Fall Fragrance

by: Alexis White @LadyLex206

Fall is one of my favorite seasons, and not for the hoodies, the crisp air or the delicious foods, although these are all very real perks for me. No, Fall is my favorite season, residually I think from school and the promise of turning over a new leaf (pun intended), but in my adult life for the Fall issues of fashion magazines and new fragrances! Warm and spicy or cool and fresh, the new season offers an opportunity for new fragrance wardrobing, which I relish like none other.

Instead of reviewing the usual suspects/brands, I decided to forgo the Hanae Mori’s and Prada’s for different fragrance houses you may not have heard of or unique blends from classic favorites. Enjoy, and please reach out to me for any suggestions or to talk perfume @LadyLex206. It’s kind of my jam.

 

Chanel Les Exclusifs Boy: If you’ve never treated yourself to one of the Les Exclusifs, please, do so quickly. Gabrielle Chanel considered Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel as more than her soul mate; he was her double and her alter ego. Inspired by their love, Boy is a new release that challenges tradition and transcends gender. It’s a balanced androgynous floral that is neither masculine nor feminine.

It opens with a clean and aromatic lavender and lemon, mellows with a velvety yet bright geranium and rose, and dries down to a creamy sandalwood musk.

Head to www.Nordstrom.com and for Seattle Residents go see: Jen at Nordstrom in Downtown Seattle

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Le Labo: “EXPLAINING KILLS ART” is the motto of Le Labo fragrance house. They offer a truly bespoke olfactory experience, where they mix your fragrance choice on the spot and they personalize the label for you. I love sunny and bright fragrances in my arsenal for nostalgic purposes. Although I love Fall, Summer is my forever love, and when the weather is horrible, it’s nice to recall the warm days of the past season.

Bergamont 22 is a fragrance that does this. Although it is a bright citrus, it also has remnants of a tropical floral. Petit grain and grapefruit, amber and vetiver, all combine in an unlikely juxtaposition of sweet, sensual and floral.

Ambrette 9 is called a baby formula and it is based mainly on the Ambrette grain, the only musky scent made by nature itself and almost impossible to find. Lightly perfumed, the signature of this formula is fresh and soft thanks to a combination of citrus and fruit that gives Baby (and Mommy) a very special fragrance.

Head to www.Nordstrom.com and for Seattle Residents go see: Dean at Nordstrom in Downtown Seattle

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Jo Malone London has a catalogue of beautiful and unique fragrances that layer and blend together seamlessly for you to create your own signature scent. The two mentioned are limited edition for the Holiday Season, so if you love either, you’d better stock up. You may not be able to get them again.

Orange Bitters Cologne is a recipe for a warming winter cocktail with a varied range of citrus: sweet orange (one of the most underrated fragrance notes, in my opinion), mandarin, bitter orange and tempered with prune, sandalwood and amber. Irresistible.

Neroli and Basil: Playful and greener than I usually care for, this is a complex and seemingly contradictory scent. Green yet warm, fresh and musky, this just works. Basil, pepper, neroli, bitter orange are all expected, but the powder and white musk soften and make this an enduring beauty.

Head to your local Nordstrom and for Seattle Residents go see: Kamillah or Deborah at Nordstrom in Downtown Seattle.

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Tom Ford Private Blend is one of my favorite designers. Not for his Gucci glory days, or his architecture or movies, but for his most important influence: His grandmother. “My grandmother was probably the first person who I thought was beautiful. She was incredibly stylish, she had big hair, big cars…and she always smelled great and looked great.” Oh! It’s no wonder his fragrances are opulent, decadent and larger than life.
Soleil Blanc is another seemingly summery fragrance that is lovely to wear on terrible weather days to remind you that brighter days will come again. It is unexpected, sultry and addictive. The base of coconut milk and tonka bean had me sold, but when layered with cardamom and pistachio, jasmine and tuberose, the scent is intoxicating and irristible.

Now, I’m letting ya’ll in on my special secret. White Suede is one I avoided for awhile because it just smelled so leathery, which is not usually my thing. On the skin, though? I always get compliments on it, the best being when my barber exclaimed “You smell like money!!” Yasss. Silky suede and spices with a lovely amber base. Tea, lily of the valley, saffron and rose temper the leathery notes. Put this on the skin before you make a decision. DO IT!

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Christian Louboutin

Tornade Blonde is a new addition to the Louboutin beauty collection. It is not a colour, but a fragrance and a state of mind. Feminine and potent, animalistic yet floral, it is a burst of potent sensuality, an invitation to follow. Tornade Blonde is the scent of desire. Violet leaves, ambrette, jasmine, orange flower petals, gardenia, ambergris and cedarwood make up this intoxicating fragrance.

Head to www.Nordstrom.com and for Seattle Residents go see: Sam at Nordstrom in Downtown Seattle

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