My Favorite Autumn Fragrances (Ukrainian)
Lately, I’ve been finding it difficult to sleep. The news from Ukraine is overwhelming, and it’s painful to experience this war from the outside, knowing that my family and friends are living through it every day. For now, my obligations keep me here, and I have to find ways to keep myself going.
Perfume has always been a source of joy for me, but in recent weeks I’ve leaned on it even more consciously. Ever since studying the effects of scents on mood and cognition, I’ve noticed how much a small ritual can change the texture of a day. Choosing a perfume, putting it on slowly, pausing to inhale it—it may take only seconds, but done with intention, it becomes a grounding act. In autumn, when the days grow shorter and the light fades too quickly, these moments are especially precious.
One of the rituals I enjoy is consciously selecting my perfume in the morning. Instead of grabbing the nearest bottle, I give myself a few minutes to think about what I might need that day. Do I want something bright and energizing, like Hermès Vétiver Tonka? Or do I long for something enveloping, like Comme des Garçons Avignon or Chanel Bois des Iles? The simple act of making a choice—and then honoring it—makes the fragrance feel more potent, as if it carries my intention into the world.
I also like to tuck a small vial or sample into my bag. It feels like carrying a secret talisman. At some point during the day, I take a moment to refresh myself, and that little gesture shifts my mood. For those who can’t wear perfume at work, this is also a way to have a private collection at hand. A vial of something beloved can become a touchstone—just a discreet dab on the wrist or even lifting the cap for a sniff can be enough.
Another ritual is incense. I particularly love Japanese incense, with its subtle, meditative presence. A single stick of Shoyeido’s incense changes the atmosphere of a room without overwhelming it. Lighting incense in the evening is not just about scent—it’s about marking time, creating a space for reflection, and allowing the imagination to wander. For me, it’s an invitation to pause, to daydream, to create a cocoon of beauty when the outside world feels too heavy.
My current favorite is Ominaeshi by Kogadō, a blend of chamomile and agarwood, that smells soft and gentle. Although it’s fully in the spirit of Japanese incense, a herbal touch gives it a comforting, familiar–and autumnal–twist. I buy Kogadō from my favorite tea store in Europe, Io.
As the air turns drier, I return to layering perfume with body creams or oils. This is practical, because fragrance lasts longer on moisturized skin, but it’s also sensual. Applying a scented lotion, and then finishing with a spray of perfume, adds depth and richness. I think of it as creating a harmony—top and base notes working together.
Then there is the pleasure of scenting fabrics. Scarves, shawls, even the edges of sweaters capture perfume in a special way. A drop of Guerlain Shalimar on a wool scarf will still be there days later, greeting you like an old friend when you wrap it around your shoulders. Even bed linens can be lightly perfumed, turning a night’s sleep into something more comforting.
I also enjoy pairing tea and perfume. On cool autumn mornings, a cup of smoky lapsang souchong goes beautifully with leather fragrances like Knize Ten or Guerlain Cuir Intense. Osmanthus tea calls for perfumes that echo its apricot and suede facets. Spiced chai pairs delightfully with ambers—Yves Saint Laurent Opium or Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan. This is a playful practice, but it’s also a way of heightening awareness of the parallels between taste and smell.
Finally, I turn to a perfume for evening wind-down. Just before bed, when sleep feels elusive, I find that a drop of lavender water, a touch of iris cologne like Prada Infusion d’Iris, or soft musk like Kiehl’s Original Musk is like a gentle hand on the shoulder. The scent doesn’t have to last all night; it’s more about setting a tone of calm and reminding the body that it can let go. Even if sleep doesn’t come easily, the ritual itself provides comfort.
Perfume cannot change the world, but it can change how we experience it. These small autumn rituals remind me to pause, breathe, and reimagine beauty even in difficult times. They are modest gestures, but they create spaces of resilience.
What fragrance says ‘autumn’ to you? Do you have your own perfume rituals as the season begins? Also, are you interested to hear more about Japanese incense?
36 Comments
Dana: I love this! I need to do this too, since lately I’ve been forgetting to wear perfume. I like the idea of scenting my scarves. Thanks, Victoria. September 26, 2025 at 9:20am
Victoria: Thank you. Scarves carry perfume so beautifully, and then every movement releases a soft veil of scent. It is such a simple ritual, but it makes perfume feel even more intimate. I hope you try it and enjoy it. September 29, 2025 at 8:16am
Donna: This is a wonderful post..inviting reflection on how we might work with scent for better quality of everyday life, or, especially in troubled times.
Plus I can really feel something of your meditative presence and atmosphere you summon, through your descriptions.
