Fall? Bah, humbug. I'm a summer person. The best thing I can say about fall is that at least it isn't winter yet.
That's me a couple of years ago, opening the Top 10 of Fall by complaining that it wasn't summer. Imagine how I feel now. There is nothing good I can say about winter except that at least it's already part of the way over. So, let's move on to the perfume, shall we?
Citrus. Angie recommends avoiding citrus in winter; instead, she says you should find a good tropical fragrance to psych yourself out of the winter doldrums. She's right that citrus doesn't really have the same effect when you're wearing several layers of warm clothing, but it cheers me up all the same — some winters, I wear an awful lot of citrus. I'm including two in this category. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Pamplemousse is cheerful, reasonably long-lasting, and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. As an added bonus, it layers nicely with just about anything. Aftelier's Candide costs more (and is perhaps more accurately termed a citrusy floral), but it's so happy, it makes me smile just to think about it.
Tropical. But of course Angie's right, you do need a tropical floral. You can pick your poison here, but I'm going with my old standby Ormonde Jayne Frangipani. I keep expecting that one day I'll spray it on and find the magic is gone, but so far, so good.
Spice. Of course you need a spice, it's winter! Spicy fragrances might be the only justification for winter, when you come right down to it. You can go heavy or you can go light; Penhaligon's Elixir is on the lighter end of things, but it's plenty strong enough to take on cold weather.
Wood pudding. The wood pudding category overlaps with spice, but adds creamy wood and a certain something that is hard to explain but that Givenchy Organza Indecence illustrates perfectly. Thank you, Givenchy, for bringing back Organza Indecence.
Dry woods. If, like me, you live in a home without a fireplace, you can compensate with Sonoma Scent Studio's Fireside Intense.
Vetiver. Of course you need a good vetiver for winter — you always need a good vetiver. Chaman’s Party by Honoré des Prés has enough depth to stand up to the cold.
Food. Many humans adapt to cold by putting on extra weight. If you'd rather spray on your sugar, try Demeter Egg Nog. It's got a nice spicy kick, and pretty good lasting power. Plus, it's dirt cheap.
Cold. When you want to give into the cold, The Different Company's De Bachmakov is perfect, not least because it features just a hint of the coming spring.
Donna Karan Black Cashmere. Yes, it overlaps with several other categories, but it's so central to winter that it deserves to constitute a category all its own. What to wear when you just can't seem to get warm.
Your winter favorites? And do check out the lists at Bois de Jasmin :: Grain de Musc :: Perfume Posse :: Perfume Smellin' Things.
Note: image is Zen Berries by chefranden at flickr; some rights reserved.
Gosh, I love that rowanberry photo! I hardly ever see them around here, but it is a tree that is firmly associated with winter in my mind.
I love Frangipani too, and I also seem to gravitate towards it more in the winter.
I love that picture too, although it’s obviously not a “natural” shot.
My Frangipani has aged so nicely…it smells better all the time.
I just got a Frangipani sample – am running upstairs to try it on!
Well? Like, hate, indifferent?
Nice choices! I can’t wait to try De Bachmakov – especially as some people compared it to Chanel 19, an old favoriteof mine. I have enjoyed Malle’s Vetiver Extraordinaire the last days. It works amazingly well in the cold weather and the best – I can already see myself wearing it on a warm breezy summer evening!!!
I ought to love #19, but I don’t. I try it again every so often to see if it has grown on me.
VE, on the other hand, is a long time favorite, and yes, it works very well in warmer weather too!
Maybe you tried the new formula? They totally messed up with the EdP some years ago – it used to be gorgeous. I’m trying the EdT now which seems to have survived. I could bathe in the Malle – if only it wasn’t so damn expensive…
I have to disagree… the current edt is a shadow of its former self.
The newer edt is thin, I agree. Love vintage edt.
Ah, you see, I like the current No 19 edt. It is lovely and much lighter. I almost wear it like a green-irisy eau de cologne. I do like the vintage parfum though. If I’m going for knock you over the head galbanum florals, I’ll stick with Chamade.
No, I’ve got all sorts of different vintages & concentrations. I like it, I just don’t adore it.
DC AREA WINTERS ARE THE WORST. I always wonder why the hell I stayed in Maryland (at least until April and the cherry blossom festival, then I remember why). The new Organza Indecence smells great- is it much like the original version?
Hey, dont you talk bad about Maryland. Its great here. Having cold weather makes you actually appreciate Summer. Plus, we have pretty good access to perfume shops, and people that live here make lots of extra cash to spend on that perfume. Did you know Howard County is one of the top 5 counties in the United States in terms of highest household income?
I did not know! Apologies for the MD hate- I’ve lived here all my life and definitely take it for granted. I’m sure I’ll miss it desperately if I ever leave. Our perfume access is VERY good. Between the Bethesda and Friendship Heights metro stations, we have a bluemercury, Saks, Neiman Marcus and Sephora!
Since I left, I do miss Friendship Heights and the adorable BlueMercury in Dupont. But I don’t miss your winters. And those summers? It’s like living in a dog’s mouth. To ward of the chill, i just picked up some Noir Epice and feel comforted.
I used to think DC/Maryland was the worst until I moved a bit farther north. Ugh.
I have never tried them side to side and I’m not going to…I’d rather not know! The new one is acceptable to me, that’s all I can say.
Hmm, I’ll disagree in good fun. Pocono winters are miserable & so dreary!
It’s really similar but creamier and sweeter. The original was woodier and I remember it had a bit of sweet hay or something in it I loved. The original lasted longer too. Anyway, at least there’s a version of it back.
My winter lineup includes:
Spice – Satellite Padparadscha (wearing this today)
Vetiver – ELdO Fat Electrician
Woods – SSS Fireside Intense, CdG Jaisalmer
Incense – PdE Wazamba
I originally had an incense category, but I took it off to have 2 citrus. Nice choices!
You know we can’t count around here, Robin! 😉 What are your incenses?
I spent a long time, and decided on the L’Artisan + Aedes scent, which I think is way underrated & forgotten — it’s a great Bertrand Duchaufour scent, and it’s pretty heavy so hard to wear in warm weather. But, Aedes is an advertiser here so that’s kind of uncomfortable anyway.
Your loyal flock trusts your impartiality, though Robin. Thanks!
Well, thank you 🙂
If I had more than a few drops of De Bachmakov I’d definitely use it as a “fighting the cold with the cold option” — but then my practically non-insulated Parisian apartment’s too hard to heat to play at that little game, so smoke, spice and incense, plus the wood puddings, seem like a more viable option. I shoud revisit my little decant of Chaman’s Party, which was the best in the first Honoré des Prés collection. I also have a sample of Elixir somewhere which I remember loving — Giacobetti does smoky spicy stuff marvellously.
I am waiting patiently (I think?) for De Bachmakov to come out in smaller sizes so I can buy it. Elixir is great stuff, it has really grown on me.
I hope it does soon… I can see it being a perfect go-to scent for early spring. Wish my decant were bigger…
“You always need a good vetiver” – well, not really. I do perfectly fine without one… same deal with citrus. And wood pudding.
Actually, there just ain’t a lot of overlap in your categories and mine, Mistress Robin! Which is fine, really; chacon a son gout and all that (pedants please pardon the lack of diacriticals, my keyboard doesn’t have them and I’m not going to futz around with a word-processing program just to comment on a blog).
