Top Summer Perfumes 2016

It’s time for Top Summer Perfumes of 2016.  Make sure to visit Now Smell This, Bois de Jasmin, The Non-Blonde and Grain de Musc for a complete roundup of summer perfumes.

Patty – Short list and mostly new ones – Hiram Green Dilettante is almost a daily habit now.  Just gorgeous orange blossom.  March is across the room with it on and fanning, and it’s just stunning floating around.  The other is the Armani/Prive Fils Rouge, one of their ridiculous limited edition run of 1,000 bottles. It is just a gorgeous iris, just the perfect weight for summer that feels like a soft, warm summer day.  Plus my usual summer scents – Hermessence Osmanthe Yunnan, Bvlgari tea scents and a host of incenses  and white florals.  Okay, that’s pretty nonspecific, but I hate to be repetitive every year.

Musette – (Patty taking dictation) I really like Amouage Myths Woman with that bergamot/mint thing, and it smells just like monarda in my garden.  Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile body cream is a staple too for something lighter, it’s buttery and green without doing that hot waxy thing.  Of course there are MY staples of Agraria Bitter Orange, which they will pry out of my cold dead summer hands.  Also Hermes Pamplemousse Rose, which is perfect for summer.

March – My top ten of summer?  It’s the air outside this casita in Santa Fe right now.  Anita said she now understands why I’m always babbling about the way New Mexico smells.  It’s a resiny-floral-dirt smell I can’t get enough of.  I’ve been wearing the heck out of the Unum Lavs incense Patty sent me last year.  Did I really say I didn’t like it in the summer?  What a moron I am sometimes.  It’s perfect this time of year.  When the weather’s in the mid-90s and it’s super humid, Unum Lavs is incredibly refreshing. I’ve also been loving Andy Tauer’s Lonesome Rider, with its hit of orris and Andy’s special woodsy leather, for those of you who missed out on his Orris LE.  It’s seasonless (and timeless) and makes me happy.

Tom – This summer I’ve been finding myself reaching for old favorites like Dior’s classic Eau Sauvage, Annick Goutal’s glorious classic Eau de Sud and Barneys classic Route du Thé. They’re classic, cooling and not even that expensive.

PORTIA’s SUMMER!! Not top 10 but things I love to wear.

Amoureuse by Parfums DelRae: The most fabulously outrageous animalic white floral fragrance that creates a dramatic swirl of elegance around and behind you as you walk. Amoureuse is not for the faint hearted but someone who wants to smell bold and powerful.  Epice Marine by Hermès: My favourite of the modern aquatics, here we see salt water and spices mixed in a cool and slightly metallic fragrance. All overlaid with the sheer oily Jean Claude Ellena magic.  Mohur (Not Mohair) by Neela Vermeire Creations: This is perennial favourite rose, spice, oudh and sweet floral India meets France scent. All the depths and colourful excitement of India set in the elegance and refinement of France. If you thought it was good in winter wait till you see how it blooms in the heat. Opus X by Amouage: The cold metal blood rose. Strangest and most lovely of the Opus collection, Opus X will take you to the extreme of rose, a spiced, lacquered, tangy, metal, iced rose. So perfect for the heat, it will chill you to the bone. Besides that it smells unbelievably good too. Y by Yves Saint Laurent (vintage EdT): You want a dry, cool chypre? Something that follows the citrus, resins, moss pyramid? One of the best ever made and fast becoming one of my go-to heat beaters. It’s been discontinued for years but still available on eBay for reasonable prices.

Thanks for stopping by, hope this helps you find your summer favorites!