Sonnet D'Automne

[lookingglass]

SONNET D'AUTOMNE
Ils me disent, tes yeux, clairs comme le cristal:
"Pour toi, bizarre amant, quel est donc mon mérite?"
- Sois charmante et tais-toi! Mon coeur, que tout irrite,
Excepté la candeur de l'antique animal,

Ne veut pas te montrer son secret infernal,
Berceuse dont la main aux longs sommeils m'invite,
Ni sa noire légende avec la flamme écrite.
Je hais la passion et l'esprit me fait mal!

Aimons-nous doucement. L'Amour dans sa guérite,
Ténébreux, embusqué, bande son arc fatal.
Je connais les engins de son vieil arsenal:

Crime, horreur et folie! - Ô pâle marguerite!
Comme moi n'es-tu pas un soleil automnal,
Ô ma si blanche, ô ma si froide Marguerite?
-

They say to me, your eyes, clear as crystal:
"For you, bizarre lover, what is my merit then?"
- Be charming and be still! My heart, which all things irk,
Except the candor of the animals of old,

Does not wish to reveal its black secret to you,
Whose lulling hands invite me to long sleep,
Nor its somber legend written with flame.
I hate passion; intelligence makes me suffer!

Let us love each other sweetly. Tenebrous Love,
Ambushed in his shelter, stretches his fatal bow.
I know all the weapons of his old arsenal:

Crime, horror, and madness! - pale marguerite!
Are you not, like me, an autumnal sun,
O my Marguerite, so white and so cold?

- Charles Baudelaire, translated by William Aggeler

Tenebrous Love: a shivering white musk with vanilla-infused white cocoa, amber incense, and dead, dry leaves.

This kid is biz-arre.

Right onto the skin this is the crispy, decaying dried leaves note like from Death of Autumn, which I will mourn to the grave. Ooooooh, yeah. Dark, kinda moldy and acidic. My kinda thing.

But then...morph...mint? What the hell? It smells like it's changing into the Last Unicorn. Now, with the Last Unicorn I blamed this minty/misty niff on the lilac, but methinks it be the white chocolate! WHY?!?! Gaaaaaah!!!!

At this stage of the game, I'm not very happy. My leaves are gone and it smells a lot like lavender and chamomile baby powder and White Rabbit. Again-why? It smells...good...pleasant...like back in 05 when I wore White Rabbit and was nursing my babies...but I'm kind of freaking out. She's changed from Doc Martin's on the pavement to ballet slippers in the nursery, from fall to winter, in a matter of moments.

THEN, she sweetens up and mellows out considerably, looses the "minty" and much of the "baby", and becomes more musky...sexier. Now, while it is still a sweet and cool scent, it feels a lot like a cousin of Snow White and Antique Lace.

Hours later she's a wisp of clean, sweet, warm, slightly ambery vanilla musk. My kids say I smell really good.

Shhh...Me and Sonnet...we are going to have to get to know each other a little better. Maybe I'm just being a gunshy freaky bitch, but I think she's...crazy. Like, she seemed really fierce and independent at first but it turns out she might be really squishy and girly. Is she putting on some kind of act?

I know...I KNOW! That's a HORRIBLE thing to say. We are definitely having some issues. I'm just not used to it! I need to get used to it. I want to like her! I have every reason TO like her. She's complex, keeps me on my toes, stays close to the skin, likes to snuggle, good with the kids. It's the SHIFT, it's the mystery mint thing...

It's not you, it's ME! I thought you'd be darker, creepier, more autumny. I want to get to know you...I DO! OMG! You smell GOOD! What do you WANT from ME?!?!

Sigh... Let's go for a ride, bitch...I think we can work it out.

It's gonna be really interesting to see how she works out for other people.

[Aldercy]

In the bottle, Sonnet d'Automne is all leaves all the time. Dark browning leaves with a bit of dampness to them, but nice. Different from my other autumn leaf scents (Falling Leaf Moon and A Blade of Grass)-- thicker and stranger than either.

 

Once on the skin, it kind of starts to dance around and do crazy things. The mushy sweet leaf note is still there at the base of the scent, but there's also something very light and silky and silvery. Like moonlight. I can see how lookingglass is getting mint from this stage of the scent development because there is a certain something to it that reminds me of the Lab's snow/slush note. It settles down though... I think maybe it's the combination of the musk and white chocolate? It's eerie but kind of mouthwatering at the same time. The amber incense makes an appearance on the drydown and bridges these two extremely different sides of the scent... it's warm, golden, sticky and smoky, but it doesn't overwhelm the other notes.

 

Overall, this is a very pleasant scent. I think it could be interpreted as a more "traditional" perfume from that light fresh musk/white cocoa thing going on, but the other notes produce a really interesting contrast and keep it from going too far in that direction. It's not a warm, spicy autumn scent, but I still think it suggests "Halloween." It's a bit weird and ghostly in a good way. I'll hang on to this one. Understated enough for work, but still really good.

