Spring is officially here in Slovenia. The clocks have changed, we have more daylight, the mornings are crisp, the days feel colourful, and the overall energy is just better.
When it comes to perfume, fresh and bright scents become our first choice during this season. Don’t get us wrong, we love how colder days make some fragrances shine in a special way, but right now we need lighter, happier ones.
We usually try to avoid lists on this website, but doing single reviews for every great spring perfume would take forever. So here’s our short list of favorite spring fragrances for ladies (some are marketed as unisex, but at home these are worn exclusively by Maruša). We’ll do a men’s list soon guys, so stay tuned 🙂
After years of collecting, these are the ones that keep coming back every spring. Some we’ve even acquired twice so they will be always in our shelves.
Onda d’Oro – Plume Impression
This one has really grown on us. We first received it as a collaboration when it wasn’t even released yet. At the time it smelled good, but somehow felt a bit generic. We put it aside for months.
Then one day we tried it again and finally understood its real soul. What’s interesting is that when you read the notes you would never think “spring fragrance”, but don’t let that fool you. This perfume shines in spring.
It’s leathery but with a bright edge. Soft suede drenched in iris, with green patchouli running through it from beginning to end. It’s also powdery, a little sweet thanks to vanilla in the base, and has a nice musky amber warmth. The composition is simple but very effective.
While it works all year, spring evenings are where it feels most powerful. Incredible perfume. Marketed as unisex, but on Maruša’s skin it gets a completely new dimension.
Performance is good. Around 6 hours until it’s gone, which is solid for a spring fragrance.
Official notes:
Top: Cistus Labdanum, Amber
Heart: Leather, Iris
Base: Vanilla, Musk, Patchouli
La Douceur de Siam – Dusita Paris
This is the perfect example of spring in a bottle. It’s marketed as unisex but we have to disagree. This one feels beautifully feminine and gentle.
It opens with sparkling flowers, almost like a jar of sparkling water mixed with fresh flowers and ice. There’s a moderate spiciness too. From the sprayer it almost smells like lychee even though it’s not listed. The flowers are mostly tropical. There’s also a soft rose powder feeling, but the brightest kind.
The drydown is creamy and addictive. You won’t stop smelling your wrist. Performance is great. Around 5 hours of beautiful scent before it becomes a soft vanilla veil on the skin.
Gorgeous fragrance and one that doesn’t get talked about enough.
Official notes:
Top: Champaca, Frangipani, Violet Leaf
Heart: May Rose, Ylang-Ylang, Vanilla
Base: Cinnamon, Thai Woods, Sandalwood
MDCI – Cio Cio San & La Belle Helene
We could easily put ten MDCI fragrances in this list, but that would be too biased 😀 So we’ll keep it to these two.
Cio Cio San is our favorite lychee perfume ever. It’s a blind-buy safe spring fragrance. Delicate, elegant, bright, fresh and invigorating. There’s something almost meditative about it. At first spray it’s exactly what you want to smell like on a spring day. Sweet, sparkling and full of life. Lychee is the star, joined by sweet citrus, yuzu, a delicious tea note and a bit of fresh ginger. Later you get subtle grapefruit. Florals are present but stay in the background. The drydown is still bright but gets a soft woody feeling. If we had to describe it in one word, it would be “spirited”.
Performance is excellent. Easily 6 hours. Works beautifully from day to night.
Official notes:
Top Notes: Yuzu, Lime, Ginger, Grapefruit
Heart Notes: Cherry flowers, Peony, Lychee, Reed (for a refreshing and aqueous effect), Oolong tea
Base Notes: Gaiac, Cedar, Musk, Oolong tea
La Belle Helene is the most classic French fruity-floral chypre we know. Refined, complex, and the word “timeless” fits it perfectly. It feels mature but can also add sophistication on a younger woman.
It opens with juicy pear, bright mandarin and a super clean aldehydic vibe. That first stage lasts surprisingly long. Then the classic French florals come in, mostly yellow flowers. It is clean and powdery. The pear stays in the background. The base is mildly sweet, spicy, woody and a little warm.
When you look at all the notes it’s hard to believe how balanced and elegant the final result is. Truly a work of art.
Performance is excellent. Consistently over 6 hours.
Official notes:
Top: Pear, Aldehydes, Tangerine, Lemon Flower
Heart: Bulgarian Rose, Osmanthus, Mimosa, Ylang-Ylang, Iris, Hawthorn, Mirabelle Plum
Base: Myrrh, Vetiver, Patchouli, Cedar, Amber, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, White Musk, Licorice
So this was our short list of favorite spring fragrances for ladies. Hope you enjoyed it!
Let us know which ones you like or what your own spring favorites are. Stay tuned for the men’s edition soon.
Disclosure: In this type of blog post we mix different types of perfumes. Some we purchased ourselves for fully independent reviews, some were sent to us by brands (who let us write freely with 100% our own opinions), and MDCI fragrances which we work through our video production company creating their films and photography. We also sell their perfumes on dmzboutique.com. On dmzscents.com however, we always write freely and independently. We use our own bottles and the ones received for filming, but every word, opinion, and rating is 100% ours.
Living fully, lightly scented 🌿
Thanks for reading. See you next time.
