The NOTEbook — french-lilac

There’s a version of summer fragrance shopping that goes like this: buy something light, something fresh, something inoffensive enough to wear in the heat without overwhelming anyone in a ten-foot radius. Put away the heavy stuff until October. Repeat every year. It’s a reasonable approach. It’s also leaving a significant amount of olfactory experience on the table. The reality is that summer doesn’t just change what fragrances are comfortable to wear — it changes how every fragrance performs. The chemistry of heat and skin and humidity creates conditions that transform the way a scent develops, projects, and lingers in ways...