My Favorite Summer Fragrances.

Fragrance is so subjective. Even though I am a massive lover of fragrance (and spent 8 years working in the ‘biz), I don’t feature perfume here too often because fragrance can be hard to describe and you can’t exactly smell the fragrance through your phone or computer. And what smells great on one person may be terrible on another. So really, you have to purchase it in-store or you are taking a huge risk (so why can’t I stop buying perfume online? That’s another conundrum for another day.

I will say that last year I made the mistake of investing in Baccarat Rouge 540, the “it” perfume everyone loves. It came in the mail and smelled so bad on me that I nearly threw up. I gave it to a girlfriend who absolutely loves it. It’s wild how much our body chemistries can differ. One woman’s trash is truly another’s treasure!

The five fragrances above are what I’ve been rotating through this summer, though there has been one recent addition (so recent that it didn’t make it into the photo): Costa Brazil’s Aroma Eau de Parfum. This became an instant favorite. It’s hard to explain the fragrance. A little bit smoky, a little bit citrusy? All around, intoxicating and so unique. This may become my new signature.

PS – you can peruse the rest of my fragrance posts here.

PPS – this article has some great tips on making your fragrance last longer.

My favorite summer fragrances

Here are my personal favorites!

Cocqui Cocqui Flor de Naranjo

This is the perfect orange blossom fragrance. It’s heavenly. I still remember the first time I ever smelled it. It was blasting through the Coqui Coqui hotel in Tulum (seriously, they have diffusers all over the place and the second you walk onto the property, it’s all you can smell! This will forever be a classic favorite in my fragrance wardrobe; I’ve featured it here multiple times (and the perfumery!); it’s a long time favorite.

Byredo Sundazed

This just smells like summer in a bottle to me. It’s a little bit citrusy, a little bit of musk… it’s bright and really distinctive. In three words: Cheerful but sophisticated. It’s citrusy and sunny (top notes of lemon and mandarin) with a warm dry down (the base notes are cotton candy and musk!).

Bobbi Brown Beach

A classic! It smells… like the beach! The notes are sand jasmine, sea spray, and mandarin. But to me, it smells like sunscreen (coconut) and sand. It’s the perfect vacation fragrance.

Phlur Missing Person

This perfume keeps selling out. I was on a conference call with the Sephora team a few months ago and someone on the team was talking about how it constantly sells out but was back in stock so of course I took the plunge and ordered it on the spot. It is so hard to describe the fragrance so I will say a couple things. First of all, it smells like nothing… but definitely something. The Plur website states, “If nude were a perfume, this is it.” A little bit of musk, a little bit of orange blossom… it’s light and just smells like skin, but really good smelling skin? If that makes any sense at all! You can get it at Sephora (presently sold out) but it’s in stock right now on Amazon!

Hermes Eau des Merveilles

This is another new favorite (also bought site unseen) bright and light. Bright and sparkling but not at all floral. When I smell it, I smell light citrus and amber. This is really light, perfect for summer.

Costa Brazil Aroma Eau de Parfum

As mentioned above, this is a recent addition to my fragrance wardrobe; so recent that it didn’t make it into the photo shoot. Oh my. This is a really beautiful, special fragrance. I was influenced by a Violet Grey email, calling it the fragrance we’ve been waiting for. And I think it is… for me personally at least. It’s all at once smoky, floral, and slightly citrusy; and just downright sexy. It is all I have been wearing for the past week since arriving in the mail; I’ve never smelled anything like it.

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