Scents for late summer into autumn

[forspecial_plate]

I think Blood Moon is a good one for early fall. A little cinnamon-y, a little spicey, very warm and musky, just a great 'red' scent (but doesn't actually smell of dragon's blood resin to me). And I got my bottle just in time!

[joseybird]

Dia De Los Muertos is perfect for this time of year! So is Harvest Moon, Snake Charmer...really, any of BPAL's heavier scents. For actually *cold* weather, I prefer spray perfumes, as I find that cold air generates so little throw for perfumes oils, which generally stay pretty close to the skin, that no one can smell me in the winter when I'm wearing BPAL ;;

[Mountaingrrl00]

I find myself wearing Zombi a lot this time of year.

[bogartnoir]

someone mentioned 'samhain' and it sounds like it smells so lovely, but i couldn't find it anyplace

neither could i find trick or treat. i wish there was an advanced search.

 

i owned 'vice' and found it very heady and probably terrific for chilly weather

 

i'd like to try: dia de los muertos, sugar skull, harvest moon, scarecrow, samhain, jack, and trick or treat

[lohengrin]

... I wish the weather was cooling down! It was 40 degrees (celsius - about 104 farenheit for you heathens) here again today, with the humidex. I'm so tired of this.

 

However, I am wearing one of the Arcana Christmas/Yule/whatever scents today, so obviously the weather does not in any way affect my perfume choices.

[Electra]

someone mentioned 'samhain' and it sounds like it smells so lovely, but i couldn't find it anyplace

neither could i find trick or treat. i wish there was an advanced search.

 

Samhain and Trick or Treat are both past limited edition blends. Samhain has come out in Halloween updates in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006; Trick or Treat was (IIRC) available only this past year, in the 2006 Halloween update. One or both might be available in the Halloween update that we expect to go up in the next couple of days. You should be able to find reviews for both of them in the "Limited Editions" section of the Reviews subforum.

[crushedstars]

As I only got into BPAL in June, and it was winter here in Australia, I haven't had a summer-to-autumn season with BPAL yet, but I think Red Moon 2007 and Litha would be beautiful for that time of year

[mountainwitch]

I think Allison Gross will now be my late-summer scent. Just a rich, golden green . . . Wonderful. Another late-summer pick would be Sepulcher. It's discontinued, but it was resurrected a while back and still appears on the Sale list at reasonable prices, so I don't feel TOO bad about recommending it. It's got this powerful sweetgrass note that reminds me of baskets set out in a Charleston bazaar, breathing their perfume in the hot summer sun.

 

Moving into fall . . . Harvest Moon 2006 is pure September to me, with those great early autumn notes and apples. Singing Moon has a very similar feel to me, but without the apple-sweetness; I think it's the first scent that just screams "autumn" to me without being foody in the least.

 

Man, all expired LEs and discontinueds . . . I really should list something from the General Catalogue! I guess the GCs that seem most like early autumn to me are the soft, smoky mysteries of Morgause and Lampades. Morgause smells like twilight in a bottle, while Lampades, with its smoky sweetness, is perfectly evocative of moving from the juicy days of summer into the darkness of autumn.

 

There are other scents that are just pure autumn--Jack (of course!) and Samhain, Samhainophobia, Trick or Treat, etc. But those are more "real autumn" scents (in other words, October!) for me, not really "summer transition" scents.

 

August-September is a beautiful time of year. It deserves a little love of its own.

[ivyandpeony]

Another LE, but at least it's a recent one... The Emathides. I am on vacation right now and I have grabbed this bottle several days in a row even though I brought 10 in my little travel case (I tried to link to this for anyone interested but the site appears to be down - www.abundanthealth4u.com is the place to go, though.)

 

It's got a darkness to it that I like for cooler weather, but the addition of lavender keeps it bright and light enough for this transitional period. (Have I mentioned that I usually really, really dislike lavender except for bath & bedtime scents, too? But it has the same effect in the Emathides as it does in Dolce Stil Nuovo, one of my other favorite LEs of all time - somehow juxtaposed with darker, richer ingredients it becomes light and sweet.)

 

So if you happen to have The Emathides sitting around waiting for the perfect moment, maybe it's now, or will be here soon.

