This spring has only a few days on its back, but perfume-wise, I started a bit earlier. So for a few weeks now, I have been smelling of spring.
Aside from my obvious choices (Hermès Vetiver Tonka, Hermès Rose Ikebana, Hermès Pamplemousse Rosé. Yes, I know, it is Hermès, Hermès and again Hermès – I sincerely apologize for my stubborn obsession with the house.), I surprised myself by craving two perfumes that don’t seem very spring-like at the outset, but have proven to fit perfectly with what I need right now – light, warmth and a subtle undercurrent of sadness wrapped in beauty:
Guerlain Vega and Serge Lutens Vetiver Oriental, both perfumes that inspired me to use poetry in the reivews.
What are you wearing this spring? What mood should your perfume enhance or create?
Olfactoria's Travels 
I just pulled out Tommy Girl, which isn’t really an emotional perfume. I plan on wearing the old beast Calyx this spring too. But thanks for the recommendations: I’m trying to expand my horizons to include artful melancholy in perfumes alongside the bombast.
“Artful melancholy alongside the bombast” – what a great sentence!!!
Thanks! 🙂
This week has been a Dries van Noten week, but the rest I wore before this arrived into my collection were Cuirelle by R. Monegal, Aqua di Parma Iris Nobile, SL Santal Majuscule and Fieno by SM Novella.
Ah, Dries… when will I smell you! 🙂
You are our very own Hermès goddess :-).
I have been wearing Unter den Linden for the past week and I love its delicate beauty, but otherwise it’s chypres and greeny type fragrances that I crave right now: 31 Rue Cambon, No. 19, L’Heure Vertueuse (I have fallen so hard for this one). But Onda is arriving today or tomorrow and I suspect I may disregard all the others for a while because Onda is my true love (right now).
Unter den Linden fits you like a glove (at least that is what I imagine, and I’m sure i’m right 🙂 ). Nad Onda is coming home, how lovely!
Autumn here but springing around the fig tree with Philosykos Edt. EDP is to strong, for me.
I love imagining you hopping around the fig tree! 🙂
Jo Malone French Lime Blossom, Ineke Hothouse Flower and Byredo La Tulipe for me. And many-many others since I change my perfumes everyday. But these three seemed like proper Spring perfumes.
They sure are proper spring perfumes.
Today I am wearing Anima Dulcis which admittedly isn’t very spring like but does seem to work well. I also been wearing Bombay Bling and Rubj although in my mind these are both summer fragrances, maybe that is me being optimistic.
The perfume I have worn the most however is Puredistance 1 as this perfume is befitting of any weather and mood. 🙂
PD I is a wonderful spring choice, lovely
I’ve been having a l’artisan parfumeur phase – their adventurous spirit seems to really fit with spring. The earthiness of voleur des roses, mure et musc and coeur de vetiver sacre (I’m not really into floral perfumes) seem to be exactly right for the breezy, showery weather.
Spring with L’Artisan sounds great.
L’eau d’issey is my perfume at the moment. Love light, fresh florals though.
Jane x
The are ideal for the season!
Spring began in the Northeast with extremely cold weather…so to conjure up spring in my mind I was wearing Pacifica’s Mediterranean Fig and French Lilac, SSS Jour Ensolielle, Maroma for Men Lavender Cedar and my own simple blend of lavender essential oil and sandalwood absolute. I was recently gifted several vintage perfumes so now I am wearing Chloe (circa 1975) and Courreges in Blue- not exactly spring scents but I adore them both!
Great gifts! Enjoy your vintage!
Thanks to your glowing description, Brie, I have acquired a bottle of Jour Ensolielle and am enjoying it this spring 🙂
Hooray! Oh I am so glad that you enjoy it! It truly is the quintessential spring fragrance (although I could wear it year round :D!!)
No need to apologise for an obsession with Hermès, it is quite natural 🙂
I haven’t tried Vega or Vetiver Oriental but you make them sound very special. I’m finally wearing OJ’s Champaca which I had been saving for spring. It’s just the perfect fresh green, pretty but interesting scent for me this time of year.
I love this one too. The Guide’s review of this really upset me – they decribed it as ’80s’ and ‘square shouldered’ – in what universe is this an 80s perfume? Your ‘pretty but interesting’ description is perfect, unusually for me its a floral that I never get tired of.
Alice, I don’t understand that description from The Guide. It’s a watery green floral, what’s 80s and square-shouldered about that?! More proof not to take The Guide too seriously.
I’m glad you love Champaca too, continue to enjoy it!
I’m sorry, but that is a really stupid description of The Guide, it is as far from 80s-power as you can get. Maybe vials have been mislabelled or something…. 🙂
Turin and Sanchez;s guide, like any guidebook I suppose, has quite a few errors.
The Dandy isn’t talking here about differences of opinion but, as you say reviews that simply, factually, cannot be of the perfumes they purport to be.
