Top Autumn Sensory Discoveries: Fragrances, Tastes and Feasts for the Eyes

It's no secret that fumeheads (an affectionate term for perfume enthusiasts) are sensuous people. They embrace anything that involves the senses, from Epicurian tastes to visual stimuli. There's simply always an open arena to sniff, to savour, to lay one's eyes on...Life's too short anyway not to be inquisitive.
In this regard, a team of excellent perfume bloggers (please check them out on the bottom of post) joined me into relaying our recent disoveries in sensual pleasures for this fall. Enjoy!

• TACTILE SENSATIONS

It's our national holiday today (the Ohi Day) and the military nuance isn't out of place. But beyond that, this navy blue wool jacket by La Redoute is both very warm and stylish enough to be worn any given day. I'm pairing it with dark-rinse bootcut jeans (instead of khakis), a matelot top (just like in the photo) and my trusty Hermès enamel bangles to finish off its nautical theme.

• VISUAL DELIGHTS

Art has a way of brightening the day. Especially original art I can hang on my walls.

Ballet Dancer Sitting, original drawing available for purchase on Etsy.com

Ancient Priestess, original drawing available for purchase on Etsy.com

• FAVOURITE FALL 2011 FRAGRANCES

To my utter surprise (jaded perfume critic that I've become!) several fragrance releases lately have not only been quite impressive, but they have infiltrated their presence into my everyday existence beyond reviewer's testing alotment. I have adopted them in a more durable way and thinking about investing more substantially on them.

pic via efashiontrend.net

Bottega Venetta Eau de Parfum THE winner for me this fall; subtly leathery goodness with warmth and coziness, underneath a fruity chypre mantle with a beating jasmine heart. What's not to like? It's also a more easily procured and less expensive stand-in for Boxeuses. Win-win.

Balenciaga Paris L'Essence Possibly the best office scent since Prada Infusion d'Iris. Unobtrusive, yet there, its violet leaf with warm, skin tones and nutty accents is quietly appealing.An alternative to the other woody violet of the season, Tom Ford's Violet Blonde.

Parfumerie General Praliné de Santal The juxtaposition of savoury and sweet, intensely nutty, before the scent falls into an unctuous billowy note of powdery, rich woods and the soothing, smooth silkiness of Cashmeran is addictive. I'm thinking of it when not wearing it. Not to mention, sandalwood is proving something of the theme of the season, once again.

Cartier Baiser Volé This stolen kiss of green lily and powder is ethereally lyrical. I might have expected more avant-garde by Mathilde Laurent, but let's be realistic here: it's so very pretty!

Tauer Pentachord White A silvery, expansive imagescape: A fragrance of either the crack of dawn or the crepuscular drawing of a prolonged cool afternoon, the contrast between light and shadow. Orris, violet, vanilla, ambergris notes...

Guerlain Mitsouko (vintage) Revisiting my old bottles of Mitsouko, like I ritualistically do as soon as autumnal weather raps at my window pane, I'm reminded of the words of Pascal Bruckner that "[anyone] who desires cannot be guilty... sin proceeds only from prohibitions" and I'm mentally throwing my fist at IFRA.

• SWEET & VAMPY THINGS ON THE LIPS

Relax, my pretties. It looks venomously dark and puple in the tube, but it's gorgeous for us brunette gals with light skin when applied on the lips. (I always consult dependable Christine from Temptalia for application photos) Dolce &Gabanna Lipstick in Lust goes beyond Halloween into serious, drama-full evening attire. Plus it smells rosey!

Dolce &Gabbana Make Up Classic Cream Lipstick Lust (clipped to polyvore.com)
 

• BOOK TO BOOKMARK

Edith Head's little 1967 tome on how to elegantly dress was reprinted: How to Dress for Success is not merely someone's fashion advice. It is written by the woman who imprinted on our collective memory the golden goddesses of Hollywood and their impecable style. Retro, granted, but you'll blink out of the sheer chic.

• FILMS TO CATCH

Drive
I had forgotten all about "neon-noirs", in which the LA night lights -in the immortal words of Sunny/Alexandra Paul- "made her cunt's hairs shine"; till this little Nicolas Winding Refn directed gem that is. The anti-hero's fantasy of being a silent type ordinary man "but [also] a real hero" is mingled with the director's essay on man's true nature and its boundaries; immortalised in successive shots of the white satin jacket with a huge scorpion sewn on the back and splattered with blood. I'm still thinking about it weeks after watching.  

George Harrison: Living in the Material World
I have always been a fan of The Quiet Beatle since day one. It's great to see many more were of an equal disposition towards his immense contribution; not only to music but to cinema too (A lesson for us all on how to support what you believe in).

• TASTES TO SAVOUR

Ambergris Eggs As discussed in a seperate post on cooking with ambergris, this is a heavenly and decadent recipe that will change your Sunday mornings for ever. Just don't pair them with bacon; the crude, oily meatiness doesn't go well with the marine, smoky-earthy character of the ambergris.

pic via the Greek fork
 

Fava (split pea purée) with caramelised onions Not exactly a new discovery, but I'm trying to reintroduce all the good, rural, organic dishes that Greek food really stands for into our everyday table: This is the stuff that made sturdy people who lived to a hundred with their wits sharp to the end, withstanding wars and ravages all the while. It's got to have something going for it! For this recipe (by Chef Karitas, find it here, on The Greek Fork) I use organic Santorini yellow lentil fava and extra virgin olive oil. Makes for a fine spread or dip for pita bread and accompanies a good Santorini Vinsanto on a cool evening.

• HAUNTING SOUNDTRACK

From the mind-blowingly nuanced and dark Revolutionary Road film, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio. Music by Thomas Newman, this is the end titles piece. Let it fill the empty house as evening approaches...

Please visit the other participating blogs for more discoveries:

Katie Puckrik Smells

Scent Hive

Smelly Blog

The Non-Blonde