Refreshing tonics: a cure for what ails you

It’s been over 95 degrees the past week and even though it’s a dry heat I have been in the mood for refreshing fragrances. I’ve been wearing a lot of Heeley Oranges & Lemons Say the Bells of St. Clements and Creed Selection Verte. Most of the notes in refreshing scents are fleeting, so I try to find fragrances that are crisp and light but still have as much heft and longevity as possible. For the most part, when I’m looking for refreshing scents, I want something citrusy, green or herbal. Some florals are nice but only if they’re airy, not dense, and blended with some combination of green/citrus/herbs.

Here are some of my favorites ~

Atelier Orange Sanguinne: this has become my favorite citrus. It’s zesty and sweet and never sours. The first few minutes are the most realistic and uplifting bunch of blood oranges I have ever smelled.

Parfums de Nicolaï Cologne Sologne: Mostly zesty neroli and citrus, this is an intensely uplifting scent that seems more concentrated and long lasting than most in this category. A liquid antidepressant.

Creed Private Collection Selection Verte: care for a pinch of herbs and some peppermint? Selection Verte is the most straight-up crisp, brisk, olfactory herb garden. Longevity is minimal but it’s excellent when used like an old fashioned cologne.

Elizabeth W Sweet Tea: Just as the name says. Sweet Tea. Like in Texas.

Parfums D’Orsay Tilleul: Linden blooms. One of the best. With a touch of vegetal/cucumber that’s utterly thirst quenching.

Atelier Trefle Pur: This line has caught my attention. Trefle Pur is a softly green scent that starts off innocently enough with images of clovers and sunny meadows but dries down to a deeper mossier green similar to ô de Lancome. Longevity is decent for this sort of thing lasting 2-3 hours on me. But if you try it, be sure to spray and spray yourself wet.

Miller Harris Geranium Bourbon: This is based on the idea of rose scented geraniums. So while it’s a bit rosey it isn’t meant to be a floral rose fragrance. I think many try this and find it to be a disagreeable rose floral but once you realize it’s a green, herbal scent it makes sense. Many years ago before I began my orchid collection I had a scented geranium obsession. This fragrance really works for me because it smells so perfectly of the fuzzy leaves and flowers from a scented geranium plant.

A Scent by Issey Miyake: This is a gorgeous green chypre-esque fragrance. Nice longevity.

Jo Malone White Jasmine Mint: This one doesn’t get much credit but it’s a nice light jasmine with a fantastic heap of mint to keep things brisk and unusual. It’s an unsweet floral but it still dries down to a floral if you feel yourself looking for some jasmine.

L’Artisan The Pour un Ete: This almost goes without mention, it’s the best jasmine & tea scent.

Sisley Eau de Campagne: Tomato Leaf citrus. Gardeners delight.

Annick Goutal Les Nuits d’Hadrien: I’m such a huge fan of Annick Goutal perfumes but they’re bestselling fragrance, Eau d’Hadrien, just leaves me flat. AG has another version of Eau d’Hadrien called Les Nuits d’Hadrien which is essentially a citrus oriental. Now this, I love. Many say it starts off smelling like Lemon Pledge. Well, this might be true, especially if you find lemon notes to always smell like cleaning agents. But if you find yourself attracted to a nice lemon note, imagine it draped over a woody oriental base. It’s subtle and fresh yet manages the complexity of a woody oriental. Very nice.

Parfums de Nicolaï Mimosaique and L’Artisan Mimosa Pour Moi: Now neither of these are particularly refreshing by the definition I gave above (citrus, green or herbal) but even though they are florals they are so delicate, airy and soft it’s like a mimosa scented breeze caressing your skin. Dreamy.

Diptyque Oyedo: sugared grapefruit. Technically sugared yuzu on steroids. Insanely appealing.

Hermes Pamplemousse Rose: A pretty rose/grapefruit combination with an especially juicy grapefruit note, rind, pith and all.

Lorenzo Villoresi Yerbamate: strangely humid sensation of soft green herbs and grasses with hay and nondescript wildflowers in the meadow. Some mint, some citrus, dries down much sweeter than it starts.

All of the above aren’t going to last you through an entire day. I carry a small decant and re-spritz when needed.

