"Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness..."

Autumn arrives, glowing and golden. A warm pink sunrise bobbing in the horizon like a paper lantern, lifting honey coloured rays over a landscape of ochre and umber.

Now comes Keats, ‘season of mist and mellow fruitfulness’ 

In the fields, the last of the harvest falls to the quick whir of combine harvesters. Bounded by hedge and copse some of these fields bore witness to the homesick tramp of booted Norman feet, they remember the ancient swish of scythes and the earthy magic of corn dollies and bonfires.
      Or was that just a dream? A picturesque dream of linen smocks exhaling the scents of cider and perspiration; of creaking chestnut leather bridles as the lord of the manor rode past and real chestnuts clicking, smashing, shattering in school yards.
      Who can say which is dream, which is fiction?
      Dreaming or waking, the soul yearns for certain things from Autumn. These new palettes of the earth: crisp, golden leaves falling in the parks, new school shoes the colour of chestnuts, the russet fashions of the season as they fill the shop windows call out for richer perfumes, earthy scents.
      Carry the season with you; sparks from the fire, humus from the Forest floor, spiced pies and pastries. Dab these scents on your wrist, your throat; seduce, envelop, surround yourself with fragrances. If you wish, you may even give reign to flights of fancy and envision yourself as an ancient pagan goddess of the harvest, ripe fruit tumbling from your skirts, crowned by maple leaves; as voluptuous as a painting by Mucha.
     Very well then, shall we imagine an olfactory stroll through a perfect Autumn day?

The earth.

Shihan (formerly Sensei under which name you will find it on Fragrantica).  Piotr Czarnecki

A rich mist of whiskey and tobacco envelopes you with the first spritz of this perfume, like a the billowing chill folds of an early Autumn fog. Notes plucked from the earthiest of pallets which beckon you back to the warmth of the fire and the promise of coffee and spirits. Ah but the cold is bracing and the woods are full of promise so you pull on your boots and stride out, your air billowing around you like dragons breath. You can smell the richness of damp earth, the living heart of the Autumn evoked in base notes of amber and musk. Somewhere, far off, a bonfire burns, billowing smoke as sharp as the pencils you once sharpened and lined up neatly in readiness for the autumn term 

The woods. 

Feminite du Bois. Serge Lutens.

Nostalgic woods abound here, sharpened by a hint of pepper. A glitter of warm embers from the bonfire dances in the air, carried by notes of cinnamon and clove. You breath the heart of this perfume as you step into the beating heart of the wood, as gilded sunlight mottles the path ahead of you and warms your face. Shadows move and scamper with life, hibernation beckons and the stores must be filled. Flashes of glowing fox fur as bright as the ginger and violet notes you smell rising from this perfume. The woods are alive with the spirit of the forest and so too is your perfume. A barefoot wood sprite blazing through the mist, rustling in a gown of fallen leaves.
A radiant burst of fruits emerges as this scent matures, a suggestion of heavily laden trees overhanging the path. Ripe plums and peaches, slightly biting berries. You emerge from the forest at last laden down with wild fruits overflowing your basket like an ancient cornucopia. A few late rose petals blown in by the bracing winds nestle among the dark ripe berries. Gorgeous and rich, all so bright that the sight, and the scent, takes your breath away.

From the woods, home to the warmth of the fire.

Monsieur. Huiteme Art. 

Deep, musky notes of cedarwood, sandalwood and patchouli slowly give way to the roaring crackle of a fire, flashing bright sparks of incense woods. The promise of warmth, of home and hearth dwells in this perfume, beginning with a roar and a blaze and, slowly maturing to a lighter spicy scent during dry down. It's a long lasting perfume (still noticeable on my skin after six hours) which progresses through many delicious stages as you wear it, with the brighter notes of papyrus and vetiver becoming stronger and then fading down to a final burst of incense from the base notes.
     With this perfume, you close the door behind you, unwind your scarf and breath deeply of the air of home, smiling at the spiced scent that wafts from the kitchen as you begin to kindle the fire; is that spiced tea you smell? 

The fire in the hearth.  

Ottoman Amber. Merchant of Venice.

Oud dominates this composition, building a deep warmth, You sit before the fire now, teacup in hand, stretched out to the flicker of red and gold dancing before you. You tear open the plums that you picked, warmed by the fire their scent has become even richer and sweeter. 

A note of myrrh emerges and you think of the winter yet to come but, for now, you are content, you are wrapped in a blanket of sandalwood and patchouli deep enough to last throughout this perfect autumn evening. 

