Top 10 Summer Fragrances. And a Prize Draw

No season should be allowed to go by without being commemorated and summed up in a Top 10 list. Least of all my favorite season. Without further ado I present to you the scents we at Perfume-Smellin' Things are enjoying this summer.

Alyssa

Les Nez Let Me Play the Lion
Dry minimalist incense, smoke, and sun-warmed old wood, it cries out for heat.

Comme des Garcons Sequoia
A cool breeze from the redwood forests—worn in memory of the burning trees.

Parfums de Rosine Ecume de Rose
Roses and the beach—what more can you ask for?

Annick Goutal Eau d’Hadrien
Leaving this off a summer top ten list is like going without iced tea in Texas.

Santa Maria Novella Eva
Curl up on the new leather seats of my convertible for a ride down the country road past the hayfields.

Serge Lutens A La Nuit
Frederic Malle Carnal Flower
Even in the heat, it can’t always be about less. Sometimes it has to be about more.

10 Corso Como 10 Corso Como
Ditto.

Etats Libre Jasmin et Cigarette
Summer in the city.

Hermes Eau de Merveilles
Absolute salty naughtiness masquerading as pale innocence.

Beth

Chanel Gardenia
I have a picture of my grandmother wrapped immodestly in a bearskin rug with her opera length pearls, smoking a cigarette in a very stunning holder...she would have loved this, a wicked little perfume hiding in a very classy bottle.

Estee Lauders Private Collection Tuberose and Gardenia
Simply the most stunning gardenia fragrance that I wear...beautiful, completely feminine and absolutely perfect.

Caron's Bellodgia
Carnations, Vanilla and Musk with Rose , currently (with all due respect to the divine Miss Monroe) the only thing that comes between me and my sheets.

Niki De Saint Phalle Niki De Saint Phalle
Strangely magical, altogether powerful, totally persuasive and just a wee bit twisted:)

Bond No 9 Saks for Her
White gardens at midnight, thoroughly classic, incredibly Disarming, my summer “walk into the boardroom and get it done” fragrance!

Robert Piguet Fracas
My favorite New Orleans jazz and Bourbon Street cocktail with a creamy layer of sultry Southern madness.

Jo Malone French Lime Blossom
Transports me to a stand of beautiful Lindens in full bloom, swarming with honeybees, drenching me in nectar.

Yves Saint Lauren Paris
Such happiness, YSL's Paris always reminds me of candied violets from Fouchon, glaceed chestnuts and fresh Passion fruit Macarons from Laduree.

Annick Goutal Le Muguet
I know that I'm supposed to get Lily of the Valley but I don't..instead it's juicy ripe pears drizzled with cinnamon and honey beneath the sparkling light of the harvest moon.

Lancome Magie Noire
I thought I knew Magie and then I wore it recently into the Arizona desert and was mesmerized by a smoky note of mezcal, simply bewitching, shamanically perfect.

Donna

Balmain Balmain de Balmain
So green and herbal it's almost a masculine, and it never ever goes sweet.

Henry Dunay Sabi
A lilting bouquet of fresh white flowers, sophisticated and elegant.

Ava Luxe Venus Sands
A beachy gardenia/tropical that is sultry and sexy but not too strong for the heat.

Sali Oguri Pink Manhattan
Another gardenia, lightened by hibiscus and luscious peach, delectable and fun.

Ines de la Fressange Ines de la Fressange (1999 version)
My summer stalwart, refreshing florals with a touch of spicy carnation, it never wilts even in the soggiest heat.

Nasomatto Narcotic Venus
Simply stunning tuberose for summer evenings when you want things to heat up, if you get my drift.

Serge Lutens Datura Noir
another sensual standby for me, this night-blooming wonder is erotic and sultry like midnight on the water.

Andy Tauer Incense Extreme
Dry, dry, dry and very complex, perfect for those hot arid days we get in midsummer when you just don't want anything sweet.

Max Mara Max Mara original scent
delicious lemon, sugar cane and sap is a sheer delight on the skin and makes it seem like it's ten degrees cooler outside when you splash it on.

Frederic Malle Carnal Flower
I would live in this one all summer if I could, the perfect "living flower" tuberose, growing in a jungle paradise.

Linda

Monyette Paris Monyette
This big, creamy white floral and vanilla fragrance is paradisiacal and impossibly sexy in the summer heat.

Andy Tauer L’Air du Desert Marocain
Smooth, seductive, scorching with the impression of parched earth amongst its spices and blooms.

Bruno Acampora Jasmin
This is exactly the wanton scent that lies low to the ground at night, when the coastal wind is still, and the night air is sultry with jasmine blooms.

L’Artisan Fleur d’Oranger
In suburban California , the orange trees in everyone’s yards put out this heavenly scent all summer – creamy white flowers with a slightly bitter, twiggy green heart.

The Different Company Sel de Vetiver
Vetiver always seems cool and eternal to me, and SdV is perfect, with its cool, reserved, salted stone touch.

Parfums de Nicolai Mimosaique
This is the most elegant mimosa, spicy and softly complex – a sundress in a bottle.

