Over the years I’ve built a stable of favorite cold-weather fragrances and have only added and dropped off a few each year. To spare you a recap of perfumes I mention all the time, I’m grouping ten perfumes I like into ten winter-activity categories. I hope you’ll chime in with your own favorites, and be sure to check out more winter favorites at Bois de Jasmin :: Grain de Musc :: Perfume Posse :: Perfume Smellin’ Things.
Après-ski
This category is kind of a joke since I don’t know how to ski, and, frankly, the whole deal sounds like a good excuse for a broken collar bone. But après ski? Sign me up. When I picture après ski, I think of an early 1960s lodge in Gstaad — like the one in the Pink Panther movie — with women in sweaters and bulbous mink hats and men in turtlenecks and dark glasses. Everyone drinks from brandy snifters and speaks several languages. It's glamorously ridiculous. Serge Lutens Santal de Mysore is my après-ski perfume choice. It’s boozy, woody, and warm, and would be a terrific accompaniment to a shoulder-high fireplace and a copy of Valley of the Dolls.
Lounging at home
Winter is the great lounging season. I don’t care if you have an Eames sofa and Tiffany sterling, if you don’t have a comfy place to put your feet up — preferably next to another comfy place for your honey or a good friend — don’t buy another bottle of perfume until you’ve fixed that. And make sure you pick up a cocktail shaker, a decent tea pot, and a pet from the shelter, too. Now you’re ready to settle in with a perfume that is pure comfort. I choose a vanilla-based perfume, L’Artisan Parfumeur Havana Vanille (aka Vanille Absolument). Who am I trying to impress? I just want to smell delicious.
Late night at a dive bar
The weather is foul. Chances are you’re hanging out indoors. Late at night, that might well be a corner bar. Where I live, smoking has been banned in bars for a few years, and that’s fine with me. But for the full smoky dive bar effect, I’d wear Mona di Orio Nombres d’Or Cuir. It smells like a leather ashtray, both classy and trashy with enough of a hint of clean musk to keep you from getting tossed out with the butts.
Winter dinner party
Summer is all about barbecues and easy potlucks, but winter is the time to throw a proper dinner party. You need a fragrance that refreshes you, since you’ll be crazy busy for a couple of days while you braise the veal shanks and buff the water marks off the wine glasses. You also want a fragrance that won’t compete with all the delicious food you’ve planned, and one elegant enough to complement that crazy centerpiece you crafted out of garden debris. With a smoky-hearty meal, I’d choose Annick Goutal Duel. It won’t overwhelm, but it has presence. Vegetarians might choose the cleaner, but still warm, Christian Dior Dune, just a dab.
At work
Since the cool weather and dry indoor heat should hold perfume closer to your skin, now you can break out the bigger fragrances. I say, swipe on some velvet-pink lipstick with your cashmere and spritz rose-patchouli, like Divine L’Inspiratrice. If that’s too girly for you, go darker with Aftelier Wild Roses.
Walking in the snow
Ha ha ha. I’ve been praying to the snow gods for a few years now, and they only tease with melting flurries. But if it does snow here this winter, I’m going with the lovely, purply Parfums de Nicolaï Sacrebleu. The frozen snow will cut its sweet anise-fruit, and its incense will be the offering I make in thanks for a gorgeous winter landscape.
Walking in the rain
Since I do so much of this in winter, I’m going to choose two old favorites: Frédéric Malle Angéliques sous la Pluie and Serge Lutens Chêne. Angéliques sous la Pluie not only has “pluie” in its name, but its combination of cool and warm matches how I feel shedding a rain-drenched coat in a warm room. Chêne blends with the wood smoke and odors from the coffee roasting plant I often smell when I walk my dog weekend mornings.
By the fire
Rochas Femme all the way. It’s powerful enough to stand up to my leaky fireplace. It’s also soft and curvy enough to counter the masculine feel of wood smoke while matching its romance down to the embers. The slightly fetid tingle of Frédéric Malle Une Fleur de Cassie complements a fire nicely, too, in an entirely feminine way.
Valentine’s Day (and other cold-weather romance)
While we’re on the subject of romance, Guerlain Attrape-Cœur gets my vote for best Valentine’s Day fragrance. It’s soft and sweet as a box of chocolates, romantic as a bouquet, and dense enough to sing when the weather still requires gloves. For a romantic night with a little less kitsch, try Cartier Baiser Volé in extrait.
