Ultimate Winter Perfumes
December 13th, 2006
A couple of months ago I did a list of my ultimate fall scents, and since it’s practically winter (unfortunately), it’s time to put together a list of my ultimate winter perfumes. The list includes olfactory equivalents of wrapping yourself in a warm coat, scarf, gloves, and whatever it takes to stay sane during freezing months. In winter, I look for dense, solid, substantial perfumes, so no wonder most of them are heavy on spices and woods. Please share your own!
IUNX Splash Forte – cardamom, cumin, bay leaf, nutmeg, coffee, cinchona bark, red cedar, musk. Created by one of my favorite perfumers – Olivia Giacobetti – Splash Forte is hard-core cedar with hot burning spices. Sadly, the IUNX line has been discontinued.
Idole de Lubin – rum, saffron, bitter orange, cumin, Doum palm, ebony wood, sugar cane, leather, red sandalwood. Another creation of Olivia Giacobetti, Idole is a mesmerizingly warm, boozy, spicy scent that’s both rich and sophisticated at the same time. Available at Beautyhabit and Luckyscent.
Anne Pliska – vanilla, orange, geranium, bergamot, patchouli, amber, musk. Anne Pliska is an orange creamsicle and sweet amber scent, with just a touch of patchouli. There’s something very winter holiday-ish about it. Available at Lusciouscargo.
Cuir Mauresque by Serge Lutens – amber, myrrh, styrax, incense, cinnamon, aloe wood, cedar, civet, nutmeg, clove, cumin, musk, mandarin peel, orange blossom. The typically harsh leather is perfectly balanced with warm spices and camphorous woody notes. Available from Salons Shiseido in Paris.
Tubereuse Criminelle by Serge Lutens – orange blossom, clove, musk, nutmeg, jasmin, tuberose, styrax, vanilla, hyacinth. A spicy tuberose with a menthol beginning. I simply adore it but can only pull it off in very, very cold weather. The drydown is gorgeous beyond belief. Available at Salons Shiseido in Paris.
Aroma Allegoria Exaltant by Guerlain – bergamot, cypress, bitter orange, cinnamon, cedar, neroli, cardamom, coriander, vanilla, tonka bean, pepper, sandalwood. Another unjustly discontinued scent, Exalting is exactly that – spicy vanilla with hints of pepper. I call it Feminite du Bois on vanilla steroids. Occasional bottles pop up on eBay.
Regina Harris Amber Vanilla – amber, vanilla. The other notes of this perfume oil are kept secret but an inquisitive nose can detect some incense, cedar, and, perhaps, spices. An extremely long-lasting oil, sophisticated and well-balanced. Pefect for going out on winter evenings. Available at Beautyhabit and Luckyscent.
Yosh La Contessa – sandalwood, oriental Kush, Night Queen, cucumber, vanilla, bergamot. Another perfume oil that to some smells of dill pickles but to me is a complex, exotic sandalwood blend. Absolutely unbelievable lasting power and sillage. The best part comes with the drydown – dark and brooding. It’s been discontinued, I hear, but it looks like there’s some leftover stock at La Creme Beauty.
Images from: luckyscent.com, osmoz.com, lacremebeauty.com, lusciouscargo.com, salons-shiseido.com, hyperbelle.com
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20 Comments
1. chaya ruchama | December 13th, 2006 at 6:54 am
Aren’t those enticing !
I love to add the following [but I'll probably forget half of them] :
Bellodgia parfum- for deeply floral spiciness, snuggly and elegant;
Myrrhe et Merveilles-Almond, myrrh, white jasmine, yum !
L’Air du Desert Marocain-hot spice, wood, fragrant souk in winter climes;
Vanille Tonka- lasts ALL day, comfort with incense;
L’Autre- Indian cuisine in a bottle;
Noir Epices- this’ll warm you up…
Musc Maori- long lasting creamy comfort for desperately dark days;
Un Santal de Mysore- envelopping Mysore balsamic beauty with all its round fullness;
Bois Oriental- variation on FdB, more balsam, vanilla, SOFT, seductive…
Ok, I’m tired-
You guys, fill it in for us !
Have a wondrous day, my peeps-
2. March | December 13th, 2006 at 7:29 am
What a great list of warm comfort scents! And you’re reminding me there are a couple I can’t believe I haven’t tried yet, like Anne Pliska.
Splash Forte is so much fun. I need to revisit Idole, too. I was let down when I first smelled it, but only because I was expecting something dirtier.
3. Elle | December 13th, 2006 at 7:31 am
I wear deep winter scents all year round.
Can’t resist. Love all the ones in your list and might add on these:
Tabac Blond
Chene
Mazzolari Mazzolari
Agraria Balsam
MPG Secret Melange (layered w/ Santal Noble)
Parfum Sacre
Bal a Versailles
Ambre Sultan
Fumerie Turque
CB Winter ’72
Arabie
Or des Indes
Dioressence parfum
Opium parfum
DSH Mahjoun
Nuit de Noel
Safran Troublant
Galliano
Could go on and on. Hate, loathe, despise cold weather, but adore cold weather scents.
4. Judith | December 13th, 2006 at 7:40 am
Love the lists! Poaching some from all in making my own.
IUNX Splash Forte
IUNX L’Ether
Fumerie Turque
Rose de Nuit
Encens et lavande
Mitsouko parfum
Opium parfum
Tabac Blond parfum
Querelle
OK–I will stop now, though of course there are many, many more!
