Reviews of At The Beach 1966 (2005)
by CB I Hate Perfume

CB I Hate Perfume At The Beach 1966

I own four scents which are meant to resemble suntan oil/lotions. Some of them get the suntan lotion note completely right, Bond No. 9 Fire Island and Jean Patou Chaldee. Some of them remember to include the smell of sun-warmed skin, Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess. Only one of them remembers to add the ocean to the mix, Christopher Brosius’ 2005 release for his CB I Hate Perfume line, At The Beach 1966. As in all of the scents I mentioned previously Mr. Brosius’ inspiration was the scent of a suntan lotion of the time, Coppertone. 1966 was a simpler time when we, probably foolishly, didn’t pay attention to SPF’s or dermatological risks of being in the sun. We just wanted to be as brown as we could get. The choice of suntan lotion for many in those days was Coppertone. Right from the top of this Mr. Brosius hits the Coppertone accord accurately. It reminds me as I would arrive at the beach walking by the early risers who already had absorbed the sun’s first rays. The smell of Coppertone on warm skin would surround me. Then as I’d unroll my towel the breeze would blow in from the surf and I’d get the smell of the salt spray from the waves crashing, followed by the smells of the sand. Mr Brosius brilliantly brings that milieu to life in At The Beach 1966 as after the Coppertone accord fades a bit there is a strong salty, ozonic accord which mimics the surf followed by an iodine laden accord which evokes the wet sand under that surf. Mr. Brosius sells his creations as water perfumes and if that term makes you nervous about strength or longevity I haven’t found the use of a water base to have any difference over the alcohol used in most other perfumes. At The Beach 1966 is a long-lasting, close wearing scent on me. At The Beach 1966 is like captured time in a bottle of perfume and it has all the ingredients from a day at the beach.

I was surprised by how much I like this scent. Apparently, it's the scent of Coppertone, crushed shells, sand, and ocean air. It defintely smells fresh...but to me, there is a dandelion smell to it.

Wow, what an amazing beach frag! I usually detest ocean scents, Armani's makes me gag, but this scent is completely different. Instead of focusing on the water, or on the air, Christopher BROSIUS directs his attention to the human experience of sunning. The notes, including summery sand, jasmine, sea spray, dianthus dune flower, neroli petals and driftwood, help form the more synthetic smell of drugstore tanning oil heating on the skin. Not unlike Bond no 9's Fire Island, this scent is clearly a reference to the ritual of the beach, rather than the landscape itself. This is one of 3 in his Memory Series, along with Memory of Kindness and Winter of 1972. The Kindness scent is incredible! Before I read about the notes, I sat and tried to remember where this familiar smell was located in my own memory. It is the scent of tomato vines and leaves, and that was my childhood. Winter, on the otherhand, delivers the still cold air. CB I Hate Perfume is a very interesting brand, and not too pricey!