Celebrated Summer  Hüsker Dü 1985

Rope Swing Tour by Alexis Kochka

We are a diverse bunch at CaFleurebon; our editors and contributors hail from Turkey, Great Britain, The French Riviera and every time zone in the USA. Summer is summer no matter where we live and these are the perfumes we chose for this year’s Top Ten.

Banksy

It is unseasonably cool now, but how long will this good fortune last here in Turkey? What if I have to attend a summer outdoor wedding in a suit and tie when it is 37 degrees Celsius?  Will I compromise my style? NO! Parfums de Nicolaï – New York Intense  by Patricia de Nicolai is a favorite in any weather including the hottest of summer days. Bergamot and lemon lift and cool the bite of red and black pepper in this spicy amber masterpiece so that is infinitely wearable in high levels of humidity. –Berkan Basoglu, Contributor and author of gurmekokular.com

Alexander McQueen Sp/Summer 2013 Photographer David Sims

 Liz Zorn of Soivohle’s Amun Re “The Tears of Ra” is an all natural scent conceived in 2014 as homage to the Egyptian sun god that melts in the heat like a sexy glance.  Honey, thick and pollen laden combines amber and  musk with diverse notes such as opoponax, hawthorne, cassia and a dry henna to recreate the scented cone headdresses that  the  Ancient Egyptians wore as they danced all night to honor their gods, the fragrance intensifying as the cones melted and dripped onto their hair. –Nancy Lichtenstein, Contributor

Krigler Charming California 215:  This is an orange blossom scent spiked with cardamom, coriander and green tea.  The feel is very soft, smooth and bright, with just enough spice to keep it from being faint and old fashioned.  The rose, jasmine and osmanthus in the heart notes keeps the scent soaring on a floating floral cloud.  The drydown is sandalwood and cedar, calming and perfect for a summer’s sunset at the water’s edge- Pam Barr, Contributor

Girl with Sunglasses Steve Smith

Grand Neroli from Atelier Cologne is part of the inaugural Cologne Absolue collection which debuted in 2010.  It is Perfumer Cecile Krakower’s first and so far only contribution to the ever growing scent empire that Creative Directors Sylvie Ganter and Christophe Cervasel built.  Grand Neroli has sharp and brightly bitter notes of bergamot and petitgrain which sparkle and fizz upon the skin and when the neroli arrives it is like a ray of sunlight. I love the razor edge that cuts through any sweetness here, how the scent only alludes to the sugary qualities citruses can have. Grand Neroli is a portrait of bitter fruits and crisp leaves, chopped upon a wooden board in the morning sun.

Robert Piguet Visa is my sweet redemption from all the ouds I have found myself wallowing in recently. Fruity with peach and pear; roses and orange blossom tied with a pink bow and a base of oakmoss, woods, vanilla and leathers, Visa is total bliss in a bottle for me. I simply adore it. I need a vat of it. Do you get the picture? Reformulated by Aurelien Guichard now with Firmenich in 2006.

Sarah McCartney of 4160 Tuesdays 2015 perfume Centrepiece is a sophisticated, full bodied fragrance that I'm loving in the warmer weather. Honey, green tea and frangipani melt into the skin, creating a beautiful, sweet yet slightly bitter floral perfume that my husband says is his favourite “ever” perfume on me.  Susie Baird Editor and author of Epiphany.

 

 

Nicole de Vesian’s La Louve Garden, photography Clive Nichole

What is summer without a good fig fragrance?? Annick Goutal  Ninfeo Mio  composed by Isabelle Doyen and Camille Goutal  in 2010  is a summer scent that I spray with abandon. This woody fig never fails to perk me up and is beautiful to wear as the weather picks up.  In summer heat it’s a lifesaver as it cools and soothes frayed tempers.  The lemony citrus dials up freshness at the start, yet it’s the aromatic herbal heart that centers Ninfeo Mio. There’s a decidedly green aspect to Ninfeo Mio, but it’s not pushing me around, it’s at just the right level of green for me. The woody, musky base with a decidedly lactonic quality makes this scent last well, even in the heat. –Megan Paki,  Author of Meganinsaintemaxime

Scottish Visual Artist  Jim Lambiefor Dolce  & Gabbana Art Experience NYC

As I write this,  it is 70 degrees and rainy in NYC and feels more like fall than summer which suits me just fine. I hate HATE the heat and humidity. DESPISE sweat soaked sticky clothing and frizzy hair. While most perfume lovers don’t choose their scents by season, I often do, especially if I have to leave the comfort of an air conditioned office during mid day.

April Aromatics Liquid Dreams, created by natural Perfumer Tanja Bochnig in 2012, is perfect for this time of the year, when spring transitions into summer. The fragrance begins very fresh, bursting with a very green somewhat bitter bergamot. I can’t help but hum the Hills are Alive from the Sound Music as I am transported to a meadow where narcissus and linden in full bloom lead me to a mountain stream where I float in a citrus soaked reverie.   The base of honeyed osmanthus is the scented equivalent of sipping apricot tea that has been brewed under the summer sun.

When the temperature is 90 degrees in the shade, first I wilt; then  I reach for Mona Di Orio Les Nombres D’Or Eau Absolue brought to market posthumously by Creative Director Jeroen Oude Sogtoen in 2013. Based on the Mediterranean eau fraiches that Mona di Orio adored, Eau Absolue is not typical light citrus cologne. Sunlit top notes of clementine, bergamot and petigrain are painted with small brush strokes of green basil, pink pepper and verdant geranium leaves. It is at the base where you sense Mona Di Orio’s signature chiaroscuro, as musk, labdanum and cedar peek in and out like passing clouds casting a shadow. It has wonderful longevity lasting from early morning to dusk.

 Creative Director Neela Vermeire partnered with Bertrand Duchaufour to compose the joyful Bombay Bling in 2010. This is a perfume that I reach for time after time.  It opens with a mango tango, and the fruity fun continues as lychee and black currant join in.  The intricate dance continues as lightly spiced tropical white florals take center stage.  Frangipani, Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Tuberose, and Gardenia shower their petals to the audience.  Background dancers of cedar, sandalwood and tobacco are joined by a boisterous chorus of vanilla that takes Bombay Bling to just this side of gourmand.   Bombay Bling is a complex, rich and layered fruity floral, and, unlike so many of the genre, completely original. – Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

For our Top Ten Summer Perfumes of 2015 Draw:

WORLDWIDE:  30ml April Aromatics Liquid Dreams ALL NATURAL

WORLDWIDE: 75 ml Mona Di Orio Les Nombres D’Or Eau Absolue

WORLDWIDE: 30 ml Parfums de Nicolaï – New York Intense

EU, CANADA AND USA 30 ml  Grand Neroli from Atelier Cologne

EU, CANADA AND USA 30 ML 4160 Tuesdays  Centrepiece

EU , CANADA AND USA  8 ML travel spray of Bombay Bling

USA Only 11 ml  Soivohle’s Amun Re “The Tears of Ra” ALL NATURAL

USA only  100 ml  Robert Piguet Visa

To be eligible, you must be a registered ÇaFleureBon reader. Leave a comment with which of our top 10 summer fragrances that are being offered for draw (doesn't include Ninfeo Mio or Krigler California 215)  you would like to win and why,  where you live and if you change fragrance with the season. ONE OF YOUR CHOICES MUST BE ALL NATURAL. Draw closes 7/1/2015

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.