Six Picks: Fall Fragrances 2010


Autumn is a season that has a lot going for it: Halloween, burning leaves, a certain pleasurable melancholy. Between the cooler weather and the shifting mood, fall practically insists on a whole new fume wardrobe. (Fall's a little bossy that way.) Inspired by my fall fragrances picks, I've held forth on these compelling smells at some length in the video review, above. To make it easier for folks who just need a quick shpritz of perfume info so they can get on with their day already, I've boiled my speechifying down to key words for each of my choices, as follows: Lolita Lempicka Key words: licorice, flair, pointy Tom Ford Grey Vetiver Key words: citrus, roots, Unabomber Diptyque L'Eau Trois Key words: myrrh, fertile, sacred Maison Francis Kurkdjian Lumière Noire pour Femme Key words: rose, rubber, police tape Chanel Égoïste Key words: sandalwood, milky, excite Amouage Memoir Woman Key words: leather, suffocated, hallucinate For sizes and prices, please click on the fragrance names. Fumies, what are you wearing this autumn?

42 comments:

  1. I got sucked into CdG/Undercover's Holygrace which takes me on a heady stroll around a once lush summer garden that is slowly, but surely, dying. It's very pretty but the ginger starts to go a little postal and its that stench underneath it all that makes me feel wistful.

    Also from CdG and indecent to wear at any other time of the year, it seems, is Luxe Patchouli which is rich, smoky and dare I say, luxurious. No, wait, lux-ee. Luxy. New word. It's this thick, resin bomb that is feels soft and sensual at the same time, a prolonged stare that would be creepy if you weren't enjoying it so much.

    And then M/Mink which has to be the olfactory equivalent of a taking a ride on the back of Falkor from The NeverEnding Story. I get fur but from a fantasy animal, some Thing that visits only in dreams. There's a bit of toilet cleaner pine I must say but it's saved from janitorial duty from a gritty, earthy honey. It's simply one of the most sublime scent experiences I've had yet and I'm dying to dance with this one a little more.

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  2. Great selection, Katie:) It's so cold here in Germany these days that I guess I will skip directly to the "winter fragrances" wardrobe though. Seems I will douse myself in Chergui and L'Heure Bleue earlier this year, LOL

    Hugs,

    S.

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  3. Great selection! I'm excited since the last 3 are in my collection! Today is the first chilly day here in south Florida so I'll give one of them a shot.

    I've been wearing Stephanie St. Aignans Berberaides and Embruns Ambre )a gorgeous amber with ocean notes-an unlikely but workable pairing).

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  4. I'm loving the wood and incense right now, I guess it reminds me of the great smell of being outside and smelling someone else's wood fire in the air. I'm wearing CdG Avignon, Wonderwood, Hinoki, and my Penhaligon's Elixer.

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  5. Traversee du Bosphore! I can't get enough of it the last several weeks. I've also been spending a lot o time with the Sonoma Scent Studio frags--I love the chewey-ness in the bases : )

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  6. Great choices, I need to try the Kurkdijan soon, sounds so interesting.
    My fall favorites at the moment are Tolu (Ormonde Jayne) and L'Artisan Vanille Absoluement.

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  7. beautyontheoutside - Aha! "Chewy-ness" is it, exactly, with those Sonoma Scent Studio frags. It wasn't until you pointed it out that I identified it.

    knanicki - Huh! I've been developing a bit of a crush on Penhaligon's Elixir, myself. And it's always autumn or spring when I smell the cold, wet air mixed with smoke fire and mulchy earth when I think, "This needs to be a perfume!"

    Dixie - hooray for the first chilly day in south Florida! That is indeed an excuse for celebration if you have the likes of Lumière Noire pour Femme, Égoïste and Memoir Woman in your collection. It might get to the stage where you'll have to move simply to accommodate wearing your perfumes.