Looking forward to spring
Winter doesn’t last forever. For those weeks spring feels imminent, I love a green chypre with body and wood, like Givenchy III. Between Givenchy III and forcefully willing the temperature to climb a few degrees, I do what I can to launch spring and Guerlain Chamade season.
Oh, I love your categories. For myself, I keep turning to Shalimar Parfum Initial to warm up in this cold weather or Eau Duelle for a rich vanilla blast. Parfum de Therese also seems to do very well in the cold.
I never would have thought of Parfum de Therese in the cold, but, really, when is Parfum de Therese not good to wear?
I bought a bottle of Therese today. And I can confirm that it works wonderful in Oslos -15 C. But yes, when wouldn`t this masterpiece be great?
Congratulations on the great purchase! Enjoy it (I guess I don’t even have to say that).
Thank you, Angela. It is true love 🙂
Eau Duelle is alson one of my winter favourites.
I would also like to wear Vanille Absoulement now, but my husband can`t stand it.
Oh no! I thought men generally liked vanilla–wasn’t there some study that said that? In any case, Eau Duelle is a great substitute.
Be says it is too sweet. I think it is absolutely delicious.
I’m with you on that.
A wonderful piece. I was laughing because ‘apres ski’ conjures up Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn to me, at the beginning of — is it Charade? Not that it seems either has just been skiing. I have been wearing FM Noir Epices a lot this winter, and when I want a gorgeous flower to bloom in the midst of the winter wastes, Une Rose. It is stunning when I wear it to take a walk in the snowy woods.
And just a couple of days ago, noticing that it was 5 o’clock but no longer pitch black, it occurred to me that ‘Chamade season’ is really not that far away.
I love Charade! I remember that ski lodge scene well. I want a good snow–even just one inch of pretty snow for half a day–before spring comes, dang it.
I was also picturing Charade when I read that! I watched it for the first time recently and loved it.
It’s in the public domain, too, due to a copyright glitch, so you can watch it on youtube any time you want for free!
Yes, definitely Charade! It’s such a great film – just might be my favorite Hepburn, after Sabrina.
I could look at her all day.
Black Cashmere is the perfect winter scent, although Songes was quite nice the past couple of days (in the teens where I live). Also, Sacrebleu Intense, is to my nose, plusher and spicier than the original and even better suited to winter. Sweet William is also joining the winter rotation, as is Marquay Coup de Feu (very vintage, smoky smooth wonderfulness)
Black Cashmere is so well named–it really is as eternal as the fabric, and just as perfect for winter. I still haven’t tried the Intense! I bet it’s wonderful, though.
We’ve clearly been watching the same movies… après-ski is more my speed too. And I’m not surprised our olfactory paths cross, though really, us both picked a long-discontinued fragrance like Attrape-coeur (or its various iterations) for our seasonal top 10 has got to be more than serendipity.
Maybe we were sisters in another life! If so, I hope we shared a well-selected perfume collection.
Thanks for such a perfectly charming post – most writers would just have made a “list” but your latest made me smile. Love the suggestion about Dune…I need to search out a bottle!
Thank you for the nice comment! I’ve done enough of these lists that I didn’t want to bore people with the same old (for me) Ormonde Woman, Vol de Nuit, etc. that I love.
Thank you for this wonderful overview and list Angela. And how “a- propos” today because we are having a wintery mix where I live.
Your article made me go back and re-read many of the original individual reviews.
One in particular caught my attention and that’s Chamade de Guerlain.
You did go into the definition and translation of the word itself but what was important at that time for the choice of the name was that a famous novel by Francoise Sagan titled “La Chamade” had been a real success in France prior to 1969.
Furthermore, it was made into a movie starring Catherine Deneuve in 1968 (La Chamade).
You can actually watch excerpts of it on Youtube.
So those were different times and France was very French-Centric…I guess it would be as if Guerlain released “Les Miserables de Guerlain” or “Lincoln by Guerlain” now (Hey better than Arsene Lupin Dandy or Voyou! What a choice of names!!)
I know this is all slightly off topic for today but I thought I’d close that loop on the name Chamade and how it was chosen.
Thanks again, great article!
