Top 5 Favorite Perfumes for Fall Transition

I used to wear just one scent. No matter the occasion or season, I reached for the same bottle. That bottle was Jo Malone’s Grapefruit cologne. Whenever my husband would notice that I was getting low, he’d run out and buy me a new bottle. Today, he finds other ways to express his kindness because keeping up with my perfumes would be mission impossible – more on that in a minute.  Over time I began to view perfume as another tool for self-expression. As British perfumer Roja Dove says, “A good perfume is the most powerful accessory, expressing individuality and making a statement without saying a word.” Much like a person’s fashion choice, it caters to a particular mood and occasion. When we put on an outfit, wear our hair or make-up in a certain way, it creates a feeling within us. Our choices are an external representation of our internal state of mind. Perfume has the same effect. Selecting a perfume is so much more than how we want to smell; it’s “How do I want to feel today?” Our sense of smell has a unique ability to uplift our spirits, spark creativity or create a sense of calm. It also conjures images of places we’ve been and those that live in our imaginations.

I now own close to… 75 perfumes. Some may call it a problem. I call it a perfume wardrobe. And I wear it every day. See now why my husband must find alternative acts of kindness? I’d never expect him to take inventory of my perfumes. He’s equally impressed and shocked at my collection, and one day joked, “Someday soon, we’ll need a bigger house.” While I do have a lot to choose from, I regularly reach for a few favorites. But I love having the option of mixing things up depending on my mood, season, where I’m headed and when.

It’s of course impossible to choose a favorite out of our five magnificent senses, but smell seems to command our attention the quickest – would you agree? You could be enjoying a great meal beside a stunning view but if a smell grabs your attention – either good or bad – we zoom our focus to fragrance. We start creating a narrative around it because our sense of smell tells us a story.

I appreciate a wide range of perfumes (thus my perfume “problem”), and I tend to think scent combinations fall on a large spectrum between summer and winter. I’m not suggesting we must follow some kind of rule in wearing perfumes. If you want to wear sandalwood and musk in June, you be you! I just think the notes lend themselves more to a wintery cabin by the fire. We are now in the throes of late summer and soon will be welcoming fall. Where I enjoy light, bright, fruity and floral fragrances for spring and early summer, I now focus on a theme of fragrances that have a certain brightness to the top note but something deeper and warmer for the base note. During this transitional season, I like having a hint of mystery and warmth. An example could be fruit paired with leather. Here are five of my favorites that come to mind in this category:

Sisley-Paris Izia La Nuit: I like how this fragrance blossoms as you wear it throughout the day. It starts out fresh and bright, with notes of rose and fruit. The middle notes are woody and amber but by nightfall, it transitions into something sexy with a mix of warm spice and citrus. This is the equivalent of an outfit that can go from day to night.

Memo Paris Sicilian Leather: Here’s an example of a scent conjuring an image like it’s a memory, when in fact it’s an image sourced from my imagination. When wearing this scent, I think of driving an antique car along the Amalfi coast with the sun low in the sky and leaving citrus notes in the air. Beneath the citrus are warmer undertones, of spice and leather.

Byredo Pulp: This is a fresh cocktail of notes, the brightest and most citrusy of the five. The fruit lingers for hours, becoming richer with time. Ultimately, you’re left with ripe citrus mixed with hint of spice. I feel I can practically taste this perfume. If perfume could transform into an ingestible liquid, I’m just saying this might make a nice tea.    

Diptyque Eau Rihla: Eau Rihla is an intriguing perfume where leather notes and a whiff of raspberry hit your nose first. Eventually it welcomes some vanilla to connect the two beautifully. I love how someone reviewed this on the website Fragrantica: “It smells like a stack of cash that has been held in a leather bag then sprayed with raspberry. Really hot.” That sums it up pretty well actually!

Tom Ford Ebene Fume: This is the deepest and warmest of the five and a great fragrance representation of the season. It’s a sultry woody and amber scent with some bright balsamic notes. I think of a hot day at the beach, followed by a bonfire with friends.

There are so many scents to explore! Perfume is such a captivating blend of art, history, science and personal expression. It can transport us through time and space, collecting memories along the way. It’s the reason why I’m so drawn to different scents – on myself and on others. I would call my perfume collection less of a hobby and more of a passion. I wish we could get together for a perfume party! I’d be so interested to see what bottles you hold on to, what comes to mind when you inhale and when you’d want to wear it. Are there perfumes you think of during this season, or ones you look forward to using again in the fall?