Top 10 of Autumn

Depressing as this season can be (the summer is over, the winter is coming...), Fall deserves its own Top 10 list. Today some of us, perfume bloggers, teamed up to post our Top Tens of Autumn. Marina's Ten Not much has changed since I announced my Top 10 of Summer back in July. Which simply goes to prove that, as I always suspected, the seasonality in perfume, as far as my fragrance-wearing habits are concerned, is overrated. Or perhaps I am in a perfume rut, perhaps, I am stagnating...No, that can't be it. I feel that I am "in a happy place" in relation to my perfume life right now...I am eager to keep sampling and learning and discovering, but I am content to keep coming back to what I have and I what I truly love. Perfume nirvana? Is apparently achievable. (Moving from the usual suspects to new additions on the list) A Maze by People of the Labyrinths Aoud Roses Petals by Montale Chanel No 22 Diorama by Christian Dior Iris Poudre by Frederic Malle Une Fleur de Cassie by Frederic Malle Black Orchid Voile de Fleur by Tom Ford. My weapon of choice when I want to feel lethal (my own brand of what Tyra Banks calls fierce). Une Rose by Frederic Malle. Roses have seemingly taken over my perfume wardrobe. Dark, wicked, witchy roses, to be precise. Roses blended with woods, with earth, roses with thorns. Roses Fatale. Voleur de Roses by L'Artisan. Seriously, taken over my wardrobe! From being a rose-hater to being a rose-lover is but a tiny, unnoticeable step. White Aoud by Montale. Sensual and comforting, chic and cozy, White Aoud is just what the doctor ordered on a bleak day or a freezing autumn night. Tom's Ten Fall can be tricky in Los Angeles, going from chilly on-shore flow to killer Santa Anas in the space of a day. As I type this (October 22nd) Southern California is being ravaged by wildfires. So you will forgive some of the choices- the smoky scents that I favor in fall may seem a crass choice in light of the news. Chene is one of the first things I reach for when the fall temps start to dip, it's silky, smoky oak is pervasive and as comforting as a wood fire, its earthy base like a secret forest floor. Rumor has it that this will be the special guest appearance in the export range, and I plan on stocking up. Borneo 1834 also starts to peep it's little cocoa'd head out in fall. The dry, almost burnt cocoa and patchouli with the barest trace of camphor is one that is warming on the cool fall evenings but also works when the Santa Anas are blasting down the canyon. L'homme sage is a new find that has rocketed to near the top of the list for fall favorites: woody goodness with cardamom and sage. The lovely girl at ScentBar called it when she said "this is the way you want men to smell". I'd add that I think that it's a perfect way for a lady to smell as well. Cuir Ottoman is also a delight in the fall: I feel as if I should be zipping down a back-country lane in an MG with the roof down, off to a farm to buy some Macouns and Shropshire for a picnic by the river. Since that happens less often that one would like, I spritz and dream on. Dzing! as you know from yesterdays post is so fresh in my arsenal of fall scents that I've barely had it a week; elegant leather and woods, but not as definite as say, Tabac Blond or Cuir Mauresque. In other words, it's office friendlier, but still has that olfactory freak-flag thing going that I adore. Bond No 9 West Broadway is one that I find myself reaching for when the Southern California fall turns savage with Santa Ana winds: as Chandler who wrote referring to their unrelenting bone-dry roar: “meek little wives finger the edge of the butcher knife and eye their husband’s neck”. Personally I find it rather bracing, but I am odd. West Broadway's mate and woods have on me just a touch of lime peel and musk that doesn't overwhelm, or cause someone to eye my neck. Piper Nigrum is also one that is perfect on those days; the cooling mint plays perfectly with the warm pepper and spices. I wish it were a little less fleeting, but beauty is transient, and there is always the opportunity to respritz. Bond No 9 New Haarlem is perfect for the evenings when the winds abate somewhat, it's combination of coffee, vanilla and patchouli is mesmerizing. Having typed that, I should mention that it's pretty mesmerizing in the heat of the day as well. For the time when the temps drop back into reasonable (next week I am told) I am having a serious hankering for two scents on completely different ends of the scale by Parfumerie Generale: Querelle and Aomassai. I don't have the same reaction to Querelle as Marina does: I find it's supremely odd mixture of spices and rather milky myrrh incredibly empowering, like a well cut suit. The spicy earthiness of its vetiver and ambergris hold no darkness for me; it's chic in a "don't f&*k with me fellas" kind of way, but on some crisp fall days that's exactly how I feel. Aomassai's candied yumminess served in a hearty wooden box is perfect for those days when it's getting colder and the first lick is in the air that there really is going to be a drab winter coming. It's woody, nutty rounded and slightly fatty feeling is immensely comforting, like drinking a hot chocolate wearing a cashmere blanket. What are your Top 10 Scents of Autumn? Please share! And please remember to read other Top 10s: Aromascope :: Bois de Jasmin ::Now Smell This :: Perfume Posse :: Perfume-Smellin' Things :: Scentzilla First image is courtesy of Katie (Scentzilla), second and third are from alamy.com.