At last, the weather is starting to warm up. Now I can open my office window to fill the house with air scented by honeysuckle, lilies, and roses from the garden. It won’t be long before I start scheming dinners to take down to the river as the sun sets. Of course I wonder, what perfume should I wear for a picnic?

I turned to Teresa Mitchell, founder and Creative Director of Beautyhabit, for a few suggestions. It turns out that she’s a big fan of picnics and had suggestions for both spring and fall picnics. For a spring picnic she suggested Ineke Balmy Days and Sundays, Potter & Moore Bergamot & Green Ginger, and Parfum d’Empire Eau Suave. Balmy Days and Sundays she chose because “the name says it all!”, and, wearing it, I have to agree. It’s a warm floral that smells like a hot afternoon as storm clouds gather over an urban flower garden. Bergamot & Green Ginger is crisper and more tart. Teresa describes it simply as “herbs, freshness, citrus — natural and light”. I swear I smell lily in it, too. Eau Suave is more of a classic cologne and purports to smell like Empress Josephine’s imperial greenhouses. My grandpa used to have a greenhouse beside his trailer where, beer and cigarette in hand, he tended orchids. It sure didn’t smell like Eau Suave in there. To me, Eau Suave’s elegance would be terrific for a meal outdoors, but one at a garden party and not on a blanket on the ground…

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