One supposes just as travel guides get museum opening times wrong, or confuse “The Grand Hotel” with “Grand Hotel” now and again their scents were confused and confounded.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Very true, Dandy! Champaca must be a case of wrong opening times. 😉
Ha, thank you! It’s lovely to hear that. 😉
Champaca is a beauty, I will wear it this afternoon, thanks for the inspiration!
I’m going to wear it too, in defiance!
🙂
I think I may be on my own here – but for me Spring smells of Ormonde Woman. It is the scent of the green goddess beginning to stir deep in the darkest part of the forest. I have been living in it…
I really must revisit the Hermes collection!
Woman is more autumn-y for me, but gorgeous no matter the season.
And yes, Hermès is waiting for you… 😉
Coincidentally, I only this week got a 200 ml bottle of Eau de Pamplemousse Rose and am patiently waiting for the weather to get warmer (right now it is 4 degrees Celsius). So I share your Hermès obsession a bit.
Good for you, furriner! I hope it gets warm quickly, it’s such a happy scent! Enjoy!
Your love of Hermes is inspiring me to find samples 😉
This spring I am trying some florals which are outside my comfort zone; white flowers in particular. Montale Jasmin Full is a winner; taking the plunge and re sampling Carnal Flower this afternoon. It smells wonderful on others but I wasn’t ready for it when I tried it before.
Oh let me know how you get on with CF this time!
For rainy days it is Après l’Ondée (fortified sometimes by L’Heure Bleue)
And for shiny days it is Jour d’Hermès alone or Bachmakoff (lightened a bit by a spray of Un Jardin sur le Nil) 🙂
(PS: Thank you Birgit for the info about Vienna’s shop having vintage Guerlains… I was there but unfortunately haven’t found my obsession — parfum de toilette versions, only Chamade was availabe but I am pretty stocked with it already)
I’m sorry you didn’t find what you have veen looking for, I fear I and my readers have depleted that shop by now. 😉
Love your spring choices!
Dear Brigit
Spring brings with it so many scents.
Not only those that are chosen for me – and I must say I have been enjoying a run of wonderful vintage greens from Silences by Jacomo to Norell by Norell – voted onto my skin by The Dandy’s friends but also those that stir my own memories.
For me, Spring is less particular fragrances as notes muguet, violets, orange blossom, narcisse and so on… and I find myself choosing increasingly from the ranks of perfumes that provide these.
Your choices though, most very much especially Guerlain’s Vega, are divine.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
Flowers bloom and so does perfume-wearing. Enjoy your gorgeous florals!
No need to apologize for the Hermes obsession. I find that mine is growing of late. Beautiful photo! Thanks for reminding me I have a bottle of SL Vetiver Oriental in my perfume closet. Spring for me has been iris and green. Pd’E Equistrius, AG Cuir de Nacre, Chanel No.19, VP Mito and PdN Le Temps d’Une Fete.
Good! Hermès fiends are the nicest people, I hear! 😉
Wonderful spring choices, Tatiana!
I’ve enjoyed getting to know my sample of Vetiver Oriental. Any excuse to wear a vetiver is fine by me 😉
Exactly! 😉
Oh fun! I’ve been wearing Rose Ikebana as well. I love that rhubarb opening so much!
I’ve used up half a bottle in the past weeks, it’s my go to perfume at the moment, it’s always just right. 🙂
Ohhh Vega! I adore it, as you know Birgit. I’m still working through the lovely decants you so generously sent. For me, that’s an anytime perfume. Still on my FB list!
We just got 8 inches of snow last night! So I’m having a hard time embracing spring perfumes. I just want to envelope and insulate myself in warmth – Chanel Bois des Iles, Hermes L’Ambre de Merv, and SSS Sienna Musk and Tabac Aurea, and surprisingly Mitsouko!
Oh no, snow again! But as you say, Vega works anytime! 🙂
Today I’m matching the springlike mood with Jasmine White Moss, another choices lately have been Jour d’Hermes, Iris Nobile and Azemour. My favorite spring Hermenessence is Iris Ukioke, it smells just like my father’s spring flowers.
Lovely scents, Eva! You inspire me to go looking for my Uris Ukiyoé sample again… 🙂
Am completely in love with Hermes and wore Vetiver Tonka thoughout our spring… Alas, its autumn going into winter here and I am now starting to crave the Lutens range. Today I layered Chergui and Gris clair and loved the combination! I am coveting the new Hermes Mandarin Ambré…was about to ask a friend to buy it for me in Frankfurt and would not mind getting it without smelling it first. I know that is dangerous isn’t it Birgit?
I hear you, Nana! I’m often tempted to go the unsniffed route with Hermès too, they seem so perfect. Thankfully I don’t have to buy blindly, knowing myself, I surely would! 😉
I will go to the boutique this Wednesday, so if you want I can tell you my impressions afterwards!
Thanks Birgit, I really appreciate the offer and look forward to hearing from you soon.
Cheers