'Whenever I spray this £24 body mist I get asked what perfume I'm wearing – it smells designer!'

As a beauty editor, I get asked for product recommendations nearly daily by friends and family. Most of the time, it's for one of three items: moisturisers, mascaras or perfumes.

I used to be surprised by the latter because perfumes are so...personal. What my nose thinks is a sophisticated scent may be far from what someone else's might, especially considering I tend to go for woody and sweet scents with vanilla notes – not always to everyone's liking. But the more I think about why I'm asked for scent recommendations the more I do understand it. A fragrance is a big investment, with a bottle costing upwards of £70 for a decent EDP. People want to make sure it's one they'll wear until every last drop of liquid has been sprayed.

Because of this, I think about my recommendations carefully. I have a few failsafe buys I clue people into – Glossier You and YSL Black Opium, to name two – but there is also one body mist I confidently share when I know someone is on a budget: Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa '40 Perfume Mist, £24 here.

This delicious scent has long been my secret to smelling incredible during the summer months, and I always seem to get compliments on my smell whenever I spritz it on before leaving the house to meet friends. In fact, no word of a lie, I was standing in the queue at Zara last week and the girl behind me tapped me on the shoulder to ask if I'd sprayed one of the scents near the tills because she wanted to buy it. As a Londoner used to minimal eye contact in public places let alone a verbal conversation, this exchange truly showed the magic of the mist.

I also think this particular Sol de Janeiro spray gets overlooked in the brand's expansive mist catalogue because it looks like the 68 scent, which is arguably more popular thanks to TikTok hype. However, the 40 is the true unsung hero that has the most designer-like scent (second to After Hours limited edition, and now sold out, spray from last year) of all the mists. It could be compared to a few pricey perfumes ranging from Dior to Maison Margiela, but TikTok likens it to Ariana Grande's hugely popular Cloud scent.

Cheirosa 40 is packed with notes of plum, orchid and musk, giving a sweet initial aroma with a smooth, creamy finish. It honestly is like summer, bottled. If I'm going out, a top trick I learnt from TikTok to help make its staying power a little punchier – though, for a body mist, the Cheirosa 40 lasts for hours before I need to top myself up with another spray – is to pair it with Valentino Born in Roma (£78.20 here). The two together give a unique fragrance with depth, sweetness and oaky base notes.

So, if you were looking for a low-cost summer scent, make it Sol de Janeiro's Cheirosa '40 Perfume Mist. And when your friends ask what you're wearing, clue them in on it too – we don't gatekeep around here!