by “is it May yet?” Musette
Winter nights find me in bed, with hot tea and my picture books of warmer climates spread all around me – by 7pm. It’s barbaric, I know, but I Just Hate Winter. We will go into the pathology of my living in the Midwest at another time, thank you. Ignore the fact that it’s 50F in Cannes right now. So what? A gal is dreaming of Summer on the Riviera.
Bruno Acampora didn’t dream it – he lived it. A handsome, jet-setting fabuloso, it seems he was Everywhere Beautiful
– and mostly in the sun, returning again and again to his best love, Capri. Capri, with its sunny ,carefree beauty, is evidenced in all 7 of his Essences. Carol Sasich (WAFT by Carol) sent me this charming sample pack and I admit to a bit of trepidation. Full disclosure here: Carol and I are well on the way to becoming ‘real’ friends and she reps Bruno Acampora and she sent them to me to review. That’s a beautiful thing! But what if I hated them? What if they were awful, made me break out in hives and babble in tongues? What then?
Well, I’m pleased to say that not only did they not hive me, they did the unexpected: They put mein a baby-blue convertible, on the road from Cannes to Monte Carlo clad in a New Look summer dress, Hermes scarf and Pucci sunglasses, a snappy soundtrack….uh, you know this picture, right? That’s Seplasia, (awful name, gorgeous scent). This is absolutely lovely, all golden light and beautiful flowers – but not ‘twee’. Notes are violet, rose, orange blossom, geranium, tuberose, jasmine, Lemon, bergamot, musk, patchouli, vetyver, rosewood, ylang ylang. For me, the geranium and ylang really shine in this one, with the lemon giving it that sunny, carefree elegance.
Oooh! … Joao Gilberto. Suntan lotion. The gentle clang of sailboat masts and zippy little speedboats headed to the mouth of the harbor. That’s Blu. It’s – hey, you know how you are in shallow turquoise waters and there’s a sudden drop off and suddenly it’s that deep jeweled turquoise-blue? yeah, it’s just like that in color and idea – but that’s the only marine-y reference. Blu is straight-up tuberose with a big dose of reflective heat. Cocktails on the terrace. Bridget Bardot in white sharkskin, Sophia Loren in midnight blue. Tuberose always smells ‘dark’ to me (which is what I love about it) – and very structured. This tuberose is the first ‘sunny’ and carefree (there’s that word again) tubey I’ve ever sniffed. It’s ultra-feminine without girlishness. Blu notes are: Tuberose, Orange, Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang…..I have it on right now and am in an oceanview suite at the Hotel de Paris. And Rossano Brazzi just sent me a box from Bulgari. Ooooh, Rossano! You really shouldn’t…
There are seven …..but y’all have lives so I’ll just do one more: I took one for the team and tried Musc. Cary and Sophia (she gets around) yachting from Monte Carlo to Tunisia. Can you imagine what that cruise might’ve been like? This is that first kiss after a long grown-folks flirt. Not at night – high noon on the deck, with the sun-warmed teak radiating heat through the soles of your bare feet. This might actually get a gal to think about coming out of a couple layers of fleece.
And yes, like the rest of this line, there’s a charming, sunny cheerfulness about it that is very beguiling. Musk, Rose, Violet, Vanilla, Cloves, Amber, Sandalwood. Personally, I think it’s the cloves. Y’all know I have that Constant Comment love-thang going.
In fact, the whole line – all 7- are carefree. I don’t mean ‘cheap and cheerful’ – far from it. These are elegantly, gorgeously crafted, of excellent materials. These have the heft of serious perfumery – but the inspirations are from a privileged life, at a time when the world seemed sunnier and way less terrifying. Right now, in these dark days and darker times….well, a yacht with Cary Grant sounds just grand.
I’’ll share the sunshine with one lucky commenter. Just drop a line letting me know if you think I should be committed for living in the Midwest. Just kidding. Really. Hey! Just tell me your favorite place, that says ‘summer’.
Caveat: these are concentrated oils. When I first got them I was all “you sent me dregs?” Haw. These ‘dregs’ will last forever. One touch of the wand gives you enough scent for the entire day.
image: french-riviera-hotel.net some rights reserved
other image: Bruno Acampora ca. 1965, courtesy WAFT by Carol
I live in the Midwest too. Lovin’ the 30 degree weather this week! One of my fave summer places is Harbor County, Michigan. Not too imaginative, I know, but the smell of the fresh fruits and vegetables is so refreshing. There are plenty of wonderful bike trails and lovely sunsets on the lake.
Similar to what Mark Twain said, the coldest winter = summer in San Francisco (and I can personally verify his findings). That being said, I’d have to choose Stockholm. Please enter me in the drawing as well.
It might sound crazy but I like the cold weather. And the snow. I just hate the dry skin. :)
The only time I miss the summer it is in the winter. When the summer comes I regret I missed it. Too hot. Too much sun. Dust. Humidity. In 2 words: NY summer.
Las Palmas is my favorite place. Perfect weather.
I would love getting those samples.
Chongqing China! A furnace in August but lovely in winter…
Hawaii is summer nearly all year round, its usually in the low 80s this time pf year.
Oh goody, a draw! And I’ve been wanting to try Acampora for a while. Hawai’i and Greece say summer to me. It was almost summery today in NorCal, and the dogwoods are blooming already. And daffodils, too! Could summer be far off? :)
I’m in Cali, it’s above 60, it’s sunny, but it still doesn’t FEEL like summer. I’ll say the sunny season is a state of mind, not a place. :)
Oh the pain of living in the midwest (Missouri for me) Although I’ve also lived in Vermont and I’ll take this anyday.
Any-whoodle, I love summer on the East Coast, Cape Cod, Maine etc.. Warm days, cool ocean breeze, crab salad on those lovely “hot dog bun” type rolls. It’s all good!
Oh, I’m WAY late to the party!!! You may be crazy to live in the midwest, but I hear Chicago is an awesome city, so it can’t be all that bad. ;-) I’ve only been through the airport. I really should make it a destination and stay awhile sometime.
