- I'm Brian Sacawa.
You're watching "He Spoke Style," and today, we're taking
a look at 10 citrus fragrances that are perfect for summer.
(relaxed R & B music)
First up, we have Acqua di Santa Maria Novella Profumo.
Santa Maria Novella is a luxury apothecary
in Florence, Italy, and is actually credited with being
the oldest pharmacy in the world, and this fragrance
right here is Santa Maria Novella's oldest fragrance,
commissioned in 1533 by Catherine de' Medici.
Top notes are Calabrian bergamot,
Sicilian lemon, and neroli.
Heart notes: lavender and rosemary,
and a base note that they call an Oriental sweet note.
Now, for me, this is about as classic as it gets
in terms of citrus fragrances.
I would say that this is pretty close
to perfection if not absolutely perfect.
It's not too sweet. It's not overpowering.
It's got a really round and complete
profile for this style of fragrance.
It really kinda just becomes a part of you.
It's subtle, but it's there, and that's
what I look for in a fragrance like this.
Going to the pool, going to the beach,
after the pool, after the beach,
this is the perfect fragrance for a summer day like that.
I get about three to four hours with this,
and it becomes a very nice skin scent as it dries down.
Next, we have another classic of the genre, I would say,
the original eau de cologne, 4711.
Now, I know that this is considered two things:
one, a drugstore fragrance.
It's very cheap.
This bottle I have right here was, like, $25 on Amazon,
and two, a German old lady fragrance.
You've told me that in the comments before,
and I've just confirmed it with Justus
when we were recording our last podcast.
So, let's get to the notes,
which are going to sound familiar.
Top notes are bergamot, lemon, and orange.
Heart notes: lavender and rosemary,
and base notes are neroli and bitter orange.
Now, of all the fragrances I'm gonna talk about
in this video, this one is probably the most similar
to the Santa Maria Novella.
There are some differences, though,
that are worth pointing out.
To me, 4711 is a little more forward and lacks the elegance
and refinement of the Santa Maria Novella.
It's also, to my nose, a little less sweet,
even though I don't find Santa Maria Novella
to be all that sweet either, and I think that is because
of the bitter orange note that we have.
Now, I featured this fragrance once before in a video,
and one thing I mentioned is that I didn't think it lasted
very long, so I'm gonna revise that slightly today.
As a citrus fragrance, yes, it doesn't have
excellent longevity, but I've been wearing this
a lot recently, and I've noticed that it does really become
a nice skin scent as it dries down over time.
Now, if you're looking for that very classic
eau de cologne scent, and let's say you're
between the Santa Maria Novella and 4711,
all things being equal, if price is a concern,
I would go for the 4711.
Turning to something very interesting
and with a lot more complexity now,
and that is Arquiste's L'Etrog.
It's classified as woody, powdery, citrusy, and green,
and that's exactly how the notes read.
Top notes here are Calabrese citron
and bergamot, Sicilian lemon, and myrtle.
Heart notes: Smyrna date fruit, North African jasmine,
and pistachio tree resin; and base notes are vetiver,
patchouli, and Lebanese cedarwood.
Like all Arquiste fragrances, L'Etrog has
a very evocative description, which basically is meant
to summon the wooden cabins and citrus fruit harvest
in medieval Calabria.
It's great when there's a story like that,
and it's even better when the fragrance matches
that story exactly, which is certainly the case here,
and across the whole Arquiste portfolio.
In addition to the listed notes,
I always get a hint of lime.
Now, I love this fragrance because it's light,
yet it's complex, which is hard to do
with a fragrance like this, I feel.
It's a very interesting and unexpected summer scent
and a really cool interpretation of a citrus fragrance.
Four to six hours on my skin.
Here we have Musgo Real Spiced Citrus.
Now, the Musgo Real brand has been around since the 1930s.
It's a Portuguese brand, Claus Porto.
Really classic, gentlemanly types of fragrances,
and they also still sell soap on a rope.
This is called an exotic Oriental fougere,
so, as you can imagine, it's got a little bit
of that barbershop fragrance kind of smell to it.
Top notes are lime, coriander, lemon, and verbena.
Heart notes, they say, are spices,
and base notes are woody notes and incense.
I would definitely say this leans more towards
the spicy side of the name rather than the citrus side.
I would most certainly put this in the fougere realm.
It is very masculine in that old school gentleman
kind of way and not your typical citrus fragrance.
Up next from Penhaligon's, we have Bayolea.
I know if I said that wrong, someone will correct me.
Please do.
Now, among the 10 fragrances we're talking about
in this video, I would say that this one is probably
the most unique and weird, so notes.
Top notes are lemongrass, mandarin, and tangerine.
Heart notes: cardamom, black pepper, neroli, and lavender;
and base notes are cedarwood, sandalwood,
musk, moss, patchouli, and amber.
You've got the citrus notes on top, and you definitely
smell them right off the bat, but this is more
of what I would call a citrus aromatic.
Those heart notes of cardamom, black pepper,
and lavender really come to the fore
and really start to blossom and develop over time.