 

ETA 10/2/12: This only gets better and more mellow with age.

Edited October 2, 2012 by Aldercy

[Siberia]

In the bottle and first applied, Sonnet D'Automne has a very strong "leaf" scent that actually reminds me a lot of the the rhubarb note in Heroine. It's a bit sour-sharp and fruity. It almost seems a bit masculine right at first, but it starts to sweeten up after just a few minutes, with the leaf note remaining predominant, but losing its sharp edge. In the meantime, the amber incense is coming to harmonize beautifully with the leaves. White chocolate softens and sweetens it all. This is a really pretty scent that for some reason reminds me quite a bit of Heroine. There is also some similarity with the Last Unicorn, but this is a lot bolder and has more throw. Glad I bought a bottle, it will definitely be part of the Autumn rotation.

Edited October 3, 2011 by Siberia

[Gwydion]

In bottle: The leaves are strongest. I suspect mint in the leaf accord. I’d but the musk at a distant second, with the other elements mostly subsumed in the leaf accord, but still discernible. Wet: Still leaf dominant with that distracting mintlike element. The amber incense and vanilla infused white cocoa are still entangled with each other but more noticeable as separate elements. This sweetens the blend slightly from the way it smells in the bottle. I think I like it more on the skin, especially as the leaf accord pulls together better as it warms. The musk stays soft, but pleasant enough. This does fit it’s concept well, and is one of the better attempts at capturing the scent and feel of autumn I’ve found. Dry: The leaves soften enough to let the musk and foody elements to rise. I’d still call leaves strongest, with the foody bits second, but it’s all more gentle and equitable.

[Wolfie79]

At first whiff after application, I have this weird olfactory deja-vu sort of feeling and get whiffs of vanilla and something herbal and just an eensy bit minty reminding me of Waltz of the Snowflakes, only way less heavily vanilla and way less 'woody' than WotS. The primary scent is that lovely, soft white musk note

 

Then the vanilla/cocoa bit starts to creep out. It's a sweet, clean 'white' sort of smell, and then a faint, comforting sort of foodie. Finally, I get just the barest whiff of something *autumnal* smelling which I guess would be the leaves.

 

I absolutely love this one, am certainly keeping my blind-ordered bottle and am considering a back-up when my weenie decants arrive and I place my real halloween order. I wore it yesterday and both people who were within sniffing distance of me commented positively.

 

The white musk is stronger than I'm used to (not heavy - I like this) and lasts longer than white musk usually does on me. I applied it and was still sniffing white musk and a sort of cocoa-y vanilla more than two hours later.

 

I wouldn't call it foodie, and I wouldn't call it musky. It just seems 'white' to me, and I LOVE it. It's not that leafy, spicy halloweeny kind of autumnal, it's colder like the first frost of the year.

[Gryphon]

STRIKE THREE!! I bought four bottles unsniffed from the Halloweenie update and this is the third one that *should* work on me that doesn't. I definitely smell the dead, dry leaves, but as someone mentioned upthread, these are frosty leaves - the kind that have been sitting around a bit getting damp (I was hoping for the kind of dry leaves that you're not afraid to pile up and jump into!). I should have paid more attention to the "shivering" part of "shivering white musk", because on me it comes across as rather coldly metallic (think iron). The amber goes a bit powdery floral (weird combo!) on me and it's only at the very end of the dry down that I can smell any vanilla-infused cocoa. <sigh>

[whataboutprom]

I have a hard time wrapping my brain around this one. At first it smells like green leaves, and I get the minty note as well. It's not exactly floral but is fairly sharp. As it dries it seems to disappear into my skin. I have to put my wrist right up to my nose to get any scent at all. What I do get is somewhat like dry leaves, but I can't smell the other notes. Hmmm. I'll update this if the fragrance reappears.

 

ETA: My bf never comments on my perfume but said this one smells nice without me pointing it out. Strangely it's almost like some of the notes are in an olfactory blind spot for me though. I can barely smell anything.

Edited October 4, 2011 by whataboutprom

[jizatt]

I'm getting the dry leafiness of this, with maybe just a hint of the vanilla and incense beneath. This is not really sweet at all though, it just keeps the leaves from doing what October did on me (the vegetal, cologny aspect) -- I dont get the aquatic vibe of some of the leafy blends either.

 

drying -- I smell the amber coming out a bit more now, but this isnt the syrupy thick and sweet amber -- this really is incensy in nature. I'm getting the white musk now too -- sweeter than usual because of the vanilla/cocoa maybe.

