Rope Swing Tour by Alexis Kochka
It's officially the first day of Summer, Friday June 21, 2013 and the summer solstice. Whether you are spending summer in the city, at the beach, in your backyard on the hammock dreaming of an exotic vacation, put on your favorite pair of shorts and lose the oud. It's time to lighten up;the staff of CaFleureBon review our top ten favorite fragrances to spritz when the heat is on.
Michael Devine, Senior Contributor
With Virgin Island Water, Creed trades in their suit-and-tie sophistication for a bathing-suit-and-Mai-Tai vacation. A flacon should come with a swizzle stick and umbrella.
Le Labo's Bergamote 22 is a smile-inducing freshie with the depth and character one would expect from Le Labo. Amazingly, the sweet citric opening notes fade into the woody mid, only to reappear like the sun peaking through the clouds. Whether you're in Feragamos or flip-flops, B22 in collaboration with perfumer Daphne Bugney is a sexy summer sparkler. Le Prozac
Valerie Vitale, Contributing Editor
A juxtaposition of elegance and ease live in Carthusia Io Capri. I tend to apply it liberally and wear it on cool breezy summer days. It starts out citrus-green, with a tad of mint that adds to its exuberant fresh opening. Fig leaf, tea, a floral heart, and tobacco allow for sweetness and warmth. The open air propels Io Capri to set sail and suddenly I am in Sorrento taking in the sea cliffs and walking down the narrow streets. I stop for a while to take a coffee or perhaps a limoncello. Finally I am far away from these paved city streets.
When the breeze disappears I like to meet hot humid summer nights head-on with a gutsy gourmand. L’Artisan ParfumeurTraversee Du Bosphore, a leather gourmand does the trick. The Bosporus aka the Strait of Constantinople separates the continents of Europe and Asia. Through Bertrand Duchaufour’s vision Istanbul materializes. The weight and texture of this fragrance is instantly felt with thick notes that comfort and caress the skin. Sweet apple tabac, worn suede leather, powdery roots, Damascus rose, and sweet Turkish delight are stronger than any humid day. How can a fragrance created for a place that I have never been feel like home.
Like a delicate foot easily sliding into a glass slipper, Les Exclusifs de Chanel Eau de Cologne, sparkles and shines in its transparency. Summertime and the living and wearing are easy. Its sheerness beckons the summer months; I instantly imagine a world of summer white silk, linen, and cotton voile. It is all about citrus, herbs, and a delicate white floralcy and musk just waiting to be abundantly spritzed. A classic story retold.
Picnic by Judith Geher
Tama Blough, Senior Editor
High on my list of summer must-haves is Penhaligon’s bright, refreshing Peoneve by master pefumer Olivier Cresp. Rose is as the heart of this scent, as it is with many fragrances based on the lush peony flower, but, fortunately, the opulence of peony shines through as well, surrounded by moist greenery. As a testament to this spicy, sunny beauty, I have only worn it once, but think about it every day.
Santa Maria Novella makes some fantastic hot-weather scents, and one of my favorites is Santa Maria Novella Gaggia, which is based on one of my favorite perfume notes, mimosa. Crisply green and lightly floral, I chose this fragrance out of the many that SMN has to offer by smelling it on my skin as I walked through the Los Angeles neighborhood the store is in on a hot day, where the jacarandas, jasmine, and roses were in full swing. Gaggia stood out from the scents I was testing as the perfect fragrance to be wearing, and it came home with me.
John Reasinger, Senior Editor
INeKE Derring-Do is my standout fragrance for this time of year. Translucent citruses blend with silky cyclamen (Persian violet) and a sea spray-like note that makes it shimmer and glisten. As this continues, it blends the warmth and spiciness of cardamom and pepper with the tender green of fern and creamy magnolia petals. It is spicy, yet floral fresh AND clean! The finish of aromatic Virginia cedar, cool and shady guaiac and white musk complete this with a perfect trinity of woody musky notes, yet this remains uplifting and revitalizing. Cleanly sexy and elegant…what more does one need?
