And may the autumn equinox...

And may the autumn equinox bring with it
the browning of the leaves.
The numbing of the memories of what might be
and the sleeping of the dragons.
For there are many and they lurk
underneath one's thoughts.
The light -or is it the darkness?-
seeping through the cracks of the mind.

via pinterest

Trick or Treat? Top Autumn Fragrances for Any Mood

Which mood is more you? The playful trickster, barefoot and hell-bent on playing mischief to placate the evil Halloween spirits or the mellow pacifist stuffing the mouth with calorific indulgences and the contended smile of "all's good"? Or you can be both, depending on how your day is going. Fragrances can be like that too, you know!
There are scents which are comforting, snuggly like an old favourite jumper when the sky is uninviting, first thing in the morning, and the temperatures are plummeting; a fragrance which smiles at you from within its heavy glass with the sweetness of a kid on a Hallmark card. And there are scents which are devilishly playing tricks on you, requiring that you have either the right attitude or the right weather conditions or the just right outfit (and possibly makeup and jewellery too!) in order to bring out their best; if they want to! But oh, when they do...The latter category might seem like they're ultimately a pain in the butt to have around (what if you look at them in a certain way and they crack from side to side?), but so often they form some of the most satisfying fragrances we possess in our wardrobe. The former... well, they are our fall-back-upon scents and in times like this, this is kinda precious too, don't you agree?
So here is our small selection of "Tricksters and Treaters". Feel free to add yours in the comments!

• THE TRICKSTERS

À Travers le Miroir by Thierry Mugler
A strange tuberose, half-way between carnivorous mentholated flower with bitter touches (reminiscent of a herbal autumn garden) and decaying sweet flesh; yet rather light, if you can imagine that! If you're a man and always wanted to own a tuberose fragrance but found them too Fracas-shouting femme, then this is your bet. Alexis Dadier must be a brave perfumer since he shed tuberose of its black lingerie & berry lipstick to reveal its muscled up (hold the baby oil!) facets. A tuberose of the Tubéreuse Criminelle school of thought!

La Myrrhe by Serge Lutens
Myrrh gum is part of ecclesiastical incense alongside frankincense for millenia. You would expect an oriental, full of resinous mystery, going by the name, right? Lutens goes one better and infuses the bitter ambience of myrrh with candied mandarin rind and citrusy aldehydes which bring this on the upper plane of an airy aldehydic. Somehow it wears lightly but solemnly too and it resembles nothing else on the market. Cool autumn days bring La Myrrhe's attibutes to the fore and it remains amongst my most precious possessions.

Aromatics Elixir by Clinique
It's hard to picture autumn without the imagery of a forest in full regalia, evergreens gaining inches day by day, sepia foliage being trampled underfoot and the promise of fairies in the wings; sorry, behind the mighty oaks, I meant to say... The enchanted forest scentscape of Bernand Chant's masterpiece is among the most challenging, but also among the most complimented and revered, fragrances in the world. If you find difficult to tame this patchouli, rose & oakmoss Godzilla accord in the pure parfum spray, tone it down opting for the Eau de Toilette or Velvet Sheer formulation within the range. Review of Aromatics Elixir on this page and smell-alike on that one.

No.18 by Chanel Les Exclusifs
If you're lucky enough to have this ambrette and rose blend sing on your skin, you're very fortunate. I wish it did on mine and in my memory banks as well. It's probably among the most individual things to come out in the last 10 years and it's quite unique (Although Musc Nomade isn't too far removed in its concept, but the Chanel is more of a subtle perfume than an invisible human aura like the Goutal). Review of No.18 here.

Les Larmes Sacrées de Thèbes by Baccarat
If only because this discontinued limited edition Egyptian beauty will have you scouring the Internet for it but end up paying through the nose (Masochists, please take note! I actually managed to bypass this at a Baccarat boutique when it was available commercially). Somnombulent balsams speek of Egyptian rituals which transport you to a warmer, southern meridian. (Read reviews of all three Baccarat scents for the occasion on this link)



• THE TREATERS

Doblis by Hermès
Doblis is an anomaly: Such a refined composition, the best leather fragrance in the world (and the rarest) just can't be classified in the treaters, where sweet ambers and indulgent gourmands should populate the premises, could it? And yet, Doblis is so silken, so restrained, so smooth, fanning precious flowers onto the most buttery suede, that it transcends into the beatific ecstacy reserved for true excellence. Review of Doblis on this page.

