Every year, myriad summer fragrances hit the shelves. Although I love fragrance, I find shopping for it a recipe for a headache. After you sniff the first few, the aromas start to blend together somewhat like the colours in a child’s finger painting. After a while, it’s all just brown. So here is the cream of summer fragrance to save you a headache.
Jo Malone London Nashi Blossom Cologne (from €54 for 30ml): Jo Malone London's summer offering sparkles with joyful ebullience. This is definitely a fragrance for the young (or young at heart) with its nectarine blossom and honey fragrance settling into the softness of ripe peaches.
Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Precious Oil (€65 for 20ml): Flowerbomb still hums with youth and summer, but is now available in a pocket-sized and incredibly intense oil. A couple of drops will release that famous jasmine, orchid and rose aroma all day long. An ideal travel fragrance.
Les Exclusifs de Chanel Boy Chanel (from €175 for 75ml): Inspired by Arthur Capel, the love of Coco Chanel's life, Chanel perfumer Olivier Polge has created this strange, intoxicating and androgynous fragrance. This blend of rose geranium, lavender, moss and coumarin is all clean-shaven elegance with a delightful bite.
Bobbi Brown Beach Fragrance (€68 for 50ml): Bobbi Brown fans will recognise this fragrance as a staple of the brand. It is an incredibly light, fresh blend of jasmine, sea spray and mandarin that feels like a cool breeze on a hot day.
L'Occitane Cedrat Eau de Toilette (€49 for 100ml): Cedrat is marketed to men and it smells very nice on them, but don't feel limited by that. It bustles crisply with bergamot, nutmeg, cedar and blue ginger (among other ingredients). Wear it with confidence.
Marc Jacobs Splash 2016 Collection (€48.30 for 100ml): These four fragrances – rain, cucumber, cotton and pear – are inspired by the original Splash collection. Choose rain for the evocative aroma of wet-cut grass and rainfall on a hot summer pavement. For its amber, musky fruitiness with an overtone of lemon peel, I love Pear.
Grande Dame by Cloon Keen Atelier (€80 from The Salon at The Shelbourne): Galway-based perfumers Cloon Keen Atelier have created this fragrance especially for the famed Shelbourne Hotel. Inspired by the hotel itself, the fragrance combines summer geranium with sandalwood, patchouli and musk (and more) to make a decidedly elegant fragrance.
Tom Ford Orchid Soleil (from €70 for 30ml from August 1st): The new offering from Tom Ford will please lovers of Black Orchid, which is a famously full-on love or hate fragrance. Soleil Orchid packs slightly less punch, but is still an intense concoction of vanilla, cypress, peppercorn and the classic black orchid. Plus, the rose gold bottle is a work of art.
Product of the week – Narcisco Rodriguez Eau de Parfum Poudrée (from €52 for 30ml): A soft and very unusual powdery musk is complimented by white jasmine, rose and cedar. There's something very different about this fragrance. If you like to stand out, it might be the one for you.
