Let's Get Fresh: My Favourite Spring/Summer Scents

I really enjoyed putting together my favourite Autumn/Winter scents post so thought it would be a good idea to do one now that Spring is here and the sun's come out to play!

I am a complete perfume junkie so these are just the fresh 'springy' scents from my collection, I have a few sweet ones too which I'll probably do a separate post about.  Many of these were gifts and a few are very affordable.

First up, I have a dupe for you:

This must be my 5th bottle of D&G Light Blue.  It's a decade since it was launched and is a bit overexposed these days, but when it first came onto the market it was unlike any other scent.  Although it's light and refreshing it's more complex than first impressions suggest and comes into its own on the dry down.  I only spray it at the back of my neck, under my hair or onto my clothes as it doesn't have the greatest reaction to my skin's chemistry and smells slightly funky on me.

Here are the notes:
Top Notes - Granny Smith Apple, Sicilian Cedar, Bluebells
Middle Notes - Jasmine, White Rose, Bamboo
Base Notes - Cedarwood, Amber, Musks

The best affordable dupe I've found for Light Blue is Next's Paradise which is £12.50 for 100mls.  The bottle you see in the photo is well over a year old and its packaging has been updated since.

For those who may be sick of D&G Light Blue but still want some depth and originality to their spring/summer scent you need to check out ckIN2U her - I love this scent but not once have I ever caught a whiff of it off anyone else.  At Boots it's currently £27 for 50mls but I nabbed this one last Christmas for around £12.50 as part of a boxset.  The first bottle I ever had of this was a present otherwise I doubt I ever would have tried it.  It evokes fond memories for me as it's the scent I was into when I got with my boyfriend.  The only thing I don't like about this perfume is its horribly minimalist cheap-looking bottle.  It's sweet but ever so slightly masculine - classic CK I guess! and extremely hard to describe, so here are the notes:

Top Notes -  Grapefruit fizz, Sicilian Bergamot, Red Currant Leaves

Middle Notes - Sugar Orchid, White Cactus
Base Notes - Neon Amber, Vanilla Souffle, Red Cedar

Not sure what how Amber can be 'Neon' or how 'Vanilla Souffle' is different from plain old vanilla...these two notes form a common theme amongst my perfumes, but Red Cedar and Red Currant Leaves are certainly new to me and may explain why this scent is so different from anything else I've come across.

I don't think I've ever had a bus or tube journey where I didn't detect Marc Jacobs Daisy, but I think everyone is over the hype of this perfume now.  I myself ran out of steam with it half way through the bottle, but if I leave it alone for a couple of months I always return to it with a reinvigorated affection.  The bottle goes a long way in making this perfume attractive - I don't think it would have reached the same fame if it came in a container like CK's offering.  The new version of Daisy, Eau So Fresh is extremely similar to the original, but a good option if you've been thinking of taking the plunge but want to break away from the herd a bit.  I enjoy this fragrance, but won't be repurchasing.

Before Benefit's wildly popular Crescent Row collections, their most famous fragrance offering was B Spot.  It's essentially summer in a bottle - very zingy, citrus and just sweet enough.  I wouldn't have bought this perfume but received it as a free gift when I bought a couple of make up products.  It reminds me of Ralph by Ralph Lauren, the quintessential summer fragrance.  I keep this one in my desk at work for a refreshing spritz on a stuffy summer afternoon.  It's on sale now at Debenhams for only £13.25 for 50mls.

If I could only choose one perfume to wear for the rest of my life, Chloe EDP would be it.  It can take a while for scents to grow on me, but with Chloe, it was love at first sniff.  I've since finished this bottle and am just waiting to finish up a good number of my other perfumes before I repurchase this as I know they would get neglected and oxidize on my shelf!  The bottle is gorgeous but sadly the silver tarnished, which is the only downside about this product.  Also, it's on the pricier side at around £36 for 30mls.  Chloe is truly my signature scent, I always receive compliments when wearing it and it doesn't react badly with my skin's chemistry.  Whereas some fresh perfumes can foray into quite masculine territory, Chloe is the ultimate feminine fragrance and the rose comes through loud and clear.  If you haven't tried this one I urge you to...just don't buy it - I don't want y'all smelling like me!

Top notes: pink peony, freesia and lychee
Middle notes: magnolia flower, lily of the valley and rose
Base notes: cedar wood, amber and honey

Other honourable mentions go to Lacoste Touch of Pink which is a nice variation on the original, and Lanvin's Rumeur, which I picked up a massive bottle of at Portobello market for £10.  While I do like it, it is a bit cloying as it's a bit too heavy on the patchouli.

What are your favourite sunshine scents?

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