We’ve been indoctrinated into the concept of a “summertime fragrance” – floral, pretty, sweet, citrus. In reality, the idea is nonsensical. A summer season fragrance is something you select to wear, so don’t feel obliged to play via the regulations. Diptyque’s Eau de Minthé is slightly off the overwhelmed tune: yes, there’s a floral (rose) accord, but the top notes are mint and nutmeg. Jo Malone x Huntsman
Birch and Black Pepper are touted as men’s perfumes, but I’d happily put on their smoky sexiness all year. If you gravitate towards a sophisticated floral, there are lots to provide. Cloon Keen’s Lá Bealtaine – a blend of jasmine, tuberose, mandarin, bergamot, and neroli – is ultra-feminine. Burberry’s Her Blossom and Gucci Bloom are also correctly shaped into the archetypal floral family. Prada’s Water Splash does, too. However, it infuses the green notes of the frangipani flower with a hint of mandarin. Byredo also taps into Mandarin. However, he blends it with jasmine and
cotton sweet. Orange Sanguine by Atelier Cologne captures freshly reduced oranges in a bottle and is gender impartial, as is Clean’s Solar Bloom – a floral with the base word of patchouli. And for a bit of nostalgia, there’s usually the special summer season edition of CK One – a throwback to the times when “summer fragrances” had been all the rage. I wonder why many humans don’t forget carrying makeup in the summertime is something of an oxymoron. Choices that paintings flawlessly well in autumnal climes, like a respectable basis and a smoky eye, suddenly appear OTT and no longer
