Winter calls for fragrances that wrap around you like your favorite coat. These are the scents I'm reaching for as the temperature drops and the days get shorter. From spicy chai to leather and rose, here's what's keeping me warm this season.
One of my favorite fragrances for the cooler months is Jaipur Chai by INeKE. It's so warm and cozy, deeply sensorial. This fragrance is the type that makes you want to fold into yourself. It feels like that feeling of being able to relax in a freshly cleaned house, a heavy duvet cover, crisp sheets, a cup of warm tea and a magazine to dive into and become fully enmeshed in. This fragrance has notes of black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, cedarwood, vanilla, cream, and musk. Overwhelmingly things start out with a cinnamon note, as I feel like most cinnamon perfumes do. Things warm up with the clove and cardamom notes before finishing rather creamy.
I find that this fragrance has a wear time of about 6 hours and overall has pretty nice projection. I ended up getting this as a sample a few years ago, and last winter ended up making it a full bottle purchase. Inspired by chai lattes, it's a really nice and cozy, but still spicy option for winter.
Sample here.
There's a certain point in winter where a quiet stillness hits. Sometimes it's met with going stir-crazy, other times it's met with reflection. Through The Forest is certainly the latter of the two. This is also a woody spice, but far more woodsy, with notes of black pepper, saffron and elemi, incense, tobacco and spices, sandalwood, vanilla and oud. I love the stillness this perfume evokes. It's that feeling of finding a calm. It's like being in a cabin, fireplace burning, and giant bay windows overlooking snow-covered trees.
I notably get the oud and incense. It's a very approachable wear. I do think it could work in a variety of situations: at home writing, out doing errands, or perhaps the office. Its wear is a couple hours and is a bit on the lighter side as I find a number of d'Annam's fragrances are. A very grounded pick for a quiet season.
Sample here.
Switching gears to something far more scandalous, a fragrance made for the bathhouse, or perhaps the dungeon. It’s is quite literally inspired by queer cruising in 1960s New York. It's meant to be provocative, dangerous, yet deeply alluring. With notes of latex, black pepper, black shoe shine accord, Bulgarian rose essence, night-blooming animalic flowers, leather accord, patchouli, cedarwood, and civet, it's the encapsulation of bootblacking. While this fragrance seems like it'd be dominated by civet and latex, what lurks below is far more intriguing. It's a true switch, instead in some moments pulling into a warm leathery rose.
It's also got a rather interesting musk to it that feels a bit grounding. Overall, while certainly seeming edgy, I do feel it's more approachable than its notes let on. It's what you want it to be and the energy that you put into it, which in all honesty is most fragrances. But this one is a fun little freaky sexy moment.
Sample here.
Himitsu Violets by Régime des Fleurs
Icy, cool, incredibly chic. Himitsu Violets is one of the better florals for winter. It just captures such a unique coolness, like dripping icicles in the sun. With notes of saffron, violet, heliotrope, and suede. I think that there's something about violets that feel really fresh and crisp, and being that they are the dominant note in the fragrance they keep things punchy.
I feel like this is a mid projection level fragrance, not too close wearing but not too powerful. I've sampled it a bit and get a few hours out of it, but wow are they amazing. I can't lie, this is on my current full size wish list, but I am trying to be a bit more mindful with some of my fragrance purchases. Just know it's simply divine.
Sample here.
For the goths, I present a truly melancholy floral arrangement, perhaps the petals of funeral flowers. It's the embodiment of a Victorian mourning gown. Polished but sad. I don't think this is the most traditional winter fragrance, but I find its softness and stillness rather compelling. I think it could be particularly interesting as spring is on the horizon. It's got notes of bergamot, lavender, petitgrain, heather absolute, rose absolute, and jasmine absolute.
Its stillness doesn't project very loudly, and instead works well as a close wearing fragrance. The jasmine does come in a bit heavy at first, but I am particularly sensitive to jasmine. However on that dry down I get this lovely floral, earthy smell with touches of musk. It's quite unpredictable.
Sample here.
I can't think of a better way to describe this fragrance other than a showstopper, the embodiment of cartoon eyes bulging out of their head. It's a true double take. And rightly so, being it's a collaboration between Heretic and Dita Von Teese. Sensuality is inherently woven into its DNA. When I wear it I feel so divinely feminine. Think almond red nails, knee high black nylons, delicate garter belts, and the plushest fur (vintage of course!) you've ever felt. Its notes: cedar, coriander, Bulgarian rose, labdanum, sandalwood, white musk.
It's a rather strong fragrance, one that definitely garners attention when entering a room, and lasts about 4 hours before slowly dissipating, although I can get 8+ hours from it. While I don't think this is exclusive to winter, this is one I will be wearing for winter given it's a new travel size purchase for me. Lovely, dangerous, perfectly animated.
Sample here.
Sometimes you have to brave the colder weather for a night of conversation with friends. This is the fragrance for that. It's sophisticated, clean, but still just a little playful. It feels like wearing cashmere sweaters, leather heeled boots, thick opaque tights, while sitting in a restaurant with dim lights and frosted windows, talking over a warm meal. It's hot for the winter with woody amber notes, of which include cedarwood, wood, vetiver, patchouli, papyrus, benzoin, leather notes, labdanum, and vanilla.
I find that there's this leather note that really starts strong, and then tapers into a fresh woody scent. There's a slight powdery vanilla element but not in like a grandma kinda way. More in like a fresh makeup packaging kinda way. Sometimes when I open a new eyeshadow palette, or lipstick from MAC I get this powdery vanilla fragrance. This fragrance is that but with some additional wood notes, if that makes sense. So it feels like a really interesting merging of energies.
Sample here.
Ending out the list is something that can transition into spring. Chicago has several false springs. This is the fragrance for that in between. When you want something fresh but still kinda grounded. It does feel a bit like the remnants of an old fashioned to me. There's this really interesting orange that reminds me of the garnish, but then there's this hazelnut that makes things kinda woody. But it still manages to feel fresh and not too heavy.
Surprisingly it's rather versatile for day or night, errands, the office. Its notes include orange bitters, bitter fennel, parsley, hazelnut, patchouli, and espresso. In all honesty I imagine this is an ideal perfume for any earth sign.
Sample here.
Akro is new to me, beyond a few sniffs of their classics. So when I went on a fragrance crawl in September I picked up their discovery set from Lucky Scent. Admittedly I haven't had enough time to play with it, so perhaps we could play together? Likely the only opportunity you'll have to play with me if you catch my drift.
With that, a lot of chatter about Akro is pretty positive. I am particularly excited for their Infuse which is a tea fragrance, as well as Haze which is well...naturey with lavender, water, and bergamot notes. Either way there's a lot of variety in this discovery kit, so happy smelling.
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