Summer is around the corner. The summer season is my favorite fragrance family. I love the lighter beachy, sea salt and coconut scents. Every year I add a few new scents to my fragrance wardrobe. I’ll talk about some of the new ones I’ve grabbed as well of some of the ones I reach for a lot during the spring to summer seasons.
Byredo Gypsy Water is my most recent addition. I love the light, woody, warm scent. It’s light, more of a skin scent. Gypsy Water is a glamorization of the Romany lifestyle, based on a fascination with the myth. The scent of fresh soil, deep forests and campfires evokes the dream of a free, colorful lifestyle close to nature. Notes-Top: Bergamot, Juniper Berries, Lemon, Pepper; Heart: Incense, Orris, Pine Needle; Base: Amber, Sandalwood, Vanilla.
Miller Harris L’Eau Magnetic is an intriguing sea salt scent from one of my favorite brands of all time. Not everyone is going to like this. It’s a milder Hermes Epice Marine and with better lasting power. L’Eau Magnetic embraces the energetic chaos of the ocean. A deserted cove with sand between your toes, where salty sea breeze mingles with distant pines. Carefree and naturalistic throughout, a marine effect blends Italian bergamot with zingy citron and airy pink pepper. A touch of Venezuelan tonka bean and Vanilla from the Reunion Islands balance against the crisp clarity of white cedar.
Heeley Sel Marin is a fabulous spicy warm sea scent. It’s been a favorite of mine for a few years. Good lasting power. If you like sea scents this is worth looking into. Sun, warm sand and a gentle breeze of fresh sea air. A refreshing and striking note of lemon fades to reveal an aquatic green, algue note, while vetiver and drift woods of cedar and birch dry slowly in the sand and salty, sea air. Lemon . Italian Bergamot, Sea Salt . Moss . Algae, Vetiver . Cedar . Musk.
Jo Malone London Wood Sage & Sea Salt was a new addition last summer. It’s the lightest of the sea scents I own. Very cologne in strength and lasting power. Great for those shy of a full blown sea scent. Escape the everyday along the windswept shore. Waves breaking white, the air fresh with sea salt and spray. Alive with the mineral scent of the rugged cliffs. Mingling with the woody earthiness of sage. Lively, spirited and totally joyful. Ambrette Seeds. Sea Salt. Sage.
Nomaterra is a small niche brand. Cape Cod is a beach rose scent. fresh – modern rose – light bodied – green – watery – feminine. It combines rose with a sea salt accord making it unique. I love the natural rose scent combined with the beachy hints. I grabbed the smaller perfume oil but I think I’ll go for a big bottle once it’s gone. The perfume oil has excellent silage and lasting power. The windswept sandy beaches of Cape Cod nestle into a backdrop of vibrant foliage from surrounding beech and birch trees as fall approaches the coastal town. Wisps of saltwater and citrus wrap themselves around fresh wild flowers anchored by decadent French lavender and warm amber for those chilly fall nights on the coast. A modern remake of the rose accord—crisp, cold, refreshingly transparent yet still elegantly feminine, this fresh-cut beach rose scent was inspired by an excursion up the New England coast in autumn.
Heeley Coccobello is an old favorite. It’s a light, green coconut scent. Nothing too sweet or vanilla. Just like fresh coconut. Set along the shores of a sun-drenched island, fresh morning dew settles on green palm leaves. Light notes of Tahitian gardenia come and go with the rhythm of a transparent, silent sea. Bountiful and bronzed, a warm body bathed in coconut stretches out over fine white sand, shaded by notes of Virginian cedar wood. Palm Leaves . Gardenia, Fresh Coconut . Sea Salt . Bourbon Vanilla, Virginian Cedarwood . Benjoin . Sandalwood.
Hermes Santal Massoia is a light sandalwood coconut scent. It’s warm, very light and has a slight woody sweetness to it. It’s a skin scent and has poor lasting power. I love the scent and will buy a large bottle once the small one is gone. There are linear, vertical woods like cedar, and others that are horizontal, round, supple and velvet-smooth, such as sandalwood and massoïa. With this understanding in mind, I composed this enigmatic, inviting yet distant perfume with its unusual, pungent hints of resin and dried fruit, and familiar smells of creamy caramel and flowers.
Ava Luxe Black Coconut is a favorite from last summer. I just grabbed the spray this year, I’ve had the perfume oil and use it quite frequently. It’s a boozy, deep coconut scent. Without being too gourmand and sweet. It’s a very small brand. A rich and sweet dark coconut note that’s a bit creamy with a slight rum like overtone.
Hermes Paprika Brasil is light and fresh with a woody, green, spicy twist. It has this scent unlike anything I’ve ever used. You have to smell it to see how unique it is. A local tinctorial wood once widely used in Europe to color fabrics red, ‘brasil wood’ gave its name to the country. With its power of suggestion, ‘bois de braise’ sparked my imagination and I chose paprika, a Brazilian pepper, to illustrate it. By mixing and matching, and using an iris-reseda-pepper association, I recreated its scent, which is more secretive and discreet than its taste.
i Profumi di Firenze Brezza di Mare is a light melon sea scent. It’s like juicy watermelon but not too sweet and it has other elements like sea salt and a depth to it. It looks like it was exclusive to Barneys so is now sold out. I got it form Barneys a few years back. Shame it’s discontinued as it’s so light and refreshing for summer. This dazzling new fragrance uncannily captures the salty airy freshness of a pristine sea breeze. The blend was inspired by i Profumi di Firenze master perfumer Alessandro Morsiani’s passion for the sea. He spent a year meticulously crafting just the right blend that would conjure the serene magnificence of sailing on the Mediterranean. The scent opens with top notes of Bergamot and sea salt from the Calabrian coast. Freshly picked lemons and limes from the seaside cliffs of Sicily are touched with a whisper of watermelon to create this perfectly effortless scent for spring and summer.