Scents lighten up for spring
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In Southern California, “seasons” are more loosely defined than in other parts of the country, but many of us still crave a change in style, scenery and mind-set once spring rolls around. A new scent can signal the onset of a new season, and beauty counters are more than ready to fulfill any yearnings for change.
One of the easiest ways to achieve these changes is through scent, and with a new round of fragrances hitting beauty counters now, dabbing these behind your ear could kick-start your spring and be that subtle shift you’re searching for.
Finding a spring fragrance doesn’t mean having to douse yourself in a garden full of freesia or lily of the valley. (In truth, nothing on the calendar should require that.) Florals are fitting for the coming months, but generally something light, luminous and uplifting is best.
“As in fashion, spring fragrances call for a pop of color,” says Jessica Hanson, fragrance buyer for Sephora. Bright scents can punctuate your mood and ensemble, transforming your surroundings even when the weather stays the same.
What follows is a survey of some of the season’s new (or reinterpreted) scents:
Van Cleef & Arpels Oriens
$150, 100 milliliters, at Neiman Marcus and Van Cleef & Arpels, Beverly Hills
The ornate bottle with a multicolored, jewel-cut top and silver leaves echoes some of the elaborate baubles issued by the French jeweler. This more affordable token smells like spun sugar with a hint of fruity berries and will work for those who like an initially sweet scent tempered by faint notes of patchouli after it dries.
Notes
Top: raspberry, black currant and praline
Middle: jasmine and white flowers
Base: patchouli
Issey Miyake Fleur de Bois
$78, 75 milliliters, at Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales
The conical bottle and floral aquatic notes are evocative of Miyake’s first scent, L’Eau d’Issey. But this fragrance is deeper and more complex than his first. Cedar and amber cut through the familiar fruity notes he’s used before, balancing this blend to become the most sophisticated scent from Miyake thus far.
Notes
Top: black currant, mandarin orange
Middle: rose, mimosa and freesia
Base: cedar, white musk, amber
Balenciaga Paris
$95, 1.7 ounces, at Balenciaga, West Hollywood
The bottle is so chic, it almost wouldn’t matter if its contents smelled like vinegar. Thankfully, the fourth fragrance from the French fashion house is elegant, with a violet aroma. It’s soft but not powdery; floral, but not sharp.
Notes
Violet with mossy wood notes
Chanel Chance eau Tendre
$65, 1.7 ounces
As the third perfume in the Chance franchise (the original came out in 2002, followed by Chance eau Fraiche in 2006), Chance eau Tendre is lighter than the original, with notes of grass and clover and sweet jasmine. It’s certainly smells the “youngest” of the three with an almost bouncy quality. Fruity tones such as grapefruit and quince add to the youthful blend, making this scent more suited for casual days in sweats rather than a boucle suit.
Notes
Top: grapefruit and quince
Middle: jasmine
Base: white musk
Jo Malone Lotus Blossom & Water Lily, Dark Amber & Ginger Lily
$100 each, 100 milliliters
These popular scents from Jo Malone were released years ago as limited-edition items and are being brought back this spring. The lotus blossom and water lily smells just as it sounds: transparent, light and aquatic. It’s a pretty daytime fragrance. Dark amber and ginger lily is deep, earthy and a bit smoky. Not the most obvious “springtime” scent (with traces of creamy fig), this is suitable for evening or for anyone who likes clean, full-bodied fragrances.
Notes
Lotus Blossom
& Water Lily
Top: grapefruit, bergamot, mandarin
Middle: lotus blossom, freesia, honeysuckle, water lily
Base: Incense, amber, sandalwood, musk
Notes
Dark Amber & Ginger Lily
Top: black cardamom, pink pepper, ginger
Middle: night-blooming jasmine, orchid, water lily, rose
Base: black amber, leather, patchouli, sandalwood, incense
Miss Dior Cherie eau de Toilette
$82, 100 milliliters, exclusively
at Sephora
Though not quite as pixie-stick sweet as the first Miss Dior Cherie (which debuted in 2005), this lighter interpretation still caters to those who like to smell like a candy store. Fruity notes have been added to create a more playful and youthful scent. This version is more grounded and earthy than the original, with notes of neroli and patchouli, but the uber-girly bottle with the silver metal bow and pale pink perfume remains.
Notes
Top: sweet orange
Middle: neroli, jasmine, rose
Base: patchouli
L’eau Serge Lutens
$150, 100 milliliters
The French perfumer has switched his classic packaging to look more modern -- almost futuristic. His new fragrance L’eau Serge Lutens is as crisp and sparkling as its new bottle with a burst of green and soapy notes so fresh this one almost feels like a sport edition of a classic. “It expresses a longing for cleanliness and a reaction against society’s compulsion to fill the air with artificial scents,” Lutens says. For anyone who likes a clean scent, this one is completely spotless.
Notes
Top: clary sage
Middle: white mint
Base: magnolia
Byredo La Tulipe
$195, 100 milliliters
Tulips don’t have a strong scent (if any at all), and this fragrance by the Stockholm perfume company Byredo smells more of sweet and powdery lilac and freesia than of the tea-cup-shaped flower. It first smells like those fancy bars of soap wrapped so perfectly you display them on a bathroom shelf rather than use them in the shower. Then Tulipe dries to a sweet and familiar scent that evokes lemon Pez candy just unleashed from its wrapper.
Notes
Top: rhubarb, cyclamen, freesia
Middle: tulip
Base: vetiver
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-- Melissa Magsaysay
