Chaneling a turquoise sea and sky

Get into a summer mood by embracing the brilliant blue sea and sky.

When you’re in the summer mood, there’s nothing like turquoise. It transports you and your brain into memories of big sunny skies and Caribbean beaches, suntans with turquoise jewellery (for those of us style junkies) and maybe even an azure-coloured cocktail that you wouldn’t go near in the dead-cold days of January.

And turquoise-bottled fragrances for steamy days in July? Yes, please. We love how these flasks and their scents aim to channel summer living, whether it’s of the yacht-off-Mykonos mindset or more the Hamptons-in-J.Crew lifestyle.

Test drive

To get a real-consumer opinion, we conducted a most informal blind review of the featured scents. I asked my accommodating husband for his honest feedback—a simple one-word description—of each fragrance at first spritz and then 10 minutes later.

The review

Calvin Klein channels the beach-loving season with its upbeat Calvin Klein CK One Summer spritz, full of water accords, watermelon, citrus, cucumber, mint, waterlily, moss, musk and wood. Calvin Klein CK One EDT, $58 (100 ml), www.calvinklein.com
The real-man review:
First impression: “Soapy.”
After 10 minutes: “Fruity.”

Roberto Cavalli imagines the Mediterranean in his new Acqua summer fragrance, which mixes a watery jasmine note with lily of the valley and musk. It’s sexy and fresh, like your bikini blowing in the breeze on a steamy day after an ocean swim. Roberto Cavalli Acqua EDT, $75 (50 ml), www.parfums.robertocavalli.com, www.sears.ca
The real-man panel review:
First impression: “Perfumey.”
After 10 minutes: “Kinda fake.”

Davidoff Cool Water is a beach-minded classic with its aromatic mix of herbs (lavender, coriander and peppermint), flowers (jasmine, orange blossom) and skin notes (sandalwood, oak moss, amber and musk). Davidoff Cool Water EDT, $87 (125 ml), www.zinodavidoff.com
The real-man panel review:
First impression: “Masculine.”
After 10 minutes: “Spicy.”

Tom Ford does the beach, but of course more in a skinny-dipping way, with Neroli Portofino. Citrus notes and aromatics meld deliciously with amber. Tom Ford Neroli Portofino EDP, $225 (50 ml), www.holtrenfrew.com
The real-man panel review:
First impression: “Italian.”
After 10 minutes: “Medicinal.”

Versace’s turquoise-bottled Eros blends fresh mint, citrus and apple with warm and spicy heart notes of tonka bean, geranium and ambroxan; there’s a woody-and-vanilla base too. It delivers a sexy, citrusy, tobacco-ness. Versace Eros EDT, $78 (50 ml), www.versace.com
The real-man panel review:
First impression: “Powdery.”
After 10 minutes: “Peppery.”