Holiday Fragrances for This Summer – What to look For?

The sun’s here!  That means it’s officially the time of year to shrug off the winter coat, sit in the garden, or hit the beach. What’s not to love? 

Now is also the perfect time to search for a new fragrance; one that encapsulates everything that’s great about the season. Not sure which perfume to choose? Here’s a handy list of things to consider. 

Before you buy…

• What sort of fragrance? It’s a useful idea to know what impact you want to create. For example, are you looking for something lively and uplifting? Or do you want something sultry and sensual, for those warm summer evenings? 

• What budget? Perfumes range from expensive designer prices, to ultra-cheap ‘market specials’. If it’s a proper perfume, that means it has a high concentration of ingredients, which makes it more expensive. Eau de parfums are more budget-friendly options, and sprays are the cheapest of all, but don’t tend to last long.

• What ingredients? Broadly speaking, perfumes fall into the following categories:

• • Fruity – dominated by fruit ingredients, such as bergamot, lemon or apple
  • Spicy – featuring scents of pink pepper or cinnamon, for example
  • Floral – with flowery notes like jasmine, violet or rose
  • Sensual – notable for its use of heady ingredients like amber, sandalwood or oud oil

• When will you wear it? Work out when you want to apply the perfume. Will you be wearing it on holiday? Or will it be mainly for daytime wear (e.g. at work)? 

Great summer fragrances

• For evening wear. If you’re looking for a classic intoxicating evening scent (that also works well for the summer months) search for something like Velvet Rose and Oud, or the iconic Baccarat Rouge 540, would also work well. Look for perfumes that balance out the rich ingredients (e.g. wood base notes, ambergris, oud) with slightly lighter notes, such as fruit or jasmine. This makes it more suitable for summer.

• For special occasions. If you’re going to a special event, look for perfumes that offer something a bit unexpected, like Neroli Portofino (with its herby notes). These help you to stand out from the crowd, and they also smell expensive too. 

• For the day. For daytime wear, a good option is a fruity, fresh perfume like Coco Mademoiselle. Anything that features plenty of citrus notes, or light, floral scents like lavender or violet, is going to be perfect for wearing to work, or on a day out with the family. 

Fragrance without spending a fortune

Remember that you don’t have to blow a hole in your bank account, if you don’t want to. There are some excellent companies making ‘designer-inspired’ fragrances, and they usually cost a lot less to buy. Purchasing sample sizes is another good way to get a designer scent without spending a lot; and it means you can put several fragrances to the test, without committing to purchase a full-sized bottle. 

Shop around for offers too, as some perfume stores have great discounts. Bear in mind though that they might not be the latest designer fragrances – as these are usually full-priced. 

Thanks for reading xxx