Eric
Thank you–I love the details in your comment, and it cracks me up to think of a fragrance called Lincoln! Did you see the movie? It was so sepia-toned and smoky, yet full of wit, just like a good winter fragrance might be.
Not yet Angela but it’s on my to-see list.
Thank you for the recommendation and I will probably wear one of the fragrances you recommended today when I go see Lincoln.
I just don’t know about Sally Fields in general. Her energy and mine don’t usually gel very well.
I don’t even want to know what fragrances she wears! Both in character and in real life that is…
That’s how I feel about Keira Knightly. I just can’t drag myself to Anna Karenina, as much as I’d normally want to see it. But you might like Sally Fields in this one–she plays a complicated character that a lot of people despised.
This version os Anna Karenina was bizarre and surreal! Obviously on purpose. I did enjoy Keira in it though.
I’ve heard it’s a good movie, but I just can’t get past Keira….maybe I should buck up and give it a shot.
I agree on both Sally Field and Keira Knightley. They both get on my nerves. Although the other day I watched the Knightley in an interview with Jonathan Ross where she came across quite well.
I can never forgive her for playing Eliza Bennett, which is very unreasonable of me.
That’s exactly my problem with her!! Plus, in an interview about that role she had some nasty things to say about Jane Austen and feminism, which really irritated me.
I don’t particularly like or dislike Keira K. but it does seem an odd choice for Anne Karenina. To me, reading it, Anne was quite a statuesque magnificent woman – with a Kate Blanchett-like presence. Jude Law, on the other hand, as Vronki seems perfect!
It’s funny how we all have actors/actresses that we don’t enjoy watching no matter how interesting the role is and no matter how stellar their performance is in it.
Since scent is “primal” it would be interesting to know if they happen to have a favorite fragrance that (also) is one of our own favorites.
Scccreeaaammm!
I know! I don’t like to think of sharing my *cough* excellent taste with someone I’ve decided couldn’t possibly be as *cough* discerning as I am.
I love to wear Un Lys by Serge Lutens on a rainy spring day. The warm dampness is the perfect environment to showcase the lily. My choice for a rainy winter day is Tubereuse Criminelle. The wintergreen/menthol opening really perks me up and then it turns warm and comforting in the dry down. I also like to pick a Christmas scent every year. I tend to enjoy gourmands for Christmas. I always hope that wearing food may keep me from eating it. Anyway, this year I fell in love with Seville a l’aube by L’Artisan. It’s a cheery scent with a delicious combo of chocolate (I smell chocolate in there somewhere) orange and just a touch incense. It was perfect for the holidays!
You love your white flowers! It makes sense with “Lila.” And I agree 100% about Seville a l’Aube.
Winter fragrance for me is all about spicy orientals, leather, and tobacco, such as Tabac Blond, Bal a Versailles, Youth Dew, Tabac Aurea, and Tabu. My winter comfort scents lean towards notes of heliotrope or mimosa, like L’Heure Bleue, Montaigne, and Farnesiana.
Both heliotrope and mimosa have something velvety about them that I can see smelling warm yet elegant in winter.
Besides the large mink hats you forgot those “Moon Boot” things! Very 60’s and so chic (shhhh, I think they’re back). I love Havana Vanille. I would also suggest Frapin 1271 (is that the right date?), the rum spice scent. But my all time favorite winter scent is SL Daim Blonde. So soft, woody, leathery and pure comfort. Give me a fire, a shot of port and a book and I’m set.
Oh my gosh, I love Daim Blond for winter, and YES on the moon boots! With astrakhan vests!
Angela, your writing is a joy to read, and this was a great concept for a post – thank you! I rarely have the opportunity to really flaunt the richer, denser fragrances, as I live in the Gulf and humidity+sky-high temps+ Richter- strength fragrance= total asphyxiation ( a little scent equation of my own devising there). But oh how I love a cautious dab on my wrist for my own private enjoyment! Daphne by CDG is a recently-acquired joy. And pretty much all of the Guerlain Art et Matieres.
You and I are among the few (and mighty) Daphne lovers, it seems. I love it, though. It has lots of ambiance and attitude. In fact, I haven’t worn it in too long–out on my dresser it goes!