My categories would include:
Woods – Bois des Iles, Champagne de Bois
Dark Roses – Amouage Lyric Woman, Parfum Sacre, L’Arte di Gucci
Spice – Organza Indecence (hey, one we both like!) or you could toss Champagne de Bois in here instead of in Woods
(Floral) Amber – Alahine, or Attrape-Coeur if you stocked up earlier
Tropical – my pick would be Carnal Flower, or pretty much any of the gazillion tuberose samples I have. Amaranthine would be good, too.
Quirky Vanilla – Shalimar Light, Smell Bent One, maybe That Slut Tocade.
Beautiful anytime – Mary Greenwell Plum, or No. 5 parfum.
Oh, but we still have lots of shared loves — Bois des Iles, for one, which is enough for anybody! But also Shalimar Light & Carnal Flower.
Funny, I put BdI on my list, but if I go back and look at what I’ve *actually* been wearing, I’ve maybe worn it only once, and CdB much more frequently. I just think BdI is essential.
I like your Dark Roses and Beautiful Anytime categories!
Mals, if you nix the Carnal Flower, this could be my “All Time Favorites” list!
Ok, subtract the Plum as well, since I haven’t tried it, but I’m pretty sure that I’d like it, and that it would be a favorite if I had tried it 😉
I’ve been “smoking out” a lot this winter – lots of incense, lots of smokey woods – but the one that stands out the most for me is Malle’s POAL. The resinous qualities of the fragrance really come out on my skin – I’m really loving it!
Also want to give a shout out to my favorite Creamy Wood Pudding, Costume National 21 – a favorite winter stand by.
I wholeheartedly second the Costume National 21, that is a great scent.
I got lots of resins out of PoaL too… which is why I did not like it. Sigh.
I third that! Love that scent.
*Sigh*
I got NO resin from POAL. In fact, on me it smelled like Sa Majeste la Rose over Stella. True rose with a salty musk. 🙁 Nice, but not what I was hoping for.
Oh, I can’t agree with either of you…maybe because our winters here are SO severe? If I can smell the citrus/tropicals at all, it just depresses me more. Like any good upper midwesterner, I know the only way to beat our winter is to embrace it. Winter faves: Ambre Russe, Zagorsk, BdI, Cuir de Russie, Tauer’s URC, Lyric, SDV, Bois de Paradis, Egoiste, and for vetiver, Sycomore – it’s dense and chewy enough to stand up to the cold. I’ve also found myself frequently wearing de Bachmakov (my SOTD) and that sleeper, Traversee du Bosphore which doesn’t excite me but is very wearable and cozy without being heavy. I’ve been meaning to try several on your list, but somehow never get to them. Glad OI is back…that will make ONE easier to find.
Traversee almost made my list, as did the heavier & warmer L’Artisan Aedes…both great for winter.
Traversee is very interesting – I’ve only tested it in the cooler weather since the fall. I’ll be interested to see how it wears in the warmer spring and summer.
Bois de Paradis is one of my winter faves, too, in my own much milder winter (northern California). I wear it on ski trips, too, or winter visits to Santa Fe – sublime.
Oddly, on its own, it’s a little too much for me; I only wear a tiny drop of it layered with the SDV.
You might like the BdP body creme – a lovely texture and plenty of fragrance.
I also meant to say that I use the edp quite sparingly too- just a few mini-squirts, not an enveloping cloud. But I do love it.
I did a Basenotes search of Cuir de Russie. There are four different ones. I’m guessing you’re talking about the one by Chanel?
Yes. I realized afterward that I should have specified.
Mmmmm! I love Ambre Russe, Sycomore, and Egoiste!
I like lists…
Here’s mine:
CITRUS: don’t belong. Love smelling them, not wearing them.
TROPICAL: Vero Profumo Rubj extrait. Maybe not technically a tropical, but it *feels* tropical, like a promise of sunshine. I do love Frangipani, too, but I usually wear it come springtime.
SPICE: apparently my dose of spices has to come from roses. This winter I’m constantly craving OJ Ta’if and my new hot love affair, Lumière noire pour femme.
WOOD PUDDING: SL Douce amère. When I need something creamy and enveloping in the cold, the bitter sweet game gently lulls me.
DRY WOODS: Montale Black aoud. You smell it and it’s already curing you.
VETIVER: Hermès Vetiver tonka. I kept wearing it in 2009. Then the love ended and we were strangers to each other until three weeks ago, when I revisited it and it became my most wonderful gym frag.
FOOD: ELdO Like this. Super comforting in cold evenings, especially in cold evenings after sunny days. Especially after wearing Le parfum de Thérèse.
COLD: when I feel so cold I can’t go outside and stumble around the house groaning and wrapped in a plaid, my go-to scents are the furry Muscs Koublai Khan and PG Felanilla.
Like This *should* have been on my list, but I’ve misplaced it in my disastrous home, so haven’t been wearing it after all. I should just give in and buy a bottle.
Hi Boojum,
given my obsession with dark roses, I’ve been meaning to revisit Amouage Lyric, but I’m afraid I’ll like it…
It IS a danger, certainly. Fortunately for me, it’s the only Amouage that has really won me over so far, and I hosted a split of it.
Every time I pick up my decant I think of you. 🙂
Ah, so long ago! It was my first split! 😉
Ann, I think it was a lot of people’s first split… including mine.
You are right! We should have a Lyric reunion, lol, except I think we all regularly split anyway. I recall how much work you put into that international vendor. You are old hat by now.
I am so happy for you! Split reunion of those who did their first together and became split regulars — what a great idea!!
Amouage Lyric is also my first split.
Great picks! Vetiver Tonka is wonderful in cold weather.
I’ve come to realize that I wear fragrances almost entirely based on the temp outside (and in the summer, the humidity). So my winter frags this year have been Like This, Dzongkha, Dzing, CdG Kyoto/Zagorsk, and Kelly Caleche. Once the temp climbs above 50 or so, these start to feel too overwhelming. For the (rare) days when I’m feeling floral, it’s been La Perfume de Therese and Hiris.
I only sort of wear to the weather…at least, I often find that I’m wearing things that don’t match the season. I think I wear to the mood I wish I was in 😉
Dzingnut, I’ve come to the same realization about weather. Since January I’ve been sticking with things that will make me want to throw up this summer. New loves: Coromandel and Musc Ravageur. They have the added benefit of penetrating through layers of clothing. Havana Vanille sneaks in there every few days, too.
I’m flirting with Onda edp, dabbing it on the backs of my hands. A full blown love affair is developing.
I agree with that Suzy! I’ve been wearing my heaviest and sweetest fragrances. One day the thermometer will get above freezing and I’ll be scrubbing!
I’m flirting with Onda EDP too! I even tried the parfum, but I like the EDP better. I bet they would be perfect layered, but I haven’t tried that yet. My sample of parfum is way too small for that.
Warum, a friend is sending me her Onda parfum sample. It’ll be fun to compare. Yes, maybe layering the two… The edp is marvelous.
Fully agree — edp is absolutely stunning!
Citrus Floral, Moschino Funny! This is my anytime go-to scent
Woody winter beach: Dune;
Cold Winter: SSS Winter Woods;
Vetiver: Diorella;
Smoky: PdN, Vanille Tonka;
Tropical: PdN Number One,
and anytime I need a dose of Spring-Summer, Gucci Envy.
I love Vanille Tonka, and Funny! really grew on me over the summer (don’t think I could wear it in the winter, though – it seems strictly summery to me).
What’s funny (ha) is that when I was looking for a new sig scent a few years back, Funny! was the one the SA was pushing on me. It wasn’t quite what I wanted, so I moved along down to Sephora, where I found the Hermes Jardins. Couldn’t decide between UJSlN and UJEM, went home, googled… had I loved Funny!, I would not be here.
