Listen here, Old Man Winter – we’ve had enough of you here in the Northern Hemisphere, and yet it looks like you won’t be done with us for a while yet. So let’s take a mental vacation and transport ourselves elsewhere in our minds via a little beach dreaming. What scents do you wear to conjure up a warm, sunny beach as we plod through the often dreary, bone-chillingly cold days of February?
My latest beach dreaming scent is the new Tom Ford, Soleil Blanc (and I’m intrigued by the Shimmering Body Oil as well). Yes, it’s got a touch of the predictable beach-y vibe, but somehow it skirts the edge of those trashy, fun scents that are a cross between suntan oil/lotion and a frosty daiquiri-type drink in a tall glass with requisite umbrella. Not that there’s anything wrong with those, of course – sometimes they’re just what you need.
Another fragrance that transports me to the beach of my choice — probably somewhere in Hawaii — is Kai. It’s not terribly complicated, but its blend of white flowers, gardenia and green goodness just plain makes me feel good, warm and happy to be alive.
There’s another beach -conjuring scent I wanted to mention, but it escapes me now, alas.
But please do share your fragrances that send you to your choice of sun, sand, and surf, and are helping you cope with winter. Or whatever else helps you keep your sanity until spring arrives. 🙂
P.S. Wanted to apologize for not chatting with folks on last week’s post. Our Internet went out right after I got the post put up and we were bereft for several days. I always like to reply to people, but sometimes circumstances don’t allow it. But please know that I always read your replies if there’s any way possible, even if I’m not able to answer. Thanks!
Bahiana by MPG is one of my beachy faves. It smells like the Mexican riviera to me– fruit, salt, sand, and coconut.
Hi! I have heard nice things about that MPG, and your description of it just sent it to the top of my must-sample list. Thanks!
Virgin Island Water by Creed
Ah, yes — that is a classic, Jan!! Thanks for reminding us of it!
My scent of the day is sunblock; it’s 85 degrees here in AZ….
Oh, Jen — that sounds like heaven!! Enjoy the heat!
I really like Bronze Godess and Terracota, but only own Lys Soleia in this camp, which I sort of hate. What I do for a beach vibe, in the end, is using coconut moisturizer before bed. Unexpensive stuff, like Yes Rocher or The Body Shop, they all smell great and leave my skin soft. Organic coconut oil scented with a little lemon EO and a lot of coconut organic fragrant extract is great on a hot shower, too.
Excellent ideas there, Solanace! And I’ll bet you have the sweetest dreams, too! 🙂 Thanks for mentioning the Lys Soleia as well; I rather liked it when it debuted, but (as most things do eventually) it fell off my radar and now I need to revisit.
My two beach scents are Sel de Vetiver and Eau des Merveilles, perhaps because of the sort of citrus-y salty combo. My only winter BWF, which reminds me of sunshine but not beaches, is SSS Jour Ensoleille 🙂
Oh, yes, Nemo — those fairly scream “Beach!” Need to get out my EdM and give it a whirl. Haven’t tried the SSS but will soon. Thanks!
I enjoy the Lili line out of Bermuda for beachy scents — I don’t know if it’s the perfumes themselves, or the association, but they definitely transport me! FM’s Lys Mediterranee and, of course, vintage Dune are other happy beach scents for me.
Heidi, I’m not familiar with that line but it sounds very interesting and worth looking into. Love that FM as well!
Perhaps the second one you were you thinking of was Monyette Paris? That’s my go to for island goodness.
Thanks — that IS a good one for a beach-y vibe, but not the one I was thinking of. It’ll come to me at 3 a.m., ha!
My favourite beach scent is California Reverie by VC&A and I also love Heeley’s Sel Marine. I wear it a lot during the summer in the city.
Neva, so glad you mentioned the VCA scent. It sounds lovely. I was all about those when they first debuted, but haven’t kept up in recent years, so need to get sniffing. Enjoy!
Neroli 36 is my number one beach get away scent
I also love At the beach 1966
Sel Vetiver another great beach vibe perfume.
I love Sel de Vetiver to remind me of summer and the beach 🙂
Seconding you there, Nemo!
Great choices there, John! Now I need to go dig up my samples and start enjoying 🙂
I love BWFs in warmer weather, and sometimes I wear them wistfully in winter to (somewhat) simulate a tropical vacation. Currently I’m loving Jeffrey Dame’s Gardenia oil, a photorealistic gardenia that transports me to better climates. The oil is far better than the edt on my skin. I’m also indulging in TF Champaca Absolute and the Kalemat Floral oil.
My mother is spending her annual month in Hawaii, and if she doesn’t quit telling me how gorgeous it is I’m going to hang up on her????
Oooh, that gardenia oil sounds heavenly! Must try ASAP. Your mom is so fortunate, just wish she wouldn’t rub it in so much, right? Tell her if she keeps it up, she’ll need to send you a plane ticket to join her, ha!
Nothing like an internet outage to set us adrift! Guerlain’s Terracotta fits the bill, and I’ve a vintage mini of CSP’s Tiare (from the 1990s) that’s fabulously tropical. Need to try Kai–I’d love to find a good modern gardenia. A bit of Hawaiian Tropic is cheerful too, even though my tanning days are long since over. Let’s hope February passes quickly!
Amen, Caroline! How did we ever live without it? 🙂 I used to enjoy that CSP Tiare, but do they even still make it? Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen any of those silver canisters around in awhile. BTW, do try the Kai; I think you would enjoy its green gardenia/lily goodness.
Hey, Caroline — just peeked over at Surrender to Chance. They carry the Aloha Tiare, and several other CSPs. Thank heavens for samples!
Wish I had something unique to add to the topic 🙂 but the two scents that take me to the beach are Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess and Diptyque Do Son. I’ve been trying to find a frangipani perfume that smells like the fresh flowers I smelled in Hawaii.
I’m definitely interested in trying the Tom Ford. I think I have a sample of the Tom Ford Champaca so I might have to wear that tomorrow to get a good dose of sunny on a Monday.
Hi! EL Bronze Goddess is the bomb for this kind of thing and the TF Champaca should definitely do the trick for you. BTW, I’m so happy you mentioned Diptyque’s Do Son! One of my fave tuberoses and I had quite forgotten about it, so a-digging I must go. 🙂 Also, not sure if it would work for your frangipani jonesing, but have you tried Chantecaille’s Tiare perfume?
As happens sometimes, I wasn’t enamored with Do Son when I first smelled it but the SA said it’s a best seller with the customers here in Seattle. So when I was given any travel spray as a GWP, I picked it to explore it more. It grew on me 🙂
I’ll check out the Chantecaille Tiare! Thanks for the recommendation.
Hey, Das — someone below also mentioned the CSP (Comptoir Sud Pacifique) line and that might have something for you to enjoy as well. STC has samples, and perhaps several of the other decant services as well. Worth a peek at least … And so glad Do Son grew on you. It comes in body products, which might be worth a try.
it doesn’t take me to the beach, per se, but i enjoy chanel’s gardenia as a nice happy uplifting scent in the middle of the winter. 🙂
Hi, Sun Mi! Yes, that’s a nice one for a little escape from winter. I haven’t sniffed it in awhile so I need to revisit. Thanks!