Like This by Etat Libre d'Orange
And the anomalies continue: What is an Etat Libre scent doing in this side of the list? But its welcoming spicy notes of immortelle and ginger and its succulent pumpkin and mandarin heart, set nevertheless in an interesting diorama where one supercedes the other, Like This reads like wise verse by Rumi instead of a Dear Abby column as one would expect; and on top of that it is fronted by the most interesting celebrity to front a fragrance in the last -oh- twenty years...Tilda Swinton! More info on this link.

Shalimar Ode à la Vanille by Guerlain
The smoothness and delicacy of vanilla pods, air-spun here and with a prolonged and rather linear, easy projection of citrus and familiar core. Impossible not to like, impossible to misbehave. More info on this article.

Bois et Musc by Serge Lutens
Autumn can't be autumn without the evocation of woods and this small gem in the Palais Royal Parisian exclusive line by Lutens fulfills the bill admirably, because it highlights both the woody panel of cedar and the skinscent idea of a humane-smelling musk. Simple but very effective and drop-dead sexy. Review of Bois et Musc here.

Coromandel by Chanel Les Exclusifs
Dusty cocoa and refined patchouli to the point that it reads as devoré velvet in shades of deep maroon. Justifiably it's the best-seller in the newer Les Exclusifs (alongside less character-driven, more camel coat & low pumps scent of Beige). Review of Coromandel here.

Related reading on Perfume Shrine: Comforting scents for when the Going Gets Tough, Falling in Love: Scents & Treats for Fall

Photography by Fred Boissonas in early 20th century Greece: a) Edessa 1908 and b) Kastoria Kleisoura manor 1911.

Falling in Love~Scents and Treats for Fall

T.S Eliot in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock came up with the immortal line of having "measured out his life with coffee spoons".
Somewhat less arrestingly I have been counting the (academic) years by the new leather-bound notebooks I buy every September, a perpetual student even while lecturing others.

The mixed feelings of new beginnings and the wistfulness of the rainy season produce a compelling crash in me: Perhaps it's merely that I was born in autumn that it holds a special place in my heart. Perhaps it's that autumn is a special season any way, reminding us of our own mortality.



Whatever it is,
"La Petite Fille de la Mer" (Girl of the Sea) by Greek composer Vangelis, captured in this visually beautiful clip titled "Autumn" below, is following me these days.
I accordingly got myself a new bottle of Eau de Monsieur by Annick Goutal to replenish my finished one. It's a criminally underrated fragrance from 1980 which pioneered the use of immortelle back when no one would think of having that fenugreek-like aroma about them. Its sexy, maple & moss over warmed sand dunes, tawny atmosphere reminds me of the passage of summer into winter.
My evening-unwinding scent for when I'm in? Douce Amère by Serge Lutens (click for review), a mix of sweet and bitter like absinth liquor.


And then there are things that easily lend themselves to autumnal thoughts by their very nature. Whenever I catch a glimpse of Andrei Tarkovsky's Zerkalo (The Mirror) I find myself listening to the hush of nature going to sleep. Christopher Brosius' Burning Leaves comes to mind...With a touch of the gently decaying red apples and myrrh incense of Wazamba (review here).



During the day I am fantasizing of striding moors à la Catherine Earnshaw in sturdy and mean boots. I have zeroed on these ones by La Redoute. My black riding boots scent? Chanel Cuir de Russie in extrait de parfum or Doblis by Hermès, baby! (click for reviews)
And of course this calls for a nice cashmere little sweater that can be worn any day and not be cumbersome (we don't get the Yorkshire weather, after all!). This Isle of Skye little number looks perfectly cozy and flattering. I'd like it in charcoal grey and would pair it with just about anything: colourful shirts, print scarfs, jeans, my A-line skirt in pitch black...
My cashmere sweater scent? Barbara Bui Le Parfum and Sonia Rykiel Woman, not for Men! in Eau de Parfum strictly. (Interchangeably, they're quite similar, as you can read here)

In the evenings, as the weather cools progressively, I have been reverting to my comforting Crème Spendide Nuit by Annick Goutal, whose rose essence is perfectly calming while the texture is a dream: Its instant moisturising claim is not misleading. And spraying my surroundings with my latest obsession, Opopanax by Diptyque: If you even remotely like the classic Shalimar by Guerlain, give the Diptyque a whirl. The resinous powdery touch is perfect for centering and I love the elegant bottle.

