The sun no longer reaches my face when I go out in the morning. It is slower to appear and very soon, will become most beautiful as it leaves, enveloping earth in its amber glow. A few weeks further, it will be just a light, still bringing us the daytime we need but offering little in the shape of warmth. In London, September has started cool and grey. Despite the spry air (a given whatever the season in the city), plenty will be conscious of the darkening skies and dropping of temperatures, languishing the balmy brights of summer just gone. The antidote? Scent, of course. I present to you a summer swansong to the tune of glorious sunny fragrances that you can take through the months ahead. It’s all about ending the season on a bright note, after all.
Sh**ty day by NOYZ, £85 for 50ml
Described as an ‘instant reset’, perfectly apt for September. I admit, I judged a book when I was introduced to the brand and the name of this particular fragrance earlier this year, but I have been swayed. At the top floats eucalyptus, known for its relaxing, relieving and rejuvenating properties, along with ocean air (light, fresh and minerally), coconut water and bergamot. The heart is salted fig, clary sage, blue violet, french lavender and cucumber: a cocktail, but it plays clean. The ‘salted’ fig is less salted caramel*, and more like freshs fig hanging on their tree right next to the ocean, where the sea breeze has splashed it with water and left salt crystals on the skins as they dry in the baking sun. It gets a little warmer and woodier as it dries, using tonka bean, sea-soaked woods and Baltic amber, the latter having a pine-like tendency, lighter than your usual amber, thus keeping the fragrance fresh. Different skin will accentuate different notes: some will keep the fig, some will maintain the herbs, and others will bury themselves in warmer musks. Comforting whichever way you look at it.
Isla by Trudon, £210 for 100ml
An escapade on the shores of the Mediterranean. A host with the bergamost, offering an abundance from top to bottom, open to close. It begins as a bright and fresh citrus: bergamot, grapefruit and lemon, but transforms into a creamier scent, as bergamot essence, bergamot, and bergamot flower cosy up with petitgrain, cardamom, rosemary, musk and vetiver. Imagine gazing out to the ocean from your balcony, the afternoon sun beaming on the white stone buildings around you, while the early evening breeze carries warming notes from the sea and vegetation towards you. It is soft and light, natural and unobtrusive, and sits quite close to the skin. Good for quieter days, like when you’re working from home, but need a little escapism via your wrist.
Light blue intense by Dolce & Gabbana, £64.60 for 50ml
This was one of the first ‘proper’ fragrances I owned, discovered as a sample among the pages of British Vogue, requested as a Christmas gift years ago, and bought again since. It is unapologetically bright and easy, with a charismatic fruitiness from a natural note of lemon and granny smiths, coupled with marigolds and jasmine. It is uncomplex and delivers some oomph, garners compliments from friends, and, from the bottle I’m using bought a few years ago, has great longevity, though I believe some of the newer renditions less so. I would still recommend.
Perseus by Parfums de Marly, £245 for 125ml
Like sipping a cold Fanta while baking yourself in the sunshine, condensation running down your hand while sticky-sweet bubbles tingle from your teeth to your tummy. It celebrates the radiance of citrus, but rather than coming in strong and dispersing soon after, it offers something more long-lasting. It opens with bergamot, grapefruit and blackcurrant bud (a characteristic green note that doesn’t need to be feared when done right— though when wrong, can be ammoniac), sundrenched and effervescent, freshly picked, their leaves still attached. A light, earthy vetiver meets green mandarin at the heart, with an undergrowth of dry wood, cashmere wood, balsam, tonka and cedar nesting below. It is known to be long-lasting, meaning a spray in the morning will guarantee a day of sunshine all year round. The chemistry of your skin will affect the way this unfolds, so a test is essential. It’s geared towards gents, but I like it a lot.