CB I Hate Perfume Gathering Apples
I know, apples mature in autumn – yet this scent is exactly the pure, delicate crispness I crave in summer.

Isabela Capeto Isabela Capeto
Both tremblingly delicate and resilient, a garlanded dryad with a soul of spices and sap-green wood.

Ebba Miss Marisa
Jaunty, with lots of sweet-tart fruit, and a hint of mint… like a tall cool glass of herbal iced tea.

Nanadebary Nanadebary Pink
This is the scent of clean nude skin after a shower, clean and soapy in the best way possible, with intriguing hints of nutmeg.

Marina

Aftelier Tango
Bittersweet summer. Salty kisses of the sea on tanned skin, smoke of the fire in which memories are burning. Goes well with a desperately red dress.

Estee Lauder Private Collection
WASPy summer. Green, cold, aloof. My ladylike summer scent. Goes well with a Birkin or polo shirts.

Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose
Flirty summer. Feminine, playful, chic roses and violets. Goes well with high heels and full skirts.

Guerlain Mahora
Indolent summer. Creamy white flowers, exotic, heady, sensual. A perfume of exotic getaway. Goes well with naked skin.

Guerlain Quand Vient La Pluie
Delicious summer. Gently floral and slightly gourmand, a delicate dream of a scent. Goes well with flowing silks.

Hermes Un Jardin Apres La Mousson
Childhood summer. Watermelons a la Ellena, surprising and addictive. Goes well with big straw hats and flop flops.

Ineke Evening Edged in Gold
Melancholy summer. Golden, intoxicating flowers desperate to bloom for one last time, a soulful reminder that summers end. Goes well with finest cashmere shawls on breezy summer nights.

Laura Biagiotti Sotto Voce
Romantic summer. Powdery petals, sweet and a little bitter, like memories of summers that are long gone.

Micallef Note Vanillee
Naughty summer. Candies, cigarettes, booze... Goes well with his shirt on your bare shoulders.

Michael Kors Michael Kors
New Russian Summer. Gorgeous, in your face tuberose with an obnoxious posse of peonies and freesias. I hate to love it and I can't get enough of it. Goes well with big sunglasses, tiny golden bikinis, high golden heels and animal prints.

Marla

(Since we’re dealing with a recession in the US and inflation in all nations, I put together a list of summer bargains, some good frags that are kind to your bank account.)

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca
Mint, hay, herbs, grass, fresh as a sprint through an alpine meadow. Terrific longevity.

Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria Anisia Bella
Bitter, astringent, cooling, and completely unique. No sweet stuff here.

Lalique Eau de Lalique
By Jean Claude Ellena, no less. A traditional cologne with the distinctive Ellena stamp. A bargain online.

Elizabeth Arden Spiced Green Tea
Francis Kurkdjian’s underappreciated tea scent, far better than most and a steal online at under $20 for 100ml.

Parfums de Nicolai Vie de Chateau
Another underappreciated gem, a blend of oakmoss, grass, leather and hay. Delightful and a bargain at $40 for 30ml.

Bath and Body Work Coconut Lime Verbena
Some call it a dead ringer for Creed’s Virgin Island Water, this one’s a guilty favorite of many a perfumista. A steal at $18 for 50ml.

Fendi Theorema Uomo
The female version is a winter staple for me, but I wear this cool, spicy herbal blend in the summer. Buy for nothing online.

Jovan Fresh Patchouli
3 stars from Turin and Sanchez! A very fresh, non-sweet rendition, lasts forever, found in drugstores for about $11.99.

Yves Rocher Rose Absolue
Buy it during their half-price or 2-for-1 sales. A delightful, natural rose with tonka and a hint of cinnamon. Watch out for bees while you’re wearing it, though!

Bvlgari Eau de The Vert
Another Ellena creation, his style is perfectly suited for summer, isn’t it??

Tom

Vero Perfume Kiki
Cool lavender and a hint of sweet fruits; yum!

Annick Goutal Musc Nomade
The Mediterranean-tanned, sweet-smelling skin I'll never have.

Parfumerie Generale L’Eau Guerriere
Woody musk lightened by sparkly aldehydes

L'Artisan L'Ete en Douce
Gentle as a caress and perfectly balanced.

Dior Eau Sauvage
A perennial since my childhood and still unforgettable 40 years on.

Frederic Malle L'Eau d'Hiver
Because every July needs a kiss of February

Serge Lutens Encens et Lavande
The dance from light to dark and warm to cool is enchanting, even more so in Summer

Andy Tauer Lonestar Memories
Hunky fantasy Cowboy after saving the homestead from a brushfire; grrrrr.

Etat Libre D'Orange Tom of Finland
Yes, I did sort of diss it, but it's frankly fake Doublemint insincerity is making me drain the decant

Robert Piguet Fracas
No, I wouldn't wear it, but that buttery tuberose wafts over a summer evening with the smooth sensuality of a 40's screen siren.

Please share your summer favorites. If you would like to be entered in a prize draw for a set of 15 samples of perfumes mentioned in our lists, please say so in your comment. The draw is now closed. And don't forget to read other Top 10s of Summer on:

Bois de Jasmin
Now Smell This
Perfume Posse
Scentzilla