Top Perfumes for Spring

It’s Spring.  Right?  It’s Spring somewhere…but it sure isn’t at my house – at least not yet.  But that doesn’t mean a gal can’t dream!  In the Midwest, we’re still in transitional weather, though at least it isn’t snowing.

Okay, now it’s 50F and pouring with rain.  So ..you know what?  I’mo suck it up and try some NEW Spring scents before it plunges back into Polar temps or the mercury soars.  So here are the .  At least they’re new to me.   March used to yarble on about CBIHatePerfume’s Black March, with its dirt, rain and rotting leaves accord…I’d never tried it until yesterday – and guess what?  It’s all that, the epitome of burgeoning Spring, in the realest sense of the word. Not flowers but rotting vegetation, in wet dirt….in essence, what allows Spring flowers to become Spring flowers.  This is one of the most compelling Spring scents I’ve even encountered…personally, I can’t wear it…but I do love smelling it!  And the memory of it stays in my olfactory brain for ages!   At the opposite end of the spectrum is Irene Neuwirth for Barneys New York.  I got this in a Bag Event and figured I would take a spritz…this is one of those ‘shouldn’t work but does’ scents – and it can ONLY work in weather like this, at least for me.   It’s a ‘beachy scent’ (it actually has ‘watery notes’ and ‘beach accord’ as top notes)…but instead of the beach notes I get something very similar to Jacomo Silences and Caron Montaigne, those thin, light greens that are perfect for this weather as well..  ….and yet…there is something that’s really pushing some nostalgia buttons on this one…then it hit me..it smells like Heaven Sent! Which had a Heathcliff & Cathy/windswept moors in the Spring vibe for me.    So there ya go!  The last one in the Try New Things lineup comes from Berdoues – their original Violettes de Toulouse.   Pretty violet scent but can I just say two things?  1) Lasts about 2.3 seconds.  and 2) WORST WEBSITE EVAH!  This is a sample I got from a friend so I went online to try to get some info – ha!  If not for Fragrantica, I’d be in duck soup!  Here are the notes: Violettes de Toulouse Eau de Toilette by Parfums Berdoues is a Floral fragrance for women. Violettes de Toulouse Eau de Toilette was launched in 1936. The fragrance features violet, iris, jasmine, raspberry, musk, tonka bean, heliotrope and violet leaf.  Like I said, it’s pretty – and who can argue with violets in springtime…I just wish it lasted longer!
From Ann:
Chanel 1932 — This elegant, multi-faceted confection is like a gorgeous Parisian macaron, perhaps tinted a soft, pinkish lavender, then finished with an iridescent glaze. Going into the mix I detect a generous dollop of Chanel’s Eau de Cologne, a teaspoon of lovely iris, a la La Pausa, a sprinkle of 31 Rue Cambon, and perhaps even a smidge of No. 5 and Cristalle for good measure. This smells consummately Chanel to me. I enjoyed it when it first came out as an EDT, but the recently released extrait has put this back on my radar in a hurry.

Aftelier Cuir de Gardenia — I’m very late to this party but so glad I finally got in. This beautiful gardenia gets an earthy grounding from a gentle tether of leather to be a great scent for spring. Just perfect for holding you until the real gardenias come into bloom. I’ve not tried the solid but the parfum was so right on the money, I’ll just stick with that, and save my pennies for a bit more.

Portia’s Toppers For Spring

As you know Australia is going into Autumn but the temps are quite similar between our Autumn and Spring so often there is a crossover of what I will wear. What did I wear last Spring that I’m wearing again now?
Aqua Allegoria Tiare Mimosa by Guerlain: Tiara Mimosa is bright, fun and sweet. If it was a girl she would be pretty and popular but in a nice way, not mean or nasty. This is sunshine in a bottle and it feels like a tropical holiday scent. Guerlain has tamed the often urinous naughtiness of mimosa with tiara and vanilla. A creamy, lovely and wearable favourite. Available for a song at the discounters.
Bombay Bling by Neela Vermeire Creations: This is ultimately Jin’s fragrance but over the last six or eight months I have been stealing spritzes because it’s so damn fun and I really enjoy the ride from tropical fruit punch to deep woodmill in the forest. Excellent fragrance.
Joy EdT by Jean Patou: I have some old bottles of this and whenever I’m feeling like winter in my heart a couple of swipes and my mood has instantly hit Spring. A smack in the face with a glorious aldehydic fruity floral bouquet that is both memory and history for me. Guaranteed smile.
Geranium Pour Monsieur by Frederic Malle: The cool minty burst offset by fabulous herbs and spices, incense and resins is a beautiful winner in any weather but in Spring it feels like you are wearing promise, the promise of summer.
Mitzah by Dior from La Collection Couturier Parfumeur: I like the old title because it feels so exclusive and elegant, much like lovely Mitzah itself. The sadly discontinued honeyed, vanillic, rose that is both spicy and deep. Wearing Mitzah makes me feel like a million dollars, every time.
Mon Parfum Cherie Par Camille EdT by Annick Goutal: Plum, powder and patchouli, this massively underrated gem is unlike any other fragrance from Annick Goutal,  It simultaneously manages to be green, fresh, dark and bubbly. Love it every time and perfect for weather doing the Hot/Cold Cha Cha.
Niki de Saint Phalle: One of my long term favourites but particularly good for Spring. Niki de Saint Phalle is the coolest and most lovely green that is also sweet and warm. Currently it’s also a super cheap thrill at the discounters. I particularly enjoy a bath with a few drops of the Bath & Body Oil and then heavy spritzing with the EdT which has a better throw on my skin than the EdP.
Shalimar by Guerlain: Because it’s not life if there’s no Shalimar

TOM sez:

Spring in Southern California isn’t like spring in the rest of the country. The few trees that lose their leaves gain them back, the temps go from cool to warm, and you’re less likely to get rain. I like to meet spring with something involving lily of the valley, which sadly doesn’t grow here. So I give myself a spritz of commes des garçons green from their leaves series, or even better, vintage Diorissimo. Of new releases, I could seriously face spring with smell bent florist fridge. It’s happy little thing I have to grin every time I apply it.

For more great picks for Spring check out Bois de Jasmin, Now Smell This, Grain de Musc