I, for one, am *very* glad you that Funny! didn’t tickle your funny bone. Ouch….
Edit: delete the extraneous “you”.
Why thank you, dear Rapple (and I didn’t see a thing…).
Good thing you set off on the Journey.
Gucci Envy is great! Which reminds me to bump it up my list for spring bottles this year. It’s been languishing too long on my to buy list.
Nice list, and I need to try Funny again.
and by the way, AVOID CITRUS?! heaven forbid. I, too, wear “summer” and “sheer” fragrances all-year-round.
This has been a wonderful winter, perfume-wise.
Spring is already peaking through, and though I love the changes in light and temperature and colors, I already feel sorry for some of the orientals and chypres that have kept me warm in the midst of the cold winter days…I will still use them, but they might be a bit neglected under the heat, and I miss them already…
My winter wardrobe:
* The gorgeous leathery burnt powder of Shalimar extrait
* Citrus: the most beautiful citrus top comes from a 1990’s pristine bottle of… Shalimar edt.
* Winter Holiday violets and zabaione: Attrape coeur.
* A burst of blinding light: n°5 parfum.
* tropical fix: Kai and Carnal Flower.
* Wool blanket soaked in milk, with a bowl of whipped cream: Mitsouko edt, from the 1990’s. Marvel of marvels. I am a convert!
* I also got a huge incense craving, after buying the Fornasetti diffuser. I loved wearing Shaal Nuur, because it does remind me of Fornasetti, but am open to further incense suggestions.
So, I’ve been almost monogamous, at least for my standards: I’ve hardly worn anything else than the list above!
But I am also happy, after years of testing and never feeling truly satisfied, to have finally settled down. It feels good.
I will test that love and tears though. 😉
What other incense scents have you tried so far?
Zazie – I’m wearing SSS Incense Pure as I type and it’s highly recommended. Great list, btw.
I love incense, too, and would recommend that you try Tauer L’Air du Dessert Marocain, Armani Prive Bois d’Encens and La Via del Profumo Balsamo della Mecca. Yum!
Oh, citrus absolutely does belong. Cheers up a SAD disposition. Sometimes is best delivered via a confection though…butterfat in the form of vanilla cake (Organza Indecence kinda feels that way) or just in a sort of custard (thinking…not sure, but there’s something out there) or any orange confection (Theorema). I mean, I see where Angela is headed…but I can’t go there, myself. 🙂
Oh, I should bring out the Elixir! That is a good choice. (As in, I would like that. 😉 ) I still rather enjoy Chene for woods, though they do get sweet…YSL Nu helps me keep it dry.
Tropical–as I was trying to see around a snow bank yesterday afternoon (driving is such a pain after a blizzard), I thought, I need me a tropical flower. Big whomping hot flower. Usually, so not me. But I could use a brief moment of smelling like the old tanning oils that smelled like coconut and flowers.
Thanks for the fun read!
Maybe you need some Amaranthigh in the snowbanks, S…
Oh, dear. I want to snerk with you…but now I am forced to tip my hand…I [sotto voce] *have not tried Amaranthigh. -thine.* Yes, it’s true.
I know I should…
It was very hard not to include Theorema, but I feel like a) I always include it and b) the world must be running out of the stuff by now. Sigh.
Vamp a New-York smells completely tropical to me (can’t see how they named it for New York) – a sort of banana pudding effect, which I think would be lovely in a severe winter climate. Tropical AND gourmand!
Maybe…MAYBE…I’ll dig my Vamp back out and apply before going outside to shovel… 🙂
My always beloved wood pudding scent:: Kenzo Amour. I wear it at winter and at summer.
I love the scent of roses in the garden, but I could never wear a scent with roses. Either it was wearing me or it was too sour. Until I smelled Amouage Lyric Woman, at this moment I was lost. So the dark roses scent is Lyric Woman. And now I like another rose scent: FM Lipstick Rose.
I tend to wear the Amour Le Parfum in winter. I still haven’t gone to try the new lighter one, L’Eau.
this winter was mainly about friendship with vintage:
L’Heure Bleue, Mitsouko, Jicky, Cuir de Russie, Emeraude, No5, verrrrrry nice company in tiny vials 🙂
other friends this winter:
cuir de lancome
l’heure exquise
28 La Pausa
when need some spring immediately:
Le Temps d’une Fete
Rose Ikebana
Byredo Tulipe
Yes, it’s so nice to have little vials of precious vintage scents, isn’t it?
absolutely, first is my family, second: my little vintage vials…
Citrus: Bois de Iles is always my go to…kinda citrusy?
Tropical: SIP Tropical – yowza!
Spice: AL Kashmir Spice or Sarah Horowitz Love!
Wood Pudding: Douce Amere
Dry Wood: Gucci Pour Homme…maybe more incense than wood…
Vetiver: hmmmm…have to think…
Cold: another…hmmmm..
PDN Vanilla Tonka is great too! I love it when I can find it…hubby keeps stealing it 🙂
Oh yes — Gucci Pour Homme!! I wish that was on my list too, hard to stick to 10.
I’m 100% with you on the Fireside Intense, and I even have a fireplace. But then again, I love that scent year-round. Others getting heavy play right now include Incense Rose and Cuir Ottoman (both great Xmas gifts), my dwindling sample of Mona di Orio Cuir, Lonestar Memories, Tibetan Mountain Temple, and Ambre Russe, which I wore to shovel my way out of the blizzard.
Hey, you did well at Xmas!
Wore Cuir Ottoman today and got complements – it’s such a great scent!
I recently tried on Amouage Epic Woman and now I wish I hadn’t, as my perfume budget would take a big dent with a bottle. Epic is perfect for winter! I love how it lingers on my sweater still. I seem to get a lot of cumin from it, bordering on skank, which is not what I’ve found from other reviews. It is so very warming, woodsy and spicy. Also, Denyse at Grain de Musc turned me onto incense in winter. Messe de Minuit. L’Air du Desert Marocain. I do not do citrus in winter, but I do like crisp florals like Pleasures.
Love Messe de Minuit and yet.. wear it rarely. I hope it’s just bc I find strong incense a bit challenging, and I’ve been so stressed this year that challenging scents have been pushed aside.
😉 Me too. The only plus for me is it’s really expanded my tastes into the lighter fare that before I’d just think was like wearing water. I’ve found a new love for a number of Goutals and then some L’APs that I used to think were just not enough. It’s made me reconsider how I used to feel about some of my HGs – things change. Always follow your nose – it knows best. Be well soon.
C., I too love the way Epic lingers… today I took an afternoon nap, and as I was dozing off to sleep, I thought, “what is that wonderful smell?” It it was Epic on my sheets! Wonderful 🙂
I’m loving Epic too. I’m scheming for a full bottle!
Compensating for the lack of fireplace sounds just like the thing to do right now. I don’t have Fireside, but will look for something suitably smoky and warm 🙂 This winter will never end, I fear.
It really feels like winter is dragging on this year. And it’s only early February.
I may be the only person here who really doesn’t mind winter. Where you live makes a whole lot of difference; winters here on the Gulf Coast are mostly chilly at worst, with only occasional periods of what can actually be called cold weather (this week, for example). Summer, on the other hand, is seemingly endless months of sweltering heat and humidity. Consequently, my winter fragrances are those I can only wear in the winter, whereas summer fragrances are whatever I can wear in the heat. I could wear my summer frags in winter, no question–I simply don’t because I will have
(aargh–hit the post comment button by mistake) months of summer weather when they will be all I can wear.
