Best BPALs for SUMMER - is it hot, sweltering, sticky outside?

[stellamaris]

Well, number one has to be the Mad Hatter, as it is wonderful and minty, and I do not want to be bug dinner.

Second is Ya Te Vo, for refreshing green-ness.

Third, is L'Heure Verte and Absinthe, very light and refreshing.

And Bat of Wealth, also nice and light, and cherry.

 

I just ordered some "summery" scents, Cloister Graveyard in the Snow (for cool mintyness), The Caterpillar for what VelvetSky said, and Josie.

Edited July 11, 2011 by stellamaris

[VipKim]

I'm still fairly new to BPAL and don't have tons of scents to choose from, but Shattered has been my go-to scent since the heat warning went into effect a few days ago! It's fantastic. The mint kicks in all tingly-cold on my skin a few minutes after applying, and it's like rubbing (fabulous-smelling) ice cubes on my wrists. I'm definitely going to have to order some more!

[Autumnsky]

Embalming Fluid (light musk), Tweedledee (creamy citrus floral) and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Bat (Juicy melon)

 

YMMV

[Lill]

Lately I have preferred the heavier oils that bloom in the heat: Snake Oil, Banshee Beat, etc. One thing I love about BPALs is that they tend to stay closer to the skin than alcohol based perfume, so even the heavier ones are rarely overwhelming to me. The only ones I don't like in sweltering heat are the heavy incenses like Midnight Mass and All Soul's-- something about them smell best (to me) swirling around in cool or cold air. Of course, I am not a fan in general of lighter scents (they often smell high pitched to me) so take my preferences with a grain of salt!

[Gateau]

I'm of two minds with summer scents. Sometimes I want to feel cool and fresh, so I tend to go for grassy, light and refreshing fragrances, like Amsterdam or The Dormouse (I'm wearing 51 today, and it's working like that, as does Croquet). Other times I really want to get down and dirty with the summer and humidity -- these are the days I turn off the air conditioning and spend a lot of time outside. On those days I love something that smells sticky and earthy and spicy and warm -- have been wearing Pussy in those moods. Tropical scents (like Shango, which isn't really me, but others might enjoy it) also make me feel part of summer.

[Penance]

51 is the perfect summer scent for me.

 

I don't normally wear scents seasonally (if I love something, I wear it whenever I want), but 51 just screams "warm weather" to me. The honeydew is fresh and juicy and the florals and light musk are delicate and airy. It's a huge departure from my usual heavy incense/musk/leather blends, but I love it.

[Poenari]

I usually wear the same scents year-round, because if I love 'em, I love 'em. However, lately I've been loving my bottles of Lawn Gnome and Allison Gross. There's just something about each one of them that's perfect for hot summer days.

[biocarolyn]

I'm of two minds when it is hot & sticky- one is to wear something light and try to feel cool, and another is luxuriate in the sort of sleepy slowness that kind of heat brings. So the scents are different:

 

Light & ethereal:

Autumn Coolness - love the bamboo in the summer heat

Boo Bam - as above, but cleaner bamboo

Christmas Eve on the Moor - almost aquatic, lots of air

Lemon Scented Sticky Bat - loving this right now! the "ice" part amps on me as I wear it

Metal Tiger - metallic always feels cooling

Moon of Ice - this is ICY COLD on me, without being mint

Ochosi - such an airy, clean, clear scent

Pele - smells tropical, but light

Planting Moon - summer garden

Roadhouse - dandelions and beer

Sea of Glass - so ethereal, light and clear

Snowball Fracas - another one that is SO ICY on me

Velvet Tiki - more tropical goodness, but a but heavier than Pele

 

Summer Slow & Hot:

Banded Sea Snake - this is my "summer" snake oil

Berry Moon 2009 - the berries and honey musk in this are perfect

Crib Girls - lots of honeys read "hot summer" on me, and the cubeb in this is lemony so it feels lighter

Fae - scary fairies. fairies carrying really sharp knives, but hiding in the summer forest

The Jersey Devil - but I spent my summers in the pine barrens as a kid, so...

Lawn Gnome - currant is yummy here

Opuhi - The foodiest vanilla I can stand- sweet, summer syrup

Ushi - so JUICY

Edited July 21, 2011 by biocarolyn

[chaismolokom]

The Haunted Palace.

