Summer Scents...
Sunday 29th June 2008 by Elizabeth Richards
 The days are long, the skies are blue and the holidays stretch ahead. Everybody loves summer. So whatever makes it perfect for you – warm sunshine, the smell of cut grass, vibrant flowers, a fresh seaside breeze – it’s worth making the effort to find a fragrance to fit the bill. It’s time to put aside the richer, spicier fragrances that warm the senses during winter and splash out on one of this season’s most seductive scents.
Check whether your favourite fragrance is available with a summer twist – many now are. Summer fragrances tend to be fresher, more effervescent than their winter sisters, and are often floral-based although they can, in fact, come from any of the four key fragrance families: oriental, floral, green or chypre. Go soft and floaty, sharp and citrussy or fresh and floriental but do make sure you choose the concentration most suitable to your summer lifestyle – ie a more delicate eau de toilette (4-8% concentrate) may be more appropriate than a heady eau de parfum.
Otherwise, dip into the new generation of summer fragrances which, with their weightless feel and skin-boosting benefits, are designed to be sprayed liberally onto arms, legs and décolletage. If you’re opting for something more traditional, give in to the spirit of bare legs – remembering that scent rises – and apply on the ankles and behind the knees.
Clarins Sunshine Eau de Toilette, £24.50
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Even on the rainiest of English days, the beautiful orange bottle alone is enough to lift the spirits. Apply to arms, shoulders, wherever, and you’ll discover a sparkling mood-boosting scent with notes of mandarin, grapefruit, bergamot, ylang ylang and patchouli plus plant extracts to tone, revitalise and soften the skin. It’s safe for use in the sun and the fragrance lingers for several hours.
Available at www.uk.Clarins.com 
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Miller Harris Le Petit Grain Eau de Parfum, £110
Embrace the casual chic of summer with this orange flower tree-inspired scent which has been created with one key person: to be versatile enough that it can be worn by every member of the family. Sparkling citrus top notes give way to rosemary, red thyme, tarragon and lavender and a heart of pettigrain and neroli. The result is fresh, wearable and endlessly versatile.
Available at www.MillerHarris.com
Penhaligons Ellenisia Eau de Parfum, £85
A superb summer offering from one of the world’s finest fragrance houses, this is a very feminine scent with a head of mandarin and violet leaf, a heart of gardenia, rose, tuberose and jasmine and a warm base of plum nectar and vanilla. The ideal accompaniment to a summer spent in the countryside.
Available at www.Penhaligons.co.uk
Amanda Lacey Agrumi di Sicilia Eau de Parfum, £110
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This scores as our favourite wedding day scent for 2008 – crisp, sophisticated and modern with a sexy, sensuous base and the kind of elegant styling of which one can usually only dream. Mint, bitter orange and nutmeg mingle with grapefruit, rose, cardamom and a spicy pepper to give a fragrance that lingers for hours. Unusual, unforgettable and utterly irresistible – we love it.
Available at www.AmandaLacey.com
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Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Toilette, £40
If you’re looking for something modern and a little playful, you’ll fall in love with this bright floral with its juicy top notes of strawberry, grapefruit and violet leaf and heart of jasmine, gardenia and violet, softened with notes of vanilla, musks and white woods at the base. Vintage with a twist.
Available at www.Harrods.com
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