I was watching Strange Days by Kathryn Bigelow (Cameron's wife for those who don't know her) on TV the other day. 14 years yesterday since its release and it struck me how modern it still looks, how original. (And I still absolutely adore the above song by PJ Harvey.)
In a way we're living snippets of the lives of others through the Internet these days: Their experiences become our collective "Squids" and you're in one of them. So I hope you enjoy the ride and are left with a desire to Playback!

Please visit the following blogs for more thoughts on favorite Fall scents & associations:

The Non Blonde, Under the Cupola, Ayala's Smelly Blog, Savvy Thinker, Olfactarama, Notes from the Ledge, Ars Aromatica, Mossy Loomings, I Smell Therefore I Am, Tea Sympathy and Perfume.


Sepia Tree photo credit: Autumn in Sepia by Rick Lundh (via gallery.photo.net) manipulated by me.

All other photos by Elena Vosnaki (click to enlarge)


Clip October Dream originally uploaded by Shastasheene, Clip from Mirror originally uploaded by unkindrublicrpp, clip of Juliette Louis singing in Strange Days by SanJayaPrimeon Youtube.

Autumn's Small Indulgences

Sometimes in order to feel pampered and special one needs a little indulgence to make us feel like we deserve a little something for ourselves. In the spirit of divulging some of my finds to inspire you I am listing some of the things that make me tick this autumn.

My biggest weakness is books: books of all sorts should line the walls of a vast old-British-style library decked in leathers and mahogany, like those shown in Merchant Ivory films ~it is my idea of heaven. It wouldn't hurt if this vision is accompanied by the nose-tingling smell of old parchment and pipe tobacco and the eerily minimalist, full of hidden emotion Richard-Robbins-penned soundtrack of "Remains of the Day". Sometimes I am told by my entourage that I have masculine tastes in those things, but I laugh it off: why not?
The poetry of Reiner Maria Rilke is always a propos, but autumn introspection adds its own varnish of the untangible and the futile. I am picking up this tome. On my bedstand is the just finished novel "Their Most Serene Majesties" (1961) by modern Greek writer Angelos Vlahos, a can't-put-down palimpsest of Byzantium intrigue and political back-stabbing during the era of Comnène/Comnenid Dynasty rulers (12th century AD). I am definitely re-reading this soon!
One of the books that escapes this somber and more serious mood is "Oliver Finds His Way", a children's book written by Phyllis Root and beautifully illustrated by Christopher Denise. It's "only autumn" is the phrase that should resonate with all those who like the little bear lost in the woods find themselves trapped in everyday problems. Read an informative review here. Half the pleasure is of course leafing the books while slowly sipping my latest addiction: Lapacho Orange tea ~an infusion of Lapacho tree bark peppered with orange, ginger, hibiscus and rose with a bittersweet aftertaste.

The autumnal melancholy of October will no doubt find me rewatching one of my favourite Henry James' novel adaptations on the silver screen: the intensely moving, yet exquisitely restrained Wings of the Dove from 1997 starring Elena Bonham Carter and Linus Roache. The Venetian canals seem to come alive in all their melancholy as a tangled web of love, trust and loyalty come into the wistful finale.

Fragrantly-speaking, I am putting on the front all the warmer scents in my collection with much rejoice, altough the default rainy weather scent remains Mitsouko, always. But several other little things take my mind off more complex compositions.
Blissoma by Irie Star includes aromatherapy soy candles as a more ecological alternative to paraffin and I am overjoyed to see the option in a sanely-priced range. Two of those candles are eminently suitable for autumn and its two predominent moods and I am lighting them in succession in my living-room as we speak: the festive one that rolls as soon as Halloween and all the other celebrations come around; and the pensive, introspective one that comes with mist and cloudy skies that keep us indoors cuddled up with a good book.
Celebrate includes notes of wild orange, clove, bay, sweet orange, and myrrh and the smell is uplifting, sweet, quite spicy and vibrant with the piquancy of pomanders and sweet resins melting in the fireplace. Peace on the other hand includes notes of cool frankincense, lavender, peppery elemi, palmarosa, and murmuring vetiver and delivers the serenity of mind that induces a state of meditation: sometimes when one gets home after a tiring day there's simply nothing better than having a bubble bath with some candles around and sipping a good Pinot Noir. Blissome also featuresthree Winter scents in perfume oils that promise to take us further away into cold weather. They do sound like fun!