The very first time that I tried Daphne, it was in England when I was home for Christmas, and it was Baltic-cold ( or so it felt to my thin-blooded desert-pampered self.) Billowing wafts of it chased me down the street, and everyone I met for the rest of that day asked me what that amazing smell was. It’s a show-stopper, for sure. And really, really gratifyingly bonkers. 🙂
Perfect description! I loved it on first sniff but I know people who can’t be in the same room with it.
Note to self: must try Daphne.
I love it! But be warned…
Timely post! It’s been snowing all afternoon here and I’m wearing one of my winter favourites (by which I mean a perfume that I only ever wear in the winter, a very distinct category in my head) today – Tolu. It’s hitting all the right notes – cozy but not too casual, or sloppy, warm but not overly sweet. Perfect on a Friday!
Others in this category include Ambre Narguilé, AdP Profumo, Vol de Nuit, Noir Epices, Memoir Woman, Coromandel and Carnal Flower.
I’m so jealous about your snow! I love how quiet and soft it can be, and I love how my spotted white dog actually looks beige against the snow, and I love how snow reflects light, even giving night a glow. Snow plus Tolu is a brilliant combination.
Ha, ordinarily I love snow but I’m hoping it’ll be gone by tomorrow. I need to make a trip to the nearest city tomorrow to sort a couple of matters AND to catch up on my sniffing and here in UK even trace amounts of snow can result in absolute carnage with roads & transport.
Oh, driving in snow is a nightmare–I refuse to do it if I can avoid it at all. Good luck with your trip, and safe driving!
Am right with you on Tolu and Carnal Flower!
For me, Carnal Flower is at its absolute best on cold, sunny days. The smell of tropical flowers and crushed green stems mixing with frosty air is something quite special.
Yes. Exactly.
I first tried Carnal Flower on a day so cold that exhaled breath FROZE in the air. It was exhilarating.
Wonderful list and descriptions! And skiing is torn knee ligaments waiting to happen!! Ironically, one of my best friends is from an Olympic skiing family! Needless to say, I don’t join her on her ski trips out west!
My Guerlains get a lot of work out in the cold: Iris Ganache, L’Heure Bleue, Double Vanille, Bois d’Armenie (why don’t I reach for my Attrape Coeur??) as do the incenses: Mecca Balsam and Incense Pure. I also love Cosmic and Cuir de Russie parfum this time of the year. This week I’ve been on a chocolate kick wearing L’Heure Defendue. I can’t wait to get my bottle of SSS Cocoa/Sandalwood!
I wonder what it is about cold weather that brings out the lust for vanilla and sweet tonka? For me, it definitely does.
What a completely delightful post! And now you’ve made me want a cocktail shaker (I already have a comfy place to put my feet up, a honey to cuddle with, and an assortment of shelter pets, who also like to cuddle).
It sounds like you have the perfect set-up! Especially if complemented by an icy martini on a winter night. I love holding a book in one hand, balanced on the dog, with a cat in my lap, and a martini within easy reach.
I think you just described Heaven. 🙂
We definitely share an idea of heaven!
You’ve given me the inspiration to try Givenchy III in the late winter, instead of using it solely in the fall, along with Aliage, my other beloved autumnal fragrance.
Oh, I think Aliage would be great in the spring, too!
Do give it a try, they’re both wonderful in the spring!
And I love Aliage for desert-hot summers. I hadn’t thought of it as such an all-arounder!
Winter scents for me are spices, ambers, incense and vanilla. I have been grabbing the Shalimar, Filles en Aiguilles, Field Notes from Paris, and Coco a lot lately. I’m also partial to a good cocktail and a good book. When we stay at B&B’s a lot of them have afternoon sherry which always struck me as very après ski. I do not ski. I would most definitely break something.
Shalimar is wonderful in the winter. It just might be my Friday night winter afterwork martini scent tonight!
I also love Shalimar in autumn and winter! The current version hates me, but the vintage still works like a charm. 😀
I’m a big fan of Shalimar EdC, too–the old stuff.
That’s the one I have.
Lucky you!
Your lovely post has reminded of how much I miss skiing. I quite enjoy the après-ski (in moderation) but for me the highlight is going down those slopes. I haven’t skied in years unfortunately.
I have no particular fragrances for this season. Aromatics Elixir is the one fragrance I never wear when it is summer.
I enjoyed seeing a Divine making it onto your list. I wore Divine Divine a couple of days ago another gem in that line.