Favorite place that says summer? Locally, it would have to be the ice cream shops. Only open in the summer!!! As soon as they open, we know summer’s coming. :-) Otherwise, take me to the Caribbean, baby, and I’m happy.
Summer is Benidorm (Spain). It’s not a glamourous place, but it is a city with huge beaches with white sand and clean water. It’s near Alicante, where I live, so I go there often in summer.
Another beautiful places which mean summer to me: Mallorca, Calpe, Altea… all are Spanish places, I know. They are the Mediterranean summer I have always known and loved.
Summer on a Spanish beach sounds pretty darned fabuloso to me~
xo
Summer, hey? I don’t even remember such a thing.
No, I love summer here on the west coast of Canada, I really do; I just wish they were longer.
I find myself longing for the south pacific lately. Or North California in June.
sometimes I look at the frozen tundra out here and wonder how I ever could’ve imagined a green lawn, flower borders….:-?
it doesn’t seem possible.
xo >-)
Palm Springs makes me think of summer. I know it gets hotter than haties but I loove the warm evenings. The days are spent in the pool or inside under the AC.
Please enter me in the draw. These perfumes sound inticing.
I think it’s always summer there, isn’t it? 😉
xo >-)
Thanks for the draw;)
Love the BA sample of Jasmine, which is so far the only one I’ve tried..exquisite just begins to describe, if a jasmine fan its a mus sniff..the musc sounds fantastic. If still open, would love to be in the draw.
Hawaii describes summer to me. The water is warm, and the
drinks are tropical.And,if you don’t like the weather, you
just get into your car and drive somewhere cooler or hotter.
I’ve lived on the coast of California my entire life, so the thought of Midwestern weather is more than daunting.
I’d love to be in on the drawing. Thanks.
I would move to Hawaii tomorrow afternoon, if I could figure it out!
xo >-)
For me, summer will always mean East Hampton-Amagansett in the 1960s, when I was a child before it was ruined by all those Wall Streeters. Asparagus Beach packed with nearly nude sunbathers stacked on end like — asparagus! Dustin Hoffman at Fromm’s bakery gettring his coffee and cookie. Grey Gardens still a magnificent pile and inhabited by Big and Little Edie and their hundreds of cats (you could see Little edie’s ghostly hand opening the door for them). Suntan oil and European pretenders. Women in Lilly Pullitzer smocks. And me, a blond child.
oooh!
xo >-)
Oh gosh Musette, I’m wish you all the way on that “I Hate Winter” thing. It’s right now -29 degrees (-20 F) in Ottawa. It was -35 this morning. Essentially, my face fell off from the wind on my walk to work. So, I’m like you, I’ve got tons of pictures of warm, sunny places. The Maldives in particular look glorious. My favourite summer place that I’ve actually been to is Nice, France. Even during a busy tourist season, it has a great laid-back vibe, and really, there’s just something wonderful about swimming in the French Riviera.
Btw, if you really want a shot of summer, watch “Summer Lovers”. It’s corny, but it practically radiates sunshine and glorious summery-ness.
*I’m with…
I got it 🙂
And I am now jonesin’ for the Riv. Luckily I don’t have to cry too much – it’s still pretty chilly there.
xo >-)
Musette, I love your posts! Your personality just shines through and makes ‘me smile like I am having a chat with a friend. These sound gorgeous and I would love to try them!
I grew up in NH and moved to England when I met my husband so summer for me is both sitting outside on the back step late at night talking with friends, listening to the ‘buzzies with a warm breeze blowing and making the trees shimmer in the moonlight and being out picnicking in the park eating pastie and sausage rolls with Pimms and listening to the excited chatter of all the people
Revelling
Darn Safari on iPhone! …revelling in the sunshine in Hyde Park. Ooh and eating freshly picked strawberries with cream for dessert… Come on summer! My girls want to picnic!
FW,
That sounds sooo lovely. I love cities in the summer, provided folks aren’t feeling too :-l
I guess I love Nancy Meyers’s movie summers! There’s never any trash and everybody is always so well-groomed. Bless you, Nancy.
xo >-)
I won’t say you should be committed, but I’m beginning to understand Canadian Snowbirds. This winter is butt cold, even in Georgia. My favorite summer place, hmm. Tied between Appalachicola, Florida and the mountains just north of Asheville, North Carolina. Stay warm.
Especially in Georgia! What on earth did you guys do to piss Ma Nature off so much? You are getting hammered!
Is the Asheville area where Mt Airy is? I’ve wanted to go there for ages!
xo >-)
Sign me up for the draw please?
BTW -Musette do you also like Celestial Seasonings Orange Spice tea? If you do you really should try Urban Rituelle Siam Ginger.
I love CS orange spice tea but shhh! don’t tell anybody – I am a tea piker. I can just manage the whole Constant Comment/CS thing – after that, I am in the dark.
Oh, wait! It’s not tea! Then I’m in! That stuff sounds great!
thanks!
xoxox >-)
I often find myself astral traveling when I read of the woes of the northern hemisphere in the opposite season! I live in a beach resort town in northern New South Wales (Australia) on the same latitude as about northern Florida. The climate is just about perfect, enough change between the seasons, cool enough for an open fire in winter, months of beach and humid green in summer, etc. But to get to the snow in winter its either get on the road for a day, or conversely fly north for a day at this time of year!
I’m looking out the window watching the birds get my ripening ‘Carolina Black Rose’ grapes. I was going to net them but have found I enjoy the darn birds antics too much. The cicadas are still going. The frogs are deafening at night. Yup, summer is still my favorite season but I love the others too!