I could list about 20 more fragrances in this category but I’ll stop here otherwise those people will come with straight jackets.

Quick Notes

I've sniffed a lot of fragrances lately. None have compelled me to write full glowing reviews but many have been better than average.

Atelier Grand Neroli
I’ve been impressed with the Atelier line. They are all (except Bois Blond, I haven’t tried that one yet) refreshing cologne-type scents with better than average longevity for colognes. Their marketing states that they have high percentages of essential oil/fragrance so I guess we ought to expect better longevity.
Grand Neroli is a nice refreshing orange blossom with only a little soapy quality. Overall it’s very good. If you already have several neroli/orange blossom scents which you like then there’s no need to try this. But if you adore neroli and can’t have enough of them then you ought to try Grand Neroli.

Atellier Oolang Infini
I expected something different from Oolang Infini but what I got was a pleasant Earl Grey tea scent. It begins with a big bergamot note and dries down to a lightly woody base. I expected to love this the most yet it’s my least favorite from the line so far.

Atelier Orange Sanguinne
I generally don’t go out of my way for citrus scents but Orange Sanguinne is just the sort of citrus I can love. It’s the scent of blood oranges with a fizzy orange haze hanging all about. Orange Sanguinne reminds me of what I’ve written about Guerlain Insolence eau de parfum (violets in neon lights) because I would describe Orange Sanguinne as blood oranges in neon lights. And the great part for me is that Orange Sanguinne doesn’t go sour (or turn into the dreaded urine note). It stays sweet oranges and never ventures into ‘citrus gone bad’ alley.

Atelier Trefle Pur
Trefle Pur is one fragrance at the start and then another one once dried down. It begins all happy clover fields with cotton tailed rabbits nibbling on dandeloins. It’s natural, cheerful, slightly green and refreshing. There’s an obvious herbal/basil note at the start as well as a kaffir lime leaf (to my nose, not listed amongst the notes). Once Trefle Pur dries down it morphs into a darker green mossy type scent. This isn’t truly mossy, it’s probably vetiver, but the overall vibe is dry green moss. After about 90 minutes Trefle Pur reminds me slightly of Ô de Lancome with more innocence.

Bond No 9 High Line
Another pretty bottle with nice jus but not something I love. Again, I can imagine there being fans of this green floral. It’s nice enough. In style, High Line reminds me of J’Adore or Magnolia Nobile. I would call this a sharp green floral. And the bottle is my favorite from Bond so far.

Bond No 9 Saks-en-Rose
Now this is a pretty rose scent. Saks-en-Rose is a slightly powdery, honeyed rose. It has a classic structure yet it is simpler and lighter than most classic rose fragrances. This is quite pretty - I’m wearing it today and enjoying it.

Tauer Perfumes Orange Star
Orange Star is not something I would have tried if I hadn't purchased a bottle for The Posh Peasant. But lo and behold I think Mr. Tauer has done a really nice job. Orange Star is a meditation on citrus but it is also a proper perfume, not simply a refreshing hesperedic tonic. Orange Star has a wonderful base (coming to be known as Tauerade) consisting of a creamy ambergris with a nice heft and depth in contrast to the fizzy orange-y top notes. Katie Puckrik compared Orange Star to pixy sticks and I do smell this at the start but once Orange Star dries down I think it's unusual and nice. This is one that I find a bit cerebral. I know that might seem odd since it's been compared with candy but there's a lot going on here. It keeps me sniffing and I think it's growing on me more and more. Oh, and the bottle? Bravo to Mr. Tauer! It's a great new design.

Vivara by Emilio Pucci
I love these bottles. They remind me of my Aunt Anne who collects paperweights. The bottles are almost like Prada (the funky design in the cap) meets Pucci paperweight. Vivara is a nice enough green floral. In fact, I can imagine lots of people loving this. I just have so many better green florals. At the moment, it’s making a pretty paperweight on my desk.

Vivara Sole 149 by Emilio Pucci
Anything with a tomato leaf note is something I’m going to try. There are three flankers to the original Vivara and I like Sole 149 a great deal. It’s along the lines of Parfums de Nicolaï Week-end a Deauville or Chanel Cristalle. I would be head over heels in love with this if it weren’t so fleeting. It might last an hour on me. But I do love it for the hour I can smell it.