Oh and I learned to ski in St.Gervais mentioned on the top right of the two lovely ski posters at the top of this post.
Nice!
Divine is such a delicate, classical line. I really do like L’Inspiractrice and L’Homme Sage, especially.
Yes, isn’t Divine lovely Angela? I have ordered from their website and the service is wonderful. The little parchment wrapped boxes tied so neatly with white ribbon. The little gold funnel to decant should you choose . . . And I find their fragrances stunning and elegant. I have Divine EdP (so rich and beautifully balanced), L’infant (so delicate and perfect for summer) and L’eau Divine (gorgeous, toned down flanker to Divine perfect for anytime). If someone should happen to know, what is the extrait like in Divine?
I’ve never tried it, but I’d love to know, too.
Hi Hollyc, I’ve recently obtained the Divine extrait (and you were the one who originally recommended Divine to me on MM!). The extrait is just lovely, very like the EDP but warmer and richer and perhaps a bit closer to the skin. Highly recommended, especially to fellow Divine lovers 😉
Thank you for chiming in!
Oh thank you sooo much Farouche! I’ve had a very hard time finding any reviews of the extrait. It sounds like there’s a bottle in my very near future. I hope I didn’t stear you wrong and you are loving it. I find its lasting power phenomenal and it’s especially nice on fabric next day. Have you tried any of their other offerings?
I also like L’Infante very much and have a large decant of it. There just aren’t enough days in the week to wear all the perfumes I now have and love!
I have the extrait of the original Divine. It is called L’Eternel Féminin. It is lovely. Softer, rounder around the edges, wears closer to the skin. I also have the EDP. Both are good, but the pure parfum is very very gorgeous.
My wallet just set off the smoke detector!!:)
Forgot to mention, they sent me a sample of L’Homme Sage and it is lovely and very wearable by women as well.
I agree!
My favourites are L’Homme de Coeur and Divine. Trying the extrait of L’Ame Soeur has made me want to have that one as well.
It reminds me so much of No. 5 but better. I fear No. 5 has been reformulated and is so bland to my nose. I have not heard anyone else say so though. I did not know this came in an extrait as well, must look into. You might want to try a sample of Bruno Acampora’s Prima T. The oil is soooo intense, sharp, rich and multifaceted and was a real “find” in my books.
It sounds good but that stuff is pricey!
I just got a sample of Aftelier Wild Roses. I really like it, though I wasn’t sure about the anise note at first. It has pretty good lasting power too. I got about 6-7 hours out of it when I wore it yesterday.
When I smelled it, I was expected a nice, basic rose, and I really was pleasantly surprised at how much the “wild” part of it came out!
I’m firmly in the apres ski camp as well and Theorema has been doing a lot to help me cope with this ghastly cold weather. I also stumbled across some vintage Intimate perfume oil that has enough civet in it to drive my old, neutered, male cat crazy. And that was while it was still boxed and bagged! I’ve never seen him show the slightest interest in *any* kind of scent before, so I think it’s safe to say I won’t be wearing it anywhere in public, lol. It’s supremely skankerrific in a totally ‘in your face’, unabashed and unapologetic way. Holy smokes, no wonder one of it’s old ads claimed ‘He’ll know it’s you even in the dark’ – it’s cause she threw a month’s worth of unwashed lingerie in his face!
Wow! I have a jug of Intimate EdC, and it’s nothing that skanky. How hilarious about your cat!
Lol, I know, it’s crazy – I used to wear the edc in junior high! He was all over it, I had to put it in the bedroom and close the door before he’d leave it alone. I felt bad about laughing at him but I just couldn’t help myself!
I’m wondering how big of a part the fact that it’s a perfume oil plays into it, and the quantity of civet used as a fixative in an oil as well as for it’s fragrance? I don’t recall encountering many of those in mainstream fragrances, just plenty of bath/body oils and straight perfume/parfum/extraits.
It’d be interesting to know more, because this smells like the Intimate I’ve always loved – just really dirtied up.
That’s a good question, and more technical than I can answer. I wonder if its age has something to do with it, too?
That could very well be. I’m pretty comfortable saying this is probably the oldest vintage frag that I own in terms of years passed. From the label I’d guess between mid ’50’s to mid ’60’s, and it was a half ounce in pristine unopened condition. It’s also the only vintage ‘perfume oil’ I own, other than essential oil blends.
