*because I like men – and they like these combos. YMMV but tbh erryone seems to like these – on errybody!
Posse! It’s STUPID HOT! where I live. Mid-90s… 10000% humidity. These weird, tropical deluges that seem to occur every afternoon, drench everything for about 15 minutes, then vanish, just like the West Indies. The rest of the day is dangerously blazing sun, which means if you’re not slathered in SPF 1 million, you’re nuts (and on the way to melanoma, if you ask me). I use Korean sun protection on my face. The rest? Good ol’ Hawaiian Tropic SPF 50. Apres bain I slather on the lotion, then touch up with the spray (especially my knees – a few years back I burned the living daylights out of my left knee, while driving. OW!). So… for the next 3-4 months HT SPF 50 will be my BFF.
You already know of my (and March’s) deep and abiding love for HT in all its many iterations – when she visited I told her to Pack Light as far as Beauty Goo was concerned but most definitely re sun protection and body goo – it’s almost…disturbing… the number of jars! Luckily I use them ALL and nothing gives me more pleasure than a ‘thunk’ (h/t Portia) – so don’t call the Hoarders crew just yet!
But I digress.HT has a very distinctive smell, though – that coconut and the weird, vaguely metallic-ozonic hint of salt that says ” I went to the beach – and I liked it!”. I especially like how it melds with my skin – no matter how much I put on it never shrieks – but folks really enjoy the waft (especially the menz – go figure. Maybe they’re having a Bonne Bell/Breck Girl flashback…?). It’s a great scent all on its own – but we’re perfumistas, so!!! what perfumes work well with that 70s sunkissed smell?
You will be UNSURPRISED! by the Usual Suspects: EL Bronze Goddess, et al. Coconut reigns supreme in the HT Smelliverse – but I wanted to know what NOT COCONUT scents work with it.
Vanilla is an obvious contender – Tree Hut (really,#Blame Tom, they should send you a case of TH each month! They have a sugar scrub/body creme/fragrance spray that are a perfect complement to the beachy vibe of HT – like getting a softserv vanilla cone at the beach and letting it run down your heat-slicked arm.
High end: Guerlain Vanille. But… honestly? I probably wouldn’t waste it in the Summer
Speaking of vanillas Huda Beauty has a squickton of vanilla-centric scents that work just FINE with HT… but the stunner (imo) is not a vanilla at all! It’s The Wedding Silk Santal 36 – go figure. I’m also stunned that I like the sandalwood fragrance AT ALL! since I would’ve sworn that I was not a sandalwood kinda gal. Huh.
But speaking of that… if you’re feeling like playing around with the combos … go for vintage Ubar. Again. Would not have expected it (and I rarely wear Ubar in Summer, preferring it in Autumn for the cinnamon roll aspects of the perfume).
WAY OVER THE TOP (smell and price) Amouage Tribute attar. Put it on (preferably over the Tree Hut trio and just after the HT application) let it sit awhile… and don’t be surprised if, while shopping for groceries, you have some rando guy sniffing around your space. Seriously. The Tribute makes the combo just a bit… inaccessible… which is fascinating… since Basic Beach smell is very cheery and all…
Florals: Clinique Happy. Probably because it’s a lighthearted, sunny scent on its own, with a touch of caramel-y skin scent bubbling under the happy florals (?). Everyone who’s smelled that combo smiles. It works even better if you swap out the Tree Hut Vanilla for Tree Hut pineapple (I don’t think there’s a fragrance mist but no worries – the scrub and the cream are seriously scented). This also works with Hermes Pamplemousse Rose.. my beloved.
Even spendier than the Hermes: Louis Vuitton On the Beach which is gilding the (literal) lily imo – I’ll save that one for a non-HT evening. Ditto Bobbi Brown Beach (not $$$ but… (insert shrug emoji becauuuse, imo, it smells almost identical to Hawaiian Tropic, which is not a bad thing but….)
What DOES NOT WORK! (again, ymmv). Colder, menthol-y florals. Carnal Flower fought Hawaiian Tropic to a draw, where they both lay, panting and bloody, on the mat of my skin. I couldn’t get that off fast enough!
That’s as far as I got with the combos. Compliments/following/surreptitiously sniffing… kinda creepy, that one (though I have to admit to doing all three at some point. sigh.) – but overall, HT has proven to be the perfect Summer scent! And the perfume combos are a lot of fun!
Have any of you tried layering perfume over scented sunscreen? How’d that work for you?
Now I have to get some Hawaiian Tropic (I do need to buy some sunscreen anyway) and start playing with combos. Since I love all tropical scents, it should be fun! 🙂
Good description of the weather in this part of the country. It really sucks!