[styro]

I've been comparing my "in contention for Top Ten" scents against each other recently (in order to decide on my current list to submit) and I was surprised to find that Nyarlathotep kept beating out other scents that I'd thought I liked better. I definitely think it has something to do with the time of year--Nyarlathotep has sort of a late-summer camping-by-the-water feel to it that's really appealing to me right now.

 

Also, I got my first sniff of Red Moon 2007 last week and immediately went in search of a bottle. I never do that. Again, I think that was a case of it not just being a great scent in itself, but also perfectly suited to the season.

[hackess]

Seems like everything I've been grabbing thus far during cooler weather has been pumpkin-based: Pumpkin Queen, the new Plunder blends, etc.

[ImperatrixMundi]

Coral snake!

 

I thought this would be a tropical floral/fruity scent but it is not at all like that for me.

At first I get juicy fresh apples and then it becomes sweeter, like spicy baked apples. It makes me think of summer passing into fall, with fresh ripe apples and when it gets a little colder we get apple strudel with cinnamon and vanilla. Yum.

[Wildbriar]

Singing Moon has a spicy bite that brings to mind the first frosts of fall, and chilly moonlit nights. I really love it for cooler weather.

[sionnac]

Singing Moon has a spicy bite that brings to mind the first frosts of fall, and chilly moonlit nights. I really love it for cooler weather.

I third Singing Moon. And one of my faves is Vixen - tobacco flower and ginger, which is nice on me.

Edited October 2, 2007 by sionnac

[euterpe414]

This is probbly my favorite time of year, as well So far this autumn I have been loving Singing Moon (me and everyone else, it's soo great!!), Verdandi, Priala, Pinched with Four Aces, Harvest Moon 06, Samhain and Jack. I can't wait til I get the new pumpkin blends, I bet they are going to be absolutely perfect!!

[phantasmmysteria]

Either I completely missed it, or no one's mentioned Morgause yet!

 

Soooo pretty.... dark, purple incense and drying florals. I love it, but because it's a little heavy it always makes me wish for cooler weather.

[Salem]

Having been away from BPAL for a little too long I'm struggling to remember all the lovely knowledge I picked up, so here I am appealing to the veterans!

 

Basicly here in sunny England it's getting a little cold most days which makes me want to break out the autumny winter scents already. I've wrote myself a little list in notepad and wondered if I'm on the right track -

 

Zombi

Bordello (a recommendation as it's not the easiest to come by Midwinters Eve anymore)

Snake oil

Jack

Old Port-Au-Prince

Seraglio

Al Sharain

 

I'm looking for real warm, spicy, old scents. I don't want to buy 2 different ones that have the same under tones though, as I've done that numerous times before. I need to weed out any that might not be right and perhaps narrow the list down to 4? And to give an idea of what tickles my fancy - I absolutely adore Brown Jenkins and Midwinters Eve (07).

 

Thankyou! And hopefully this isn't treading on anyones toes.

[donnatron]

I like Brown Jenkins and Midwinter's Eve too. Brown Jenkins smells (to me) like warm, fuzzy incense and MWE is a bright, glassy plum scent. Going from your list and those two, here are some recs (It's still blindingly hot here, but fall tends to come swiftly and brutally and I've been thinking about all the scents I get to wear again):

 

Dee: Warm, cuddly, manly incense. The leather and parchment is perfect in the background. It makes me feel like I'm snuggling up with a good first edition in front of a roaring fire.

Queen Alice: Sort of like a less sensual Snake Oil. Sweet and treacly with a great wine note, but it's more cuddly and less voraciously sexy than Snake Oil.

Blood Countess: I'd rec that over Bordello. I find it has a more prominant plum note than Bordello and the florals and opium give it a sort of creamy brightness that plays well with all the seasons. Frumious Bandersnatch might also be a possibility for a yummy plum--the carnation gives it a spicy kick a lot of the other plum blends lack. Bathsheba is also a possibility for a spiced plum.

 

If you don't know if you like pumpkin, I'd try Al Shairan over Jack. Jack is pretty buttery and foody and the background notes are very similar to Al Shairan.

[Salem]

I'm a newbie when it comes to pumpkin so I've scribbled out Jack for now, thankyou!