Favorite (at the moment) winter-only scents:
Almost Edible Amber–Attrape-Coeur
Virtual Fire in a Firplace–Zen (black bottle)
All-time Classic Wonderful Oriental–Vol de Nuit
Would be Wearing if I Could Buy a Bottle, But I Can’t Just Yet–Champagne de Bois
Spice–DSH Cardamom and Khyphi
Amber That I Will Try to Wear in Summer–Alahine
Cedar Paradise–Feminite du Bois (Shiseido version)
There are a few scents that I find work well year-round for me and aren’t citrus or “light” scents:
Chanel no. 5 (of course)
Avignon
Ormonde Woman–this makes me think of a walk in a forest, and never seems wrong.
Arpege (vintage)
A delightful selection.
Can you still buy black-bottle Zen here? I can’t remember.
I just checked and FragranceNet has it in an 80 ml EdC for $45. This is the same concentration as I have, and the EdC designation is misleading. It has good impact and lasting power.
Thanks — that’s a good price too.
Roses, the cart for CdB should be up really soon! And, if you can’t wait, send Laurie an email, and she might be willing to accommodate you… (I did this with success in January—she was very kind!)
Oh boy 50_Roses I completely agree with you about your winter / summer selection criteria. I live in the south, too. I look at my bottle of Nuit de Tubereuse and think “I *could* wear you today”. But then I look at Coromandel and think “you I can only wear for a couple of months–better enjoy you while I can!!
I know exactly what you mean. It is frustrating for me, because my preferences naturally run toward rich, warm scents, but I simply cannot wear them in the heat of summer.
Similar situation here in northern California. I don’t feel I get enough opportunities to appreciate those cold-weather beauties. Good thing that greens and aldehydic florals are my favorite genres – I’d miss them more if they had a short season here.
Love this list, R., if only for the fact that you have given the only perfume that I own multiple back bottles of its own category! Totally agree with you on the citrus–it’s citrus SEASON for goodness sake, especially down here, and I like sparkle in the cold as well as warmth and sweetness. And I was all set to disagree with you about the tropics but, but…I was wearing OJ Frangipani just the other day. And my tuberoses. So I guess that’s that. 😉
I keep swearing I will buy the BC body lotion, and then I never get around to it.
I love tropical florals in winter, but not necessarily *all* white florals are tropical, at least to me. I wouldn’t think to wear Olene in winter, for instance.
Hmm… that’s a very interesting point Robin, and one that I’d like to see you do a post about. I’m not quite sure that I understand the difference.
There are perfumes that smell like a tropical island, and there are perfumes that don’t — ha, how could I write a post about that, it’s probably all in my mind! But Songes, and Frangipani, both smell Tropical, Olene does not, and Tubereuse Criminelle does not but Carnal Flower does.
Nice list Robin! This has been an unusual winter for me – totally against my normal orientals. It’s been fun wearing the unusual during the cold and snow. My picks:
Citrus: AG Ninfeo Mio which reads much more green boxwood & ivy for me right now.
Tropical: AG Songes or L’AP Nuits de Tubereuse – both are so warm & sensuous.
Spice: Caron Parfum Sacre and AG Mandragore Pourpre.
Wood Pudding: Guerlain Angelique Noire and AG Vanille Exquise.
Vetiver: either L’AP Timbuktu (which I swear smells just like sunshine!) or Ralph Lauren Safari.
Food: Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Coeur de Vanille – reads to me more like immortelle-cinnamon-labdanum heaven. It’s not too sweet at all.
Cold: I don’t even know how to answer this one, lol. When I was sick with a cold I wore a lot of vintage Emeraude. When I am trying to ignore the cold (while looking at summer garden & rose catelogs), I’m wearing either AG Ce Soir ou Jamais or L’AP Drole de Rose.
The pungent aroma of my husband’s icy-hot is cold enough for me. Too much shoveling this year.
Oh, I feel like I *forgot* Timbuktu! I will wear some this weekend.
Good! It’s so warm – I love that great balanced combo of vetiver and incense and whatever else in there that smells so good.
Ann, I agree about Timbuktu. It’s like an opening to a big wide sunny sky.
I know – it’s the only way I can describe it. It is one of my fav’s.
Today I’m wearing Montale’s Chypre Vanille, which wears more like an oriental on me (apologies to Rappleyea…), but will be adding on a touch of SSS Vintage Rose for going out to dinner this evening.
My most frequently-used winter-warming scents this year?
Bois de Paradis
Sacre Bleu
SSS Winter Woods and the aformentioned Rose (together and separately)
Mahora
Montale Taif Roses
Oh, and btw – on a side note that may be more suitable for an open-thread – does anyone know if there are still bottles of Attrape Couer available in the States?
Dang! The dyslexic fingers – I mean Attrape Coeur…
They still had it at NM in the Houston Galleria back in mid-November. I know for sure I saw at least one bottle in the case. I don’t know if there were any more than that one, and I don’t know if they still have it.
Roses, are you in Houston? I’ll be there in a couple weeks, and would love some recommendations for perfume shopping venues!
I’m in the “Houston area”. I’m afraid I don’t get to Houston as often as I used to, so the only recommendation I can personally make is the Galleria. NM, Saks, and Nordstrom are all good perfume venues. NM has a full range of Guerlain, including the Parisiennes line and the L’Art et la Matiere (sp?) line, as well as Vega and Sous le Vent. In other words, all the Guerlains that are hard to come by. I believe there are actually two Guerlain counters in NM; the other one has the “old” stuff, e.g., Mitsouko, Vol de Nuit, Habit Rouge. NM also has the full range of AG and the Chanel counter has the Les Exclusives. All that is on the main floor; down in the basement is a men’s department that has stuff like the Tom Fords and the Ateliers. There is a lot more, too, I just couldn’t take it all in. Saks has the By Kilians and Bond No. 9 and the Dior counter seemed to have a full range, so if you are interested in the new Dior collection, I would check there. Nordstrom didn’t seem to have so much of the really hard-to-find stuff (or maybe I didn’t look in the right place), but they have the friendliest SAs.
Another possibility that I have never actually visited, only read about, is a place called Kulh-Linscomb on W. Alabama (actually only a few miles from the Galleria). It is apparently a sort of eclectic “design & lifestyle” store. If you check their website, you can see a list of the lines they carry–quite impressive. I have been meaning to get there sometime to check it out, but just haven’t had the time. Be aware that they close at 6:00 or 6:30 each day.
I hope this is somewhat helpful. If anyone in Houston can make some other good recommendations, I would be very interested as well.
Thank you Roses! It sounds like the Galleria will keep me busy testing for at least a few evenings; and the KL place has been recommended to me by another as well; they carry SL and a bunch of other smaller niche lines too, it looks like. I’m really looking forward to my week in Houston! Hope the weather is nice 🙂
The way this winter is going, I wouldn’t make any predictions about the weather, but it should at least be better than this past week, which was the most prolonged cold spell I can remember in 40 years or living here. I saw an announcement that Saks in the Galleria was closed all day yesterday due to the weather, and some of the other stores closed early.
I think Joe just got a bottle around Xmas time at one of the big stores in NYC- NM or BG? Maybe the Guerlain boutique in Vegas still has it?
I am seconding the Vegas suggestion. I’ll email you the phone #.
😀
You get an oriental; I get burning wires! I don’t think we’re scent twins…
That’s why the apology! Really didn’t mean to scorch you…
:-8
Huh, burning wires… I might like to smell that. (Well, not in my house!)
