Thank you for recommending this, Dee!

So here at Johns Hopkins, there’s an area we call “the beach”. Excitable freshmen are often very disappointed to learn that the closest beach is an hour and a half away, and “the beach” is essentially a large plot of grass. It’s sort of like how you can always find a few tourists wandering around D.C. in search of the National Mall. Do not try to explain to these tourists that the Mall is not actually some sort of massive shopping center: they generally will not believe you, and are often offended at your attempted trickery.

“No, really, where’s the mall?”

At the beginning of the school year, the more daring Hopkins students subscribe to a literal understanding of “the beach”, sunbathing and throwing around a frisbee in their bathing suits. Two weeks later and 20 degrees lower, “the beach” is mostly deserted and my daily opportunities to see a shirtless lax bro have decreased dramatically.

To recapture that fast-fading feel of summer, I turn to Lemon Vanilla. This is by far the best of the three limited edition “summer vanillas” released by B&BW this year. Lemon Vanilla smells like frozen lemonade, that summer delight whose natural habitat is the boardwalk of a beach town. I cannot imagine smelling Lemon Vanilla without immediately craving some funnel cake to go with it.

In keeping with its summery nature, Lemon Vanilla is a fleeting pleasure. That sparkling lemon topnote fades fairly quickly, leaving behind a flatter, predominately vanilla scent. At $12.50 for 8 ounces, however, one can easily afford to remain in denial about the changing of seasons long after the leaves have begun to fall.