In fact, I would say that they honestly take over,
and you really aren't left with much
of the citrus once this starts to dry down.
It is long-lasting, I would say a good eight hours
or more, so the best way I can describe
this fragrance is to say that it is quirky.
Here's one that's a true classic,
Eau Sauvage by Christian Dior.
So, this was introduced in 1966
and was actually Dior's first fragrance for men.
Top notes include lemon, bergamot,
basil, lavender, and a hint of cumin.
Heart notes are jasmine, rose,
carnation, patchouli, and sandalwood.
Base notes: oakmoss, vetiver, musk, and amber.
Obviously, a citrusy fragrance, but also very fresh.
On the surface, it can seem like a very,
very simple fragrance, but when you spend more time
with it, you realize that it has a lot
more depth and a lot more complexity to it.
Lasts quite a while on my skin, I would say five
to eight hours, believe it or not.
Now, when you've got a classic like this,
there's really not much more to say, but the one thing
I do wanna point out is that not only
is this a fantastic fragrance, but you have
the added benefit of just a really elegantly designed
bottle and presentation as well.
Next up, we have Selection Verte
from the Creed Private Collection.
This one does come with a hefty price tag,
though in my opinion, it is very much worth it.
We'll talk about why I think that is in just a moment,
but first, let's get to the notes.
With the top notes, you're gonna find neroli,
citrus, and pepper.
Heart notes, we have peppermint and herb notes,
and base notes: ambergris.
So, I always feel like there's
a very elegant quality to Creed's fragrances.
There's a lightness and almost kind of transparency to them,
and then just that perfect blending of all of the elements
where it's making something much greater
than the sum of all of its parts.
This one here, Selection Verte, is a prime example of that.
It is a citrus fragrance, but it is not one-dimensional.
It's elegant, it's complex, and it's just so perfectly done.
Now, the other reason I would put this on a little bit
of a higher level is that it lasts,
and that is most likely due to the ambergris
in the formulation, so a few sprays
of this in the morning really will last me all day.
Here is a real staple of many people's
summer fragrance collections: Acqua di Parma Colonia.
As I said before, you can see by the shape that the label
is in that I've had this for quite
a while, and it travels a lot with me.
Honestly, it isn't summer if I'm
not wearing this at some point.
Let's get to the notes.
Top notes: lemon, sweet orange, and Calabrian bergamot.
Heart notes: lavender, Bulgarian rose,
verbena, and rosemary; and base notes
are vetiver, sandalwood, and patchouli.
Some say it is the scent of classic 1930s Italy.
It's light, it's carefree, it's glamorous,
it's sophisticated, and it's elegant in its simplicity.
It has those kinda glamorous overtones in part,
I think, because it was supposedly a favorite scent
of style icons like Cary Grant,
Gregory Peck, and David Niven.
It starts out with a real blast of sweet lemon,
but you do get those notes of the lavender,
the rosemary, and the verbena.
I don't wanna say that it thins out, but it takes on
a much different quality in about the first 30
to 60 minutes that you have this on.
Not terribly long-lasting at three to four hours,
but honestly a must-have citrus summer fragrance.
Next up is Zegna's Italian Bergamot
from the Essenze Collection, which, as you might recall,
I included in my list of picks
for the best black tie or formal fragrances.
Let's get to the notes, and they are very simple.
Top note of bergamot, heart note is rosemary,
and base notes are neroli and vetiver.
This is a very, what I would call,
elevated citrus fragrance, and I say that
because the citrus is not overpowering.
There's just a great balance
between all of the elements here.
I would say more than being citrusy,
I would put it on the fresh end of the spectrum.
It's refined. It's got a moderate projection.
It's longer-lasting.
For me, this is a great pick for any type of evening event
in the summer, whether that's a wedding
or just a nice, romantic dinner by the beach.
Finally, we have Blenheim Bouquet by Penhaligon's.
It was created in 1902 for the Duke of Marlborough.
It was also known to be a favorite
of Winston Churchill as well as Gianni Agnelli.
Top notes are lemon, lime, and lavender.
No heart notes here, and base notes
are pine, musk, and black pepper.
Now, on the Penhaligon's website, it says
that Blenheim Bouquet is as dry and fresh
as the best gin, and I think that's a really,
really apt description of this fragrance.
It has a nice sharpness to it, which is a contrast
to the more sweet notes that you find in a lot
of the other citrus fragrances we've talked about.
Now, as far as the citrus itself goes here,
you do get more of a lime instead of a lemon scent.
With a lack of heart notes, it does have that lightness
and airy quality to it, but I can't over-emphasize
the crispness and sharpness to this fragrance's character.
You get about four hours here, and it dries
down to a very nice skin scent.
Those are 10 citrus fragrances from my personal collection.
I'm sure there are plenty of others that you guys love,
so please leave those down in the comments.
You can find links to all the fragrances I talked
about in this video down below in the description.
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That's all for now, so, until next time,
thanks for watching, and stay tailored.
(ethereal music)
(clears throat) Finally, we have Blenheim Bouquet by Penhal-
Did something just ding?
Oh, it was the thing.