What Makes a Perfect Summer Perfume

There are scents that were just made for summer. And why not? Everything changes in the summer, from the weather to our activities. Even the clothes we wear get lighter. So should your fragrance. In fact, there are perfumes that are absolutely perfect for these hot and happy days of summer.

Your individual skin chemistry affects how a perfume wears on you. Skin chemistry is reason that the same perfume can smell differently on two different people. The warmer months can change your skin chemistry, including how much you perspire. If you shower more frequently in the summer or if you go out in the sun and your skin gets dry, these things can also change how a scent works for you.

The perfume you wore all winter in the house or at the office may not work as you start spending more time outdoors and wearing looser, lighter, or skimpier clothing. As a general rule, winter perfumes tend to be heavier, muskier, "darker," while summer scents are lighter. There are lots of great ways to get some summer scents. Since summer tends to be a more frivolous, social, and fun time for most of us, trendy fragrances are a good starting place.

Think light. Some of the best ideas for summer fragrances are the new crop of so-called fruity-floral perfumes that blend fruity notes into a light floral scent. Good examples of fruity florals are Sunset Heat by Escada or Sugar Blossom by Fresh. If you want to get a great summer scent but still want to get something from a perfume boutique, try Little Italy by Bond No.

9 (http://www.bondno9.com) which is one of the greatest citrus scents going. Another great fruity-floral line of products is available from Carol's Daughter, which is best to buy from a large perfume site (http://www.sephora.com).

Carol's Daughter makes a peachy scent called Groove that is particularly summery. However, not everybody is going to go wild for fruity scents. Light florals are another good idea.

For the high-end florals, test out Very Irresistable by Givenchy or Chelsea Flowers by Bond No. 9 or Goddess by Baby Phat. These are girly scents, but light and fun for summer.

If you want something a little less girly-girl, there are a lot of fragrances right now that tend to be light and almost cross-gender, that is, it might be unclear in a blindfold test whether they were cologne or aftershave. An excellent example of this kind of scent is One by Calvin Klein. I think it's a fabulous scent, but I only wear it in warm weather. When buying a fragrance product, your type of product may shift in the summer. In the winter, perfumes and eau-de-parfums work best; they are heavier, last longer, and seem a bit more dramatic. In the summer, a cologne or eau-de-toilette can be a better choice, although you have to keep refreshing it.

But since summer is an active time for most of us, we tend to sweat and shower more in these warm months, so you are just naturally going to need to touch up your fragrance more frequently. It's true that colognes and eaux-de-toilette do not last as long as perfumes, but the very lightness of these products can make your favorite scents seem more breezy and summer-light. If you can't make cologne last, buy a scented body lotion or cream plus a shower gel in the same fragrance. Then layer the product on.

Body lotion (or so-called body butters) in particular will help anchor a cologne. Copyright (c) 2007 Joanna McLaughlin.

Joanna McLaughlin is a fragrance and lifestyle writer who contributes often to http://www.thePerfume-Reporter.com . Her favorite scent today is Sugar Blossom by Fresh.