Scents to Take You from Spring into Summer

Spring List, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

For those who were wondering how come I’m wearing so many summery scents lately, the reason is simply the relatively hot spring we are experiencing in British Columbia. This is a nice compensation for a long, murky winter that seemed to never leave (until I came back from Israel, and apparently, brought the sun with me!)

It’s interesting to note, particularly when looking back and remembering how the summer almost seemed to refuse to make room for autumn, but turned into winter ever so quickly before autumn was quite finished its speech. It seems as if spring has turned into a British Columbian summer pretty much skipping the nasty cold bit when spring feels like winter yet you know it’s not winter yet. But I am not objective here. I might have just been away for a month when that happened (and yes, it did rain all the time when I was away in April, so there you go).

Here are my “editor picks” style entry for scents that can seamlessly take you from spring into summer. Some are equally fantastic on cool, crisp early spring days (providing a cheerful floral warmth) and others are so deliciously refreshing that they are simply too good to resist even on a steamy hot day. For me this hot spring means a lot of fun: picnics on the beach every evening, dancing, hedonistic dinner parties with close friends, and lots of perfumes to boost and make every occasion even more fun and memorable! And now that spring cleaning and painting is over it's time to have even more fun than before.

Here is where my heart is right now – most of these are what I wear now on a regular basis, and a couple are simply noteworthy even though they are new to me:

Newly discovered floral note:
Ylang Ylang.
I have been wearing my Coralle a lot lately, and really enjoying the juicy, mouthwatering aspects of this humble tropical flower. So creamy, so smooth, and just perfect. You’ll notice it appears in several of my favourites for this spring as well (i.e.: Chamade, Samsara, Tamya and Songes)

Classic spring floral:
Diorissimo
No additional comments necessary...

Most Innovative Hot Weather Gourmand:
Cognac by Aftelier
With notes of olives, cognac and citrus, this may sound more like a margharita than a perfume. However, it is not boozy at all, rather – fruity, green and with that exquisite oily feel of just-picked olives and freshly pressed virgin olive oil, sans the bitterness. This is so surprising you must try it to believe it!

My very own favourite spring & summer scent:
Tamya
In person she is my favourite girl ever (she must be hearing this a million times a day). As a fragrance this is my favourite floriental and a staple in my purse to-go kit. Tamya being equally non-demanding and romantic, floral, fruity yet skin-like I find it easy to wear in any situataion or season. But hot spring and summer days are definitely her favourites, where the yuzu lifts the spirits and the white florals dance glitteringly on the skin.

Favourite lilac fragrance:
After My Own Heart. This is soft, fresh, green, sweet, clean and very easy to wear and versatile.
And it was made by a very rare breed - a Canadian perfumer (now residing in San Francisco), which might partially explain why I have a soft spot for it and a lot of room in my heart...

Floral that impressed me but did not win me over:
Lys Méditerranée
With the scent of Madonna lilies and orange blossom, and a sweet vanillic base, this makes a lady-like spring floral that I’m surprised I haven’t discovered earlier. It’s not quite “me” but is very enjoyable.

The most exotic of them all florals:
Fairchild by Anya’s Garden.
If you are looking for something truly different that nobody smelled before, the steamy-hot, humid floral from Anya’s Garden, including notes of pandanus, champaca tincture, jasmine infusions, ambergris, toasted seashells and seaweed. This is the most genuinely tropical scent that I’ve ever smelled, made from fresh raw materials by a true olfactory artist.

Funnest Body Mist:
Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker
This is light and subtle, slightly moisturizing and layers well with whatever else you feel like wearing this day. I loved it paired with Spring Flower! Lovely Liquid Satin is also nice to use as an overall moisturizing spray, but it can leave stains on clothing (or so the packaging says), and has a slightly different scent. I love both, personally.

Flirty Scent for a Night Out:
Spring Flower.
This is so cheerful it sets me in a fun mood and is an extra boost for hot dates and daytime fashion expeditions. It’s classy yet modern, effervescent and never too cloying.

Favourite White Floral:
Songes EDT by Annick Goutal.
The eau de toilette is light enough to wear in the heat and a great accompaniment when Latin dancing…

Year-round staple that reminds me of spring:
Narciso Rodriguez for her EDT

Modern Citrus:
Sugar EDP by Fresh.
I didn’t used to think that I love citrus fragrances all that much, until I made my very own Fetish (which has an overall feel of citrus candy)... Now that these notes (read: citrus) are so endangered, their magic (on their own and as a fragrance family) resurfaced for me. I am picking this one (Sugar) because the rich lemony notes in it are really to my liking. At first I thought I wouldn't like it and was a bit worried about the base (once the lemon party is over...). But it is not overly chemical like most of the Fresh fragrances, and the base is soft and reminiscent of cotton candy. Lemon is underrated!

Cheap and Fun:
CocoVanilla by Alyssa Ashley. This can be had for a mere $15 at the drugstore and is a simple yet fun vanilla and coconut scent (surprisingly). Last year it was sold as an alcohol free scent, and the texture was somewhat funky once it dried on your skin. This year it’s alcohol based, and for that price it came with a tube of body lotion. The original price was $25 and probably did not reflect how unpopular this scent is. I am not sure why but I am can’t complain about the price reduction.

Scent for the beach and poolside:
Monoi de Tahiti body mist from Yves Rocher. This is delicious, and wonderfully layers with Songes as well as CocoVanilla.

Re-discovered Summer Floriental:
Samsara EDT (I am almost ready for another bottle!)

Most Exciting Purchase this Spring:
Orchid and Boronia solid perfume duo from Aftelier. Orchid has become one of my favourite orange blossoms scents, and my most favourite natural perfume that was not made by me ☺

And to finish this lineup, it won’t be complete without a...

Classic Chypre:
Chamade, the galbanum-green floral chypre from Guerlain, with the tropical notes of Ylang Ylang the juiciness of cassis and the sweetness of vanilla.

Now it's your turn - What are your spring favourites that lead you gracefully into summer?