 

Blood Countess sounds amazing too. Another one for the list.

 

I'm getting a little obsessed again I feel.

[tartchef]

Another thumbs-up for Queen Alice - the cider/carnation combination is lovely, like a big cozy sweater... I'm also reaching for No. 93 Engine a lot - it's spicy & warm, but not overpowering, the lemon & sage keeping it bright. If the lemon turns you off, try Sri Lanka - a similar resiny incense blend but without the citrus, it reminds me of a bright, bracing morning high in the mountains. Other GC contenders: Defututa (the jasmine might be tricky, but the champaca/honey/olive blossom combo is stunning), The Lion (glorious tea & spice & amber), Shub-Niggurath (hot ginger & deep resins) & Antikythera Mechanism (the teak/vanilla combo is sooooo warm & cozy, but very unusual).

[TroubleDoll]

Everyone is ignoring Scarecrow! One of my favorite Autumn scents, and even a good late summer one...

 

On me it doesn't smell as burnt as in the bottle and a lot of the florals come through, but in a mellow sweet way.

 

Dries down nice too.

 

I second this! I've been wearing a ton of Scarecrow!

[ivyandpeony]

Having been away from BPAL for a little too long I'm struggling to remember all the lovely knowledge I picked up, so here I am appealing to the veterans!

 

Basicly here in sunny England it's getting a little cold most days which makes me want to break out the autumny winter scents already. I've wrote myself a little list in notepad and wondered if I'm on the right track -

 

Zombi

Bordello (a recommendation as it's not the easiest to come by Midwinters Eve anymore)

Snake oil

Jack

Old Port-Au-Prince

Seraglio

Al Sharain

 

I'm looking for real warm, spicy, old scents. I don't want to buy 2 different ones that have the same under tones though, as I've done that numerous times before. I need to weed out any that might not be right and perhaps narrow the list down to 4? And to give an idea of what tickles my fancy - I absolutely adore Brown Jenkins and Midwinters Eve (07).

 

Thankyou! And hopefully this isn't treading on anyones toes.

 

If I was going to pick 4 from your list for you, they would be:

 

Snake Oil - because it's warm and spicy and you should also like its sweetness since you like Midwinter's Eve

Port-au-Prince - sweet and spicy and warm yet completely different from Snake Oil.

Seraglio - You may get a little bit of similarity w/ Port-au-Prince because they both have almond, but because they are so different, I'd really try both. This one's got some orangey-ness that makes it a little foodier.

Al-Sharain - now here you will smell a bit of orange again, but it's completely different from the others. Very, very spicy, the peach is stronger than the orange to me and the patchouli and incense make it deep and autumnal.

 

I think you should also try the LE Samhain, it's the quintessential warm and spicy fall scent to me, but without having a foody element.

[Monster]

As SOON as the leaves start changing I put away my summery oils and busting out the previous years Samhain. I like the way it smells 1 year aged best

[Wildbriar]

I'm soooo loving my Hay Moon for this time of year. Its the perfect late summer scent, dry hay, field wildflowers going to seed and just the faintest tinge of autumn. Mmmmmm

[Salem]

If I was going to pick 4 from your list for you, they would be:

 

Snake Oil - because it's warm and spicy and you should also like its sweetness since you like Midwinter's Eve

Port-au-Prince - sweet and spicy and warm yet completely different from Snake Oil.

Seraglio - You may get a little bit of similarity w/ Port-au-Prince because they both have almond, but because they are so different, I'd really try both. This one's got some orangey-ness that makes it a little foodier.

Al-Sharain - now here you will smell a bit of orange again, but it's completely different from the others. Very, very spicy, the peach is stronger than the orange to me and the patchouli and incense make it deep and autumnal.

 

I think you should also try the LE Samhain, it's the quintessential warm and spicy fall scent to me, but without having a foody element.

 

The more and more I read the more I tell myself I need Samhain. It just seems to sum me up. Al-Sharain sounds absolutely wonderful so I'm going to search for an imp of that now. Are there any lemony spice blends? I'm worried I'm going to end up with a stack of similar smelling ones because I'm scared of changing from my usual "spice, sandlewood and patchouli" order.