Spring Scents to Brighten Your Fragrance Wardrobe

I’m not the type to drastically change my wardrobe or style seasonally. While other guys are sporting pastel button downs, lightweight slouchy cardigans, and shedding scarves, I basically maintain the same look year-round. Boring? Maybe, but I’ve worked hard to have a classic wardrobe of staples, and it saves me a ton of time to keep my look streamlined. Sure, I’ll grab a few seasonal pieces, but I prefer to keep things simple in a way I’m confident works for me. But there is one area of my aesthetic where I do make intentional seasonal changes—my scent.

Scent is the sense most strongly tied to memory, and for me swapping out my fragrance on a seasonal basis helps get me into a different mind frame. Over the winter, I find myself reaching for Commes des Garcons x Monocle Scent One: Hinoki. This strong, comforting scent is filled with cypress, thyme, and vetiver, which reminds me of cold, cozy evenings and warm sweaters. I break my bottle out around September and typically tuck it back away after February. As spring arrives, I think about cool grey skies, warm rain, and blooming gardens, so I typically switch to Demeter Thunderstorm, which is loaded with petrichor and smells exactly like the earth after a good rain. But now that the weather is warming, I’m ready for something bright and fresh. I’ve stuck to the same seasonal fragrances for a couple of years, and I’m looking for a change, a new smell to invoke memories of a new year.

Luckily, a close friend sent me a box of fragrance samples and offered to purchase me the full sized bottle of my choosing as a birthday gift, so I was able to sort through some classics, luxury scents, and brand-new indie offerings to find the perfect thing for me. Which one did I decide on? Keep reading to find out.

Terre d’Hermes

I’d smelled this fragrance before, but never knew what it was. With woodsy, golden notes and a slight mineral dry down, it was complimentary with my chemistry but ultimately smelled like every guy I know. This scent is a well made classic for a reason, but I prefer to smell like myself and not a recognizable brand. The cool thing about Terre d’Hermes though is that I can blend it with other scents to make something more original. I added a small splash of rosemary essential oil and found the results to be delicious. I passed on this one, but will definitely use the rest of my sample.

Kiel’s Musk

I like floral scents, and Kiel’s has blended a truly beautiful one in this fragrance. The top notes were subtle lilies, a bit of rose, and a fresh, green vetiver. Upon dry down, the “musk” emerged, but on me it bloomed into a patchouli note. The combination was pleasant, although on the heavy side. After the first hour, all of the florals had faded and I was left with pure patchouli. While it’s not my favorite note, Kiel’s absolutely blended it brilliantly but ultimately this one wasn’t for me. If you like strong oriental scents, give this one a try, as it really is a delightful fragrance.

Atelier Bergamote Soleil Cologne Absolute

I thought this fragrance’s notes of oak moss, ambrette, and cardamom would make it feel wintery, but the bright additions of jasmine, white amber and bergamot added an absolutely crisp and lively layer. From the moment this hit my skin, I knew it was going to be a good match. The heavier notes settled down instantly, leaving me smelling like a warm citrus garden. Atelier makes an exquisite assortment of scents, and their newest one is pure summer in a bottle. I added a splash of Demeter Firefly, a wet, woodsy, light scent, and I was instantly transported to a warm, lush evening under the stars.

Histories De Parfums 1899

This scent is inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s years in Paris and is described as “notes of sparkling champagne flowing over the oriental accord as twirling vanilla plays hide-and-seek with vigorous vetiver.” On my skin, I didn’t get much of the champagne notes, but instead had an immediate rush of juniper and orange blossom, two of my favorite scents. The orange blossom evokes spring, and tempered with amber and black pepper, it smelled expensive and classy. Because Histories De Parfums puts such a high emphasis on quality, this fragrance remained intimate, pure, and elegant all day.

Tom Ford Azure Lime

I’m a big fan of all of the Tom Ford fragrances. They are well-made, blend able and unique, especially for a popular brand. I wear Tom Ford Italian Cypress in the fall and was excited to try this lighter, more vibrant scent—I was not disappointed. The lime water infusion was sweet without being chemical, and the orange flower and basil components transformed what could’ve been an average scent into something truly dynamic. I sniffed myself all day.

So what did I ultimately choose?

Although I loved many of the samples, I ended up going for the Histories De Parfum 1899. It evoked feelings of childhood summers and blended well with other scents in my collection. I plan to pick up Azure Lime and the Atelier scents as well, but for now I will gladly enter Spring on a cloud of 1899.