The Perfume Shop

Spring is coming and it’s time to change your heady winter perfume to a lighter fresher scent. Here’s The Perfume Shop’s guide to your spring /summer scent.

JUICY FRUITY

They say you should have at least 5 pieces of fruit/veg a day, I wonder if fruit in fragrances count?

Ed Hardy’s new Love and Luck

This fruity scent may look oriental on the package, with the tattoo image a Geisha girl, but she’s only there for the sake drink. Yes the top notes include a red sake accord along with cherry blossom and blood oranges. Apparently red sake smells like honey-laced apples with a dash of cinnamon.  But that’s not the end of the fruitiness, in the heart notes there’s black currant, nectarine and forbidden plum along with pink peppercorn. 

This Geisha girl is a light fruit cocktail with a sake kick.

Another perfume you may think would be oriental is Jimmy Choo, again because of the packaging (a pink snake skin print on the box.) The heart note is the exotic Tiger Orchard, but the top notes are sweet Italian orange and pear nectar. Mixed with a base note of toffee, it sounds good enough to eat, but you’ll either love it or find it a bit too sickly sweet.

And a great fragrance for Wimbledon tennis would be Marc Jacobs Daisy bursting with top notes of wild strawberries. Cream not included. And like at Wimbledon, classic white is her preferred colour, but she likes to glam it up with a touch of gold.

BLOOMING LOVELY

Flower power is back again with a vengeance and this time is taking no prisoners. Marc Jacobs Lola . She starts fresh and fruity with tops notes of pear and ruby red grapefruit, but really she’s all floral heart with rose, fuchsia, peony and geranium.  Unlike her sister Daisy, this girl likes to wear colour.

DKNY Woman. This is urban floral, New York style. On top she is a strong Bloody Mary cocktail mix of blood orange, vodka and tomato leaf. But open up her heart and she is all notes of daffodil, orchid and lily, with soft undertones of tulip tree wool and white birch.  Tall, slim and classic, she prefers silver.

Hot and Spicy 

The allure of the exotic keeps the temperature rising. The name and bottle of Vera Wang Anniversary  doesn’t conjure up images of the mystic east, but that’s because our Vera is celebrating her 20^th anniversary her fashion house, so hence the name and is paying homage to the classic Vera Wang bottle, hence the style . But it’s what inside that counts and like all women who are comfortable in their own skin, she doesn’t need the frills or loud colours to attract attention. She starts as she means to go on with her top notes of hot blooded Sicilian bergamot, red apple leaves and mandarin oil, all cooled down with a splashed of dew. Her warm heart is all feminine white gardenia, rose absolute and orange flowers, whilst her simmering base notes brings out the animal in her with creamy orris, silky musks , warm cedarwood and golden amber crystals.

Cutey Pies

And for all you beach lovers who still like playing with dolls, go for one of The Perfume Shop’s predicted hottest scents for this summer-Harajuku Lovers G of the Sea. The package is so cute; it has ‘G’ dressed up as a mermaid doll. There are crisp surfing top notes of apple and berry, with a summer breeze floral blend of peony, freesia and jasmine in her heart. But it’s her base notes of sundrenched woods, transparent musk and amberwood which make her such a beach babe.

AND LET’S NOT FORGET THE BOYS

Get fresh with Joop Splash. Lure them in with your melon fresh calypsone top note, snare them with your lethal heart note of wild cassowary fruit and then soothe them with your woody base notes. They won’t know what crashing wave has hit them.

Joop also have a limited edition summer scent called Sexy In Pink. It’s for the guys who prefer the hot passion of pink to the cool dude of blues.  He may start fresh with grapefruit top notes, but soon shows his smouldering warm heart of aromatic saffron and his deep base masculine notes of leather. Pink has never looked so good on a man.

  

The Perfume Shop’s prediction for one of the hottest fragrance for men this summer is Boss Orange. He starts light with crisp apple and coriander top notes, shows he can be exotic in his heart with heady Frankincense and Szechuan pepper, but keeps grounded with his base notes of vanilla bean and the rich exotics Bubinga wood. The choice of Bubinga was because the perfumer’s brother played the flute (made from Bubinga) and every time he took it out of the box, this creamy deep wood scent filled the air. And with Orlando Bloom in its adverts, it’s a definite winner.

And last but not least is Lacoste with a trio of new men’s fragrances, taking the iconic polo shirt as inspiration.

Blanc- like the classic white polo shirt is pure, clean with understated simplicity.  The top note of zingy grapefruit reflects the cool and fresh petit pique fabric, whilst the floral heart note of Mexican tuberose reflects the purity of the shirt.

Bleu – is all masculine from its classic masculine Fougere fragrance down to its traditionally masculine colour of blue.

Vert – a fresh scent with bamboo wood accord, birch leaf and sandalwood to give a more relaxed smell of the outdoors.

Available through www.theperfumeshop.com

By Karen Grace
Personal Shopper & Image Consultant for Frumpy to Funky 

http://www.frumpytofunky.com