A scent of snow and pine...

Christmas may be receding into memory but the winter weather hasn't  left us yet, if anything it’s gotten colder out there so it is time, perhaps, for some scented indulgences to chime with the crispness of falling snow or warm us up with fire and spice we can wear close to our hearts.

I’ve picked out the six perfumes which most remind me of winter.

If you’re longing for the sharp crispness of snow brushing your face then I think La Fille de Berlin by Serge Lutens brilliantly captures that exquisite feeling.

Fille De Berlin is the most delicate snowflake of a perfume by which I do not mean that the perfume is light, although it is suitably subtle. No, I mean that from the first moment I smelt it, it reminded me of a winter’s day, two or three years ago when it began to snow whilst I was out shopping. Perfect crystal flakes danced down out of a sky suddenly radiant Madonna blue, flakes large enough that, when they settled on the dark sleeves of my coat, revealed each detail of their intricate crystalline structure without the need for a magnifying lens.

That is Fille de Berlin to me, delicate, intricate and the embodiment of snow. Its notes are simple and dazzlingly effective: rose and geranium layered over patchouli and honey. 

The other stand out snow perfume, in my opinion, has to be Floris’s Snow Rose which feels as if the frost has embraced a single bloom. Snow Rose starts off a little greener than Fille de Berlin and with vanilla rather than La Fille’s honey note providing the slight sweetness of winter air but with an equally crisp, fresh geranium note.

However, if you’ve seen too much of snow and it’s left you shivering you just might want to turn to a perfume that’s going to warm you up rather than bring in the weather then there are plenty of perfumes that fit the bill with their spicy warmth and smoky depths.

Annick Goutals Encens Flamboyant has all the sharp woodiness of an open fire conveyed in intense notes of incense alongside pepper, nutmeg and balsam fir. You can almost hear this perfume crackling invitingly as you curl up in your favourite chair. The pure perfume is stunning in its depth and longevity but the eau de parfume equals it for staying power and for sillage so that you can be sure that your blanket of winter warmth is following you wherever you go.

Equally reminiscent of winter to me is Coco by Chanel with its citrus and spice notes reminds me of the Christmas Pudding scene from Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, “In half a minute Mrs Cratchit entered: flushed, but smiling proudly: with the pudding, like a speckled cannon ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half-a-quartern of ingnited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck in the top.” One can’t help but envy the skill with which Dickens conjures, in a few lines, a pudding one can almost smell, almost taste on the tip of your tongue! It’s also a perfume reminiscent of the clove studded oranges which perennially adorn the pages of lifestyle magazines in December as well as our own Christmas tree this year. Not entirely surprising as clove and Mandarin orange are both notes in Coco’s composition. Coco is a perfume which just invites compliments whenever you wear it so you’d better be prepared for people to ask you what you’re wearing pretty often (the appreciation of others is no real hardship though, is it).

I’m going to be a little naughty now because my next winter perfume choice is something a little rare but very special. If you are lucky enough to find a bottle in ebay, at a flea market, in a vintage store, anywhere in fact, then treasure it.

My fifth, and possibly favourite, winter perfume is: Winter Delice by Guerlain.

Like Encens Flamboyant, Winter Delice is a strong and sensual balsamic perfume bursting with the warm embrace of pine tree branches and resin but snow has settled on this Winter landscape, it’s chill breath just creeping in with a note of vanilla (always so good at conjuring snow) and sugar. It’s such a rich perfume that it feels like it demands you acquire a sleigh and velvet cloak at once. Although I happen to think that you can get away with this perfume even when you are not all dresses up; in a jumper (sweater) and jeans you could use a few spray of Winter Delice to feign a sportive walk in the woods. Or wear it all dressed up and unleash your inner Snow Queen.   

Now, I have two last, very indulgent, winter perfume suggestion: if you’re hungering after the indulgent desserts and sweets of Christmas still but have a New Year resolution you’d like to keep then L’Artisan Perfumers Traversee du Bosphore should help to assuage the cravings of a sweet tooth. It’s notes of nougat, sugar, honey, pistachio, red apple and spices would make as beautiful an ice cream as they do a perfume! Also worth trying if you crave the sweetness of Christmas dessert with a hint of snow is Coudray's Vanille et Coco which smells exactly as it's name suggests and is very charming.

Well, those are my winter perfume choices, I hope you've seen something you like, Or at least something which feels like winter to you. 

I wish you all a warm and beautifully perfumed winter!