For some women, perfume is as much a part of their wiring as childbearing and marriage. Like clothing and shoes, women wear aromas differently – especially in the summer.
Hot picks from the experts Princess Neroli
As her name reflects, she was born of orange blossoms. It’s a perfect, fresh aroma to adorn one’s skin in summer. This one is sweet and delicate. “It’s that unobtrusive type of aroma,” Eva says. At Down to Earth – ⅓ of an ounce is $15.95 Lolita
“It’s fluffy,” Eva says, scrunching her nose. In high heels, no less. “It’s light, but yet it sticks,” she said of the scent, made in part from grapefruit, nutmeg and musk. “She’s got spiked, red heels.” If the oil were music, “it’s just like a whole orchestra playin,” she says. “You got a whole lot going on in there.” Down to Earth – ⅓ of an ounce is $18.95 Ralph Hot by Ralph Lauren
With this new fragrance from Ralph Lauren, think maple syrup and suntan lotion. This purple-bottled Eau de Toilette smells like the beach. “It’s that trendy, summer beach bar type of fragrance,” says Justine Austin, general manager of ULTA at Mayfaire Town Center. Since it’s water-based, it doesn’t last as long as a typical perfume or scented oil. ULTA – 1.7 ounce: $42.50, 3.4 ounce: $55 Oscar Bamboo
As its funky bottle implies, this new lime-scented Eau de Toilette is a flirty summer scent for women in their 20s who like to have fun. Throw in water lilies and musk and you’ve got a perfect fragrance to stave off the heat. ULTA – $39.50 Lovely/Sarah Jessica Parker
“When I looked at the bottle, I knew I’d like it without even smelling it,” says Keisha Williams, a saleswoman at Belk. Like her character, Carrie Bradshaw on ‘Sex and the City,’ Parker’s perfume “smells really sexy–lovely,” says Williams. “It’s seductive.” All stellar summer qualities. Belk – 1.7 ounce bottle: $48, 3.4 ounce bottle: $62 Armani Code for Women
It’s Armani code for men’s sexy partner, sauntering into a room with hints of orange flower, ginger and honey sandalwood. The combination makes for a sexy sell. If it was any sexier, it’d be sizzling out of the bottle. ULTA – 1.7 ounce is $52.50. 2.5 ounce is $72.50 Lancome Hypnose
This elegant new perfume conjures up images of vanilla ice cream. It’s sophisticated and ready for any modern professional woman, Austin said. ULTA – 1 ounce: $42.50, 1.7 ounce: $54.50 Donna Karan Cashmere Mist
Much like its white packaging, this perfume is sweet and powdery, light and fluffy. It smells like cotton candy. In other words, it’s a white cotton cloud hanging above a hot summer day. Belk – 1.7 ounce bottle: $55, 3.4 ounce bottle: $75
Some women flourish in floral fragrances. Others simmer in spicy scents.
What you wear can determine whether you’re going on that second, third and fourth date or eating ice cream alone.
See, scents – like first impressions – linger on the mind. An aroma can appall or seduce, arouse or abuse. Especially when you throw summer’s heat into the mix. Just as you trade in sweaters and pants for halter tops and mini skirts during the summer, scents also change with the seasons.
In summer, it’s perspiration versus perfume.
“In the summer, obviously your skin heats up and makes scents bigger,” says Eva – just Eva – Wilmington’s aroma empress who owns Down to Earth, the studio where she sells her scented art in the form of oils. “The heat from your skin will increase the volume of your aroma and change it chemically.”
Uh-oh. Deep breath.
When it comes to fragrances, you should test them on your skin first, considering something as simple as your diet can affect how it smells.
Then, there’s chemistry.
“The acidity of your skin will break a scent down faster,” she says.
Eva knows her smells. She’s made more than 4,000 custom aromas in 14 years. With 120-year-old pharmacy cabinets, her store feels like a fragrance pharmacy. Instead of medicine, you find olfactory relief.
Put off by perfume?
That’s where oils seep into the picture and onto the skin. When you strip down perfume, it’s basically oil, water and alcohol.
But your olfactory shouldn’t have all the fun.
The bottles that possess these perfumes can be just as fetching to the eye as the fragrance itself.
This summer, whether you choose to spritz some eau de toilette or dab a little oil on your wrists, think feathers, think clouds, think light.
Wilmington Magazine is here to make sense of these olfactory offerings. So indulge in these hot summer scents – some new, some tried and true – worth sniffing – and wearing.
Looking for a special recipe for your next party? Browse all the recipes from Wilmington Magazine.
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