The scent of Vacation: All the things you love about summer are inside this little bottle.

By SARA VANDEN BERGE

I wasn’t looking for new perfume.

In fact, The Husband had just bought me a bottle of Tom Ford for my birthday when I came across an ad for Vacation.

The company claims “Vacation immerses the wearer in the inimitable sunscreen experience wherever they may be.”

I thought that sounded pretty good so I read a few of the reviews.

“Smells like sun-kissed skin lathered in coconut sunblock. Fabulous.”

“Vacation is very unique. Love the salty beachy cocktail vibe from the coconut. It has a distinctively retro style that makes it smell so good on skin.”

“Smells like a sunny beach vacation in a bottle! Highly pleased & I get so many compliments!”

“This perfume literally smells like what I imagine that Phoebe Cates scene in Fast Times at Ridgemont High smells like. So nostalgic. Will get people to stop talking mid-sentence to sniff you.”

That was enough to convince me to buy a bottle.

And while no one has tried to sniff me (yet), my friend Jen quickly ordered her own bottle after taking a whiff of mine.

You guys, this stuff lives up to the company’s claims; it’s like all of your favorite scents of summer crammed inside a little bottle.

It smells like coconut, bananas and sunshine, and I swear that I can even detect a note of pool toys.

A few sprays and I’m transported back to my days in sunny California when I still looked great in a bikini and “Maneater” by Hall and Oates was playing on my boom box.

You can order a one-ounce bottle of Vacation for $60 (but if you sign up for the newsletter, you get a discount).

I love good perfume, and while Vacation is certainly not Channel or Tom Ford, it does have a wonderfully unique scent (that doesn’t smell inexpensive) reminiscent of all the best parts of summer.

The next time you see me, feel free to take a sniff.

I won’t be offended.