All I Do Is Beach: Natalie: Another Perfume Blog

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Post by Natalie APB

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Friends, it’s confession time! My name is Natalie, and I am no longer a perfume junkie. Since I closed Another Perfume Blog last year, my perfume consumption is down by approximately 1000%. So why am I writing a post for APJ? Well, first because Portia asked me to, and no one can say no to Portia. And second, because I do have a little area of specialization to share with you all: beach fragrances! Today I’m going to share my personal categories of beach perfumes, and my top favorite in each category.

Beach Fragrance Manly ManlyAustraliaPhoto Stolen ManlyAustralia

Beach Fragrances 2015: All I Do is Beach

Indian Coconut Nectar Pacifica FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Beach Fragrance Category 1: The Hawaiian Tropic

Hawaiian Tropic suntan oil is the iconic coconut oil beach smell. Unbelievably rich and full of creamy, coconutty lactones. This category of beach fragrances is also creamy and coconutty, but the best ones invoke some sourness to call up the smell of skin rather than dessert. My favorite in this category is from DSH’s Essence Studios: Hippie Chic. It’s heavy on black coconut and clove, and the longer I have my bottle, the more present the ambergris is. Longevity is excellent, and the heaviness of this scent does well on the beach (naturally) and on a hot summer night when you don’t plan to get home until dawn. If you can’t find Hippie Chic, try anything from Comptoir Sud Pacifique or Indian Coconut Nectar from Pacifica.

Terracotta Le Parfum Guerlain FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Beach Fragrance Category 2: The Bain de Soleil

Ban de Soleil is the sun cream that says “I’m European, bitch,” and so do the perfumes in this category. Less about coconut and less accessible than some other beach perfumes, they are all about solar notes. They can read as space-age takes on sunscreen (MiN New York’s Long Board is an amazing, wearable example) or simply as very chic. I go for the Guerlain’s Terracotta Le Parfum, where the solar notes are matched with spice and white flowers. The scent is elusive, but ce est les francais, non? Bobbi Brown’s Beach and CB I Hate Perfume At the Beach 1966 are a few others in this group.

Bronze Goddess Soleil Estée Lauder FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

Beach Fragrance Category 3: The Bronzer

For the beach bunny who could care less about sunscreen, and just wants to look (and smell) sexy, we look no further than Bronze Goddess. The Bronzers are the beach fragrances that makes everyone smell like a supermodel, and Bronze Goddess is the queen of them all. A perfectly balanced, sexy mix of coconut, white flowers, citrus, balsamic, and suntan oil notes. The poor longevity is actually a benefit, since it’s an excuse to re-mist yourself every few hours. I could recommend other “Bronzer” perfumes, but why would I? This category is owned by Bronze Goddess, folks.

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Lys Soleia Guerlain FragranticaPhoto Stolen Fragrantica

 Category 4: The Skinnydipper

These fragrances are all about summer nights. Nuxe’s Le Prodigiuex has an introspective feeling, spotlighting white flowers. Its longevity is incredible, especially if you buy the oil and use it in your hair. Or try the less subtle (but more fleeting) Guerlain Lys Soleia. And don’t miss the extra glam Michael by Michael Kors.

Beach Fragrance Bondi_Beach wikipediaPhoto Stolen Wikipedia

Which category of beach fragrances appeals to you, or do you not agree with my categories at all? Be sure to share your favorite beach frags, too (I wouldn’t mind adding to my collection, even if I’m not a real perfume junkie anymore)!

Natalie xx

21 thoughts on “All I Do Is Beach: Natalie: Another Perfume Blog”

  1. Natalie!!!!!! Oh how I’ve missed you and your writing. So great to see you here. It’s a good thing Portia is impossible to say no to.

    As you know, Nuxe’s Le Prodigieux is my one and only beach fragrance. I didn’t think I’d ever find one to suit me until I came across it, not usually being a fan of coconut or white florals. Your categories are fab.

    Too funny your perfume consumption has reduced by 1000% since stepping away from the blogosphere. Shows what a bunch of enablers we are 🙂

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    • Tara! I have missed you, too, although of course I get to read your posts on OT (and I have a draft email to you in my head, that just hasn’t been written yet). 🙂 It is because of you that Nuxe is on this list. I didn’t like it much until you gave me a sample, and now I’m a third of a way through a bottle. Thank you!

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  2. Natalie! I’ve missed you too!!!! Happy to read some of your writing 🙂 Bronze Goddess is my fave beach frag. It’s so sexy and beachy-you are so right! Longevity is good on me but I do love topping up as it’s oh so good to boost it during the day! Thankyou-I’ll wear it tomorrow in your honour xx

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  3. Natalie,
    I am so happy you let me talk you into writing. What a smasher of a piece, so many of my favourites all in one place. One you did miss that I adore is Sun by Jill Sander, even the bottle looks beachy.
    Thanks for taking time out of your busy life to come play at APJ.
    Portia xx

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  5. Ooh, there you are! Lovely to see you again. I am glad you are managing to exist with such minimal perfume interaction, but what a perfect category of scent to suit the laid back Aussie lifestyle. Here in chilly Europe we have another beach category – the salty tangy marram grass, wave lashed Breton kind, as typified by MH Fleurs de Sel, TDC Sel de Vetiver, that salty Heeley one and a few others. Even the new Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt, though I don’t think it feels especially salty.

    There may also be room for a Mediterranean pine-fringed beach kind of beach category – with some lemon groves in there, definitely resin from the pines, maybe an olive note. That Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo range springs to mind, which is all about Med beaches, with fig here, orange there, blah blah.

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  6. Hey Natalie! Le Maroc Pour Elle is my beach scent. Fabulous hippie/India incense stick/patchouli/ bomb. Gorgeous. Love this post. Must check some out. I wish I was in Australia right now. Sigh. xxx

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  7. I’ll join others in “great to see you here!” 🙂

    Our weather is really close to the beach one – 71F! 😦 My only beach perfume is Bronze Goddess though you won’t find me dead without a sunscreen outside in sun.

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    • Thank you! It is good to see you too! I’m sure that weather is causing both of you a good amount of angst, and I am with you: lots of sunscreen. And a hat. And sometimes an umbrella. I am even more careful here because the sun is so strong.

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  8. What a pleasant surprise to find you here!
    My only beachy scent is Bronze Goddess. Maybe I’ll wear it tomorrow to channel some thoughts of sunshine. I’m in snowmageddon over here. The wind chill this morning was an amazing -38°F! And in the past month we’ve had literally about 100″ of snow. I’d give anything to be on a warm beach.

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  9. Gah this was the article I’ve been craving all season! I have and love most of these scents. I’ve been bathing in Wood sage and sea salt for the past couple of days. I’d have to add Lostmarc’h’s Ael-Mat which is also kind of briny and totally wonderful.

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