I don’t know for certain if an oil based fragrance holds on to it’s original scent longer than the equivalent strength based in alcohol, but if you go by evaporation rates of those two bases then I would guess it probably does. On the other hand, I know very little about the how and whats that go into making the actual fragrance blend part of it, and how any differences there would impact the degradation of the scent depending on it’s base.
Maybe I’ll just shut up and stick to skankerrific, lol! 😀
That’s so funny! I can imagine him now, clawing at the door.
I probably should keep my big mouth shut, considering how much of the country is frozen right now, but down here on the Gulf Coast it has been in the mid-70s the last few days, and I don’t like it! This is January, darn it, and it is supposed to be cold, or at least not hot. The forecast doesn’t offer much hope, either, as it looks as if there is no cold air heading here anytime soon. Winter may be over for us, but I hope not. I have not gotten nearly enough use out of my cold weather scents, in part because my sniffer was out of commission for most of December due to the flu. During the cool weather that we have had this month, I have gotten quite a bit of use out of SSS Champagne de Bois, which is one scent I absolutely cannot wear in the summer–it smothers me. In the winter, though, is is fabulous.
The weather has been absolutely freaky these past few years, it seems. Who knows, though? Maybe you (and I) will be in for a good cold, wet spell soon, and we can break out the big guns perfume-wise.
I don’t care one way or another about wet, but I would like some more chilly temps. I hope you do get your snow, though. It is certainly beautiful when the entire world is covered with a blanket of white.
Yes yes yes! It’s so pretty.
For some reason I love Carnal Flower when the air is cold. The crisp green stems of it simply sing and keep the tuberose in line. I think in the last leather fest you held Angela, someone mentioned a subject of ‘scents we like but can’t wear’ and tuberose would have to be right up there for me. Although I have several of them they wear on me quickly and I seldom ‘respritz’ on the same day. But Carnal Flower is pretty much the only scent I have that is strictly relegated to winter . . . and cold winter at that! 50_Roses I envy your proximity to those sugar sand beaches on the Emerald Coast, if you get a chance, wiggle your toes in the sand for me. But I understand the weird, unsettling feeling with the increasingly UNseasonal weather that seems to be everywhere now.
It’s true–I have a tough time with Carnal Flower, even though I swoon with pleasure whenever I smell it. As soon as the the temperature drops below a mild 45F here, I’m going to give it a try and see if cold+Carnal Flower+me work better together.
Hermes L’Ambre de Merv, Chanel Bois de Iles and 31 Rue Cambon, Guerlain L’Heure Bleue, Sonoma Scent Studio Winter Walk, and DK Black Cashmere have been my winter cozies!
They all do sound so cozy! I’m warming up just reading their names.
We’ve had some record-setting cold in the SF bay area recently (I know, not the temperatures that Midwesterners call cold, but still 20 degrees F lower than typical!), and Bois des Isles just called my name. The drydown was like cream – those virtual calories really kept me warm!
Angela, I always enjoy your writing and this post is no exception. This winter I fell in love with Havana Vanille. I had a decant that I never wore and then–wham!–one cold day I tried it again and it was perfect. I don’t care much for vanilla-centric perfumes but what makes this one stand out to me is the narcissus. In fact, it’s better if I don’t think of “vanilla” at all but narcissus and tonka and benzoin and whatever other magic Bertrand D. works on the formula.
And tobacco! Don’t forget about that sweet little hint of tobacco.
Isn’t it nice to rediscover a fragrance you wrote off earlier? It happens to me all the time.
I love your categories! I am a bunny slope drop out, but got an A+ for après ski. The snow we have today is particularly sparkly, almost like swarovski crystals falling from the sky. I wore and enjoyed FM L’Eau D’Hiver. My other winter appropriate perfumes include my recently acquired Guerlains (Spiritueuse Double Vanille and Iris Ganache), Prada Candy, A Lab on Fire What We Do In Paris is Secret and a new love Diptyque Volutes EDP. I have Dune and will try it this weekend.
I’m so jealous! I know that marvelous, sparkly tight snow. Enjoy all your wonderful fragrances.