Yeah, and it dried down to hair spray if that further interests you. 🙂
None of which I got, thankfully!
I mostly find citrus unexciting regardless of the season but the other day I dug out a sample of MPG Grain de Plaisir and thought it was really rather enjoyable. The hint of wood and something slightly smoky (vetiver? clean incense?) made it work in February. Anyone else a fan?
For a tropical, nothing beats Carnal Flower in the winter. The cold air really brings out that realistic green stem note which I really like. I don’t really wear CF at any other time of the year.
Other fragrances which I only wear during the winter are things like Coromandel, AdP Profumo, OJ Tolu, Hermes Ambre Narguile. I’m rather predictable and like things that smell cozy and plush when it’s freezing outside.
I love CF in the cold too! It’s so crystalline.
I think I love it in any weather. Ditto for Fracas.
“crystalline” is a perfect description, Mals! I do find it a bit much in the warmer weather but in the winter it gives me the impression of being in a greenhouse filled with exotic flowers while outside everything is freezing and covered in snow.
I love your list :-)!
I’ve been enjoying Amaranthine, Pen’s Elixir (so comforting), Ajne Om and Printemps (there’s another tropical one!), Theorema, Cuir Beluga, Bois des Iles, J’Adore l’Or, Hypnotic Poison, Organza Indecence too, Zagorsk and Coromandel on husband.
Oh! How could I forget Natori, SummerbyKenzo at the gym, and Barbara Bui on the bedsheets??
A few people have mentioned Zagorsk today… it’s so wonderful in winter, isn’t it? 🙂
I really should have bought Barbara Bui when I could have.
What I’ve been wearing, but I’m not sure how what you would call them:
PG 13 Cadjmere – Woods
VCA Orchidee Vanille – Gentle Gourmand
Chergui – big hot mess & comfort scent
Ormonde Jayne – Woman – My favorite vetiver
L’Heure Bleue – ?? Chypre???
Oh, I forgot Andy Tauer Incense Rose – Floral Incense?
No tropicals for me in the winter for me, it just seems…wrong…
Same thing for citrus, but if I had to go there it would be Theorema…
also: Ta’If – Rose-Amber (not a category I know)…
I think you can have any category you want.
I don’t see why not.
Here’s my winter list of what I’ve been wearing lately…
My tropical florals: Songes EdP or Chantecaille Frangipane
Not tropical but pretty, uplifting floral: Guerlain Idylle EdP (I have a sample of Idylle Duet en route which seems like it will work beautifully this time of year as well)
Spice: Guerlain Tonka Imperiale or Andy Tauer Une Rose Chypree with its lovely soft hint of cinnamon
Foody/warm: Hermes Ambre Narguile, Montale Sweet Oriental Dream, Lolita Lempicka Midnight, Guerlain Iris Ganache, By Kilian Back to Black, Gabriele Strehle Strenesse (original that wears like warm cashmere) or Guerlain SDV
Citrus: AG Eau d’Hadrien… it is so classic with just enough herbs/wood to give it depth or my current infatuation–Guerlain AA Mandarine-Basillic
Wood/Incense: Etro Messe de Minuit, CDG Kyoto or when I want incense/wood as a background, BNo.9’s Chinatown.
Cold: CDG Zagorsk though I’m lusting after a sample of De Bachmakov, too. 🙂
Vetiver: I’m nursing a wee decant of L’Artisan Coeur de Vetiver Sacre as the warmth of the tea does such lovely things to the actual vetiver note and I love to wear it while snuggling up with a good book.
AG’s Musc Nomade has also been a fave this winter.
I know I’m in the minority amongst most since I love winter and am sad to know that it’s on the way out, but am looking forward to getting out my decant of AG Des Lys this year and do love the wet earth/impending storm smells of spring. But it’s been a good winter for me perfume wise and I look forward to what spring and summer will bring.
I have been strongly tempted to pick up that little bottle of LL Midnight, the long pointy laydown bottle, on ebay. Unsniffed. I shouldn’t… but it’s so CUTE.
I’ve had that urge with several LLs. Fortunately, I’ve resisted them all.
Do report back on Idylle Duet! I’m hearing reports it’s better than Idylle.
I don’t know what to say, because I guess I wasn’t expecting this list from you. It’s great, but I thought it would be different.
Weren’t there a few fragrances that debuted last year that you loved, like Panache? I have been wearing that a lot lately.
I love the photo. It is beautiful!
Stay warm! Better yet, come to California! 🙂
Hugs!
Panache! I would happily wear that one in any season.
Oh yes on the Panache, but I don’t think of it as a cold weather scent. Your list would be different if you were here! I just tried to send my son out with the trash, and he couldn’t make it down the back steps — they’re iced solid. Ugh. I wish I was in CA 🙂
I love Panache. I find it really cozy and glamorous. Very wintery to me. 🙂
Oh my, what great lists everyone has! I love Penhaligon’s Elixir, thank you for bringing it up, Robin. I’ll have to pull it out.
I’ve been wearing a lot of CdG Daphne this winter — winter is really the only season that can truly stand up to it, IMO — as well as Ambre Narguile, Prada L’Eau Ambree, Vetiver Tonka, L’Eau du Navigateur, Bois Farine (my Ellena obsession never ends), Chinatown, CdG Avignon, and Lolita Lempicka.
And I DO appreciate citrus in winter — Yves Rocher makes this lemon verbena stuff I have a giant bottle of (quite similar to Hadrien) and I love it on a very cold day.
Bois Farine is another one I tend to forget about, I really do need to get a bottle of that.
I wore Monyette the other day, because I felt I needed a hot pick-me-up break from the snow. Holy cow, it smelled weird, cloying and wrong. I adore it in the summer.
On the other hand, Dzongkha smelled sour on me last summer, but I’ve been loving it the past couple of months. Win some, lose some.
Exactly!
My sweet tolerance seems to have risen this winter as the temperatures have plummeted. I’ve been living in SDV, Attrape Coeur, and Iris Ganache. Those vanilla-sugar overloads have been offset periodically with SSS Incense Pure and Bois d’Armenie.
A few of my usual winter favorites haven’t gotten any love this year as it’s been “too cold” – L’Heure Bleue, Cuir de Russie, Mitsouko and Vol de Nuit.
I too love winter (well, really college basketball season) and hate to see it end!
How can it be TOO cold for Cuir de Russie? That’s just when I like to wear it. 🙂
I get a LOT of soft floral in it! It’s beautiful but it just hasn’t seemed “warm” to me.
There are many things people love that I don’t love, and I can at least see their point of view. But not winter 😉
😀
If you lived in my neck of the woods (any Mediterranean climate, really), you’d probably love winter! Summer would be the season of dread.
Lovely lists! I have been making copious notes as I am definitely a ‘fall-winter’ perfume fan. My own list, sans categories, is
Shalimar EdP
Chergui
Vintage Emeraude
Bulgari Black
Ambre Gris
Chaos
Black Cashmere
DK Wenge
And for a citrus Calyx
Chamade for spring!
DK Wenge is really interesting — you’ve inspired me to pull out my sample again.
Bvlgari Black is great in winter, I should wear that this weekend.
I guess I never craved citrus in Winter because we don’t have real Winter on the coast? (please don’t hate me! I know what a blessing it is!)
Frangipani Absolute is a plum “solifruit” on me after glorious top notes… not quite the effect I was hoping for… now, me and Robin must like very different things in fragrances since I own a FB of Tolu and spray with abandon during Fall/Winter season.
Plum solifruit! I will forgive you, LOL…
I was hoping for Frangipani and linden… only got plum, but it’s a great plum!
