Spring scents

Midnight Rain by La Prairie. Photo / Babiche Martens

Once the weather warms, switching to a fresher, lighter scent is the way to go. Fragrance houses are obliging with a seasonal crop of new releases and summer versions of already popular perfumes.

Orange and other citrus notes are showing up to bring zest into the prevailing fruity/floral fragrance styles of recent years. There's also a return to sharper, green notes in some scents.

Smith & Caughey's fragrance manager, Liz Pink, is predicting A Scent by Issey Miyake will be big, typifying as it does this new trend to green-fresh rather than fruity-fresh. It has enough underlying softness to appeal also to the majority of women who opt for floral fragrances.

Perennial big sellers at the Auckland department store are Viktor & Rolf Flower Bomb, Dior's J'Adore, Chanel No. 5, Narciso Rodriguez for Her and hanging in there still is Angel. Pink has noticed a resurgence of interest in classic scents in the past year or two and says there is a customer awareness of nostalgia brands.

In my view, the homogenous nature of many modern fragrances, driven by the need for them to have broad appeal to meet company projections for huge marketing budgets, has spurred the interest in distinctive scents rather than safe, same-y stuff.

"If people are wanting something a bit more individual then the older brands appeal, says Pink.

1. A Scent by Issey Miyake 100ml eau de toilette $190

Sounds like the working title became the real name with this airy concoction from the famed Japanese designer. The hewn glass block bottle matches the elegant freshness of the scent, which is delicately green with white florals and light woods. A hint of jasmine lingers. (Smaller sizes and body products available)

* For those who can never get enough of summer, Miyake's airier Eau d'Ete is also out in a Summer Edition bottle.

2. Christian Dior Escale a Portofino 75ml edt $145

Crisp for the new season, aromas carried on warm winds from the Mediterranean are captured in a handsome cut crystal-look bottle with silver stopper. Essences of bergamot, citrus, orange blossom, bitter almond and cypress. Love it.

3. Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte 100ml eau de toilette concentre $185

For this new interpretation of Cristalle, Chanel's "nose" Jacques Polge said: "I wanted the scent of magnolia flower, a flower so fragile that we do not extract its essence. It's a delicious jasmine and lemon scent with aqueous green, fresh and precise notes."

For white flower lovers, but the bergamot and citrus notes mean this green scent will have wider appeal. Fans of the 1974 edt and subsequent parfum will find it lacks the original, odd mossy quality.

4. Boss Orange 75ml edt $142

Warm and musky, with sparkling top notes. A hint of Tresor came to mind for me. The metal and orange-tinted glass bottle is crafted into seven segments, apparently taking inspiration from the seven chakras of the human body, with the juice meant to be a metaphor for the energy flowing through them. Sienna Miller fronts the campaign, but I tried not to hold my disdain for this so-called style icon (more Top Shop-girl slapper, I reckon) against what is a rather nice scent. (Smaller sizes and body products available)

* Also new from Boss is Femme l'eau fraiche, a lighter version of its warm feminine floral, with heightened white floral notes, including freesia (50ml edt $108).

5. Roger & Gallet Bois d'Orange fresh fragrant water 100ml $69

This French brand is such good value you can use the fragrant waters as a linen spritz or room freshener if you're feeling extravagant. Think Andalusian orange groves, with basil, verbena and cedar also coming into play. With unisex appeal, this fragrance is safe to be worn in the sun. (A candle, and body and bath products are also available.)

6. CKin2U Heat 100ml edt $189

There's men's and women's versions of this new offering from Calvin Klein's ckIN2U franchise. I sampled the limited edition women's Heat in what looks like a bubble bath bottle with a reflective pink coating. It's red apple sweet, one for spoiled teenagers at Christmas perhaps.

* The more grown-up floral Calvin Klein Eternity is also out in a summer version in an attractive glass bottle with a green and purple leaf imprint. This is sweeter than expected also, with tropical fruit notes.

7. Ange ou Demon Diamantissime Edition 50ml eau de parfum $139

A limited edition bottle with Swarovski crystals for Givenchy's floriental scent which has always reminded me a little of Angel without the gourmand overkill and with added crispness. Lily and rosewood are among the intriguing elements. The look-at-me crystal-shaped and bedecked bottle is cunningly graduated dark to light. (A stylish solid perfume is also available in a black bejewelled compact).

8. Midnight Rain Sheer Mist 50ml $220

This scent from La Prairie is a lighter version of Midnight Rain and its tear-drop shaped bottle with holographic sparkle top is also more transparent. This also has a touch of Angel about it, though it's far, far softer, being fruity-floral and warm. Not for everyone, but for some this will appeal as a distinctive signature scent that doesn't overpower. (Silver Rain Sheer Mist is another in the family, being the fresher, spicier little sister scent).

9. Lacoste Love of Pink 90ml $142

Despite the colour this is more of a fruity floral with vanilla underpinnings than a rose scent. It's likely to appeal to younger readers, with a light, fresh, sporty, but undeniably sweet, feminine style for spritzing after that post-gym shower.

Stockists: Department stores and selected pharmacies.