A Tropical Escape in a Bottle May Be as Close as We Get

I have spent more time on Travelocity in the past two weeks than I care to talk about, all in the name of planning a dream beach vacation escape. White sand, turquoise waters, me in a caftan with a piña colada in hand — sounds fabulous, right? Too bad it costs actual money to book it. So instead, I'm cheering myself up with Escada Born in Paradise ($59), which has notes of watermelon, guava, and coconut milk (doesn't that sound like an awesome smoothie, too?). The fragrance isn't overly fruity thanks to a musky drydown. It's almost like I'm sitting in Vieques, Puerto Rico, if I just close my eyes . . .