LOL
The only saving grace to winter is cold weather fragrances. This winter has been hell on wheels. The last thick, heavy snowfall took down huge branches from our favorite pine tree and split our most beautiful dogwood down the middle and it’s splayed into three seperate parts. Then there’s things like windstorms that cause power outages and thundersnow! Damn it all. At least I get to wear things like Frapin 1270, Cartier XIII, Dior Mitzah, LM Ambre Passion Velvet, ELdO Like This, vintage Sortilege – oh you get the picture.
It’s so comforting to have our favorite perfumes to cling to on those difficult days!
It truly is Suzy Q.
Oh Dove, so sorry to hear about your trees. That’s one thing about bad weather that really makes me sad. We had a bad ice storm here a couple of years ago that destroyed many old pin oaks – terrible!
It truly saddens me Rapple. Winter can be so mean.
Oh, I’m so sorry!! I lost everything tall last year, I don’t think the snow can hurt me now.
Thanks for the sympathy Robin. Unfortunately it seems you know from experience what a heartbreak it is. Not to mention expensive.
The $ is bad enough, yeah, but worse are those things that you just have to wait 5-10 years to get back to full size. Ugh. I lost a whole hedgerow that took 10 years to get where it was, I’m still sick about it a year later. Good think we both have perfume to cheer us up…
We lost a beautiful big live oak in our back yard several years ago – three days of Pacific storms saturated the ground, then the tree just heeled over in 50-mph winds. Still sad about it; the yard lost its beauty (and shade), the birds and the squirrels their home.
I just this morning discovered that my ~40 ft. tall hackberry in the backyard has tipped over. The only thing keeping it from falling over completely is that it is leaning against the even bigger elm tree, which has been dropping limbs like crazy all week. Now I have to get two big trees taken down.
I doubt they would make any prestigious top winter fragrances list, but they are all I have to keep me warm in my modest arsenal, and I do adore them:
L de Lolita, for gormand-vanilla/orange. Probably my most complimented fragrance, and I swear it’s gotten better with age: it’s changed colour, darker, seems to have gotten richer and deepened since when I first bought it years ago.
Prada Amber, which just seems perfect. I accidently bought l’eau ambree while trying to purchase this years ago. I had to wait until I could afford it again (years later).
and CK Obsession for men. For when it’s REALLY cold and I want to smell like my boyfriend, in a delicious spicy way. I hope to add ELdO Like This to the winter armoury next year.
Don’t worry about “prestige”, just wear what you like.
You know Meg, I’ve been wanting to get my hands on some L forever now—I think I just need to buy a mini off eBay!
It can be found quite cheaply from my second-bottle purusing! You won’t regret it (*enabling*)
It’s Annick Menardo, isn’t it? Bulgari Black is one of my year-round favorites, and I hear so many good things about L… and, as you say, a mini can be had for *practically free*! LOL.
Working towards your gold-Enabler’s pin Meg?? 😉
I may be wrong but I think annick menardo did the original lolita lempicka. L was by a marcelle R. (I think…)
Merlin, you’re right, of course. I checked afterwards and discovered the same! Thank you for the heads-up 🙂
My bottle of L changed color as well — and I agree, that is one of my most-complimented frags too!
Meg – my sister wears L and it smells great on her! The Lempicka fragrances are all done well. I am still dying to try that new minuite one, or whatever it’s called in the black bottle.
I think the black bottle is Minuit Noir. (I wanted the first Minuit, in the very dark blue-purple bottle…)
oooo! I haven’t tried that one yet-only the original, L, and Si (which is another eventual must-have for me). Now I must find and sample this one also!!
So, it’s summer my side of the world but I don’t think the weather has influenced my choices very much. The hands down winners over the last few months have been coco, my signature p, if I had a signature p. And, divine infant – which seems to reliably lift my mood. A strange thing is that I find D.E. unpleasant when sprayed – I have to spray it right up against my skin to get the same effect that I fell in love with when using the sample!
Of course I could not survive on 2 scents, but these are the ones I keep coming back to.
Yeah Coco! I love it – an excellent choice!
I have scents like that, that I can’t stand sprayed. I just decant them.
Rustic Dove, I heartily concur that beautiful fragrances are winter’s saving grace…yesterday I watched three men with two ploughs and one tractor spend over two hours clearing my precipitous driveway…enough!
When winter first got serious right around Xmas, I turned to Black Cashmere and wore it quite a bit. Then, I just seemed to need sandalwood — Villoresi, Etro, Bois des Iles. Intermittently, I derived a lot of good cheer from Liaisons Dangereuses, a jammy rose seemed perfect. I tried Tolu, thinking it would be perfect, but it’s not for me.
Perhaps it was your mention of Chamade the other day, Robin, but I suddenly could not stand it, the overcast skies, the endless blizzards, and I just wanted florals. The woods and the incense and the vanilla I’d been wearing went by the boards, and I have been joyfully dousing myself in Nuit de Tubereuse. But tomorrow is another day.
Oh yes – NdT is fabulous – I say it’s a wonderful oddball. I get no tuberose from it at all.
NdT smells like some sort of weird orientanl gourmand funky floral suede to me. I love it! It’s definitely something I’d never imagined I’d like so much. I just wore some yesterday to help with the blues. It gets better the longer it’s on the skin.
Once NdT is past its weird mildewy opening, I like it a lot. I just stopped thinking of it as a tuberose fragrance, and started appreciating its other angles. Oddly, I get a LOT of compliments on it.
My husband likes it too. I actually like the opening – ack! It does come on strong, but it definitely gets better within the first 10 minutes. If I didn’t know anything about it, including the name, I’d just say it’s about the best oriental released in the past two years. It certainly doesn’t smell like anything else!
I commiserate with you- I hate winter too! Its summer here now, not a great summer this year, however, its still warm enough, most days, to wear short sleeves and no socks & I am already finding that Im stressing about the approaching Autumn and Winter months instead of enjoying the warmth! Is Organza Indecence available again? I must get a bottle for Winter-maybe it will help!
It is available again, in a different bottle though.
These lists and comments are always fun to read. This has been a winter of exploration for me, with very few repeat wearings and a two week hiatus because of a yucky sinus infection. However, two categories have beckoned to me more than others this season:
Warm Chypres: AdP Profumo and Niki de Saint Phalle
“Comfort” Ambers: Montale Blue Amber, Anne Pliska, L’Oiseau de Nuit
I”m having a brain freeze — who makes L’Oiseau de Nuit?
Oh, sorry. That is Parfumerie Generale. Wonderful labdanum-based fragrance. A cuddle of a thing.
i love all my fragrances more in the winter than the summer. my number-one for when it’s real, real cold out? dzongkha.
ahhh! I wanted to like this. I just got a sample in my most-disappointing-samples-of-all time package. Maybe… with time… I’ll have to try it again later.
Great choice. I think I wear it year round, but now can’t remember if I ever reach for it in serious hot weather.
I don’t really have a top ten for Winter… I’ve got my wish-list, and then there are a few things I’ve been reaching for quite a bit lately:
::Wish List::
“travel size” Bois des Iles
Memoir Woman
Antonia
L’Heure Fougueuse
::Getting Lot’s of Skin Time::
Champagne de Bois
Memoir Woman (from a decant)
Greens: Chanel no. 19, Bel Respiro, Via Camerelle, and Antonia
I want that travel size Bois des Iles too! Preferably in extrait 😉
My thoughts. . .
