From smoky tobacco to rich spice and refreshing vetiver, these scents combine warmth and depth to capture the essence of our favorite perfume season.
I have to leave home around 6:45 every morning to avoid traffic and get to school on time. Last week, my wife texted me on the way to work. What perfume are you using? Ever since you kissed me goodbye I couldn’t sleep because I loved that smell so much. Folks, this is how you know you have the right scent for your skin.
The reason I say “works for your skin” is because not all perfumes have an irritating smell for all skin types. Tobacco, cypress, vanilla, citrus, these smell fantastic on my skin. The strong cedar and wood scent makes me smell like a middle schooler spraying his older brother’s aerosol deodorant.
As fall approaches (and the weather gets a little colder on the East Coast), it’s nice to have a fall perfume or two to wear at the office or for a night out on the town. But first, let’s take another look at perfume gradation.
In terms of quality, performance (aka projection) and longevity…
- Eau de Cologne: Lowest concentration of perfume oils (2-6%). You will have to reapply throughout the day.
- Eau de toilette: Enough perfume oil (5-15%) to last all day. But I need to give it another quick spray before I go to town.
- Eau de parfum: This is the highest concentration (15-20%) of perfume oils made by most luxury perfume companies. This lasts throughout the working day and into the evening. It will also cost quite a bit.
- Pure Fragrance: Also called extrait de parfum, this product contains the highest concentration (20-30%) you can buy.
Learn more about the differences between cologne and eau de toilette here.
When I buy perfume, I only buy eau de parfum, following the philosophy that I only need to use it once. I’d rather have a few long-lasting scents that last for years than to constantly reapply and repurchase.
The key to fall perfumes is warmth, earthy tones and textures. And while I recommend each of these, I don’t Blind buying is recommended. Go to microperfume, perfumesplit, or any other website that sells samples and try the samples on your skin first. Or at least go to a store that sells the perfume you want to wear, spray it on your wrist, and hang around for an hour to see what the drydown is like.
Here are some of my favorite perfumes from this season.
This was my first expensive perfume, and I’m about to finish my second bottle. The opening is sweet vanilla with the warmth of tonka bean. The dry down presents tobacco notes with notes of cocoa, dried fruit and tree sap.
This perfume was actually designed with the goal of expressing fall. The main note is vetiver, a type of grass. The earthy, almost peppery vetiver is surprisingly sharp, but finishes with notes of vanilla and cedar.
Although it has aroma in its name, it’s not like the peppers you had for dinner last night. There is something magical about this perfume. Black pepper, myrtle pepper, vetiver, cardamom, cedarwood. Call me crazy. But this is the embodiment of Earth, Wind and Fire. Want to start small? try it body wash; It’s great.
Creed has been making perfumes in France for 265 years, and when you smell their perfumes you’ll understand how they’ve made it this far (and priced the way they do). There are literally too many scent notes to name here. So let’s say it’s a pumpkin scent with peppery and floral notes. Creed says this perfume was inspired by the stars in the night sky, and somehow it makes perfect sense when you smell it.
When I first met Katie, The One was my signature perfume. I wore the Eau de Toilette version, which lasted well throughout the workday. However, the EDP version is very reasonably priced so you might as well get the best. I’m not sure exactly how to describe this scent. It smells like orange, sage, basil, and tobacco, and for lack of a better description, I just love the smell.
Harlem Perfume Co., a division of Harlem Candle Co., is a relatively new player in the perfume industry, but they’re doing something right. Inspired by Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes, Langston is the author’s perfume. Scents of cinnamon, orange brandy and sandalwood sing of mahogany bookshelves and leather journals filled with thoughts printed in fountain pen. Oh, and the bottle is amazing.
Imagine tobacco vanilla with cinnamon and rum. Side Effect is someone who receives compliments. It’s what makes strangers ask what you’re wearing. Take a sample first. Leather notes can feel warm or off-putting on the skin.
I once heard that Ombre Nomade is the scent of royalty. Woodwood, raspberry, and fragrance come together to make you feel like traveling through the desert. I haven’t found an eau de perfect for my skin type yet, but luckily, when I order a bottle, Louis Vuitton also sends me a small sampler. So, if you find that the scent doesn’t work for your skin, you can return the full-sized, unopened bottle.
This is the perfume Jay Gatsby would have worn. The party was filled with famous socialites, endless bottles of champagne, and black tie. Dandy begins with a whiskey on the rocks with hints of raspberry and bergamot. The base consists of oak, cedar and musk. This is the most wonderful masculine beauty.
I tried this perfume last year while shopping with a friend at a Niemen Marcus about 2 hours from my house. I was drunk, but I couldn’t decide if my wife would like it or not. When I got home, I was like, “Oh my god, what is that scent?” Please tell me you bought it.” I’ll get a bottle someday, but now it’s gone. Giorgio Armani designed this perfume himself, trying to capture the scent of the Italian church he attended as a child. He did it anyway. Incense, vetiver, cedar and cool peppers. In a word, it’s gorgeous. Find out.
→ Ready to dive deeper into fall style? Check out our full style section for this season.
