Well, first off let me write how much I feel for the poor people in East Texas dealing with the aftermath of the hurricane. I cannot imagine what they’re going through. Which is going to make the next few paragraphs seem even whinier, but..
It’s been a wild couple of week weather-wise in the area; the past few days have been just plain hot: today was 100 degrees in my little hood and as I am typing this there is a decent sized thunderstorm and rain sheeting down. It looks as if it won’t even drop into the high 80’s until next week, so I will be camping out mostly. I never thought I’d be this in love with central air, but I am. I don’t even want to go get the mail..
But as I mentioned in last week’s post I did have a get together with some of the LA Peeps at a lovely Spanish-style home in Glendale where we sniffed, and ate and sniffed and drank and sniffed some more. Getting there turned out to be a trial since Google Maps gave me directions that were entirely useless and Apple Maps on my phone kept telling me to get on the Freeway. For those of you not from LA, remember the line in the Matrix Reloaded where one character says “I thought you said getting on the freeway was suicide?” Well, even at 4PM on a Saturday that pretty much sums it up. But arrive I did. Many things were sniffed and one wonderful woman had things to give away. She said she has a friend who works at a store and gives her testers and she wanted to pass some on. One of these was Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca by Guerlain. Never having heard of it, much less smelled it, I gave it a sniff. The opening is such a giggle-inducing combo of mint gum and mouthwash I knew I had to take it home.
Which I did shortly thereafter. I had a weird feeling I needed to get back. The phone rang just as I was turning onto Laurel Canyon from Mulholland: an elderly neighbor who’s apartment I have keys to had dislocated her hip (again) and wanted me to unlock her front door so the firemen could get in without breaking it down. Now if I have a psychic moment why can’t it be when choosing PowerBall numbers?
Now of course it doesn’t stay with the wacky opening, although the minty-fresh aspect of it stays it joins with green grass notes and green tea. I smell neroli in there as well, but the scent is fairly light, linear and not the most long lasting; but like many of these if you get it on clothing it last hours longer. It’s also one of the most refreshing things I have smelled in a while and I have been wearing it all this week when I have been forced to go outside.
So what do you wear to beat the heat? Have you tried any of the other Aqua Allegories? How do you find them? Let us know in the comments.
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca is available at various retailers on the interwebs for around $32 for a 4.2 Oz bottle, which is pretty much free these days. I received my bottle free from a generous friend for which I am grateful. Photo: Guerlain
Pamplelune is my jam in hot weather!
I’m with you, sweating out our L.A. heat wave in an Aqua Allegoria. Mine is Pamplelune, which does not get all that much love. But I adore it. Completely refreshing/reviving, but with an interesting, long-lasting development. Plus, it’s a bargain and a huge compliment-getter. Between Pamplelune (and Terracotta after dark), Guerlain has me covered this summer, which as we Angelenos know, is at least another 8 weeks of brutal heat.
Herba Fresca was the start of my “hot flash” Allegoria obsession last summer. I was practically bathing in that and the hard to find Mentafollia, along with M Basilic and Pampelune. But HF remains my favorite hot weather douser and it is simply awesome as well for ladies of a certain age who need to be suddenly transported to cool alpine lakes, refreshing mountain breezes, crisp, clean, and dry linens that feel freshly starched and not soggy. I highly recommend. For me HF dries down to a bit of a LOTV smell without the sweetness. No indoles.
Lol at the psychic powerball. Yeah…we all want that! The one time I tried a Guerlain it was a scrubber so I’ve been hesitant about trying more. There are several Aqua Allegorias that sound very nice that I should have liked to try if I had run across them and the Herba Fresca was one of them. Our summer was not too bad this year heat wise, so I really enjoyed wearing Cartier Baiser Vole.
As a Texan, Herba Fresca is one of the scents I rely on to get me through the hot muggy “seasons” (that would be springsummer, geezitshotsummer, and OMGfallishotterthansummer). I keep decants of that and whichever Guerlain cologne has been on sale most recently in my purse for emergency freshening. It’s not even a favorite fragrance, really, but it’s so great for dousing myself, any slightly fuggy family member, or the inside of the car when it starts to smell like an old wet dog.
We’ve had a cold summer in Cleveland and I am pretty happy with that. My hot weather perfume is no 19 or CdG insence series. The last AA that I tried was the anise and Other didn’t like it.
Well we have barely had summer in the UK but that is of no comfort to you I’m sure! And when we see the floods people in Texas and the thousands in Banagaldesh are suffering currently I’m happy with our boring weather. However on the rare occasion we need a hot weather cologne I’m very partial to Aqua Allegoria Pampelune, if you love grapefruit it’s wonderful. I’ve had a bottle in the cupboard for about four years (doesn’t come out too often!) and it’s holding up fine. I suspect if I your summer conditions I’d get through it in a week….