Favorite Summer Scents
June 18th, 2006
Let me start this by saying that the process of selecting my favorite summer scents is like having your teeth pulled by a maniac dentist who doesn’t believe in anasthesia (something that actually happened to me in good old Soviet times). So, the list below is by no means comprehensive. A momentary whim is a more precise description. So here goes:
Favorite Floral - Monyette Paris
Notes: Tahitian Gardenia, French Muguet, nag champa.
No summer can go by without Monyette Paris. It’s a lush, creamy, tropical floral that stays on my skin for hours and makes me feel all summery. A hint of nag champa adds an incensy kick and makes the scent more captivating. The best tropical scent I’ve found.
Favorite Citrus - Divine Bergamote by The Different Company
Notes: bergamot, ginger, orange blossom, leaf green, rhubarb (wood), musk.
A juicy burst of tart citrus with just a hint of ginger that mellows down to a well-rounded, slightly balmy green rhubarb/orange scent. Sunny and cheerful! Perfect for particularly hot and humid days.
Favorite Amber - Giorgio Armani Ambre Soie
Notes: Chinese ginger, cinnamon, clove, cedar, amber, patchouli.
My nose doesn’t detect much ginger or clove. I get dried plums softened by amber and just a touch of cinnamon. Silky, slightly dusty amber that’s not animalic or “heavy”. It feels like a light summer cashmere shawl for those cool, breezy nights.
Favorite Green - L’Artisan Fou D’Absinthe
Notes: absinthe, angelica, black currant, cistus, nutmeg, pepper, pine needles, star anise, patchouli, fir balsam.
A slightly spicy, peppery blend of angelica and ginger underlined by pine and just a touch of anise. It conjures up the color green, and brings back childhood memories of pine tree forests by the Baltic sea.
Favorite Spicy - Caron Eau de Reglisse
Notes: basil, verbena, tangerine, patchouli, ginger, nutmeg, licorice, musk, vanilla.
A new discovery for me. A spicy, gingery licorice with soft, warm undertones. If I had to make candy out of this, it’d be the chewy and juicy kind. My favorite for summer because it’s not too heavy on spices, yet with enough zing to satisfy my oriental yearnings.
Favorite Leather - Serge Lutens Daim Blond
Notes: hawthorne, cardamom, iris, abricot kernel, musk, heliotrope, leather.
Suede in a bottle. With dry, slightly bitter beginning and mesmerizingly velvety, soft finish with a touch of cardamom. A masterpiece!
Favorite Gourmand - Jalaine Vanilla
Notes: French vanilla, musk.
A generous scoop of French vanilla ice-cream on a hot day! Lush and creamy vanilla with soft musky undertones. Gourmand but not cloyingly sweet. Extremely long-lasting. For a non-vanilla lover like me, this is quite a gem.
Favorite Musk - Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur
Notes: bergamot, mandarin, cinnamon, vanilla, musk, amber.
A sensual elixir. Alluring and seductive. Not a straight musk scent - a deep, animalic blend that sends shivers down my spine. Perfect for balmy evenings. My favorite musk rendition in fragrance.
Favorite Incense - Donna Karan Essence Labdanum
Notes: labdanum resin.
A dark and mysterious aroma. Austere and subdued incense. It stands on its own and demands respect.
Be sure to check out Marina’s list on Perfume Smellin’ Things, Patty’s and March’s lists on Perfume Posse, Cait’s list on Legerdenez, Helene’s list on Scented Salamander, Katie’s list on Scentzilla, Victoria’s list on Victoria’s Own, and Marlen’s list on Perfume Critic.
Please feel free to share your own in Comments!
Entry Filed under: This and That
18 Comments Add your own
1. Marina | June 19th, 2006 at 8:26 am
We have 2 matches!! Musc Ravageur and Labdanum. And I wouldn’t kick the rest of your choices out of my summer perfume wardrobe
Especially Fou d’Absinthe 
2. Elle | June 19th, 2006 at 8:31 am
Check, check, check…agree on all except the two I have yet to try, which makes me feel very pessimistic as regards my budget. I see full bottles of Fou d’Absinthe and Eau de Reglisse in my near future. Great idea to do these lists!