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  8. Sabrina, both Chergui and L'Heure Bleue are fab snuggly choices.

    rekoob23 - still loving your wordplay, kiddo. Thanks for the verbal and olfactory stimulation. I've already planned a little outing today to check out M/Mink, and you've inspired me to re-explore Holygrace and Patchouli. Thanks!

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  9. olfactoriastravels - Yeah, Tolu! Thanks for reminding me to wear my bottle of the parfum. And for reminding me that Havana Vanille changed its name to Vanille Absoluement.

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  10. Serge Noire by Serge Lutens (very autumnal, spicy and melancholy) and Chanel No. 5 eau de parfum.

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  11. I would love to get a wiff of any of those lovely sounding fumes you talked about in your video Katie =] But for me, lowering temperatures means i'm breaking out the A*MEN. Because lets be real, wearing A*MEN anytime other than now is just mean to other people, I personally love it anytime of the year, but others might not appreciate it's chocolate dipped incense like I do during the summer.

    I mean, unlike me, some people also don't think Dr.Pepper is an appropriate breakfast time beverage. And I always try to tell myself "Brandon, who cares what everyone thinks, have your pancakes AND your DR.Pepper!"

    But like my odd choice in breakfast meals, even I am ready to admit A*MEN might be too much for warm and humid South Florida weather. Oh well. I can have my A*MEN now ^_^

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  12. Katie: I just dug out my decant of L'eau d'Italie Bois d'Ombrie. I had forgotten how much this captures fall for me: smoky, burning leaves, truffle, black olive, incense, cognac. Sounds gourmand but isn't. Bertrand Duchaufour masterfully blended it. This totally does it for me as a Fall scent. I also find A*Men Pure Malt pretty fabulous this time of year, too.

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  13. Ooops...I think I got my Bois d'Ombrie and Sienne l'Hiver mixed up...both are fabulous, but it's Sienne l'Hiver with the black truffle and olive notes. Two thumbs way up for both.

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  14. One word: Incense. I wish I could give you all of the credit for turning me into such a fiend, but the seed of obsession has been there for years. You just watered it.

    Most of what I've been reaching for since the weather has started to turn has got incense in it. Dzongkha, YSL Nu (the EdP), Bond No. 9 Silver Factory and Cooper Square and Gucci Pour Homme have all been in heavy rotation, and by heavy rotation I mean that they're pretty much all I want to wear. I'm actually surprised by how much I've enjoyed Dzongkha. Something about it makes me think of the leaves turning, all of that warm, fiery color against the cool, damp air...

    As much as I'm dreading winter this time of year really is perfectly suited to my perfume personality.

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  15. I have SL Ambre Sultan on the left, and his cousin Arabie on the right...liking Mr. Sultan for his smokiness just a bit more.
    I've been pretty true to Like This for the fall. And Coromandel always pushes through the crowd for a day or two. I tried SL Chene for fall but it was too upfront woody for me! ("Back off Chene!") And, luckily, or not, I got a sample of Soivohle's new Meerchaum! Argh! I NEED this! Especially for fall! Tobacco, sweet, hay...love it!

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  16. elise, Sergie L really does do us right for the colder weather, doesn't he?

    Spike, I too feel rather autumnal in my year-round perfume personality.

    Scott, any way you slice it, both those Bois d'Italies are proper fall frags. But there's something olive-y about Sienne l'Hiver that reminds me of pizza.

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  17. Ha-ha, "Brandon, who cares what everyone thinks, have your pancakes AND your Dr. Pepper!" Brandon, people aren't staring at you for pairing your pancakes with Dr. Pepper, they're looking askance because you're sitting there talking to yourself about it! (But seriously, I'm a DP nutter myself, but diet only.)

    Lovely choices, Styleodyssey!

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  18. Dear Katie,
    I am grateful to you because you are the ONLY one ever to update my RSS reader on a weekend... out of 11 subscriptions! I am usually so bored on weekends.

    Lately I've been wearing Belle en Rykiel most of the time, and sometimes Feminite du Bois, Jovan Musk, Encre Noir, Shalimar. Sounds like an odd mixture, I know, but remember I am still in the sampling stage. Belle was FREE (Rei Rien is great) and I wear it as a Shalimar substitute so I don't use up all my Shalimar. I don't like it as much but they smell fairly similar, and fitting for cold weather.