This is uncommon in much aromatic writing. Thank you.
p.s. wish I could send you a sample of my newest, Encens d’Osmanthe.. has the twist piñon pine in the incense accord, which mysteriously surrouns the osmanthus & jasmine like smoke. September 26, 2025 at 9:31am
Donna: This is a wonderful post..inviting reflection on how we might work with scent for better quality of everyday life, or, especially in troubled times.
Plus I can really feel something of your meditative presence and atmosphere you summon, through your descriptions.
This is uncommon in much aromatic writing. Thank you.
p.s. wish I could send you a sample of my newest, Encens d’Osmanthe.. has the twist piñon pine in the incense accord, which mysteriously surrounds the osmanthus & jasmine like smoke. September 26, 2025 at 9:32am
Victoria: Donna, what you describe sounds wonderful. Piñon pine wrapped around osmanthus and jasmine… I can imagine how atmospheric that must be. Thank you also for your generous words. September 29, 2025 at 8:25am
Donna: You nailed it, Victoria!..”atmospheric”.
And your perfumery writing is sublime & generous, how impossible it would be not to have a generous response. September 29, 2025 at 9:02am
Tara C: I burn Japanese palo santo incense sticks and light unscented candles for a calming influence. Right now MPG Ambre Tibet is my autumn companion. September 26, 2025 at 9:40am
Victoria: Tara, palo santo incense and Ambre Tibet sound like a perfect autumn pairing. Thank you for sharing this calming ritual. September 29, 2025 at 8:25am
Klaas: Lighting the fireplace for the first time after summer, when the first October storms bring spooky weather to our low countries. The sweet smell of burning wood, the slightly acrid smell of smoke, a steaming cup of black tea beside me and last but not least the smell of a good book to accompany me through the evening…….what a combo! I say: bring on the fall!!
I love the idea of a little sample vile as a talisman. No need even to smell it, the beauty it silently contains is enough…….beauty in the face of chaos, I love it! September 26, 2025 at 9:45am
Victoria: Klaas, your description made me smile. Yes, let us welcome autumn with books, tea, firelight, and perfume as our talismans. September 29, 2025 at 8:25am
Simone Whiting: Beautifully written. Thank you, Victoria September 26, 2025 at 10:58am
Victoria: Thank you, Simone. September 29, 2025 at 8:25am
Mary Gardner: Victoria, I have followed and admired you for years. I adore your writing and am in awe of your expertise.
However, today I simply want you to know that I am thinking of you and offering prayers for you, your beautiful Ukraine, and your family. What has happened is vile and unthinkable and should break the hearts of every person on this planet. September 26, 2025 at 11:01am
Victoria: Mary, thank you for your compassion and prayers. Your words mean more than I can say. September 29, 2025 at 8:25am
Anastasia: Such a meaningful article! I can’t thank you enough dear Victoria!
I do have my rituals in fragrance. I actually enjoy wearing fragrance more when I am alone at home than when going out. I wear 2-3 fragrances a day and I always think a lot before choosing my morning, afternoon and night fragrance.
When going out I always take the bottle of the fragrance I wear with me in my bag, I might respray or not, but knowing that I have this bottle in my bag is a thought of beauty and strength.
I enjoy a lot having bubble baths and fragrance is a huge part of it. I think carefully about which combination of products (soap, shampoo, conditioner, scented bath bombs-which I make myself, boby cream etc) I will use every time and I often add drops of essential oils in the water. Combining it with a nice music is pure bliss.
Thank you for the suggestion of the European incense stick/tea shop! September 26, 2025 at 2:52pm
Victoria: What beautiful rituals you have created for yourself. I love the thought of carrying the bottle in your bag, like a charm. And your bath combinations sound heavenly. Thank you for sharing. September 29, 2025 at 8:24am
Anastasia: Yes please! I do wants to hear more about Japanese incense! September 26, 2025 at 2:54pm
Victoria: Thank you, Anastasia. I will write more about Japanese incense, it is such a fascinating world. September 29, 2025 at 8:24am
rickyrebarco: Thank you for this beautiful post, Victoria. I have perfume pairings with tea, also. Jasmine fragrances are wonderful paired with Dragon Pearl Jasmine tea. I’ve been assembling my autumn fragrances for the next 3 months and I find the woody fragrances resonating with me the most at present. They are so grounding and a reminder of our cosmic connection with trees and the earth. I’m an Earth sign, so I find a wonderful peace in these fragrances. September 26, 2025 at 4:11pm
Victoria: I love the idea of pairing fragrance with tea. Jasmine with Dragon Pearl must be heavenly. And yes, woody perfumes have such grounding power, like a hand on the shoulder. September 29, 2025 at 8:24am
Cynthia: Thank you for this reminder to live mindfully, always a good idea. Thinking of you and those you love, and all who live in danger. September 26, 2025 at 6:42pm
Victoria: Cynthia, thank you. Mindfulness feels more necessary than ever these days. Your words are a gift. September 29, 2025 at 8:23am
Amanda M: Another beautifully written, thought provoking article.