I knew Pacifica Fragrances from a friend who had generously gifted me with their Nerola body butter, which layered perfectly with my summery fragrances. But I was gratified to see that Pacifica has now come up with a collection of autumn Solid Fragrances to take in your purse or on travels when liquids are just too messy, too airport-inspection troublesome. The perfect solution! The little tins are adorable and small enough so as not to get bored with the scent, while the boxes are graphically excellent and bearing a witty quote.
My top choice of the ones I tried is Madagascar Spice, centered around one of my favourite notes: Spicy clove, predominately produced in Madagascar, is the overwhelming note in this scent. Sweet orange and just a small touch of black pepper sit atop, making a perfect combination that recalls a pomander or traditional Middle East delicasies. Not surprising: Once a coveted aphrodisiac clove began its perfumery career in early Arab perfumes. The tree is thought to have originated in the Moluccas of Indonesia where it grew till the Dutch conquest of the East Indies in wild proliferation. The Dutch however uprooted a majority of wild clove trees in order to monopolize the production of cloves but in an act of divine retribution seeds were later stolen from the Dutch-controlled groves and planted in the regions of Zanzibar and Madagascar. I am keeping the yummy solid in my purse for touch-ups and layering over my spicy, warm fragrances.
Spanish Amber is also scrumptious and completely in tune for autumn, when the crunch of leaves underfoot beckons you to compliment your cashmere sweaters with an equally tactile fragrance. A warming blend with resinous amber notes at its heart, rosy geranium and woody sandalwood in the middle, while citrusy bergamot and elemi provide the vivid start. It's an amber blend that also comes as a soap, the smell of which reminds me of Ambre Sultan; the perfect alternative for people who can't do the former in perfume form. There is currently a 20% off offer on the Tibetan Mountain Temple line. Vetiver and Indonesian patchouli are blended with complimentary notes of violet, wood, roots, and soil, as well as the surprising tang of fgrapefruit in the top and the effect of cool and warm is intriguing: it's a little strange and unusual incense for my sensibilities, although I realise that its bouquet would be in tune to the Buddhists among us.

My nails will see a good lacquering of darker colours. I like this Chanel nail varnish: Fantastique. A berry that seems to have a light of its own, very pretty and unmatronly.
Good ole' Mavala of Switzerland iwith their excellent quality nail polishes will be handy too. My summer staple of bright, pop-red Los Angeles for my tootsies will give way to the brownish-berry of New Delhi and the elegant light greyish mauve-y hue of Via Venetto on my fingertips (bear in mind the colours are more vibrant in real life than on the screen). The great thing about Mavala is they come in very small cute bottles so they never have the time to dry up and one coat is more than enough for opaque and lustruous colour that lasts for days.
And my lips will get the Guerlain treatment with a nude that actually looks good and not "dead" because of its rosey undertones: Envie de Beige (#540) from their vast Kiss Kiss lipstick collection, looks darker and more matte in the tube but goes on creamy and semi-opaque. The perfect accompaniment to smokey-grey and plum eyes!

Forest pic by Tani Shepitkoat photoforum.ru Manuscript "The Last Judgement", folio 51v, Gospel Book, c. 1050-75 via www.oud.edu.Pics of Blissoma and Pacifica items through their websites, of Guerlain lipstick courtesy of LuciaFi/Flickr, of Chanel Fantastique via handbag.com.

Try to Remember when Life was so Tender that No One Wept Except the Willow

"Then summer fades and passes and October comes. We'll smell smoke then,
and feel an unexpected sharpness, a thrill of nervousness, swift elation, a
sense of sadness and departure."
~Thomas Wolfe

The end of one season and the progression into another is often a time of sweet nostalgia, especially the wistfulness of a slow immersion into the crisper atmosphere of autumn. When the trees turn poetically unreal into crimpson and citrine and you feel the air is whispering words of wisdom as you crunch that carpet of dead leaves it's too precious to lose any hours of sunshine indoors. Instead I want to get out and soak up all the smells and the sights and the sighs of nature preparing to slumber.
"Deep in December, it's nice to remember,
The fire of September that made us mellow".

I'd like to hear what your favourite autumnal smells are.

Song is "Try to Remember" from the musical comedy The Fantasticks, with lyrics written by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Shmidt. Here sung by Greek singer Nana Mouskouri and Harry Bellafonte.
Clip originally uploaded by George Grama on Youtube.