 

The Infernal Lover is also fabulous for getting sweaty. I have the red musky version, but I imagine the honey would be good and sultry as well.

[AmyO'Shields]

Autumn Coolness, Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat, Embalming Fluid, Shanghai, Lantern Ghost of Oiwa (and any of the other salons with tea/cherry blossom in them), Hay Moon, Summer's Last Will and Testament, Australian Copperhead, Titania, Xanthe the Weeping Clown, Hermia, High Strung Daisies, Weeping Branches Moon... oh the list is endless!

[Dark Alice]

For these past few days...

 

Winter time mixed with Anesthesia. Cooling sweet pepperminty winter FTW!

 

And all of my do not attract bugs scents in the summer rotation. Including Pain.

[Lorna Brigid]

My favorite summer scents are the fruity and cooling or light floral kinds....

 

The last couple weeks in particular, I've worn:

 

-Zephyr

-The Mysterious Warning

-Seraglio

-Queen Mab

-Fae

-Peach Moon

-Black Butterfly Moon

-Faunalia

-Titania

-Belle Vinu

-Zorya

-Haloes

-Kumiho

[MamaMoth]

I find myself craving Sudha Segara day after hot, sweltering day. And Hypothermia is also quite nice when it's muggy and sticky. It's not my favorite thing to smell, but it makes me *feel* cool.

[reconditarmonia]

I've been liking Cordelia a lot in this very hot summer. The tea and lemon keep it cool, but the lilac stops it from smelling like I showered with dish soap.

[Sakari]

Apparently the Pacific Northwest has decided to join the rest of the country in having a summer as of this weekend, and I'm finding that Mag Mell is a perfect scent for warm weather!

[kirsten]

I've been slathering Pomegranate II for the last couple of days.

[jamcde03]

i've been getting a lot of mileage out of baobhan sith, i love grapefruit in the summer. fae is an old summer standby, and i've JUST started to be able to wear my antikythera mechanism, it's aged enough, so that an black lace are my summer creamy scents. black lace doesn't really count maybe, because i wear it year round regardless of 'appropriate' weather

[stellamaris]

I would like to put in a vote for Cloister Graveyard in the Snow, it is incredibly fresh (not soapy, not detergent, not dryer sheets) and it actually feels cool on my skin. The mint is there but not so strong as The Mad Hatter.

[Wwindy]

Hey, nobody's mentioned Pyramus! It's lighter and fresher than you might think from the list of notes -- the tea really comes out on my skin.

[lunaticana]

Dreamland Sweet Life Marae The Girl

[Viridian]

This summer I've liked:

 

- Leanan Sidhe, Selkie, Blue Moon (either of the two newest batches) - florals with a hint of green wetness to them.

 

- Boomslang, Mme Moriarty, Green Tree Viper - Snake-oil-types that seem like they ought to be overpowering in the heat, but are sometimes just right and surround me in a cloud of soft sweetness. Haunted falls into this category, too, because I tried it for the first time this summer and it turns into a yummy vanilla amber that lasts all day in the heat.

 

- Blue Fire - for when I need to smell like a fizzy alcoholic drink. I almost got rid of this one last year but the dusty note I didn't like in it has faded, and the fruity fizziness has gotten stronger.

[scarletlibris]

Sturgeon Moon! Water, cucumber, lovely in baking weather, splish splash.

 

Sea of Glass! Ozone with an amber (?) drydown - like being by the sea on a super-hot day.

 

Numb! Hated at the time but it's the perfect 'baby powder in the fridge' scent.

[Altaira]

I'm loving Neutral as a summer scent. The skin musk smells clean and it has just a hint of floral (rose?) to it that I really love.

[loverstreet]

I'm loving Neutral as a summer scent. The skin musk smells clean and it has just a hint of floral (rose?) to it that I really love.

 

I'm loving Neutral as well. This is our 5th day in temps over 100, so I've been mostly slathering the citrusy scents.

 

Akuma

Kuang Shi

Knockout Drops

Titania

 

...and the occasional vanilla...

 

Wulfric

LIZ

[luzblah]

Mine:

 

Thalia

Dirty

Silver phoenix

Water of notre dame

blood rose

snow white

....Snow Glass Apples... But only if its a special day!