Maxfield Parrish The reservoir at villa falconieri frascati
Mark Behnke, Managing Editor
I want to give a shout out to the underused and underappreciated caraway. I don’t know why this doesn’t get used more as a substitute for bergamot in the top notes. I always get carried away by caraway in the summer. Parfumerie Generale Private Collection Querelle is a great example. From the caraway and cinnamon opening right through to the vetiver and myrrh this is one of my favorite fragrances of all that Pierre Guillaume has made.
My other caraway staple is Van Cleef & Arpels Tsar. In this fragrance the caraway combines with an ensemble of notes to create a green fougere that is the perfect tonic on a hot day full of soothing verdant quality that makes me say AAAAH!
Twilight Time Suite:Jasmine by Isaac Maimon
Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief
I don't love summer. There I said it. Extreme humidity and heat make me cranky. The days of basking in the sun and two week vacations to the Meditteranean or the Caribbean are a thing of the past. My tan comes out of a bottle and although the bikini still fits, it's buried in a drawer. I do love summer scents and ironically wear more fragrance in the summer than in any other season.
My friend and scent twin Carol emailed me last year about Parfums de Nicolaï L’Eau à la Folie, a new "eau" from the world of fragrance's equivalent of perfume royalty-Mme Patricia de Nicolai. I seldom blind buy a fragrance but I am glad I did because ever since life's a peach. Scent has transportive powers and when I close my eyes I am at Harry's Bar in Venice circa 1948 sipping a sparkling peach bellini cocktail. Ernest Hemingway enters the bar and stops to chat with Guiseppe Cipriani. "Papa" passes by and comments on my perfume, calling it "intoxicating". Is it me or the effervescent jasmine? He invites me to his private table in the corner. We watch as the sun sets over the Grand Canals and the water is deep green with a rosy hue.
Rene Grauau
One of my favorite Italian perfumers is Maitre Perfumer Maria Candida Gentile, who creates olfactive magic with her beautifully crafted eponymous line. Most people don't know that she is the nose behind quite a few scents for Profumi del Forte, a line that doesn't get much love here in the USA. I discovered Vittoria Apuana, a stunning tropical perfume at Takashima in New York City (RIP: Fifth Avenue has never been the same). It's a summertime beauty with the best coconut note in all of perfumery as far as I am concerned. Signora Gentile's signature citrus essences (the sweet orange used in this is spectacular) shine as bright as the sun. In my younger years, I spent a lot of time in Negril. I remember bronzing on the pristine white beaches, shaded by leafy coconut trees as I gazed into the crystalline turquoise sea. Those days of peace and tranquilty are forever with me with a just a spritz of Vittoria Apuana. The bit of banana at the top adds creaminess to the coconut as the tiare heart seems to waft on a gentle ocean breeze. Amber and boozy vanilla add dimension without too much sweetness. I wore Vittorial Apuana to a Sniffapalooza breakfast in 2009 and at my table was Carol and Symine Salimpour (of Hors La Monde and Shiloh fame) who both flipped even though it was 7:00 am and Symine was jetlagged.
Art Direction: Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief
Photo: Peter Stockpole Balboa Beach California 1947
It really is Summer Madness with these six Bottles of Best of Summer Perfumes for Draw. Five are open to International readers (just state your country in your comment).
Merci Fabrice Penot of Le Labo for sponsoring 50 ml Le Labo's Bergamote 22
The always supportive L'Artisan Parfumeur is offering 50 ml L’Artisan ParfumeurTraversee Du Bosphore
The perfect summer floral… 50 ml Penhaligon's London Peoneve
San Francisco's finest Ineke Ruhland 75 ml INeKE Derring-Do USA ONLY
Inarguably, one of the best independent perfumers in the world, Pierre Guillaume of Parfumerie Generale is offering 50ml Parfumerie Generale Private Collection Querelle
The great guys from Parfum1.com are back with a generous 100ml of Parfums de Nicolaï L’Eau à la Folie
Our friends at Essenza Nobile are sponoring 50 ml of Profumi del Forte Vittoria Apuana
To be eligible to win one of the six above fragrances, please leave a comment with your thoughts on Summer and please list any or all of the six fragrances you would like to win and the your country. Draw closes June 25, 2013.
Note: Chanel Eau Cologne, Carthusia Io Capri, Santa Maria Novella Gaggia and Van Cleef & Arpels Tzar are in our top ten summer fragrances for 2013 but they are not being offered as part of this draw.
We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.