Brisa Cubana Eau de Toilette

Four materials, one idea, and no pretence of being anything more: Escada Brisa Cubana Eau de Toilette is a summer scent built to smell of a cold drink on a hot afternoon. Lime leads and it is handled sharp and green, the peel as much as the juice, with a bitterness behind the sourness. Mojito is listed as a material in its own right, and it does what the name promises, bringing a sweetened, slightly fizzy quality that softens the lime without burying it. The two of them together are the opening and most of the middle. Mint is the only thing in the heart and it is used cold rather than sweet, a clean herbal chill that lifts the drink idea and keeps the whole thing from turning syrupy. It is a simple move and it works. Mariposa lily closes it, a light, clean, faintly waxy white flower that gives the finish something soft to settle into. That is the entire composition. Being honest about a short note list matters. There is no development to follow here, no hidden third act, and what you smell after ten minutes is what you will be wearing all day. At eau de toilette strength expect three or four hours, which for a scent like this is fine, since it is designed for re-application rather than for endurance.

It reads feminine, leans unisex, and belongs to heat and daylight: holidays, beaches, gardens and the hottest weeks of the year.

Escada is a German womenswear house. Margaretha and Wolfgang Ley set it up in Munich in 1978 and its reputation rests on strong colour and bold print. The fashion company changed hands in 2009, passing to the Mittal family trusts. Its perfumes are made under licence, and the line has produced a long run of limited edition summer scents since 1993.