Poivre
Musc Ravageur
Noir Epices
Le Labo Patchouli
Le Labo Labdanum
10 CC
Vanille Tonka
Diorling and Miss Dior parfums
Or des Indes
MPG Soir d’Orient
Montale Aoud Rose Petals
Montale Aoud Cuir d’Arabie
5. Judith | December 13th, 2006 at 7:41 am
Hmmmm. . .that “stop” comment was supposed to go at the end of my list, not in the middle! The ones that come after it are VERY important.
6. Marina | December 13th, 2006 at 8:22 am
Great list! Mien would have:
Bois de Copaiba
Vanille Tonka
Ambre Narguile
Feminite du Bois and/or Bois et Fruits
Or des Indes
Oblique RWD
Organza Indecence
Dioressence
Safran Troublant
Tea for Two
Ambre Russe
7. Leopoldo | December 13th, 2006 at 8:32 am
I’m going to be restrained
l’Air du Desert
Vetiver Oriental
Boucheron Jaipur (comfort blanket)
Arabie
Avignon
Burberry London
Ambre Narguilé (but mainly at bedtime)
8. Leopoldo | December 13th, 2006 at 8:33 am
… and I should add Cozé to that list I guess…
9. Patty | December 13th, 2006 at 8:39 am
A great list. Now I need to try a couple on that list and then weep because Iunx isn’t around anymore.
10. Sara | December 13th, 2006 at 9:15 am
I love your list! Mine goes something like this:
Or des Indes
Shalimar
Addict
Cuir Mauresque
Idole
Safran Troublant
Opium
Vanille Tonka
Bal a Versailles
Mitsouko
11. Sara | December 13th, 2006 at 9:40 am
oops hit return too fast–I would add Vanille Tonka and Amir.
12. violetnoir | December 13th, 2006 at 12:05 pm
What an originally wonderful list of fragrances, Ina.
I gave my bottle of Idole to a dear friend, and never looked back. I guess I was expecting something else; what it was, I don’t know, lol!
I’ll have to whip out my sample of Anne Pliska and finally test it. Why have I been waiting so long to test it? Duh!!
This time of year I enjoy wearing:
Shalimar parfum
Ambre Sultan
Daim Blond
Musc Ravageur
Carnal Flower
Passage d’Enfer
Chaos
Attrape Coeur
just to name a few. The Exalting one from Guerlain sounds amazing!
Hugs!
13. nattygold | December 13th, 2006 at 2:04 pm
I’d like to give it a try: Black Cashmere
Montale’s Blue Amber
Tea For Two
L’ Air Du Desert Marocain
Tabac Blond
Montale’sBlack Aoud
Bel Ami
Arabie
Ambre Russe
Attar Baazar’s Perian Amber
Jaipur
YSL Nu eau du Parfum
14. nattygold | December 13th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
I’d like to give it a try:
Black Cashmere
Montale’s Blue Amber
Tea For Two
L’ Air Du Desert Marocain
Tabac Blond
Montale’sBlack Aoud
Bel Ami
Arabie
Ambre Russe
Attar Baazar’s Perian Amber
Jaipur
YSL Nu eau du Parfum
15. benvenuta | December 13th, 2006 at 2:17 pm
Lovely list, Ina. AA Exalting sounds great. Must get a sample of this.
my list:
Shalimar EDP
DSH Ceylon
Paris EDT
Musc Ravageur
Parfum Sacre
Omnia
Organza Indecence
La Ligne St. Barth Vanille when it`s reallly cold
In winter I also enjoy sampling heavier and sweeter scents, that would kill me in warm weather. I have an extra sample pile “to try when it`s freezing”. E.g. I wore Starboutique Chocolate Martini the other day and loved it.
16. annE | December 13th, 2006 at 5:23 pm
Great list, Ina!
Mine would include:
Parfum Sacre
Tabac Blond
Fumerie Turque
Rose de Nuit
Une Folie de Rose
Rouge Hermes
Aqaba
Jolie Madame
For some reason, Jolie Madame always makes me think of new-fallen snow.
And I’ve always wondered why Rouge Hermes gets no love on MUA – is it because it’s a re-working of Parfum d’Hermes? (which I’ve never sniffed) I think it’s fabulous, and it brings to mind special nights out at Christmas-time.
17. Jeanne Marie Auclair Regan | February 14th, 2007 at 10:51 am
AnnE,
Good point on the lovely leather and violets of Jolie Madame. I thinik it’s just perfect for cold weather, and comforting. It is a CLASSIC.
Thank you for the positive review on Rouge Hermes, I always circled around that one, never really going for it, but I always enjoyed its reviews. This may also come in a delicat format which would appeal to me.
18. Aromascope » Perfum&hellip | August 21st, 2007 at 11:44 pm
[...] Delice by Guerlain can easily join my Ultimate Winter Perfumes list, even though I’ve only worn it a few times. Being part of the Guerlain’s Aqua [...]
19. Kelly | September 7th, 2007 at 8:57 pm
I wish I had access to all those great sounding scents…sadly the scents stocked in Japan favor sickly tropical mixes…
for my list I would add
Amarige by Givenchy
smells like Christmastime in germany
20. Mariloli | October 21st, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Also: (Estee Lauder) Spellbound
(Dolce & Gabanna) BY
(Calvin Klein) Euphoria
(DK) Black Cashmere
All are so delicious!