I’ve nearly thrown these into the Luckyscent cart a dozen times! I think Musette you have tipped me over! If that jasmine turns out to be THE jasmine…
Well, you just chap my cheese, you know that! :-w You have that totally cool gig down there and ……..I ……….I….hey, you don’t have a lot of poisonous snakes where you are, do you? That’s one of those really scary things about Australia (to me). The wildlife is just so ……….wild. Here, we have 3:-o. The occasional rattlesnake…very occasional…but they do everything but hold up a sign to let you know they are there.
xoxoo >-)
ps. you can get them from Carol as well – I think you will love the jasmine but I’ll be waiting to hear what you have to say about the tuberose.
I can’t bear it too hot so Galway in the summer is paradise for me, winters here in Devon are usually mild but we have had some minus ten days this year – unheardof!The only thing worse than your mid western winters for me is a mid western summer the air was so humid when I visited it was like breathing soup!!
But it’s great for the sinuses!
Devon……:x
xo >-)
Summer is sort of a place for me: a pergola, with grape vines, a glass of white wine, and a supper on the grill…
and your old pal Musette, hanging out in the chaise longue on the terrace, too, right?
xo >-)
Indeed! Need friends to share the wine, chat, etc.
You’re not crazy, Musette. My job brought me south but I miss the people and landscape of Illinois and Iowa. Still, I don’t miss the weather! and those overcast days that go on and on.
Fort Lauderdale says “summer” to me. Even in the summer!
We’re on day 239,000 of overcast, it seems. b-(
xo >-)
You poor thing. I feel for you–remember it well. I hope you’ve got one of those light therapy boxes. I hear they really help…when you can’t get the real thing.
Hugs help too!
I was born on this very date in Chicago, Illinois, epicenter of Midwestern lake-effect frigidity. I sought the heat by living in sunny Maui for a while, but tired quickly of island life. Over time, I’ve come to find that where I am now — silly old New Jersey — is where I like summers best. The Pine Barrens that surround me are gorgeously fragrant with blueberry shrubs, pine needles, and salt air come July and August. :)
Happy birthday, Meg! Hope you’re having a wonderful and fragrant day!
Happy Birthday!!!!
@};-@};-@};-
xo >-)
*Sigh* A summer location? Hands down, for me, it must be Viareggio, Italy – the beach was divine :) I visited once, when I was on a study abroad in Florence, and the sand was warm, the water a bright blue, the sky clear, the sun so deliciously hot……. Ohhh I miss it! I must visit Italy again!! :)
take me with you. let’s go RIGHT NOW.
xo >-)
I would love to try these – they sound amazing! I live in San Diego – moved here 10 years ago, mainly to get away from cold weather (although DC area isn’t all that cold compared to Iowa)! Summer to me is a little different from our nice mild dry SD summers – growing up in MD, it was hot and humid and full of fireflies. I miss those guys so much! And it gets chilly here at night, even in summer (unless there’s a Santa Ana) – it doesn’t seem summery to me if you need to bring a sweater. Just got a big dose of summer in Zihuatanejo, Mexico – just got back from our honeymoon and it was all sun, sand, and fruity drinks brought to you pool or beachside.
Much happiness on your marriage! @};-
Hate you on the whole Mexico thing. [-( Especially as my next ‘trip’ takes me into the heart of frigid Iowa.
Maybe our next customer will be in Boca Raton and they will insist (INSIST, I say) that I come down there to meet!!!
[-o< xo >-)
Portland, OR realisticly doesn’t see spring until June. UGH. In the mean time I dream of LA and the desert. I just want to bake on a rock like a lizard.
I love that description. And I’m right there with you.
xo >-)
Hey, I’m in sunny California, not even the beachy southern parts. It’s gorgeous here in the SF bay area – sunny, thermometer says 67 degrees. I must need summer fragrances, right???
Suzanne M.
I. Hate. You.
:d
Go eat some dim sum at Yank Sing for me, willya? :-w
xo >-)
Oooh, oooh (waves hand wildly)! Yum, Yank Sing! Can I come, too?
Who am I to judge? I live in the Northeast, where it was 0 degrees this morning and we have had 4 snowfalls in January. I’d love to be entered in a drawing for something that would remind me of summer. Although the place that says summer to me is rather more prosaic than the French Riviera – it’s Ocean Grove, NJ, which holds a lot of happy memories for me.
I think wherever says summer IS summer, NJ, the Riviera…doesn’t matter! I just wish it would say ‘summer’ – right now. [-o< xo >-)
Oh my word. Musette, your post just took me straight into a sense-memory of Mediterranean France in the height of summer. I once had a French boyfriend (and everyone needs one of these at least once in their life) who used to rent a little place in between Marseille and Bandol. We would get to the gorgeous petit calanques for swimming by crossing through the garrigue behind some very impressive private homes — think dirt paths surrounded by wild thyme, rosemary, pine trees and dust in hot sun, with the salty smell of the water intermittent on the breeze.
If anyone could invent a perfume that really encapsulated this smell I would wear nothing else all winter.
please enter me in the draw! by the way, what is rest of M Acampora’s story? He was one fragrant hottie, judging by that photo…
My French boyfriend had lice.
😮
“Maurice, what is this lovely little blue bottle”
“oh, zat? Zat is for my lices!”
“oh. okay”
But charming (and SO hot) for all that.
xo >-)
ps. go over to Carol’s blog for more on Sr. A. I don’t know a lot about him (and that photo is way long ago, alas) but he def had a serious hottitude going, didn’t he?
Jean-Pierre did not have ze ‘ead lahces. He used to slap on Montana Pour Homme like it was Aqua Velva, and believe me, anything living would have been asphyxiated by toxic fumes. I used to make him take it off before we went anywhere in public. Until I oops, I accidentally spilled the bottle. Down the drain.
I think right here in Aotearoa is a pretty nice place to have summer most of the time! I’d love to be in the draw thank you
I think you should be a champ and trade places with me – for just a couple of weeks. Pleeeeeze?
;))
xo >-)
Of course, the sun burns, baby…
…hence I will always prefer my beaches to be freshwater, with cool green woods not far beyond. But I believe the word “sojourn” was created in order to make a space for me and Capri… ;)
Cary and Sophia? Ah, now that was a sadness. A beautiful, end seen from the beginning sadness.
