Nothing changes your mood like scent.
A few months ago, I rounded up my favorite cold-weather fragrances and got such positive feedback that I decided to do it again for the sunnier months. Plenty of beautiful spring fragrances are ready to help us get in the mood for the season (and ease us into summer). However, most people immediately think of heavy, powdery, cough-inducing florals when they think of spring fragrances, and that’s just not true. While powdery florals have their place (Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb), spring scents also can be alluring and evoke a sense of renewal.
As the weather warms up, consider switching your fragrance to something with these notes. Here are a few of my favorites for inspiration.
Elle L’Edition eau de parfum
In Elle Magazine’s first fragrance, the scent blends fresh notes of lemon, mandarin orange, freesia and sweet autumn pear in its opening. The floral heart of the fragrance combines jasmine, peony, lily and rose, with a creamy hint of summer peach. It then dries down to sandalwood, cedarwood and musk. It’s playful, bold and effortlessly chic — perfect to pair with a sundress and open-toed booties on a spring day.
Nest Sunkissed Hibiscus eau de parfum
Warm and floral, this feels mysterious yet welcoming. It’s made with frangipani, a fragrant flowering tree also known as plumeria that’s native to tropical areas. The oil of the frangipani flower smells super sophisticated, lush and floral. Add in notes of sweet orange blossom and warm golden amber, and this is an alluring floral fragrance without any heaviness or stuffiness. It reminds me of hot, humid summer nights and suntanned skin. It’s an instant tropical vacation in a bottle.
Ouai North Bondi eau de parfum
Inspired by Sydney, Australia’s, iconic Bondi Beach, this features a blend of rich florals and sheer white musk. There are also notes of soft bergamot, tart Italian lemon, elusive rose de mai, violet and more. North Bondi is fresh and cool floral done so right. It never feels powdery or heavy but rather crisp, clean and cool, like an ice-cold glass of lemon-cucumber water. It works perfectly for the office or a night out, and you also can find this scent in the brand’s Wave Spray, Leave-In Conditioner, Air-Dry Foam and Texturizing Hair Spray.
Mix:Bar Coconut Palm eau de parfum
This luxurious and warm fragrance is an elevated take on the tropical scent, aka not your mother’s coconut. Inspired by the many facets of coconut, the fragrance begins with top notes of coconut wood and artemisia then vanilla, salty accord, seaweed and incense in its center. Finally, it dries down to sandalwood cream, amber, musk milk and modern amber. I’m continuously impressed with how different this fragrance is from anything else I’ve tried. The $19 price point isn’t bad either, and neither is the fact that all MIX:Bar fragrances are created to mix and match with one another for the perfect signature scent.
Pinrose Sun Saint eau de parfum
This fragrance is like spending a day at the beach without sand getting into every orifice. It’s a fresh citrus fragrance that leads with lime, eucalyptus, mandarin and yuzu, which then leads into sea salt, cashmere musk and vanilla before drying down to sun-warmed coconut wood and sandalwood. The fragrance feels warm and sunny even if the weather doesn’t follow suit.
Gia Mazur is an award-winning staff writer and beauty obsessive who joined The Times-Tribune’s Lifestyles department in 2015. She’s a product enthusiast who can’t live without an eyelash curler. A proud Virgo, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk is her go-to. Contact: gmazur@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9127; @gmazurTT