I love fall. Brown leaves, that slight chill in the air and the subsequent return of sweaters and stylish coats to your wardrobe. It’s the perfect season.
For your fragrance, this is also a season with a lot of potential. Because while we associate citrus scents with summer, and brooding, deep and dark offerings in the winter months, fall allows a lot more flexibility. The mix of warm and cool moments, coupled with the change happening all around makes this a perfect moment to step out of your comfort zone and try something a little different.
Acqua di Parma Gelsomino a Freddo
Acqua di Parma is best known for its citrus-heavy scents, and that makes them a must-have for spring and summer. But lurking in its catalogue is one bottle I reach for as soon as the first leaves turn brown.
Gelsomino a Freddo is an interesting scent from Italy’s finest fragrance house, reverting away from traditional citruses in favor of floral notes like jasmine and iris. There is still a little smattering of lemon and pink pepper right at the top – just enough to remind you it’s an Acqua di Parma scent – but beyond that it’s entirely different.
The overall profile is complex, with a web of florals sat on top of each other leaving a unique scent on your skin. Priced from $300 for a 50ml bottle, this one is luxury through and through.
DS & Durga Cognac Reign
Inspired by the powdered wigs and strong refreshments of the Baroque period, Cognac Reign is a delightful, boozy fragrance. Things open up with woods, bergamot and sweet caramel, before giving way to its namesake cognac.
That’s met with orris, and sits on a base of tonka bean – which adds a little vanilla note – and oak. At $225 for a 50ml bottle, it’s not exactly cheap. But if you’re getting ready to party like it’s 1699, there’s nothing better out there.
Goldfield & Banks Ingenious Ginger
In my humble opinion, this is one of those bottles which every collection needs. As the name would suggest, there’s a strong hit of ginger running throughout its lifecycle.
It’s sweeter than raw ginger, though. Imagine a ginger beer and you’re not far away. And yes, it lasts for hours, with an excellent balance between sweet and spice which is perfect for the season. A 50ml bottle will set you back $160, and it’s worth every penny.
All Saints Shoreditch Leather
In the season where you’d probably crack out a leather jacket once again, this Leather scent from All Saints is the perfect addition. Floral top notes remind us of the summer months in the rearview mirror, before classic leather, sandalwood and amber take over.
That’s a really timeless combination which is instantly recognizable. Here, it’s built on top of patchouli and vetiver, offering something green to round out the scent. Pricing starts at $72 for a 30ml bottle.
Tom Ford Bitter Peach
While some might imagine a peach scent is more of a summer offering, I think Bitter Peach is perfect for these later months. While the peach can be strong at first, it quickly gives way to interesting citrus notes like blood orange.
Boozy notes like rum make themselves known in the middle, before a complex base of woods, patchouli, vetiver, vanilla and tonka bean ensures a wonderful dry down. Hints of peach and citrus remain as the scent ages, making this a wonderful option.
You’ll pay $265 for a 30ml bottle.
Mind Games Check Please
Imagine a deep, dark nougat and hazelnut candy bar, and you’re really not a million miles away from Mind Games Check Please. Nougat is the really prominent note here, though you’ll also get green apple and hazelnut in the top as you focus your attention differently.
You’ll get plum, cinnamon and a hint of rose in the middle, before things settle down and include vanilla, amber, oak and sandalwood. It’s a more unique dark fragrance than anything else here, and borders on gourmand territory.
Priced at $395 for a 100ml bottle, it’s definitely an investment. Mind Games do make some of the best bottles on the market, though, so at least it feels luxurious in every sense.
Eauso Vert Fruto Oscuro
I’m letting you in on one of my favorite scented secrets here, so listen closely. Fruto Oscuro by Eauso Vert might just be the exact thing your collection of sublime scents is missing.
It’s dark and fruity – not fruit in the sweet just-picked-from-the-bush sense, more like when all of the dark berries are cooking in a pie – and offers a level of complexity rarely seen in other scents. There’s a big bit of dark cherry on the top, lots of pepper sprinkled throughout and a base which includes patchouli, some woods and frankincense. The latter really aids longevity, and gives a nice incense scent.
At $185 for a 50ml bottle, it’s more affordable than many others, and will almost certainly offer something different to your other bottles.