Why’m I writing this way today? Hmmm. Maybe trying to reconcile Bruno Acampora with the bitter white chill outside my window? Maybe too much time out of the sun? ;) Your experience with his scents sounds quite happy; may the winner of the samples enjoy the same trip.
You need some hot chocolate.
I’m hearing a big ol’ dose of SAD here. Chocolate does it when the sun is far away. DARK hot chocolate – and plenty of it.
You can exercise it off later – that helps, too!
and here’s a sunshiney >:d< - we really do need the sun in our part of the Universe, don't we? I'm feeling much like Margot in All Summer in a Day. xo >-)
Nah. I won’t shy away from SAD if the shoe fits, but that right there was just Monday morning silliness. Cary + Sophia? They really were kinda doomed from the start, given their positions on the whole thing. But both were beautiful people having a beautiful romance.
And I really, really DO get burned by the sun. Bad. It usually skips a “kiss” and skips to “get out before you get poisoned.” Fair lass of northern latitude stock, I am.
But exercise I do need. Should get my feet into the X-C boots, snap into the skis, and go. Can’t do that on the Riviera. ;)
:”>
see, that’s what I get for projecting!
xo >-)
I don’t think you’re crazy. The Midwest is very nice with great people and a lot to do. It’s just those winters! I live there for 3 years in “mild” winters before I fled to CA..
See, it’s the ‘fled’ part that makes you sane.
xo >-)
Oh my when I read Tuscany — of course!!
And recalling old memories of summertime “down the shore” in NJ of all places with the sun, the surf and suntan lotion and sea air….hitting the “boardwalk for a slice of pizza or sausage sandwich smothered with onions….
Please enter me in the draw.
Thank you.
If you had to choose between Tuscany and New Jersey? 😕
xo >-)
There IS something about the Midwest. The people are rock solid, you know your neighbors who have lived there for years. It is a life of constants and a place where “we’ve always done it that way” is a good thing. The winters, however, can be horrifying. As the Buffalo-born poster above can apreciate, there are no two more fearful words in the language than ‘lake effect’. The snow that’s on the ground on Thanksgiving will still be on the ground until late March. There will always be one last knock-em-out snowstorm around March 23-25th to remind residents that Mother Nature is still Queen of this Empire. And there is guaranteed to be at least a few days in January when the mercury drops into the double-digit minuses.
But the Midwest is also the epitome of summer to me. I spent my youthful years summering in Ludington, MI along the shores of Lake Michigan. Midwest summers are all the more cherished for their brevity. But when I close my eyes and free associate, the word ‘summer’ conjures up the smell of the lake, the sound of the waves, WLS on the radio, tropically-scented sun tan oil, and the soul-restoring feel of the sun enveloping the skin after those long winters.
Please do enter me in your draw. I’m a big fan of the 3 BA scents I’ve tried up to this point.
OMG! WLS! The minute I saw those call letters my whole childhood flashed into view (though my dad was a WGN (Jack Brickhouse) fan). Michigan summers, especially on the peninsula, are magical. I spent some time up in the Traverse City area – so pretty….alas, now it’s All Iowa, All the Time. :-< xo >-)
ps. and nothing says b-( quite like those mountains of plowed snow that remain, long after the rest of it has melted.
Thanks for an opportunity!
I was actually quite happy when I lived in Midwest. I met my sweetheart there, that’s where our love was born… and what do you mean, nothing says Summer like 100 degree heat and 100% humidity in St. Louis! LOL. Just kidding.
Hawaii says Summer to me.
I went to school in St. Louis. I used to sit OUTSIDE at Duff’s (Central West End), in August, drinking iced tea and listening to the cicadas. They thought I was insane.
xo >-)
:d
yep, I know what you mean! Me and my sweetie sat outside Brandt’s in The Loop :x Ohh, cicadas! Weren’t they LOUD!
Did you go to WashU by any chance? This is where my DH went to grad school.
No! You did? Shut UP! Small world Webster for ugrad. WashU for grad. WAY back in the wayback machine….:”>
xo >-)
I live in Northern California where it is warm in the winter and cool in the summer. So to me, Cape Cod, Mass. and the islands, is the place that says summer.
I really have to visit the ECoast some summer!
xo >-)
Hey, I moved from South Florida (Boca Raton) to Dallas and actually LIKE having seasons so if anyone should be committed….And Hawaii says warm and summer and all things lovely to me, mostly because I’ve been there but not to Cannes. Yet. P.S. Thanks for the mini-vacation from reading your post!
Well, Dallas doesn’t exactly give you ‘seasons’ but it’s way different from Boca, that’s for sure! I would move to Boca so fast…..
and you’re welcome – we all need a little hollerday, don’t we?
xo >-)
Some sand, some waves, some sun. That’s all I need for summer. Can be a lake or even along a river.
We took a stroll along Cape Canaveral beach this weekend–very windy but beats the stuff that hit up north last week. Some samples of these would be most welcome to join me on my next stroll–Cocoa Beach perhaps? No where near as exotic as Capri, but oh so much more accessible!
Cocoa Beach was good enough for Jeannie and Major Nelson – it’s good enough for me!
b-)
xo >-)
Do I give away my age by saying I know exactly who you mean?!
No. TVLand has blurred the age-edges 😉
xo >-)
Originally from Buffalo, NY, but as a kid, the snow was fun. Grew up in Cape Coral, FL. (sun and sand!) Now in north Georgia! (brr!) With the threat of being snowbound AGAIN, as our curvy steep roads are unpassable with ice on them, I often find myself dreaming of the beauftiful serene Sanibel/Captiva Islands, which were only about 30 minutes from me when I lived in FL. Nothing beats that contented feeling of just the right amount of sun soaking into your skin as you hear the waves and seagulls and smell the suntan lotion and salt. Ahhhhh! Paradise. I took it for granted then, but not anymore! :)
Oh and btw, I tried a wee sample of the Bruno Acampora Musc and it is to die for and I would love to try the entire line. Thanks!