 

Overall impression - very dry, crunchy leaves, with an even drier amber base -- very autumnal. I didn't get any specific vanilla or cocoa - just the perfect autumn leafy perfume =)

 

eta: later, drier -- a white musk perfume, very dry leafy, dry amber base -- I do get the cold essence that the others have noticed, but no mint to speak of

[angelmecha]

In Bottle: Strong, sharp, orange amber and dry leaves warmed by sun.

Wet: Wow! Cold pine, a white and chilled sort of pure musk (very clean). The only hint of white cocoa is a slight calming of the sharpness of the woodsy scent. Even the amber looses it's yellow warmth and turns silver, white and cool. Not at all autumnal to me, this seems more wintery... like the chill in the air coming at the end of fall.

Drydown: Pine and amber. It's warming up a little. Slush and wet dead leaves with a tiny bit of that sweet, gentle white cocoa and still a lot of sharp amber.

Verdict: Warm, with a chill in the air. Yellow and orange leaves, amber, quite nice, really. I can see how others have gotten the "perfume" vibe, but the sharpness and contrast between warmth and ice sets it a bit apart for me. It rounds out quite a bit as it dries and I'll chalk it up to one more win on my Weenie order (that's 4/4 bottles!).

[HerbGirl]

I'm on day 4 of a nasty sinus infection, and my sniffer has been working just a bit today. I got my weenie order and this was the one I tried today. I LOVE IT. Vanilla, Amber, Incense, Leaves and something aquatic. If you took October and smoothed her over with vanilla and amber, it would smell something like Sonnet D'Automne. I hope this isn't my sniffer playing tricks on me...I hope this smells the same a week from now when I can smell properly again. I will edit if my opinion changes, but for the moment this gets a solid 9.5/10.

 

ETA: my sniffer is almost back, and I tried this again tonight... I want to bathe in it...seriously, this is my favorite of ALL the Weenies...ever.

Edited October 10, 2011 by Herb Girl

[Invidiana]

Holy--this is vanillaed October. The slightly smoky dry leaves from October are here, but with the sweet creaminess of vanilla and white cocoa, with soft white musk and sweet amber in the background. I have been waiting for something that combines vanilla and dry leaves, and this is it! I'm going to need more.

[Lucretia]

I get October as well at first, which is alarming because October never really agreed with me. But the dry down mellows out and warms up a whole lot. More vanilla, amber, and white cocoa, less dead leaves. But the leaves stick around though, just not in that clearly decaying kind of way. I approve! And maybe now I can finally let October find a new home, since this one works on me a million times better.

[KittyHawk]

Sonnet D'Automne jumped into my Weenie cart at the very last minute; I was between this and La Calavera Catrina for my sixth and final bottle. Let me just say that I made the right choice.

 

This blend is so lovely that any write-up I try to give will fail to give it the justice it deserves. I was knocked on my ass when I sniffed this on my skin; it reminds me of walking to class in late October at the University of Michigan. There's a slight whiff of vanilla, a dry crunch of leaves, and a beautiful warm base of amber to round things out. I feel so silly saying this, but it nearly brought a tear to my eye to smell this. I'm so glad I bought a bottle; there will be many back-ups.

[Monday]

This ended up as a sort of cross between Knockout Drops and Tattered Lace on me. It starts out with a cozy dry leaf scent but quickly morphs to a vague minty vanilla. It's rather a sugary scent. It's also barely there.

Maybe I got a blind spot on these sort of scents because neither Knockout Drops or Tattered Lace worked for me, I'm afraid this isn't working either.

[claudia6913]

This has a "glittering" quality to it - probably the shivering white musk. I'm not honestly sure if I'm smelling cocoa in here as I don't really know what cocoa smells like unless it's actual chocolate, and I'm not getting edible chocolate out of this. The dry leaves are there, not as crispy dry as I'd like, perhaps it's the amber incense. I think that's what is giving it a "powder" feel to it. Overall it's a very nice blend, very evocative of a cool, crisp fall evening. I really want to age this and see how it does next fall.

[Finny]

At first this smells like October, which was bad, October and I did not get on, but then it shifts. It turns to a lovely vanilla/green scent. The vanilla is slightly sweet and a bit nutty, and there is a woodsy tone to the blend. The musk is very light to my nose. It also reminds me of the perfume that is in the Norway pavilion at EPCOT in Disney World.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Ooo, this is interesting: on me, the topnotes are clear, pure aquatic. Underneath is something warmer--a soft amber/vanilla with a hint of spice; similar to chrysanthemum. This evokes a mountain lake with warm sun on bright leaves. Gender-neutral and purely autumnal!

[calivianya]

This almost smells vaguely aquatic to me, too, at first. The white musk almost smells watery, like the sharp wet air around a lake in cold weather. Usually, this kind of smell turns to dryer sheets on me, but it is staying true. The leaves come out almost right away, and are bitter and dry. I don't think I've ever smelled such a good dry leaves scent before. It sweetens up a bit after about 15 minutes, but it is still primarily dead leaves and white musk with a hint of amber in the background. I can't really pick out the cocoa at all. This blend is good, and I'm really enjoying it.

