Summer Scents

What I'll be wearing this year

Awakened far too early this morning while visiting my parents up in Cottonwood (their cat started screaming for attention at 3 am), I did a deep dive on FragranceNet and ordered a few things for summer. Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Eau Intense and Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Pamplelune are blind buys (though I’m familiar with the iconic regular version of Light Blue). Jocelyn brought me home a small bottle of Serge Lutens Fleurs d’Oranger from Paris a couple of years ago and I tore through it quickly, so I was thrilled to find a very reasonably priced tester bottle. It’s not fruity and fresh like the other two, it’s a sweet, slightly spicy orange blossom that you can pull off year-round. I just had to take advantage of that price!

These are the notes for Light Blue Intense:

Pampelune:

And Fleurs d’Oranger:

I thought I'd share some of the scents that figure heavily into my summertime rotation, with the current prices included. Since I’m out of town and I don’t have access to my collection, I’m sure I’m forgetting things, but here’s what comes to mind:

Etat Libre d’Orange You or Someone Like You - Extremely minty and vaguely floral. I find it to be my most refreshing fragrance, and I think it would suit anybody. You can find a 3.4 oz bottle of it for about $100.

Elizabeth Arden Green Tea - A mildly sweet, fresh, dirt cheap, and readily available classic. A big bottle shouldn’t run you more than $15.

Eris Delta of Venus - A hyper-juicy, mouthwatering guava. It’s very sexy. Retails for $195/50 ml. Sadly, I’ve definitely never seen Eris on a discount site. You could check Mercari, though.

Narciso Rodriguez Ambree - This is a sultry tropical musk, heavy on the yellow florals. The most perfume-y perfume on this list. You can find 1 oz of this for less than $50.

Issey Miyake A Drop d’Issey - A watery, cooling, surprisingly strong lilac. It took me a while to fall for this one but eventually something clicked and I totally got it. If you’re curious, just buy it because it never costs more than $25 for 1.7 oz.

Essential Parfums Rose Magnetic - This is a bright rose with a heavy dose of lychee and grapefruit. You get great bang for your buck with this niche brand: $130/100 ml.

Coach Floral Blush - This smells (and kinda performs) like a goji berry body spray. Likely available for no more than $35/1 oz, though I remember buying a 3 oz bottle for about that much.

Hermes Eau de Rhubarbe - Refreshing, juicy, tart perfection. You have to reapply it constantly, but it’s worth it! Usually costs about $80/3.3 oz.

Jil Sander Sun - I’ve hyped her up on here before, but I’d be remiss not to mention her again. She does not come to play! She’s a loud, sunscreen-y throwback. 2.5 oz bottles are easy to find for $25.

Still Jennifer Lopez - A white peppery y2k tea fragrance. This was one of my favorite scent discoveries of 2025. It’s very soothing. Who isn’t in need of soothing? You can find a 3.4 oz bottle for about 20 bucks.

Escada Sorbetto Rosso - I have a soft spot for this trashy, discontinued watermelon candy scent. Sue me! You can find mostly full bottles on Mercari for $35ish.

Britney Spears Fantasy Sheer - A considerably lighter version of the original Fantasy, so you can get your cupcake on without suffocating everyone around you. Sometimes I must retreat into deep nostalgia and maybe you do too. It rarely costs more than $20/3.3 oz.

Balmain Destin - I’ve gone on about this recent addition at length in prior paid posts so I won’t elaborate on it much. It just has a buoyant energy that makes it perfect for going out at night. It’s brand new so it won’t hit the discounters for quite a while; in the meantime you can get 1 oz. for $92 at Ulta.

Bonus lap cat pic (I won him over quickly):