Nik lives in "dreary London" and has the January blues at the moment...he is dreaming of the Portuguese and Greek coasts where he usually goes for holidays. He wants to find a summer citrus with a little more lasting power than the usual hour or so that most summer citruses can muster, and he'd like something a little more interesting going on beneath the bonnet/hood. Probably he'd like something newer on the market, but he's open to suggestions.
The perfect scent would be a "bracing spritz of citrus, dry, with an interesting backbone", and he'd like to keep the cost at around £100 ($122) if possible.
Can we help?
Here is what we know about Nik:
He's a 40 year old male.
He trained and worked as an actor for the first part of his career; currently he's a screen writer and teacher.
Since getting Covid back in 2020, pronounced iris notes smell really awful to him.
Fragrances he has owned in the past that are along the right lines include...
The original Hermès Eau d’Orange Verte. He found the concentrate less interesting.
Santa Maria Novella Sicilia. He used to wear this a lot but tried it on recently in a store and found it a little too “candied orange”.
Comme des Garçons Rhubarb (now discontinued).
Various old school colognes that remind him of his dad, like DR Harris Twenty Nine, DR Harris Arlington and Alvarez Gomez Colonia.
Nik has also been known to steal Carthusia Mediterraneo and Hermès Un Jardin Sur Le Nil from his girlfriend, but neither is exactly what he's after...the green tea element in the Carthusia smells too feminine to him and the Hermès just smells more “perfumey” than a cologne.
What say you?
Note: top image is post_te [cropped] by fedewild at flickr; some rights reserved.
My first thought was D&G Light Blue Italian Zest, for an instant trip to the Mediterranean, but it’s discontinued and the prices on the British ebay are insane.
One recommendation is Gris Charnel either the edp or extrait. Maybe Andy Tauer’s Orange Star would be a good choice.
Parfum d’Empire Azemour Les Orangers!
This came to mind for me as well!
THIS!!! It’s exactly what I thought of as I read this.
Exactly what I was going to write!
Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Mirto di Panarea: If the 100ml version is too pricey, there is a 30ml option available for €75.
Heeley Oranges and Lemons: This leans more toward an old-school cologne style but smells dry to me. You can order a custom 15ml x 3 set on the Heeley website, though I’m not sure if it’s possible to select three of the same scent. The 100ml option costs over £100.
If Nik is willing to splurge, I would suggest trying Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet.
Although I am not sure if the lasting power of any of the three is up to Nik’s standards. I think Blenheim Buquet lasts somewhat longer than your average citrus cologne.
Good call on the Heeley!
Diptyque’s Oyedo and Acqua di Parma’s Fico di Amalfi are also worth considering.
Lemon longevity is tough. Carthusia Mediterraneo is probably the best I’ve tried for that.
https://cafleurebon.com/new-fragrance-review-comme-des-garcons-x-hussein-chalayan-airborne-fashion-transforms-fragrance/
I would really recommend Comme des Garçons Airborne. It is a dry lemon/ juniper / resin , good sillage and long lasting based on the scents of Cyprus, designed in collaboration with Hussein Chalayan. It’s a really good perfume. From around 2007 I think ( if you’re in England) you might find it at End clothing ( site) or eBay. About £100. The other citrus would be Serge Lutens Fleurs de Citronnier, again good sillage and lasting power .
Oh, how fun!
I am not a summer fragrance person.
I did purchase a bottle of
Divine l’ete nargile about two summers ago that I have enjoyed.
lemon, freesia, rose,
Ceylon cinnamon, Madagascar clove, ginger,
sandalwood, tobacco absolute, tonka bean, patchouli.
Totally unisex and easy to wear.
My vote would be for Chanel Paris -Deuville
According to fragrantica:
Top notes are basil, lime, Sicilian orange, bergamot, lemon, petitgrain
Middle note are green notes, hedione, jasmine, rose
Base note is patchouli
The 1.7 oz would be in the price range.
I second Kris’s recommendation for Chanel Paris-Deauville.
Since Nik lives in London, I would suggest dropping by Floris on Jermyn Street and checking out their citrus perfumes. I remember liking very much the one called Jermyn Street (notes of citrus, gin and vetiver among others).
I don’t recall its longevity but I considered buying it for my hubby with the intention of wearing it myself as well.
Another recommendation would be for Frederic Malle Bigarade Concentrée. Also Tom Ford Neroli Portofino.
I realize that some of these are outside of the stated price range.
parfum d’empire Iskander!
I’ll add Eau de Rochas, it’s completely unisex although originally directed towards women, it runs the gamut of citrus, lime, bergamot etc, classic herbs and a drydown of moss and patchouli mainly with a distinctive mineral note and lasts well on me, plus it’s very affordable.
Excellent recommendation!
The rhubarb from Hermes is lovely if you want to try that note in a different company
Thirding Kris and adanst on the Chanel Paris-Deauville.
And I would also suggest O de Lancome. I know the second one is far from new, but it smells quite different from almost anything else on the market today. I’d call it unisex despite starting out as something for women.
Goutal Eau du Sud
I love The Monday Mail!
I live in Italy and I also grab colognes in Summer!
-Eau de Rochas: I second Aurora’s suggestion, even if you’re looking for something new in the market
-Acqua di Parma Intensa: which I found classy and classic , but may out of budget
– Light Blue Pour Homme Summer Vibes Dolce&Gabbana: it was an interesting surprise having the cypress note added to citrus.
Happy sniffing
Sorry
AdP Essenza not Intensa
I haven’t smelled most of the recent Nicolaï citrus perfumes, but I can say the discontinued L’eau a la Folie was a lovely citrus. And Nicolaï can be quite affordable, in the small bottles. Maybe some of the Eaux? And should be easy enough to try in London.
Great idea. Maybe Nik would like New York.
I’ll suggest Dior Eau Sauvage (NOT Sauvage but the classic Eau Sauvage), though I haven’t smelled any of the current versions. It definitely leans masculine has citrus and herbaceous notes on a warm mossy base. I imagine it’ll be easy to get your hands on a tester or sample.
Thanks so much to Robin and everyone who contributed. I really appreciate the time you’ve taken to mull it over and suggest some interesting summer fragrance ideas. Seems like the Parfum d’Empire and Channel are getting the most votes but I’ll check out as many as I can over the weekend.
Happy sniffing to one and all!
N