Blu Mediterraneo mandorlo di Sicilia by Acqua di Parma, £147 for 100ml
It would be abhorrent for me to exclude Acqua di Parma from the list, and I know most already have a favourite, but I wanted to mention Mandorlo di Sicilia because it is the first from the brand that made me say ‘ooh, I like that’, and the first time I used the phrase for a mandarin fragrance, having turned my nose up at many, if not all, before. It gave me something sweeter and a bit more complex, and worked well on my skin, which I am putting down to the almond. It’s really quite charming, opening with bergamot and orange, and a warming touch of star anise. Then comes a throng of green almonds— the Avola almond is native to Sicily— and white ylang-ylang, sweetened with vanilla, sophisticated with musk, and warmed with cedarwood. Sweet, sweet, sweet, like orange and almond marzipan or candied orange peel biscotti.
Peach’s revenge by Sarah Baker, £145 for 50ml
Moving from light and airy to dripping wet and juicy, Peach’s Revenge is a tidal wave of glorious fruit. The story behind the fragrance is everything you need to read: Viciously juicy peach for Renaissance power plays. A handsome villain struts out of the orchard trumpeting an exuberance of salacious fruit—peach, guava and prunella. The creaminess of vanilla and caramel builds mouthwatering anticipation. Orris creates a velvet fuzz under Renaissance skies. The Machiavellian plot thickens as spices emerge—cardamom, ginger, cinnamon. Bark threatens to turn into wood; these amber daggers are hard. With one sip of amaretto you’re reminded that even a sweet peach’s stone can be poisonous. This ain’t no peach tea! It’s a hoard of fruits that you can smell from a mile off, making your mouth water before you bite into one. Boozy, sweet notes add meat, and a little woodiness adds something more complex but approachable, resulting in a golden, addictive scent, and one that lasts all day. If you like peach, you will love this.
Cypres Pantelleria by Giorgio Armani, £125 for 50ml
Designed to evoke the landscape of Pantelleria— the way the light sparkles on the sea contrasting with the dark volcanic rocks that rise from the ocean; the beauty of its nature it its most natural form. A light and refreshing fragrance, opening with citruses but coming in with strong cypress and aquatic notes, fused with herbs and vetiver. You can imagine yourself in the cypress grove, tiny white flowers dotted around, looking out towards the ocean. It is a little more complex than a regular mens summer fragrance, but would fall into the category of a safe scent. Mature, tranquil and transportational, which is everything you need for a mini-holiday.
Fiori di Mare by Perris Portofino, £142 for 100ml
A relatively new brand with a collection of four Eaux de Parfum designed to capture the soul and uniqueness of Portofino, creating scents that evoke the certain moments you will experience there. Fiori di Mare is top of my list. It is the magic of the sunset light, pinks and yellows of the sky, the cooling temperatures and scent of flowers lingering in the air. Opening with peach blossom, pink pepper, salt and grapefruit: pink and citrussy, but with a bite. The heart is blackcurrant, peony petals, jasmine and white rose: delicate florals that blush when together. At the base is musk, sandalwood, vanilla and patchouli, evoking the sweet warmth of the evening ahead.
No.1 Tonic Blanc by Thomas Kosmala, £155 for 100ml
Simple, fresh, gentle but magically uplifting, this could very happily be a Spring scent, however, Thomas Kosmala’s aim was to induce the feeling of a Sunday morning in the South of France, reminiscing on nights spent ambling through the streets at sunset, ‘clad in linen and infinitely comfortable in your own skin.’ It is dominated by oranges: mandarin, orange, neroli, orange flower blossom and mock orange flower. But it isn’t overpowering, as bergamot, oakmoss and musk inject a little green and a soapiness, softening the crispness that opened it up. I’ve heard that the English version is different (and far better) than buying the French, so Harrods— where I first came across this— has been linked.
Some more sunshine to consider
Sun Rae by Vyrao
Agua Mar del Coral by Loewe (reviewed here)
Portofino ‘97 by Victoria Beckham (reviewed here)
Reverie de Bergamote by Miller Harris (reviewed here)
Eau de mandarine ambree cologne by Hermes
Terracotta by Guerlain, Les Legendaires collection
*Has anybody tried the Rabitos Royale salted caramel figs? Tender baby figs stuffed with salted caramel & milk chocolate ganache, then dipped in rich 40% milk chocolate… I imagine the box of nine will last less than that many minutes