There are streets in Peoria like that, along the river bluffs. It’s always disconcerting to hear that they’ve closed a city street. Sometimes you just have to ^:)^ to Mother Nature. As long as you have a couple of bottles of champagne and a couple boxes of Mallomars you should be okay.
xo >-)
Samples of Bruno Acampora? Oh Musette you shouldn’t have! I’ve been wanting to try these for 2 years.
Summer? I like the mountains, and while winters are just too cold, summertime is just right. My choices are the White Mountains of NH, Sierra Nevadas of CA, or the Canadian Rockies.
Thanks Musette, and thank you Carol for your generous offer!
“I can’t abide a mountain”
;)) (that line is only funny if you’re a fan of Jane Austen)
xo >-)
I also love mountain summers; I second you on the Sierra Nevada and would add the Montana Rockies as well. (I’ve only seen the Canadian Rockies in ski season, but I’m sure they would win me over in summer too).
These sound beautiful…I’m almost sobbing over her in frigid NJ for the thought of summer. I can’t stand this winter at all. So done and over it. Last week, I scoured the beach house rental websites and booked a week at the end of June. I’m seriously counting down the weeks (22) and it’s the only thing that is going to get me through this cold – well, except maybe some summery samples (wink).
Summer to me is the beach on the East coast (NJ or Maryland).
I’ve been scouting real estate in Santa Barbara! ;))
Great minds think alike!
hang in there…
xo >-)
People always say that you’ve got to see New England in the Fall, but I disagree—I love it in summer. As a teen, escaping the city for either Newport, or Block Island (the Ferry rides are some of my happiest memories), or driving up to New Hampshire for a day’s hike, those are the best summer memories!
And yes, I can’t believe that anyone willingly stays where you are: too cold! I’d go crazy! :)
I AM Crazy! =))
xo >-)
I grew up in a climate of mild winters and long, hot summers, so you know summer is my LEAST favorite season. . . but there are some nice summer memories. How about a campsite on the Big Sur coast, with that lovely scent of redwood duff beaten into the ground and the splash of a moss-edged creek just right for wading? Here’s hoping I win one of the samples!
I’m totally with you on everything but the camping. I’ll meet you up at Ventana’s terrace after you put the campfire out, okay? 😉
xo >-)
I second Ventana’s terrace. Tested it last summer during my holiday.
Oh, it’s easy camping – little old-fashioned cabins (with kitchens!) dotted about under the redwoods. Utterly relaxing.
I hear you on Ventana, though. I attended a wedding there once, in sunny October weather with hundred-mile visibility. What a setting.
Hmmmm- well there is no place like home? I love the summer in OTHER STATES- but I am fond of fall and spring in the great state Texas. Summer is a SIZZLER! (and when you have to wear a SUIT rather than a New Look Summah dress) These do sound lovely ma dear- hope I am most fortunate to win a sniff!
I remember walking across the street (literally) in Houston in August…and wondering how I survived it! I do love an Austin summer, though…
xo >-)
While we certainly haven’t been as cold as say MN, here in central Ky. we do get the extremes of the weather, as well as tornadoes in between! And as bad as this winter has been, I’m not looking forward to another summer like last year. Besides, it’s basketball season! ;-)
Wonderful, evocative reviews, Musette.
My bestie wants to retire to KY – I plan to visit her there in late summers/early autumns, when it seems to be at its prettiest!
Good luck with your team!
xo >-)
We do get gorgeous springs too! Well… unless you have to dive for the ‘fraidy hole because of a tornado! lol! BTW, autumn (Oct. on) is pretty, but late summer here is miserable – very hot and humid. In the 90’s all last Sept. into Oct.
I love California in the summer. I did leave my heart in San
Francisco on my first visit.
sitting right next to mine 😡
xo >-)
Yes, yes, mine, too! My idea of heaven is to wander around in all the lovely shopping glory there for several hours, and then head down to the Ferry Building for some chow and chocolate from Michael Recchuiti.
Summer for me is sitting on the lawn with my toes in the grass. Cheering on my tomato plants and grubbing in the dirt, with a large iced tea and my favorite music on my I-pod. Please enter me in the draw. Our winter here is wet and gray. I would love to smell some sunshine.
This is the only place where the phrase ‘smell some sunshine’ makes sense! 😉
xo >-)
I’m a Carolina girl so Charleston SC because I can visit there alot, cant do that with the Bahamas. Those oils sound lovely. Ecume de Rose is my favorite summer scent, the oceanic salt air note is magically realistic like a Christopher Brosisus accord and then the delicate rose is so pretty and yes “carefree”.
I’ve heard so many lovely things about the Carolinas – can’t believe I’ve never visited!
xo >-)
Taiwan! if you’ve never spent a summer here in Taiwan you don’t know what hot and humid really means =)
Count me in!
xo >-)
I am not a fan of heat and humidity so I like the Pacific Northwest in summer. In the cold of the Midwest, I just pile on the moisturizer and bundle up into a nice long down coat. Cuz there is nothing like that Midwest blue, blue sky on a clear winter day. No other colour like it!!
Except we haven’t had one in nearly a month.
🙁
xo >-)
Ooooh, these sound really nice. I’ve only tried the Musc, which was nice and ripe. However, please do NOT enter me in the draw. :)>-
Goofball! :d
xo >-)
I am a California girl, living in Colorado for a year was more snow than I ever want to see again. Summer is my home town, Santa Cruz. I can hear people screaming on the Giant Dipper rollercoaster when the wind is right.
Blu sounds perfect for me. Please enter me in the draw.
Stay warm.
The Boardwalk IS the sound of summer!
I love Santa Cruz!
xo >-)
Hey, I live in the Santa Cruz Mountains!! A bit warmer in the summer, a bit colder in the winter, but California Coast all the way!! We do live in Paradise.
