Summer fragrances often get a bad rap, seen as the perfume equivalent of Hollywood movie sequels, spin-offs based on popular existing scents often housed in pretty limited-edition bottles.
As heavy scents don't suit the hot, dry summer season in Western countries, summer scents tend to be light fruity-florals, a genre that seldom yields sophistication or complexity. But there's nothing wrong with indulging in a little olfactory frivolity once in a while.
After all, just as you don't expect every movie you see to be a life-changing cinematic masterpiece, there's no rule stipulating that every perfume in your fragrance wardrobe has to be a classic on par with Chanel No. 5.
Here are four picks from this year's summer scent crop, for days when you're feeling a little irresponsible.
L'EAU D'ISSEY (SUMMER EDITION)
$96 for 100ml, from Level 1 Tangs Orchard
When it was first released in 1993, L'Eau D'Issey was the first bestseller for the then-fledgling e branch of the Issey Miyake label.
Its now-iconic clear, conical bottle was meant to evoke the sleek lines of an icicle and the scent itself was among the first to feature an ozone note evoking the smell of pure water and wet air. This summer edition remains true to the original's vision of a cool, clean scent, but it is less severely minimalist.
The bottle is decorated by a pattern of intertwining green stems and leaves. The fruity-floral topnotes are pleasant, but the lily of the valley and the sensuality of the peony and wood notes seem very muted. For such a wisp of a scent, its lasting power proved surprisingly tenacious.
The perfume is more or less linear but its initial floral freshness does dry down into a soft, powdery stage that feels immensely comforting. Recommended for hectic days that need a little jolt of spring vivacity. If you like this, check out: Annick Goutal's Eau de Camille.
If the summer edition of L'Eau D'Issey is like wandering in a Japanese garden landscaped to pretty perfection, wearing Eau de Camille is like languishing in a sun-dappled secret garden overrun with brambles and ivy. This tender scent was created by Annick Goutal for her daughter Camille, and has notes of wet grass and honeysuckle.
SPANISH ROSE
$69 for 100ml, from SaSa
The bottle of this Oilily scent is unbearably cute, whimsically decorated in polka-dot and lace prints inspired by the flourishes of traditional Spanish flamenco costumes.
The scent itself, however, is pretty one-dimensional, with notes of red berries, peach, jasmine and vanilla that blend into one big fluffy cotton-candy cloud of sweet. Not a bad thing in itself, and one imagines this uncomplicated girlish scent will be popular with younger girls wearing perfumes for the first time.
It's still a pleasantly breezy scent though, and one can imagine it as a good fit on days when you're dolled up in swirly vintage frocks and longing for a sultry fiesta. If you like this, check out: Lolita Lempicka's L - equally cute bottle, slightly more mature scent.
The perfume that should be worn by Lolita's slightly more sensible sister, it has notes of bitter orange, tonka bean and sandalwood, and smells like a deliciously expensive, terribly sophisticated dessert.