3. Ina | June 19th, 2006 at 8:35 am
M., we were bound to have matches! Can’t wait to see the rest of your list.
4. Ina | June 19th, 2006 at 8:35 am
Elle, yes, hold on to your wallet.
5. Judith | June 19th, 2006 at 8:40 am
Well, I love all of the ones I have tried! The ones I haven’t: Moynette (unbelievably), Reglisse, and any Jalaine. *clutching wallet tightly*
6. Ina | June 19th, 2006 at 8:44 am
What? You have not tried Monyette??? Unbelievable! Not sure if you’ll love Jalaine Vanilla (bet you’ll love Vetiver and Patchouli, though) but Reglisse - yeah, fear and tremble.
7. Patty | June 19th, 2006 at 9:11 am
Great list, and a couple on here I haven’t tried either (yes, Monyette, too). How could I forget Ambre Soie? all of the Prive scents seem to be better in summer on me.
8. Ina | June 19th, 2006 at 9:12 am
Another Monyette-ignorant person?? This is more than I can bear.
9. Christina H. | June 19th, 2006 at 9:15 am
I really loved your choices of MR,Labdanum,Daim Blond and Moynette.I love and agree with you on all those!
10. Ina | June 19th, 2006 at 9:17 am
Thanks, C.! You must be my third scent twin.
11. Victoria | June 19th, 2006 at 12:26 pm
Great list! I love everything you listed, save for Donna Karan Essence Labdanum, Monyette and Jalaine Vanilla. Did you change your mind again on Ambre Soie?
I recently retried Pure White Linen and fell in love with it. Now, it is my perfect summer fragrance. It is the only thing that works in the heat wave we have been experiencing.
12. Ina | June 19th, 2006 at 12:29 pm
Hi, V.! Thanks! Yes, I changed my mind on Ambre Soie. It is indeed silky amber and so wearable in summer. Pure White Linen - is this the new version? I must smell it soon.
13. Victoria | June 19th, 2006 at 2:48 pm
I also changed my mind on AS, which is why I asked.
I have grown to love it so much this summer.
Pure White Linen is the new version–it is an aldehydic jasmine sorbet. Very light, sparkly and happy. I also rediscovered Michael Kors Island, which I did not think was my style before, and now I kind of fell for it upon further more serious trials.
14. Ina | June 19th, 2006 at 2:55 pm
I’ll be sure to do “further more serious trials” of these two soon!
15. Ayala | June 21st, 2006 at 12:10 am
Lovely list, Ina!
It sure has a few that are on my “to try” list. Thanks for leading us to make our own lists. I love’em.
16. Ina | June 21st, 2006 at 12:29 am
You’re welcome!
17. Aromascope » Baladi&hellip | June 25th, 2006 at 11:07 pm
[…] Our last week’s Favorite Summer Scents posts are done, and it’s just occurred to me that I completely overlooked another perfect contestant for the Favorite Summer Leather nomination, and that contestant is Baladin. The scent is created by Patricia de Nicolai, the grand-daughter of Pierre Guerlain and Jean-Paul Guerlain’s apprentice who created her own line of niche perfumes - Parfums de Nicolai. Her creations are marked by excellent quality and a particular complexity that I’d describe as inoffensive, airy, weightless. When I say weightless, I’m not referring to their lasting power. I’m talking about the effect on the skin. I’ve been familiar with the line for a couple of years now but only recently have come to realize it’s sort of underrated and is certainly worth perusing (which I intend to do in future posts). […]
18. Aromascope » Freder&hellip | October 26th, 2006 at 8:43 am
[…] “Perfumes without compromise” is the slogan of Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums that holds true for each of their fragrances. The line is built around the idea of giving a perfumer complete creative freedom as well as giving them open credit (each bottle has the perfumer’s name written on the label). The result is exceptional. These are the perfumes that will not find you. You have to find them. If you seek. I got acquainted with the line about 3 years ago and have admired all of the scents, with a few being steady favorites (Lipstick Rose, Musc Ravageur, Iris Poudre). During my New York visit, I visited the Frederic Malle little room in the Barney’s store and found a few more scents simply impossible to resist. […]
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