A Year of Summer (Vacation)

It’s hard to imagine that it’s already September—and even more unimaginable is that in less than a month, I’ll have spent most of 2021 in Los Angeles. This time last year, I made a sudden (though far from impulsive) decision to quit my job and move my life across the country. There was no hesitation, just bullish determination to find something new or Eat Pray Love sans Goop-y spirituality quotient: nearly 10 years of the same no longer served me. I craved change. Sunshine.

A year of summer.

I suppose anyone could’ve predicted this move. If not last year, it would’ve happened at some point, even if just to try the West Coast on for size. I’ve always been cold-adverse and exponentially happier with a steady stream of sunlight, after all—a proclivity that would explain my predilection for brights (a hard East Coast no) and a never-ending pursuit for The Perfect Summer Fragrance. The iconic Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess satiated that need for a few years, but I missed the creaminess of a true sunscreen—and thus began a deep-dive into Tom Ford’s Soleil collection. Orchid Soleil ended up being my favorite of the series: a frangipani crème with hints of French pharmacy sunscreen. It was more floral and sophisticated than Banana Boat (hardly Mr. Ford’s fault; my low-brow taste is to blame). What I wanted was nostalgia, bottled up in a scent cheaper than designer juice (but priceless, of course).

Translation: I craved fake coconut and banana Laffy Taffy topped with pool water evaporating on hot concrete, served with a splash of milky sweetness.

The brand Vacation seemed to pop up out of nowhere but also entered into my consciousness at the right time, too. Yet before I could even add a bottle of their eponymous perfume to my cart (much less a tube of their signature sunscreen), everything had been sold out—and the waiting list now at thousands, apparently. Simple curiosity soon became an unshakable want, and by the time the package arrived at my doorstep, I was already convinced that this must be the one.

Spoiler alert: I’m happy to report that this perfume did not disappoint.

Vacation by Vacation is an eau de toilette that captures the fragrance of the brand’s signature sunscreen. If the kitschy packaging and marketing efforts didn’t already win you over, the juice certainly will. It captures all the sentimental elements of a youth spent at the town’s pool club: the first spritz is saccharine and plastic (think artificial coconut, a touch of banana, pool toys in chlorinated water). Those top notes quickly dry down, leaving behind what I can only describe as the smell of pool water, a wet bikini, creamier coconut (the flesh), and skin after a day in the sun. It’s light, addictive, perfect. Ten out of 10 and worthy of wear well into fall if you don’t subscribe to seasonal ins and outs.

Vacation’s signature sunscreen is nice, too. The scent alone (sweeter, with more notes of banana than its perfume counterpart) makes the Classic Lotion worth the purchase, but the texture is deserving of accolades, too. The cream is light, silky, and glides across skin. Give the lotion a minute to sink in and you’re left with baby-smooth skin and the most beautiful, natural glow—a must for moisturizing limbs and adding dewy highlight while shielding your skin from damaging free radicals.

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xx