    -Laura

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  19. Laura, just reading up on Belle en Rykiel - have never encountered it, and it sounds interesting. And all your choices are so deep and rich. Jovan Musk smells good! My dad used to wear it! I don't how he stumbled onto it.

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  20. [Here's a comment from François, who had difficulty posting from his end]

    Katie,

    Love your show ! I'm quite new to fragrances and Katie Puckrik Smells has become one of my favorite perfume blogs over the entire fumy blogosphere.

    This summer, I enjoyed Passage d'Enfer, a transparent and intimate incense with a touch of white lily in the middle. This fall, I am turning to Voleur de Roses, a fascinating earthy, almost musty rose shrouded in patchouli. Both are from l'Artisan Parfumeur.

    Greetings from Paris !

    François

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  21. François, I'm very pleased you found KP Smells in the increasing cacophony of the fumiverse!

    Passage d'Enfer is ideal for sneaking in a little incense in the clammy heat. And Voleur de Roses sings one of my favorite tunes: "Rose & Patchouli".

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  22. Still chuckling at "licorice, flair, pointy"...

    I have been in major testing mode lately rather than properly choosing scents, though in amongst that there have been repeated spontaneous wearings of Diptyque Eau Duelle, Etro Etra, Floris Snow Rose and Stephanie Saint-Aignan Royal Palm. Beyond that there was no pattern to speak of, not that the above constitutes much of one!

    : - )

    Vanessa (outing my other flittersniffery self to see how it felt)

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  23. Vanessa, it feels good at this end! And I'm also drawn to repeated spontaneous wearings of Etra.

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  24. Autumn and winter are the seasons for fragrances that remind me of holiday foods: 1740 Marquis de Sade (boozy, spicy fruit compote), Farnesiana (almond), L'Heure Bleue (almond & licorice), Youth Dew (cinnamon & nutmeg), Poison (more stewed fruit, berries & plums this time). It's also a great time for smoky scents, like Tabac Blond and Tabac Aurea. The pine and juniper notes in Wrappings make that one a good holiday perfume too.

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  25. Patty - a nice round-up of classics and deep cuts. Now I want to smell Wrappings.

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  26. I go through a brief period in the spring/summer when I tire of my rich incense-y, smokey, warm, vanillic, boozey, resinous, leathery, plummy, etc fragrances. I go through a brief fling with florals, especially the heavy hitting indolic white florals and then.... August rolls around and I've pretty much dumped them for chypres and I'm drumming my fingers, waiting for the temperature to drop. So that I can wear....
    Serge Lutens Un Bois or Ambre anything or a heavy hitting baroque Amouage (except for the Memoirs, which thrashed my nose about just a little). Or Guerlain Cuir Beluga, Bois d'Armenie, vintage Shalimar extrait, Quand Vient La Pluie and Iris Ganache. Parfumerie Generale Iris Taizo and Memo Manoa (opoponax overdose with a warm incense drydown). The list could go on for paragraphs. As you can see, despite my difficulties tolerating the cold, I'm in fragrance heaven. And rendered strangely inarticulate by the vastness of it all.

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  27. m61, you're a regular perfume calendar, it would appear. Boy would I like to rummage around in your collection - fragrance heaven, indeed.

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  28. Oh and Melissa, wondering if you had a chance to try MFK Absolue Pour le Soir now that it's properly chilly?

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  29. Late to the party but: a little experiment: DK's labdanum essence layered with some Diptyque Opopanax room spray, which I use on clothing and scarves. SL Ambre Sultan. The new eau Duelle (Diptyque). DK Iris. Vintage Shalimar, and as many samples from Sniffa as I can face!

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  30. Katie, I don't know if you're still reading this post, but yes, I have a decant of the MFK. Wasn't it you who called it a barnyard incense? Which meant that I had to immediately hunt it down. And drown myself in it. Skankalicious.