New for Autumn

Autumn seems far away for anyone who hasn't taken their summer vacations yet, but we like to be prepared! Traditionally it's the time to replace your light and fruity fragrances with warmer, heavier notes. However, Denise Estrada, owner of Mélange Apothecary in Sherman Oaks, California, is noticing that fruit-based fragrances such as Cassis (berry), Framboise (raspberry leaf) and Poire (pear) as well as crisp citrus are beating out the competition, no matter if it’s raining, snowing, or sweltering out. Well, we had a suspicion it was so, after witnessing the plethora of fruity fragrances out!
Having worked in the fragrance industry for nearly 20 years as a formulator, esthetician and manufacturer, Estrada considers Mélange a “living lab,” where she is able to track and trend forecast what will be the next big scent in the world of fragrance. Here is what Mélange is creating for the upcoming autumn season:

Fragrances:
Eau de Parfum:
Casablanca Lily: Takes the warm and fragrant Oriental Casablanca Lily and blends it with a touch of rich Sandalwood oil.
Pomegranate & Grapefruit: A wonderful combination of fresh, uplifting Grapefruit, blended with a tart, fresh Pomegranate fragrance reserved especially for this blend.
Mandarin & Orchid: A blend of fresh Mandarin oil, Orchid, Jasmine and green accords.
Feuille de Fromboise: A fresh Red Raspberry Leaf with sweet Green Tea.
Parfum Concentrated Rollers:
Athene with Gardenia & Amber: A full ounce of Athene (a blend of Dark Chocolate, Guava, Vanilla and Tuberose) with sweet Gardenia and golden Amber.
Natural Jasmine, with Mandarin & Cypress: A full ounce of sweet Jasmine, Mandarin Orange Blossoms and the clean scent of Cypress.

Concrete Parfum Blending Kit: To mix and match in the following scents: Feuille de Fromboise (Red Raspberry Leaf); Tuberose (rich Floral); Green Tea (tea leaves with citrus and fruit accords), Grenade (sweet Pomegranate fruit).

For Home:
Candles (with soy-blend wax, no dyes and cotton wicks) in Pomegranate & Citrus, Poire and Casis Noir (sic). There is also the accompanying home scent diffusers in Pomegranate & Citrus and Poire & Casis (sic).

Mélange is quite popular for its one-of-a-kind blending bar, with more than 70 permanent fragrances and essential oils are readily available to sniff, blend and play with (cool!)
The products are available online at www.melangeapothecary.com.

Autumnal Shift

I'm very much afraid that the coming of autumn is given over to the Greek calendars. For those unfamiliar with this expression it is used to mean that something is never going to happen at all, as Greek calendars never existed, in contrast to the Roman ones, which did.
And what is the reason for this ominous and pessimistic declaration? But the difficulty of rotating fragrances in a fragrance wardrobe according to season in this crazy global warming environment.

The transition from summer to autumn in terms of perfume choosing is not an easy one, especially given that nowadays this is mostly an issue of calendar advancement than actual weather change. The warmth and incadescence of autumnal perfumes lends itself to cooler temperatures, "seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness" to quote Keats. And alas it's tardy. And expected to be for quite a while still in our part of the world.

Personally autumn has always been my favourite time of the year. The rush of the beginning of the academic season managed to fill me with new hope even as a student, despite the fact that it meant the end of long summer vacation. It wasn't that it was the beginning of lessons, so much as the rejoining of old friends and the aftertaste of those languid summer days spent at the beach that left skin baked and memories of blissful indolent and idle existence aplenty to last for months. Autumn was and still is the beginning of the year for me.

However, as the indian summer persists well into November nowadays, my hankering for "mists and mellow fruitfuless" is left unsatisfied. My Mitsouko and Opium get anxious to make a grand appearence from their confines, only to be met with another hot dawn that promises to melt away at the edges of reason by noon. Other perfumes are even more shy: Angelique Encens, Fumerie Turque, Rykiel Woman, Boucheron femme, Rochas Femme, Ambra del Nepal, La Myrrhe, to name but a few. They all demand sturdy fabrics, angora or cashmere sweaters and black leather boots tightly encasing jambes d'une nature farouche. Les jambes, you see....they cannot be farouche (=ferocious) in the heat of summer. They mostly drag themselves along...

And so with the onerous duty ahead of me I must get down to sorting out my autumn collection without the actual capability of wearing those tantalising siren-singing scents that beckon me. Not yet, not yet...

And you, what are you longing to bring out of the mothballs? Give us pointers!

In the meantime I am leaving you with John Keats'(1795-1821) Ode to Autumn:

627. To Autumn

SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness!
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twinèd flowers;
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barrèd clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Next reviewwill occupy itself with an amber that can actually lend itself nicely to still warm weather.


Poem courtesy of bartleby.com. Pic of grape-cutters originally uploaded by Parisbreakfast