First, may I say how *fabulous* it is to have found a community where it is not considered strange to have 10+ go-to fragrances JUST FOR WINTER! 🙂
(Seriously, so far, not finding too many in-the-flesh folk who can relate to my desire to sniff EVERYTHING these days!)
Secondly, as I have only recently been purchasing fragrances (and when I think of it, I think I only bought them for others in the past for Christmas) I have little to no experience in how weather/seasons can influence how scents can be worn. I can imagine that the feelings and images evoked may seem appropriate or not (ie. not sure I’d wanna smell like pineapple in January), but don’t have a sense of how heat, humidity, etc. might make a difference. Anyone care to elucidate?
Finally, SOTD is a sample of 1000 Flowers Reglisse Noir, which is strongly licorice with a little spice in the base. Seems very wintery–like Good-n-plentys and licorice-flavored ribbon candy!
Oh, I guess that last one shoulda said “thirdly” because I meant to mention that I LIKE winter and don’t mind a change in seasons. I lived in Minnesota for nearly a decade, and I gotta say that the first couple of months of winter there were quite nice! (It’s the last 4 that really get to you!) Now I live in Oregon, and I like how short winter seems in comparison and it’s so green, even when it’s overcast.
Ha – I lived blissfully in Portland OR for about three years a while ago, after having lived in PA most of my life. I would chuckle at the mild winters out there and nearly got rid of all my heavy winter coats, including one feather down coat I not so lovingly called the “baked potato coat” that saved me most in minus degree weather. I certainly hope you enjoy living there, I sure did.
OK – as far as weather/seasons and fragrances- I notice a lot of difference in behavior of fragrances mostly regarding humid or not humid weather. I’ve been a seasonal wearer of fragrances since I can remember, and occasionally some so called heavier fragrance will wear better in the summer, etc. Sometimes the heat and humidity will keep notes closer to the skin or just change how they wear in general. A humid day- more sweat on the skin, more thick air – amplifies fragrances. I love Annick Goutal Heure Exquise on really humid summer days – the iris in it just blooms. I think Lancome Magie Noir and Caron Parfum Sacre smell better in the summer b/c the heat amplifies the rose in both, etc . You can only discover by trying, and that’s the best part.
BTW – you have a very pretty name.
Thanks, Ann! I can totally see the “baked potato coat!” I may have worn one myself back in the day! I’m imagining a cousin to the puffy hot dog/pig in a blanket full-length beauties I only ever saw in Minnesota–goose down all the way to your ankles, baby!
As for summer fragrances “blooming,” does that mean I HAVE to try all my new little samples again in the hot weather? What a bummer! (Tee hee! *giggles with mirth and wry smile*)
My mother would be very pleased that you like my name. I think it was one of her crowning achievements! Seriously. I unintentionally made her cry when I was a teen and decided I wanted to be called “Bobby” because Marjorie Rose seemed too girly! *slaps own wrist*
I love this story 🙂
how old were you then?
ami,
I started playing with the idea of changing my name when I was maybe 13? I fully committed to it by my freshman year of high school, a year or two later. I went by Bobby all the way through graduation, and I still have friends and teachers from that time period who only ever knew me as Bobby. When I encounter them (such as my 10 year high school reunion some time back), THE topic of small talk is”so, what do you go by now?”!!!
I had one of those neck to ankle jobbies too, and a pair of sub zeor boots that made my feet enormous. I looked like a linebaker draped between plays, you know what I mean? I’m sure you do! Portland winters will be a joy to you. We always joked it was like fall to spring, which is the most glorious season out there.
I thought my name was way too boring when I was about 10. I wanted to be called Tina, which I think now is a very funny choice at the time. My mom and dad just gave me that look and I dropped it, so I named my pet fish guppie Tina instead. Kids are so funny.
Yes, by all means – always try your fragrances during different times of the year! Ha, lots of fun deciding how to wear them or even get into layering too. Good luck!!!
As a general rule, perfume will seem stronger and heavier in hot weather than in cold weather. This is because it is heat that causes the perfume to lift from your skin (or hair, or clothing). The heavier notes (woods, spices, resins) also seem to be relatively more prominent in heat, so there can be a change in the perceived balance of the fragrance. If you wear a given perfume year-round, you will probably apply more of it in cold weather than in hot weather. If 1 or 2 sprays suffice in August, you may need 3 or 4 or 5 in January to get the same impact. A/C and heating also matter. A rich fragrance may be bearable in summer if you are indoors in the A/C at, say, 72 degrees, but become smothering if you have to go outside where it is in the 90’s. Humidity also seems to make perfumes stronger. I am not sure if it actually increases the rate or evaporation of if it just makes the nose more sensitive to the scent. On the flip side, a light, fresh scent with a lot of citrus, lavender, green notes, and so forth, will seem even lighter in cold weather. You may even find that you can barely smell it at all, particularly if you are out in the cold, or in a building that is relatively cool.
Thanks for the reply (one Rose to another!)
Sounds like this might explain why the Guerlain Vetiver I tried first a few weeks ago (first at the mall) seemed to have nearly no scent at all, but a week later (in my heated apartment), it seemed powerful? [Although I have noticed people implying that a fragrance seems to change with multiple wearings? Is there a concensus about whether it is our perceptions changing or the environments that we are wearing them in?]
As far as a fragrance “changing” with multiple wearings, I would say that by and large it is your perception changing. Perfume will change over time, but that is usually over a matter of years. If it seems to have changed in a few weeks or months, and in similar conditions of climate, it is you, not the perfume. What will happen is that as you are exposed to it more and more you start to notice different aspects. The first time, you may only get a general overall impression. With further wearings, you begin to pick out the various component parts of the whole. You learn with experience to recognize various notes, such as iris, violet, rose, vetiver, or whatever, and pick them out from all the background noise. Subtle differences in temperature, humidity, or body chemistry may make certain notes more prominent, so that you notice them molre. Your perception also depends on your point of reference. If I were to wear Avignon, for example, for several days, and then switched to Vol de Nuit, I would probably find the VdN to be quite sweet and warm compared to Avignon. If I then wore Joy for a week, and then VdN again, I might think the VdN was rather dark and dry in comparison to Joy. Your tastes can also change over time, so a perfume you once loved may no longer be pleasing to you, and one you once rejected may now be much more appealing.
what a great explanation!
Thank you, Roses, for your detailed explanation! I spend a lot of time “reading between the lines” on posts trying to understand the nuances of being a “budding” perfumista! 😉
Roses said it right on – your nose will begin to change as you smell more fragrances, regardless of what time of year. I also find that smelling very similar fragrances at the same time becomes an interesting exercise. The similar accords neutralize each other, and then you can really pick out different notes. For instance if you test simulaneously something like Stella McCartney, or Bond’s Bryant Park, or L’AP Voleur de Roses, or Juliette has a Gun Lady Vengeance, etc., which are all very similar rose-amber-patchouli fragrances, you can smell the accords that are different – different patchs, different whatever, and those different notes will just pop right out. Same is true if you test something like Chanel No 19 edt with Annick Goutal’s Heure Exquise edt, Parfums de Nicolai Temps d’Une Fete, etc against each other. The similar galbanum and white accords neutralize each other and then the wonderfuly different accords with iris, florals, and bases just stick out. It’s a great way to train the nose because when you are trying to learn different notes, it can be really hard to isolate them in an entire formula.
OOH, Ann! This really appeals to the scientist in me! (I’m a biologist by education.) I have been especially drawn to tea scents and those described as “warm” or ‘spicy.” I have quite a variety of samples along those lines. I will have to dig some out and test them wrist-to-wrist! Yay!
