How to choose a summer fragrance. It’s no secret that I love a signature scent. We see stunning fashions, we touch luxurious fabrics but what about inhaling those intriguing scents that make up our memories and shape our recollections.

In the winter months I like a spicier seductive fragrance, a more complicated bouquet that keeps me warm when the temperatures fall below zero. The summer, however, is a time for light airy notes that evoke long walks on the beach and travel to distant lands woven with romance and adventure.

HOW TO CHOOSE A SUMMER FRAGRANCE

Choose lighter formulations.  There is nothing quite as luxurious as an eau de parfum (EDP), but in the summer try reaching for its lighter counterpart, an eau de toilette (EDT). In addition to being less intense it will also save you some money (this means more vacation time).

Choose simplicity. In the summer heat your perfume evaporates faster and when the perfume contains more complex notes they can mix in an unpleasant way. Opt for simpler scents that contain only one or two notes.

Go outside. Heating, air conditioning and existing mall smells can affect how your fragrance reacts on your skin. It’s best to apply your scent and then go outside for a little while to see how it feels after 10 minutes, 30 minutes and then a few hours. There’s no need to rush your decision when searching for a signature scent.

Choose what you love. Are you spending the summer at the beach or perhaps drinks on the patio is your thing? Or maybe you are planning to travel to exotic places? Guess what, there is a scent for all of that. Ever look at a list of perfumes being launched in any given season? It’s enough to overwhelm even the most seasoned beauty expert. Before going shopping take a moment to write down what your plans are and you’ll be better equipped to choose a scent that matches your feel good moments. For example, if you love the beach then look for fragrances that have marine notes, salty notes of sea water and sandalwood. Love spending time in your garden? Then perhaps soft florals like roses, gardenia and tuberose are right for you. Evenings on the patio are best represented by notes of lychee fruit and cocktail inspirations like a gin & tonic and martinis.

Be selective. If you are anything like me you can easily be seduced by all the pretty bottles and the alluring promises of the next great signature scent. The key, however, is to be selective with which ones you choose. Go in knowing what family of scents you want to look at and try to not smell more than 4 at a time. Any more than that and you won’t be able to properly decipher the scents. I like to narrow it down to my two favourites. I spritz one on each arm and then I leave the store for at least 2 hours. You’ll be surprised to see how much the fragrances change as the minutes tick by. On more than one occasion I’ve left the store loving one scent but in the end, choosing the other one.

Lastly, we already know that layering scents will help them stay on longer but in the summer, who wants more layers? When applying your signature scent, don’t forget to put a little on behind the ears, in the grove at the base of your neck and a small spritz at the back of your knees and ankles. This way you will be enveloped in a wonderful, heartwarming fragrance all day.

What’s your favourite summer scent?

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