot, island-air on the skin. It makes me feel like I am lying on a beach, completely covered in suntan oil. (which is a good thing, because I unfortunately no longer partake in the actual, extremely pleasurable activity of sun-tanning with oil or without...It is now SPF 50+ for me and always under a huge umbrella. Who wants wrinkles?) The intense suntan-oil scent lasts for hours, I am very happy to report. But even after some hours of wear, after what initially drew me to Vanille Coco fades, I am still a happy customer. What is left, is a foody, scrumptuous smell that makes me feel positively edible. Like Amour Cacao, I find the drydown of Vanille Coco to be very reminiscent of delicious baked goods. This time around it is a crunchy vanilla cookie with chewy, grated coconut. Or perhaps a yummy coconut macaroon. Mmmmm...

Coconut Dry Oil Mist by The Body Shop: Not truly a fragrance, Coconut Dry Oil Mist from The Body Shop is still an old favorite that I simply can’t leave out. The texture itself is wonderful: It glides on the skin with slippery silkiness and leaves it soft, moisturized and shining with a beautiful soft sheen to boot. The coconut scent is not as concentrated and strong as I would have liked it to be, but subtler and perhaps a little murky. It does lightly scent the whole body though and the staying power is great, unlike other body-mists that become imperceptible ten minutes after application. Also, the fact that it is subtle, allows me to wear it all over the body – something I could never do with Azurée Soleil which would be too strong for this purpose. To this extent, it covers the body with its soft coconut scented film and makes every inch of my skin appear polished and well groomed. I also love layering it with tiny sprays of other Body Shop scents. For this purpose I use the ones specifically created as a palette to mix and match together and use up to two, over the body oil. The ones I prefer are: Citrella, Aztique, Amorito, Minteva and Beleaf. Unfortunately, from those mentioned, only Aztique and Amorito are still in production. The other three have been discontinued.

Having expressed my love for coconut I also have to add that personally, I do not really view coconut scents as appropriate for city-wear. (with the possible exception of extremely casual occasions in hot weather, but even then, I excercise caution.) They are not the height of chic, no matter which way you look at it. They are on the other hand, perfectly suited to an island getaway. My own island-getaway? I finally managed to find tickets for the island I chose to visit this year just yesterday, after a long wait. Now I am counting the days till August, discreetly smelling of coconut already. While in the house, natch.

Images courtesy of: www.deliciousorganics.com, http://fashiontribes.typepad.com and http://ile-tropicale.com