Summer fragrance: 3 classic beach-ready scents to wear all season long
See the our classic summer fragrance picks »
Booster Juice
Perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux didn’t know much about the mystery fragrance he was concocting in the mid-’90s. Told only that the outer packaging would be orange and that he should “think happy,” he relied on his muse to help him fill in the rest: “My sister, Marielle, the happiest person in my life.” Flores-Roux gravitated toward citrus and tropical blooms and kept the feeling of “walking barefoot in the garden” in mind. The red grapefruit, orchid and Hawaiian wedding flower-infused scent became 1997’s Clinique Happy ($59, thebay.com). It was an instant hit and still is, especially with his muse: Marielle wore it on her wedding day.
Spray Tan
“The beach is my favourite place in the world,” says Bobbi Brown, who has a home on the Jersey Shore. The makeup artist’s fragrance Beach ($80, bobbibrowncosmetics.com) smells like East Coast sea air and Coppertone-slathered summer vacations. Since its launch in 2002, Brown’s day-at-the-ocean blend of sand jasmine, dianthus dune flower and driftwood has been a best-seller on par with the cult favourites in her cosmetic line like the long-wear gel eyeliner. “[We] worked really hard to make the fragrance truly reminiscent of the beach, which is why I think it is so loved.”
Mediterranean Diet
Diehard fans of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue ($84, thebay.com) have been wearing it since its 2001 launch, but there’s industry cred behind it too: It was singled out for last year’s Museum of Art and Design exhibit celebrating achievements in fragrance-making. “I knew in my heart I was working on something [special],” says perfumer Olivier Cresp, who mixed loads of sparkling lemon with tart apple and Sicilian cedar. Over the years, its advertising campaigns have echoed the fragrance’s southern Italian warmth. The latest stars model Bianca Balti, who recalls that the shooting day was overcast until a certain photographer called in a favour from Mother Nature. “The sun always comes out for Mario Testino.”