I want to be in that picture, sitting on the terrace looking out at the ocean, book in my lap, refreshing drink in my hand, feeling a tropical breeze wafting through the air, carrying to me the sensual delight of an exotic flower which is within reach of my coconut scented hand. And not a care in the world.
Winte? That is a memory.
A distant one……never to be revisited. That’s MY fantasy. You come sit in that picture anytime you want! Isn’t it gorgeous?
xo >-)
Yes yes yes it is so gorgeous! BA can squeeze between us…can you imagine his thighs nesting against our thighs? little trickles of sweat running down our calves….
My favorite place to say summer is home here in Ft. Lauderdale. But this weekend wasn’t too summery-it got down to 42 degrees-yikes! I got to sniff Jasmine courtesy of Ms. WAFT and you’re right-a little dab will do ya! I’m dying to try the rest of the line!
Oh, hush.
I would give all the hair on my head for 42 degrees right now….except my head would get cold…so never mind! [-(
xoxoxo >-)
To be honest, I love it cold. I am not a beach girl. In the heat & humidity of a Virigina summer, I want to be on my porch, under my fan, with a good book, and various beverages, that correspond to, whatever time, of day it is. I want to spend the whole day there. Or, I want to be on Clapham common, playing frisbee, with my besties. Boring right? But it would be more exciting with your samples!
You know I am all 😮 about the ‘love it cold’, right?
Nothing boring about your summer day, it sounds lovely!
xo >-)
I can’t imagine a better place to be in the summer than in Maine, where I live year round. Right now, when the temperature is hovering just above zero and the air is bone dry, living here has its challenging aspects, but in the summer all that is forgiven and forgotten, with sparkling light dancing on blue water and the smell of pine trees and beach roses in the air. I would love to sniff the Acamporas. So far the only one that I have tried is Musc, and it is just spectacular.
I hear Maine is gorgeous all year round!
xo >-)
Musc is the best seller , some famous men wear it , like George Clooney…
See? I knew it!
George Clooney is the Cary Grant of the New Millennium!
xo >-)
Nothing says summer to me like a day on my home farm in haying season. Hot breeze scented of clover and alfalfa, chaff blowing gently in the breeze, and the smell of ripe tomatoes warm on the vine. And those can all be found in the Midwest!
The Midwest is gorgeous in the summer, I agree – and the countryside is beautiful, if hard on my allergeeez…but right now, with the ice and snow and ice and fog and ice……
xo >-)
Thank you for reviewing these Musette! I was just getting ready to order a sample of the Musc from Luckyscent. Please enter me in the draw.
I feel for you with the midwest winters, Musette. I love the changes of season and don’t mind the brief bit of winter we get in TN, but, watching the Steelers last night and seeing everyone so bundled, took me back. Love the people, love those Steelers, but never wanna go back to those bitter cold, leave-an-extra-hour-to-shovel-and-warm-up-the-car-and-pray-to-make-it-thru-the-hills-to-work winters! Phew! Exhausts me just typing about it! No wonder you are craving summer!! :-)
El O’s from TN and I think he would like to return there. I’m more of a West Coast gal….
When I think of the Steelers I think of that cute Franco Harris…:x
xo >-)
Book the tickets and spend two weeks cruising the coast in that blue convertible. Here is the music to match from The Netherlands’ gift to music world, Caro Emerald:
Riviera Life:
A Night Like This: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74LXx0wSqMI
And of course I would love to be included in the draw.
:((
xo >-)
Oh, don’t cry Musette. This should rather put a smile on your face.
Musette,
Nothing says summer to me like Myrtle Beach SC. That, and my yard in Alabama when my 7-ft tall gardenia is in full bloom.
😮
7-ft tall gardenia?
Ho, yus!
Summmmmmah!
xo >-)
I visited my friend who lives in the Southern French Alps this past August, so I’m going to say Provence and the Alps as my summer place. I have such fabulous memories of the temperate climate, the beautiful landscapes, the history, the smell of lavender and rosemary in the wind, ….
Alas.
Hang in there — and while you’re at it, please enter me in the draw. :o)
I love the Alps in summer – spent a bit of time in the Italian Alps and it’s much as France, minus the lavender. Lots of cows and goats, incredible food and lovely people!
xo >-)
Hi sweet Musette! I, too, am a fall/winter kind of girl, but after the snow/ice storm drama we’ve had already, I’m pining for spring as well. I’m kinda with Jen up there, on the Pacific Coast Highway in a Mustang convertible. Sounds good to me! Bundle up and think warm thoughts, my dear.
PCH is one of the most beautiful highways in the world – except in February/March, when the rains bring the rocks down. I actually drove PCH from LA to SF – twice! (usually NOT something one does, at it takes forever, but these were holiday drives)……just lovely
sigh. I miss LA
xo >-)
musette , just so you know , that was a full sample set , the vials are only filled with a few drops when new…
Oh, I know! I wasn’t exactly clear on that part of the post – apologies ;)) I went on Luckyscent to get the notes, etc and that’s when I figured it out. Can you imagine if those were filled to the brim? You could scent an entire town!
xo >-)
Oh, Summer… to me, it’s torture. I prefer the cold. :)
However, I do enjoy sunny LA, Oaxaca Mexico (in the Spring), and nice all-expenses-paid resorts in the sun. If I must “do” Summer, one of those spots or any beach make it much more tolerable. Sweating in The Burbs lacks romance.
xoxo,
*jen
Freezing in the Country does, too! b-(
xo >-)
Musette: I love your articles. I would love to be in Tuscany in the summertime. I would love to be in Tuscany anytime.
And I would love to be sitting right beside you! Tuscany….:x
xoxo >-)
me three…with some olive oil and fresh tomatoes…
Love all the images you’ve conjured up. My favorite summer place is my deck in Connecticut, looking up through green leaves at a periwinkle sky. Music, a good book, hors-d’oeuvres, a glass of wine, and my honey are all in the equation, too.