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  31. Olfacta, I like the sound of that experiment. Prada have a lovely Opoponax in their Exclusifs range.

    m61, yep, I'm on top of it! It was indeed I who said Absolue Pour le Soir smelled like a church in a zoo. Which apparently is code for "Melissa springs into perfume-purchasing action".

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  32. Hi Katie! I love your blog and your channel. I ordered decants from The Perfumed Court, including 5 ml of Chanel's Cuir de Russie (which I ADORE, I think that was probably one of your recs a while back too) and 1.5 ml of Egoiste (can't believe it's supposedly for men). WELL they got them backwards but it turns out that I might like Egoiste even better so happy accident for me! I love when you do these sort of round-up videos, but I am always running out to try them so I think my wallet hates you. (It'll get over it!) :)

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  33. Heather, thanks for checking in! That switcheroo with the decant sizes sounds like a pleasant happenstance as far as I'm concerned. Égoïste is a beaut. And your wallet can hop in the bandwagon with mine.

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  34. I'm on holiday so sadly can't watch the vid on my iPod for some random reason, but your pithy descriptions make me feel as if I'd been there in spirit.

    I've had a further attempt at Black Orchid and am in love with it! Either the unwashed-body smell disappeared with the sun or my morning toilette has improved. I've also flouted my strict perfume no-buy rules and invested in some Shalimar EdP. For some reason it doesn't smell as rounded or profound as I'd have liked so I'm planning some layering experiments for when I get back. Sacrilegious, I know, but a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do.

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  35. amber j - Black Orchid does sound like an excellent nippy weather match. Let me know how you get on with your Shalimar activities. Off the top of my head, Aftelier Leather Essence would be fantastic alongside Shalimar.

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  36. I keep alternating between Dior Eau Noire (if they aged maple syrup like cognac, this would be Aunt Jemima XO) and Heeley Cardinal. I played around with a decant of the amazing Black Tourmaline, but it's soooooo dark and dry and smokey and ashey that I can't seem to find the right occasion to wear it out of the house. You really smell as if you accidentally set yourself on fire, did a stop-drop-and roll, and then went on with your day.

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  37. rkf - looks like you cover the gamut between wet and dry with Eau Noire and Cardinal. And the positively arid with Black Tourmaline. I like the can-do spirit implied your interpretation of BT's smell.

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  38. Egoiste has a very close resemblance to Bois de Illes and Jacques Polge has also stated that he based Egoiste on the formula of Bois de Illes by Ernest Beaux.

    Bois is Egoiste with iris, and definitely more feminine. You might wanna check it out.

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  39. Little Fox, I didn't know that fun fact about Polge's Bois des Îles/Égoïste connection. Your comment sent me scurrying off to check it out myself, and I'm now wearing BdI and have Égoïste on a blotter (a fancy way of saying "a square of toilet paper"). When I first smelled BdI on my skin, I got that creamy sandalwood, rose and a hint of spice and had the "ah-ha - Égoïste!" moment. And then smelling Égoïste, it's funny how the comparison only highlighted their differences, because E's lavender was beaming out loud and proud. But you're right - they're cut from the same cloth. And thank you for causing me to revisit the lovely Bois des Îles!

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  40. Katie please we want a review of bois des iles!!!

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  41. Oh God, Egoiste is something special. Excite? Probably better than anything I can come up with. At first I was like ew, what is that? But within the next few hours I couldn't stop redosing to restart the scent journey. In fact, it brought tear to my eye it is so beautiful. How can that be? Such a shame that this fragrance wasn't a smash success. It doesn't seem like a fragrance the masses would love at first sniff but it truly deserves the label masterpiece IMO. I blind bought this based on Katie and Dan loving it, but then I saw Luca giving it a mediocre rating in Perfume Guide. I wasn't expecting much and the first sniff gave me serious doubts. But wow, Egoiste Egoiste Egoiste! The commercial is a work art as well.

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