Your quote: “ Perfume cannot change the world, but it can change how we experience it.”, is lovely and so true.
Sending you much love and strength, warmth and well wishes from Australia in these troubled times for you, Victoria.
🇦🇺🤗🇺🇦 September 26, 2025 at 10:04pm
Victoria: Amanda, thank you for sending love across the distance. I am so touched. That line you highlighted is one I believe with all my heart. September 29, 2025 at 8:23am
Karen A: Beautiful article! Thank you for giving us all the gift of thinking about fragrance and beauty! Bois des Iles is my bedrock fragrance, but it’s so fun exploring other treats and using the change of seasons to change up perfumes! September 27, 2025 at 3:45pm
Victoria: Thank you, Karen. Bois des Îles as a bedrock fragrance is perfection. And yes, the seasons invite us to rediscover other facets of ourselves through perfume. September 29, 2025 at 8:23am
Patricia: I have a woven basket next to my bedside with the perfumes that I find most conducive to a good night’s sleep. Many, but not all, are gentle musks such as Diptyque Fleur de Peau, Byredo Blanche, and Parle-Moi de Parfum Milky Musk 39. Some are old favorites such as SJP Lovely and Estée Lauder Sensuous Nude. Others are newer friends to me like Matcha Meditation by Maison Margiela and L’Amandiere by Heeley.
I wish for you, Victoria, and to all of us refreshing sleep and an end to conflict in the world. September 27, 2025 at 8:06pm
Victoria: I love the image of a woven basket filled with perfumes beside your bed. What a beautiful ritual. Thank you for sharing your list, it makes me want to try some of your pairings. September 29, 2025 at 8:22am
somara: Victoria..thank you for your candor-these are incredibly overwhelming times-sending you warmth as well from the US (First State).
Autumn for me absolutely is embodied in amber scents, spicy scents that evoke chai-like aromas, smoke and incense that sort of thing.
I’ve reached for L’Artisan’s Tea For Two, Dzing, Passage D’Enfer and I absolutely love Frapin 1270 , Serge Lutens Chergui and Chypre Rouge..all of these envelop me in fragrance cocoon that allows me to lean into what I love most about autumn. Thank you for sharing your thoughts-as always beautifully written September 28, 2025 at 5:55am
Victoria: Thank you for sending warmth, Somara. Your autumn palette sounds so rich and comforting. Tea for Two, Chergui, Chypre Rouge… just reading your list evokes the cocoon you describe. September 29, 2025 at 8:21am
Sariah: Though l don’t speak or read Ukrainian, l appreciate that you post in both languages.
I’ve started something new when at home. Maybe it will become a ritual. I pick a note and wear 2 different perfumes, one on each arm. It’s fascinating to smell the development of 2 very different perfumes that have a similar dominant note. Yesterday was patchouli – Chanel Coromandel and Astier de Villatte Delhi.
I’d be interested in a post on the various forms of and the way people burn incense. Like kind of a primer on incense types. You may have a post on this already I’ll do a search when l get a minute. September 28, 2025 at 12:19pm
Victoria: Sariah, I love your idea of wearing two perfumes with the same note side by side. It sounds like such a fascinating exercise in contrast and similarity. And thank you for the incense suggestion. I will make a note, because I agree that a primer would be useful. September 29, 2025 at 8:21am
Dawn Apolline: I have been reading your posts for years and I never ever tire of your powerful, intelligent, sensitive spirit, and how you capture some of that through olfactory art. I am aware of the grief we all carry and I think these rituals can save our souls in trying times… thank you for this meditation on the medicine of beauty. 🤍 September 29, 2025 at 8:13am
Victoria: Dawn, thank you for your kind words. What you write about beauty as medicine resonates deeply with me. Perfume does not erase grief, but it reminds us of joy and tenderness, and that reminder can be saving. September 29, 2025 at 8:20am
Amy Kritz: I have loved perfume since my teens, when I either precociously or absurdly started off this obsession with Madame Rochas. In recent months, I’ve strangely been off perfume, I’m not sure why. One day I came across a sample of Le Labo Labdanum, which I had not liked when I first tried it, rolling around in a drawer. I tried it again, and it seemed perfect for the transition to fall. I’ve found it very soothing and meditative.
I have found your blog to be an online sanctuary since I first discovered it. In this very troubled world I am grateful for people like you who keep showing us how much is still beautiful, and what it can do for the soul. October 14, 2025 at 1:49pm
Victoria: Amy, your message touched me deeply. I love the image of Le Labo Labdanum rediscovered and becoming a quiet companion for fall. Thank you for your kind words and for being part of this space. November 11, 2025 at 8:52am