The rules for applying fragrance shift in summer months. Apply perfume more delicately but with increased frequency. Sweating allows the body to cool but it does impact fragrance as it gradually evaporates with the sweat, necessitating regular reapplication. Rollerball versions of your favorite scent are great to carry throughout the day to freshen up.
Placement of perfume is key. Spray lightly on pulse points such as wrists, décolleté, behind knees and ears. Do not rub in the fragrance but let it soak in. The optimal time to apply perfume is on clean fresh skin – it’s best to shower, apply lotion and then apply the fragrance. Also, a light spritz in the hair will help scent linger longer.
Certain scents are more pleasant than others in the heat. The following notes and perfumes are a good choice for the summer season:
- Citrus notes such as pink grapefruit, exotic yuzu, lemon lime spritz, citron, orange, mandarin and bergamot, found in L’Eau d’Issey pour Homme Summer, L'Occitane Eau Universelle and Marc Jacobs Splash Kumquat
- Aromatic cooling notes such as mint that can be found in CK One Summer Limited Edition and Acqua di Gioa Satin
- Aquatic notes with scents such as watermelon, bamboo and sea spray, found in Victoria's Secret Beach Angel, Cool Water and Charlotte Russe Refuge
- Creamy gourmands such as coconut, vanilla and almond; examples of these can be found in “suntan lotion scents” such as Jet 365 Cabana for Two, Creed Island Water, Bobbi Brown Beach and Keihl's Crème de la Corps Light body lotion SPF 30
Avoid fragrances that are “hot” and contain spicy notes as well as heavy oriental scents. Many perfumes come out with a sheer version of their main fragrance for summer, which minimizes heavy notes and features lighter notes while maintaining the signature quality of the scent. Jean Paul Gauliter CLASSIQUE Summer Fragrance, Angel Aqua Chic and Ralph Lauren Romance Summer Blossom are good examples.
Try something new. Several notable brands are launching limited edition and seasonal fragrances this summer, including CK One Summer Limited Edition, Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Summer, Viktor and Rolf's Flowerbomb Love Me Tight, Yves Rocher FlowerParty and Cacharel Amor Amor Summer 2012.