The beach is my happy place. In middle school, I used to buy those Hawaiian Tropic sunscreens that came in different scents (anyone remember that?) and use them as perfume. The other kids would ask me why I smelled like the beach, and I would say because I want to. Then I discovered Angel, which had that warm vanilla and got me closer. I think in the mid-2000s they finally started making scents that smelled like coconut; finally- I discovered the Vanille Coco, and it was like someone finally understood what I had been searching for. Since then, a dozen or more perfect beach scents have come on the scene much to my delight. I own an array of fragrance, but these gems are my babies. I rotate them all summer and bring them along on vacations. Truthfully, if I’m having a particularly bad day or need to feel like I can escape to the Caribbean, I will wear one of these even in the Winter. Here are my top 6 favorites:
Maison Margiela Beach Walk: By far, my favorite. It immediately takes you to a happy place, to the beach, to sunkissed skin, and lying in a hammock. The scent of salt air, the perfume of sunscreen, the glow of sunkissed skin…Replica Beach Walk evokes the memory of endless summer days with the bright aromas of bergamot, lemon, heliotrope, coconut milk, and musk.
Comptoir Sud Pacifique Vanille Coco: I’ve been wearing this since about 2006 and would consider It my original beach scent. Now you can find a beach scent anywhere, but back then, this was the best thing I could find, and it still is fantastic. It right away just brings your mind to a relaxed state of being at the beach. It’s coconut milk and creamy vanilla, intoxicating. It also somehow manages to smell cigar-like, in a really good way. It’s rich but not overpowering.
Bobbi Brown Beach: Clearly, the name says it all. It captures the essence of summer. A lightly intoxicating blend of sand jasmine sea spray, and mandarin, this fragrance is wearable anytime, anywhere. I have the rollerball, and this stays in my lipstick pouch for whenever I need a quick trip to the beach.
Tom Ford Mandarino Di Amalfi Acqua: These names are doing all the work for me. Tom Ford just does amazing beach scents reminiscent of the Amalfi cliffsides. This one is citrus fruits, like air, scented with mint, thyme, and wildflowers, mingling with a warm breeze of night-blooming flowers. This is bright and delicious, fresh with grapefruit citrus top notes. It’s similar (but way better) to DG Light Blue.
Nest Sunkissed Hibiscus: I got this as a Sephora sample and expected it is smell like Hawaii since I associate hibiscus with Hawaii. It was nothing like what I expected. Instead, it has a warm amber feel. It’s a warm floral with frangipani, orange blossom, and golden amber. I would wear this on a summer date night (or these days an evening on the couch), it’s very sexy, warm, sultry. I did immediately buy it after trying the sample (which is rare) and wanted to give an option for nighttime.
Tom Ford Soleil Blanc: To sum it up, Miami in a bottle. If Beach Walk is my favorite for daytime, this is my favorite for nighttime. That said, I very often wear this during the day too. Unexpected. Sultry. Addictive. Remote private islands where summer lasts all year and one day seamlessly blends into the next inspire Soleil Blanc, an addictive solar floral amber alive with seductive refinement and refreshing decadence.
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