The Smell of Summer

I just tried an amazing scent from the CB I Hate Perfume line. It's called At The Beach 1966, and it does the trick of being a perfect summertime fragrance. It smells true to it's name. The first thing I think of is the original Coppertone sunscreen in the pink bottle. It is definitely a floral scent first and foremost, but I do detect a hint of wet sand and saltiness underneath the Coppertone. It makes me think of childhood days spent at St Simons Island, Georgia. We would play in the salty waves all day long until our skin began to burn, then run back to our towels to reapply sun lotion. At the end of the day when I collapsed into a happy exhaustion, this is the essence that still clung to my skin and hair.

I know I have previously mentioned Jovan Island Gardenia, but it is worth another accolade for being one of the best summer perfumes as well. I buy a bottle every year. Don't waste your money on the Marc Jacobs or Chanel if you are looking for an exotic white floral true gardenia potion. Island Gardenia is the real deal at the low price of $10. Used with a light hand, this smells like heaven. It makes me think of classy ladies of the 1940s with flowers pinned in their hair. At times it also remind me of the expensive shampoos and styling products used in my uncle's salon. If you love the smell of gardenia as much as I do, your search stops here.

The last perfect summer scent I want to talk about is Bonne Bell Skin Musk. Do not be fooled by the silly name and even cheesier packaging! This is not your typical loud brash musk. It is very subtle, smelling of a powdered lavender when first applied and then drying down to a light sandalwood creaminess. It lasts all day long and is delicate enough to be worn with other perfumes. I like to layer this with the gardenia sometimes for added allure. When worn alone it smells like you have just emerged from a lovely bath.

Being Selfish

What an unfair world. Why are all the best perfumes made for men? Why do the loveliest potions become discontinued? No one said life should be fair, but it does add a sadness to the wearing of these fragrances. To grab a sample or a decant of that rare bird, that eau de Forever No More. That is how it feels to wear Chanel Egoiste for men. I know vanilla and sandalwood are notes and I pick up on those, but I also get the memory of exotic woods, tobacco, honey and old leather, like the bindings on antique books.

This smells drop dead sexy. It smells expensive. This would be a cologne for the Ideal Bachelor. He would be a provacative and confident man, secure in his sexuality and he would smell like this. This is the guy who has a hip apartment and listens to lo-fi jazz. He has some political beliefs that scare you a bit, and he acts older than his age.

There was a famous commercial for this cologne when it appeared in 1990 that showed women screaming out of hotel windows, opening and slamming the windows, shouting "Egoiste! Egoiste! Egoiste!" It was a very weird commercial, but you got the idea. All of these ladies had been wronged by the unseen man. "Egoiste", by the way, loosely translates to "selfish". Some guy had been selfish and led these women into fits of window slamming rage. I guess this is a cologne to be worn by selfish drop dead sexy heartbreakers then.

Two thumbs up on Egoiste, which is marvelous and of course, discontinued. Do not be fooled into buying the new Chanel, Egoiste Platinum, as it smells nothing like the poison I'm telling you about. You can still buy original Egoiste online. But don't tell your man about it or he will soon have all the ladies following after him. That's just extra work for you.