Francesca,
That sounds lovely. Betcha that deck isn’t looking all that inviting right now, though…:-?
xo >-)
Hi Musette, I loved your description with Bardot and Loren attending–very nice. I’m not done with winter yet, probably because I don’t hate it. I think of the coast of Maine in summer. Not an especially hot one, I know. But the sound of the rigging slapping the boat masts, the warm days and cool nights–that’s for me! You’ve made the Bruno Acampora sound irresistible.
Hahaha!
I admit to loving the drama of the first snowfall. About 24 hrs after that I’m done with winter!
And the Brunos are really something special, imo
xo >-)
What a lovely post! AS a European I think that I can safely say the image you conjured up of the Cote d’Azur does it for me as a reference point for summer, but I am quite happy with our winters as long as there is a blue sky. Sunshine deprivation isn’t good.
The scents sound lovely, too, by the way.
That’s what is missing here – right now it is a solid mass of white, like the inside of a pillowcase.
And it’s NOT snowing.
b-(
xo >-)
Well, Musette, I hate winter, too, so I guess that’s why I live in the Alps, right? But our employer is moving us to the tropics this year, so I’m feeling pretty good right now! I’d love to try these. Terrifically lively writing for these reviews, I really enjoyed the read!
😮
I want to work for whomever you’re working for!
I have actually gone so far as to try to figure out how to move our business to a more temperate clime……still working on that…:-?
xo >-)
Aww, my kind, lovely, misplaced midwest alien! You KNOW I know what you’re going through….
I confess to loving January, lots of snow and deep freeze. Until it’s February and it’s not going away. Don’t even get me started about March. I remember as a small child hoping that the ground hog would see his shadow because, hey, only six more weeks of winter sounded better than what we usually got!
My favorite place to conjure up summer is New Orleans. Deep tropical heat, sitting with a bloody mary in Jackson Square, people watching.
I used to try to spend 2 weeks in Mexico in February, figuring that by the time I got back winter would be almost over.
It never was.
You and me, baby – Deep Tropical Heat = Heaven!
xo >-)
Winter… brrr. I used to hate so much winter and then I spent ten years in the Caribbean and got rid of summer days and nights. I then went to the Middle East and it was even hotter! Ahhh but I loved all those climates in fact. My favorite place would always be Alexandria in Egypt because it has cold winters but cozy at the same time but in the summer it is a delicious season there. Not so humid, not so hot as in Miami for example.
now that’s an exotic destination! Save me a seat on the dhow!
xo >-)
Fine!:)
Hello sweet girl,
Ahhh Musette, so we are dreaming of summer already….
seems like it was only a lil’ bit ago that everybody seemed to loathe the heat.
Not me though. Never me. ;)
I agree with Elizabeth up there-Washington in the summer is gloriously rich and lush and nobody around here takes the sun for granted when it shines.
The greenest foliage and bluest skies ever are here I think.
So much damn oxygen in my forest and it’s gorgeous come May.
But I would love to lay out in white sand and swim in a warm ocean someday in this life of mine……
I am one of the few people who LOVE heat! And humidity. The wetter, the better, imo!
My sinuses love it. My skin loves it.
Which is why Dec-Feb here is so paiiiiinful.
I used to spend quite a bit of time in Seattle – I was always stunned at how gorgeous it is – when it’s not pouring with rain. ;))
xo >-)
you are going to love Florida in July…GRIN
Ditto what Carol said about Florida in the summer!
I wouldn’t mind trying a touch from that magic wand. :)
For me, Adriatic coast says summer – it’s where I’m each summer so just thinking about it, I see the sun and the sea and smell the sea breeze…
One of my favorite places on earth is Lido in Autumn, when the Adriatic takes on that gorgeous ashy glow…. I envy you!
xo >-)
Summer to me is the beautiful rose garden in Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. With our constant, gloomy rain during most of the winter, there is nothing more wonderful then a sunny day and the beautiful smell of the roses! Please enter me into the drawing!
Y’all really do know how to do roses up there! Truly gorgeous!
xo >-)
Last summer I spent on the U.S. southern west coast. One of the best vacations for me! Thanks for entering me in the drawing.
Glad you enjoyed it!
xo >-)
Los Angeles says summer to me. That’s where I live. That’s where it’s been 80F all week and is forecast to be 80F all next week. I really miss the rain, the fog, the cool air that requires a sweater or even a coat. A reason for my collection of umbrellas to exist – so they can live to their potential. My sweaters tucked away in cedar lined drawers are calling to me – I hear them weeping quietly as I fall asleep with my windows open. I really do miss cold weather. I kind of resent putting sunscreen on my face, arms and hands in January. And so I must pass by Chergui, OJ Woman, VCA Orchidee Vanille and L’Heure Bleue for now, sounds like these scents would suit the weather we are experiencing now…
The body creams are wonderful , very highly scented and rich , each one true to the scent of the parfum !
Kym –
I am SO NOT feeling your pain. :-w :d
As long as Cora’s and Roscoe’s still exist, LA is The Place for Me!
xo >-)
I know, I know…no one feels bad for the people who miss cool weather. Mind you, I’m sure I wouldn’t like 15F and ice for more than 5 days — but 60F would be a nice change!!!
I’ve never heard or Cora’s — do tell…
Cora’s is my favorite breakfast place in Santa Monica – on Ocean just north of Pico. Great chow. It used to be this little shack – now it’s a bit tarted-up – but the food remains stellar!
xo >-)
sunny, sunny Israel’s Eilat
that sounds just delightful!
xo >-)
That was imagination “in” the world and thankyou!:)
Sweetie, don’t sweat the spelling! The mind figures it out – even my poor addled one!
And thank you for the lovely compliment!
xo >-)
Hello!
For me, cape hatteras in NC with the dunes, ocean and sun or Tuscany with the sunflowers and the cypress trees and rolling hills spell summer and happiness and I think you have the best imagination and the world and the gift to make us see how those scents drew you in!