[Dark Alice]

Dry Leaves...dead on...dry brown dead leaves...and then the white musk comes out to play and mixes with the incense to almost choke the life out of me. This scent actually makes me nauseous on by itself! BUT: when mixed with Moxie Nouveau's Hallowmas which is overwhelmingly beeswax at times these two blends compliment each other and turn the Sonnet is to something praise worthy! The incense is softened, the dry crunchy leaves swirls around me with the barest hints of vanilla from both scents. Truly Sonnet is a work of art...but it must be shared with another scent so I can love it.

[Akurarei]

Sonnet D'Automne

 

In the Bottle:

Meh. Not much to detect

 

On my Skin, Wet:

THIS IS AMAZING!

I get the dried leaves right away, swiftly followed by a vanilla-y, sugary cocoa.

 

On my Skin, Dry:

The leaves fade to the background, and I'm getting a soft creamy white chocolate now as the dominant note.

There is also a hint of vanilla that I'm picking up.

 

Verdict:

excellent! unique!

this is definitely a contender for a backup bottle!

[Amaranthus]

Sonnet D'Automne smells like a cold aquatic perfume in the bottle. On the skin that cold scent remains, mixed with the smell of dry white cocoa powder. It reminds of a chilly fall morning.

 

As the scent develops the white cocoa gets sweeter and more vanilla comes out. The scent becomes increasingly warmer, and then I can smell the amber incense. This is my favorite stage of the perfume, it is so good! It smells like a cross between a powder for making cocoa drinks, and a vanilla/amber scented body powder. Although I say it smells powdery, it does not remind me of the scent of talcum or baby powder; rather, it evokes a powdery texture, dry and soft.

 

The scent lingers on my a long time. After a full day of work, exercise, and a shower I can smell that beautiful white chocolate/vanilla/amber scent on my wrist.

 

I like the white cocoa in this. Compared to white chocolate in other scents, it is not creamy. It is easier to wear, because although I like cream and milk notes they can turn on me sometimes.

 

I don't smell fall leaves in this, other than an initial bright peppery burst of yellow. I did receive this in the mail recently though, so it may be that I need to let it sit for a while to get the full effect.

 

One thing I especially enjoy about Sonnet D'Automne is how it changes from start to finish. The way it unfolds from an aquatic, chilly scent to the smell of warm, gourmand incense captures the comforting feeling of warming my freezing fingers on a delicious cup of hot chocolate on a fall morning.

Edited October 21, 2011 by Amaranthus

[TheIceMaiden]

This is my new favourite Halloweenie this year!! Sonnet d'Automne starts off with fresh autumn leaves. A cold white musk note comes in next, along with a bit of amber. As this dries, it gets sweeter from the white cocoa and vanilla, and a bit warmer. Its a light scent but lingers close to the skin for hours.

 

This reminds me a bit of both October and Cloister Graveyard in the Snow, but not as leafy and ozone-y as October, and not as cold and dry as Cloister Graveyard. Sonnet is a cold, sweet breeze rustling the autumn leaves. Love it!

Edited November 2, 2011 by TheIceMaiden

[Klepz]

So. I tested this twice today

 

In the bottle: Green and snow like. Definitely a little minty snow like Waltz of the Snowflakes. The greenness is a little worrying, it's definitely plantlike. I am determined to like this on imagery alone.

 

Try #1: It's that darned green note from October and Chant D'Automne. I apparently can't do leaves. Then, I fell asleep, and woke up from a nap to: A beautiful vanilla-limned amber perfume that's just gorgeous. I'm so glad I have a bottle of this on the way. It's faint, but oh so beautiful. If on a full test it stays like this most of the time, I could see it being this year's The Girl.

 

So, since I liked it so much after waking up, I slapped on a lot of it. Like.. time for a full wear!

 

For a whole hour, it's just greengreengreengreengrassgrassgrassgrassgrass Then it turns into minty vanilla with amber and green. Once it's been dry for a long time, it turns into that beautiful vanillic amber, but that's kind of when the scent dies out on my skin. It takes a lot to get there

Edited October 22, 2011 by Klepz

[angelicruin]

This one is dry leaves mingled with mint and a smooth vanilla note. It's a beautiful Fall scent that is very representative of this morning where we had our first frost of the season. This scent is an embodiment of crispy leaves crunching under your footsteps on a frosty October morning.

[Molls]

I tried this one last night, before I went to bed, and seriously - I could not take my nose away from my wrist. This is

 

October didn't work for me, sadly, and I was afraid that this wouldn't either. But something - the vanilla? the white musk? makes this amazing. I love the cold, aquatic feeling that it has, and the musk just rounds it all out to equal AMAZEBALLS on my skin.

 

Definitely need a bottle!