Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Top Citrus Perfumes For Summer


The other day I was asked on Twitter about citrus perfumes and summer recommendations. I'm not the biggest citrus fan as you might have noticed, and some of my summer fragrance choices might make people scream with horror, but here are a handful of recommendations for light citrus perfumes I actually like (a lot). Other suggestions are more than welcome.

In no particular order:

* Annick Goutal- Eau d'Hadrien and Eau du Sud. Even after the brutal reformulation, Hadrein has a certain dignity and Frenchness that's rare in the light and fresh perfume category. It's sibling, Eau du Sud is often considered as more masculine. I don't know about that, but it smells a bit bitter on me, which I quite like.

* Tauer Perfumes- Cologne du Maghreb. A classic eau de cologne Andy Tauer-style, which means it's probably my favorite one ever, even if I need to drench myself in it to make it last long enough. The incense-laced dry-down is magnificent, as is the real citrus opening.

*Guerlain colognes: Eau du Coq,  Imperiale, and Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat, Eau de Guerlain. What can I say? These are classic Guerlain fragrances, made in the eau de cologne style but still interesting, fairly complex and satisfying. Eau de Coq is the more animlaic of the four, thus my favorite.

* Dior Eau Sauvage and its various spawns. A classic, oakmossy (at least in it vintage incarnation, which is what I have) and smells like a million dollars.

* Frederic Malle- Brigarde Concentree. I'll give this to Jean-Claude Ellena: the man knows bitter orange. While the rose note in Brigarde Concentree goes wonky on my particular skin, this is a marvelous little thing.

*Jo Malone- Lime Basil & Mandarin. Lime over vetiver, and surprisingly long lasting. Beautifully done.

*MPG- Garrigue. I'm cheating here, because Garrigue is more herbal than citrus, but it's a fabulous and interesting take on this cologne theme and highly worthy of your time.

* Tom Ford Private Blend- Neroli Portofino. As classic as it gets, nostalgic and refined. (Note: this perfume was reformulated and cheapened in later editions. My love is for the original version).

* Ayala Moriel- Etrog. A rich and complex representation of the sacred fruit from the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Image: a very recognizable Serge Lutens creation for Shiseido's makeup line, 1996, via hprints.com.

5 comments:

  1. Could they have re-reformulated Hadrien? It still doesn't smell exactly like the bottle I have, but isn't' nearly as dire as the one I smelled at Bloomingdales a while ago.

    I love Eau de Sud, and have to add Hermes to the list (the one in the green bottle that now has a name, mine doesn't). You definitely have to either bathe in it or keep reapplying it.

    A friend of mine worked at Hermes and sent me a box os discontinued samples that were basically moist towelettes. I think I still have some stashed around, such a great idea. I'd wipe the back of my neck with it and then leave it in the ashtray of the car to make it smell good.

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  2. These all sound gorgeous. I love citrus, and would love to seek out a not-so-one-note citrus scent. My simple loving heart is leaning towards the Lime Basil and Mandarin I see mentioned :)

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  3. my preferred summer perfumes are Kiki edp by Vero Profumo (which is not citrusy at all!) and...

    Ninfeo Mio by Annick Goutal, which is an amazing citrus- very green and complex and not sweet.

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  4. The new Hadrien is an abomination to my nose. I bought the new EdP and I had to toss the bottle out. I can only call it the Toilet Water version of the original formula: if you sprayed the old one into the toilet, added a bit of detergent and swirled it around for a bit, that's the smell you would get. Weak and wrong on all counts. I loved this scent and I am very sad it died. I have a few bottles of the old formula left and will enjoy it while it lasts..

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  5. My citrus choice for the summertime is Maria Candida Gentile's Gershwin...

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