Tahnkyou,
Florentina
I have a lot of difficulty tolerating cold weather, but I do adore changing seasons. As for summer spots, I could be convinced to fall in love with quite a few, but I have a particular fondness for the coastline in Maine, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and other East Coast beaches.
As for the Acampora scents, I remember sampling one some years ago and it was beautifully done. I would love the chance to sample another.
I have never spent any time on the East Coast as a ‘coast’ – only City Stuff – and mostly work-related…:-? heck, I’ve never even been to the Hamptoms!
Must reconsider…
xo >-)
New Orleans in July, with the sidewalks steaming and the smell of honeysuckle and hot blacktop, and the trees sort of swaying in the burning hot air.
Nothing says summer to me like driving at night through all that, with the windows down and the full moon glowing on everything, and the temperature in the hih 90s at ten o’clock.
You betcha! Been there in May and September – and those were plenty ‘summery’ to me!
Watch out for vampires, though – there seem to be an awful lot of them down there, if pop. fiction is anything to go by! ;))
xo >-)
No, it’s true — there really is a huge vampire scene in NOLA. I was down there a couple of months ago and noticed a few of them slinking around.
Pacific Coast Highway, Mustang convertible, loud music on the stereo.
😡
xo >-)
That’s my home turf – although I grew up along a stretch that is notorious for landslides in winter. Still, the road was usually fixed by summer, just in time for the fog!
I hate PCH in February/March because of those land/rockslides. I was once stopped at Channel (at the north end of SM) about 3 cars behind the light…Suddenly, about 30 ft in front of our line…a rather HUGE rockslide came down….thank Floyd for that red light!
CA is a beautiful, precarious place!
xo >-)
Well, I am a California girl and after the fog burned off today, it was very sunny and reasonably warm (60 or so). I would have to say that Hawaii comes to mind first. Did live there for one year back in 1998-99, and it’s even more wonderful in the summer than the winter, but a great winter escape. I think though, and this may be because you mentioned Capri so am thinking about the Med, that i would love to be sitting in that hotel in Eze that overlooks the ocean. Could have a glorious lunch on the patio, then stroll through the town and go into their parfumerie there. Take the vertible and drive to Nice for a latte, and then back for dinner. That would be my perfect day!
Hang on, let me grab my scarf and sunglasses!
Shotgun!
xo >-)
committed? Nah. It’s just a lot of trouble to move… and the older we get the less patience we all have with the snow.
what says summer to me? hawaii, though i’ve never been there in summer. even in winter, it’s in the 70s, sunny, and a glorious smell of salt in the air. I’m interested in the smell of Capri, though, hope I win! I’ve been to the French Riviera, and among other things I associate it with “swedish pizza” – a pizza with smoked salmon and sour cream on it that for some reason was quite popular where we were.
wishing you hot chocolate and yummy smells!
that Swedish Pizza sounds yummy! Especially for a brunch on the terrace….:-?
xo >-)
Musette,
You don’t sound like a Midwest Winter kind of gal to me…:)
One of my favorite sunny places is Orange Beach, AL. I just love a lazy day reading on the beach.
Thanks for the drawing! Hope I’m lucky….
I’m SO not a Midwest Winter kind of gal – which is why there is talk of having me committed, should I continue to complain about it. I’ve lived here for the bulk of my life! /:)
xo >-)
I have never been to the Midwest during winter because it seems daunting. I am a California girl through and through but if I had to choose a spot that says summer it would be the Cayman Islands. I just loved it. The water was warm and it was very relaxing.
seems daunting? SEEMS DAUNTING? Honeydoodle, lemme tell ya – along the IBM Plaza, there are ropes set up to keep people from being blown into the river…and there is a reason Minneapolis moved the bulk of its downtown traffic one floor up! Winter in the Midwest is just absurd.
xo >-)
Ms. Musette you are made of strong stuff to be able to endure such harsh conditions.
Committed? Please. I’m in Chicago, every year as I clean ice off the windshield (once I used an ice skate) I think to myself, this is the last winter…yet I’m still here. My favorite place that says summer is also Chicago. In the summer. Maybe I should be committed.
Anyway, although Seplasia sounds like some sort of nasal inflammation, I still need to sniff it.
I believe it is named after a Roman city , and when an Italian says it , SWOON . LOL !
se- PLAHHHH -zhaaaa…
;)
See, that’s why I asked you to stop by – I was SO not hearing that when I read it! ;-))
xo >-)
*GRIN*
That made all the difference Carol!
I’m a fall/winter girl, but this year has been more frigid than usual, so I, too, am dreaming of summer. Since I live on the coast, the beach is never far; my heart does a little lift when I imagine the salty ocean spray while out on the Sightseer, scoping the horizon for dolphin pods. Cruising around on a boat, lazily admiring the sun sparkling on the ocean currents, that’s where summer is at, for me.
Musette,
I just discovered (but not smelled) BA Jasmine from the NST this weekend and I am dying to try the entire line!! I can’t believe you are reviewing these. You guys are killing me!!!!
Can I get a sample set from WAFT by Carol? Or do I have to go thru an online retailer?
BTW….I am having one of the best winters every. I gave in and decided to do a winter activity (snowshoeing) and it is really really fun!! So….while I adore summer (except for the NYC subway platforms in August), winter can be fun too with the right friends and attitude…
Hi everybody , thanks and big up to musette for featuring these !
New shipment arriving this week , I will have samples and stock available if you want to write me…kafa at aug dot com !
hello M. I know you said we don’t have to advise, but as long as you continue writing such romantic things…you can stay…otherwise OUT! Sunny place? Sunny placessss: Cape Town, Greece, Israel, reviera…anywhere where their is clear sky adn gorgous beach!
I’m with you on all of those!
xo >-)
These sound lovely! I would love to be in sunny California.
I also don’t know why I stay in the midwest…family I guess…sigh….
I think I’m just lazy…../:)
xo >-)