Summer Scent Series: Favorite Summer Scents
Sticky heat, blistering sun, and trying to keep cool means it's time for heat-friendly fragrances: scent profiles that won't stifle you in high temperatures - but will instead refresh you, and act as a welcome reprieve from the blazing brightness of summertime rays.
Here are a few of my personal favorite "cheapie" summer scents:
1. 
Pacific Lime
It's rare to smell a fragrance where every single note is present in equal parts, but that's exactly what this is: a beautiful blend of lime, lemon, coconut, mint, and eucalyptus.
The coconut mixed with the mint and eucalyptus provides for an especially smooth and slightly tropical twist to the fragrance, in a "spa-like" way that is different from any other lime-coconut profiles I've tried. It transports you to the ultimate tropical getaway: sipping chilled mint mojitos underneath the shade of a palm tree.
2. 
O.N.L.Y.: Old Navy Loves You - Passion Fruit & Peony
Did you know that Old Navy sells their own eau de parfum? They're only sold in stores rather than online, and I was surprised when discovering the quality - especially for less than $20 USD a bottle.
Passion Fruit & Peony is a "sparkling passionfruit cocktail" - like the citric + refreshing bite of grapefruit-flavored Fresca soda mixed with fresh-squeezed passionfruit juice, and a watery floral dry-down.
I tested this on my arm while shopping in the store, and another customer stopped me to ask what fragrance I was wearing - because I "smelled SO good!" When I told her it was a fragrance by Old Navy, she was in disbelief and commented that it smelled much more expensive.
3. 
Plumeria
If you were part of the 90s Bath & Body Works craze, you know just how amazing this one is. And for once, Bath & Body Works revived a fragrance without ruining it: during the latest re-release of Plumeria, it smells nearly identical to the original formula + projects/lasts!
To me, the bulk of this is frangipani - like a "yellow" candy-like floral nectar, mixed with creamy tiare + indolic night-blooming jasmine. The base is refreshingly cool - watery fruits (think underripe honeydew melon), and other aquatic accords. It brings to mind freshly-shampooed hair/feeling clean on a tropical island.
4. 
Pêche
This comes across as a fresh burst of citrus, a subtle hint of mint leaf, and simple cane sugar syrup. Combined, they somehow imitate the smell of biting into the skin of a real, fresh peach - or like you're drinking a glass of freshly-brewed, iced mint lemonade on a wrap-around porch, with a hint of peach skin in the background.
Such a refreshing and unusual pick for summer - and it quenches in a way other fragrances don't. If you like the "Lemon Mint Leaf" candle from Bath & Body Works, you might enjoy this.
5. 
Sea Soul Refreshing - Jasmine Eucalyptus
Picture diving into a deep blue resort pool, and that's what you get with Sea Soul Refreshing: aquatic, ozonic, cooling, and refreshingly- floral (the jasmine) notes.
The jasmine leans "chilly" in the dry down (possibly due to the addition of eucalyptus), and it doesn't last long - but it's a perfect refresher for a summer day at the beach.
6. 
Pink - Honey Passionfruit
Look no further for the sweetest, juiciest summer passionfruit solinote around - this is it! A must-try for lovers of passionfruit.
I don't detect much of the coconut or anything palm-related, and the honey isn't noticeable either (except as maybe a slight sweetening agent for the passionfruit). But everything is blended so well, and the fruity passionfruit is the true star of the show.
What are your favorite summer scents, and which fragrance notes do you gravitate to most in hot weather?
If you enjoy other seasonal scent overviews --
- stay tuned for:
- more of this summer scent series - with tropical, aquatic, and even carnival fun!
- upcoming fall fragrance article series - including pumpkin, fig, caramel, and more 🎃🍁🍮
- check out these other seasonal scent articles:
Gourmandgrl
I am with you in feeling averse to some ozonic/aldehydic notes - many smell too synthetic or like "hairspray" haha.
If you find your "holy grail jasmine", I would be interested to hear about it/what you think of it - and I look forward to seeing your next posts, too! 🤗
Perhaps we might have some intersection, as I saw in your summer fragrance blog that you enjoy a good jasmine fragrance and so do I!
The "Sea Soul Refreshing - Jasmine Eucalyptus" fragrance I mentioned here is a non-gourmand.
It is a very aquatic, refreshing, cooling eucalyptus + jasmine blend. 🌊
Do you have a favorite jasmine fragrance?
I appreciate you taking the time to comment, and for your kind words; your compliments and encouragement mean a lot to me.
That is okay, the variety of taste is part of what makes the fragrance world so interesting - as I enjoy learning about fragrances from you and others, that I would not have thought to try.
What would you say are your favorite notes?
Angel Men by Mugler sounds delicious, I've never sampled it but now you have me curious to - it sounds like the perfect fragrance for colder seasons, as you said!
I know that summer is your favorite time of year for fragrances - what would you say is your favorite summer fragrance, if you had to pick one? Do you have any favorite fragrance notes that you're drawn to more during the summer?
Are there any fragrances you gravitate to in particular during summer?
ones I really enjoyed and used a lot last summer include Island Gardenia, Sunflowers, Sweet Sunrise Fantasy, Pure Seduction, and Green Tea. in fact, I put a massive dent in my Sweet Sunrise Fantasy bottle... LOL I've got way more summer scents now than I did then... gotta work on using more of those.
Sweet Sunrise Fantasy is such a good VLJ dupe - especially since it's a cheapie - and Pure Seduction is another great choice for summer since it's so fruity.
Appreciate you taking the time to comment, hope you enjoy your summer fragrance selection! 🤗