Marjorie Rose – you’ve gotten some great advice already, so I just want to wave and say hi! 🙂
Hiya!
😀
L’eau de Diptyque is my new favorite winter scent. It has, as s Lucky Scent describes it ” a cobweb-clearing dose of clove” and it’s just what the doctor ordered for a cold winter day. Of course the winter is also time to indulge in all my avorite orientals that are just too heavy for summer.
So here’s my list:
1-L’eau de Diptyque
2-Opium pour homme
3-L’Instant Extreme pour Homme
4-Dior Homme
5-Cypress Bark (Skeem)
6- M7
7- Body Kouros
8- Tumulte Homme
9- Jaisalmer CdG
10-Diva
The Diptyque is wonderful, although I like the sheerer version, L’Eau de L’Eau.
Winter here is not pleasant – cold, dreary and dead, not much snow. But I love winter wool clothing and rich perfumes, so winter suits my tastes. Consequently, I have many cool weather scents and don’t wear any of them often. Nonetheless, I’ve been in winter denial this year, so Dior New Look 1947 and LezNez Manoumalia have gotten more than their fair share of skin time.
You make a good point Noz – winter clothing is great. I love cashmere, sequined wool, tights, boots and hats. However, by the time winter wears on, I long for the warmth of the sun, lighter fragrances, linen and cotton voile.
I *never* would have thought of Manoumalia in the winter! Now I want to dig it out and give it a whirl.
With its intense tropical florals and base of vetiver, sandalwood and amber, it has the heft to survive the dry air. Actually, I’m not sure I’ll want to wear it much in the summer.
Despite the bazillion snow days, the roof about to cave in under the weight of all that snow and ice, and the perils of driving on one-lane streets that used to be several lanes each way, I STILL LOVE SNOW! And for reveling in the skating, sledding, sparkly trees after an ice storm and massive stalactite formations hanging off the eaves, de Bachmakov can’t be beat — what great stuff, and I’m hoping it will prove just as refreshing in summer.
However… After a few years of smoke and incense and leather, I find myself on a floral kick lately, so perhaps my subconscious is yearning just a bit for spring. My current faves are Montale Jasmine Full — yikes, the sample’s almost gone — and the lovely Divine, which I just discovered thanks to the generosity of a fellow commenter (thank you, Ann!).
Funny how many people say they’re wearing more floral than usual this winter, I wonder why…
I had thought it was because last summer was so hot, but I’m also thinking that there are some intense florals that are just too much for summer – now is really the time to enjoy them.
Been wearing lots of Arabie and Coromandel, partly because they are new and partly because they are wintery. Seems like I’ve been sampling a lot lately and not really plopping down with anything specific.
I am poised to spring for some Carnal Flower – I tried it on a chillier day and it was wafting right through my jacket. Fortunately I have fairly temperate weather compared to some of you, so I can wear pretty much whatever suits my fancy.
I finally got a 10 ml bottle of Carnal Flower and I’m wearing it more than I thought I would. Nice to have. Wish Malle sold mixed 10 ml sets.
That would be the ideal approach If FM really wants all of his Editions de Parfums to be “read” and appreciated, wouldn’t it?
I am happy to say that I have a bottle of Frangipani Absolute on it’s way right now! Should be here any day….and not a moment too soon, as my sample has just run dry.
It is a fragrance that lifts my spirits and makes me smile, reminding me of Hawai’i….a place I so often long for this time of year.
Thanks for the thoughts!
Oh, lucky you!
A bit late to the party – hope everyone has a great weekend.
Love these seasonal “best” posts! I’ve seen a lot of mention of de Bachmakov. I just can’t find any love for this one. I didn’t care for it at all! Smelled great on a scent strip – I got a lot of tea. But on me, it seemed like bread or something. Just didn’t work. In fact, I received one of those puredistance Antonia samples from the Luckyscent/PST giveaway, and it had a similar vibe to it. Again, didn’t work.
Lately I’m finding that I’m reaching for green and floral scents! For some reason, the snow is totally making me want something lighter and brighter. I recently discovered Vetiver Pour Elle, which I’m loving in this weather. Also Idylle EDT, and Love and Tears. Strange for me cause I’m usually more of a floriental devotee. For some reason, all of the spicy, woody, oriental scents seem much too heavy right now.
Waving to Karin! I’m wearing the Cartier XIII today – thanks to a sweetheart of a perfumista friend! 😉 [Do you know I couldn’t remember at first what was in that pretty little gold atomizer!! LOL]
Ha – suppose I should have put a label on it, eh? Glad you’re enjoying it, V!
BLACK CASHMERE!!!! This has eluded me for ever! I have found it in a few department stores, but there are never any testers! Aaargh!
Citrus frags do not suit me, nor do light florals. So summertime is not the best season for me, fragrance wise. Winter and autumn are the months where I luxuriate in Dzongkha, Musc Ravageur, Ormonde Woman, Une Rose Vermeille and Bandit. I have a decant of Muscs Koublai Khan as well, which I don’t wear often but enjoy when I’m in the mood!!!! If I were to wear any floral in this weather, it would be T.Criminelle, whenever it becomes available outside of the Paris salon.
I’m wondering what the heck to wear in summertime now…….I’m thinking Vetiver Extraordinnaire or Reverie au Jardin would work, maybe something like Ouarzazate, Sequioa, Palisander…..those sorts of things! I LOVE Passage D’Enfer, but it lasts for 5 minutes on me! (Etro Shaal Nur smells of cat pee!)
Have you tried wearing Ormonde Woman in summer? I do, and our summers are about as hot and humid as they come. Just try applying it lightly–one or two spritzes. To me, it smells like a walk in the forest on a warm, humid summer day.
Ah, no i havn’t. But as I was reading your reply, it jogged my memory that somewhere in the literature on OJ Woman Linda Pilkington describes it as a summer scent. I will definitely try it out this summer. Thank you!
I agree with the vetiver in summer idea. I also like chypres in summer – I know a lot of folks wear them in the cold, but the oak moss seems “cool” to me. I also love SSS Champagne de Bois in the warm weather; again, I’m in the minority on that one!
I guess it goes to show that any perfume can be worn in any weather. I always wondered how oudh could be used in such hot countries, but it is! Probably because it won’t evaporate easily in heat! Well, I’ll be trying out the vetivers and my une rose chypree this summer then!
My top 10 for Winter can be led down to one and only fragrance: Aromatics Elixir. 🙂
But otherwise:
2. Baiser du Dragon (Cartier)
3. Bandit (R. P.)
4. Flower Oriental (Kenzo)
5. Budoir (VW)
6. Gucci EDP (not the new thing)
7. Gucci Homme (again the old thing)
8. Niki de St Phalle
9. Azuree (EL)
10. Agent Provocateur
(11. Magie Noire (Lancome))
Nice list of classics!
Nice list, R.
So Organza Indecence is back in production? I should snag some… I have just a sample and it’s really well done. I’ve still got to sample that dang DeBachmakov… sounds so intriguing.
I don’t have a full list, but I have to say that I’ve really enjoyed getting a decant of Laura Mercier Ambre Passion this winter. Perfect for warming me up (yes, yes, I know… California winter…).
I also finally got a bottle of Attrape Coeur, and while I can wear it in many seasons, it does have a good bit of warmth for winter as well. Such a relief to acquire this bottle!
Joe, it came back w/ that Givenchy collection, and for all I know it’s already out of production again. There’s still some on the market, at any rate.
Can Kevin do a list for men?
We all take turns doing the seasonal posts.