Adding my appreciation for your categories. I do sigh at these season lists on the blogs because I live in the southern hemisphere and am always out of season. I’m now at that stage (one that many of us get to, I think, in the summer) where I fossick constantly through my collection looking for summer fragrances that are NOT citrus dominated. I did get away with a wearing of Chamade the other day because the morning was just cool enough to make the vanillic element in Chamade tolerable – even welcome.
L’Heure Bleue is my winter rainy day scent. I love its mixture of melancholy and warmth. You can cope with the rain because you remember there’s that lovely cafe around the corner where they will serve you something warming to cheer you up …
I’m still amazed enough at earth sciences to marvel at the southern hemisphere experiencing the exact opposite in seasons. Too bad we can’t share the same fragrance wardrobe and ship it back and forth between seasons!
And I love your use of “fossick.” That’s a new word for me. As soon as I post this comment, I’m off to look it up.
‘Fossick’ is perfect for those ‘Damn, I was sure had a sample of Field Notes From Paris somewhere around here … ‘ moments. Cornish miners were always looking for field notes from Paris. Well known fact.
That’s hilarious! Cornish miners are celebrated for their fragrant waft, I’m sure.
I’ve already powdered the Posse up with my winter favorites, but this time of year is the only time I can indulge in those without feeling guilty. I also tend to wear amber and patchouli and tobacco and vanilla in these months. So my faves are currently rotating as follows: Alamut and Teint de Neige, Fumerie Turque and Boudoir, Amour de Cacao even, Ambre Extreme and Mona di Orio Ambre, also Cuir to warm me up with its gingerbread:), KenzoAmour, White Aoud, and all those heavy hitters. That’s one of the reasons I love my favourite season so much:). (okay, maybe right after the Glorious Food)
Thank You Angela for the heart-warming post again! Your style is always so mellow and radiant.
Hey, let’s hear it for Alamut! You and I are its only fans, it seems. Your list is full of rich, warm, delicious perfume.
Oh really? Does this mean that we can have all the supply of it on Earth? 😛 It is such a warm, cozy comforting scent. I still remember when I tested it in a Budapest niche boutique and days after that You posted about a powder binge of yours, I think it was a few years ago, and your words about Alamut made me buy a bottle of it right away:). Never ever regretted that buy:). Anyway, I’m SO happy we share a love for this gem:).
Let’s put it this way: we probably won’t face a lot of competition on those remaining bottles of Alamut. But, as you hint, more for us!
Oh and Patchouli Leaves, how could I forget You?:)
Another good one!
I’m another Southern Hemisphere citizen! For the first time in my life, and I’m 34, it snowed properly in the area I live in – its the first time I have seen proper snow IRL. That was back in winter. It was all gone that night but for the late morning and afternoon our entire garden was white. The only colour was one pink rose on a bush!
Now its so hot here its hard to keep ones eyes open!
How fabulous to see your first real snow! I’m still boggled how it can be hot hot hot on one side of the world and so chilly on the other. It’s a crazy world.
My heart beats wildly for FM Une Fleur de Cassie. Now must go find a fireplace….
I’m glad to find another fan! Une Fleur de Cassie is such a strange little concoction, but I love it. (I also love fireplaces. Right now I’m wavering between making a fire and reading, or heading to the TV grotto in the basement for a Columbo movie. Decisions decisions.)
An fabulously purposeful and downright yummy list of fragrances not just for winter but for the whole year through. Beautifully written, mouthwatering descriptions that just make me want to spray myself lavishly with all despite the weather, while mentally skiing in the Canadian Rockies. What a thrill!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! (And I’ll meet you in the lodge for brandy when you come off the slopes.)
My best ski vacations ever were in Banff. Let’s hear it for the Canadian Rockies!
And you didn’t break anything? Good!
What wonderful categories! Makes me want to curl up under a nice warm blanket with some old fashioned seventies brandy cocktail.
Many of the mentioned perfumes are also my favorites, but what still does not stop to surprise me, is how different the same perfume “sounds” when the first frost kicks in. For example Jasmine and White Moss by Estée Lauder, in the warm weather it’s ever so slightly sour, but in the cold air it becomes really just cristalline.
You’re so right about fragrances appealing in a different way depending on the weather. I can’t even think of an oriental in the summer, for example.
What a terrific post Angela, and thank you so much for including Wild Roses!
Mandy