Fall: 101 posts

Чай та османтус: Ароматна спадщина Китаю (українська версія)

When I traveled in Vietnam, I sat at a low wooden table in Hue and learned incense-making from a master. It rained outside and the scent of blooming osmanthus filled the studio with its languid fruity aroma. The master ground woods, resins, and spices before binding them into sticks with makko powder. The recipe, he explained, had Chinese origins: agarwood, sandalwood, clove, borneol. These were ingredients once carried along the great trade routes, linking temples, courts, and homes. Watching him, I realized how much of perfume’s history rests on such exchanges.

China’s scent culture is vast. It ranges from temple incense to osmanthus blossoms in autumn, from precious agarwood to the steam of a teacup. Western perfumery rarely bottles these traditions directly, but their influence lingers, shaping some of the most interesting fragrances of the last decades.

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Нішеві парфуми для осені (українська версія)

As summer fades and September approaches, my perfume shelf tilts toward warmth, depth, and resonance. Autumn is the season when I crave perfumes with substance—scents that wrap like a shawl or glow like candlelight. It’s also the perfect time to discover something new, so I selected a variety of niche fragrances. Some perfumes mentioned are best-sellers in their category, others are less well-known outside the scent lover circle. They sit comfortably alongside classics and even layer well with them.

Ambers & Resins

Amber is a shape-shifter. It can glow like sunlight caught in silk, or it can brood like incense in a shadowed chapel. For autumn, I always think first of Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan, the quintessential amber. Its bold resinous profile set the modern standard, and it remains the point of reference when speaking about ambers. Around it, these newer ambers offer fresh interpretations:

Parfumerie Générale L’Ombre Fauve: the sensuality of warm fur and smoke, created out of incense, spices and patchouli.

Meo Fusciuni L’Oblio: a perfume that reads like a poem, ambered iris tinged with melancholy.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood: a cashmere wrap of violet petals and amber, with just enough oud to make it dramatic.

What is amber in perfumery? Learn here.

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Niche Perfume for Autumn (English)

Коли літо згасає й наближається вересень, моя полиця з парфумами схиляється у бік тепла, глибини й резонансу. Осінь — це пора, коли мені хочеться ароматів із суттю, тих, що огортають, мов шалик, або сяють, мов світло свічки. Це також ідеальний час відкрити щось нове, тому я обрала добірку нішевих парфумів. Деякі з них є бестселерами у своїй категорії, інші менш відомі поза колом поціновувачів. Вони гармонійно стоять поруч із класикою й навіть вдало поєднуються з нею.

Амбри та смоли

Амбра може сяяти, мов сонячне проміння, спіймане у шовку, а може сумувати, мов кадило в затіненій каплиці. Для осені я завжди думаю спершу про Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan — квінтесенцію амбри. Його смолистий профіль задав сучасний стандарт і досі залишається точкою відліку, коли говоримо про амброві аромати. Навколо нього нові амбри пропонують свіжі інтерпретації:

Parfumerie Générale L’Ombre Fauve: чуттєвість теплого хутра й диму, створених із ладану, спецій та пачулі.

Meo Fusciuni L’Oblio: аромат, що читається як поезія — амбровий ірис із відтінком меланхолії.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Oud Satin Mood: кашемір фіалкових пелюсток та амбри, з краплиною уда для драматизму.

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One of the most interesting principles in Japanese garden design is the idea of borrowed scenery, shakkei. Using existing landscape elements—distant mountains, ponds, and neighboring structures, a creator would plan the garden in such a way as to incorporate the surroundings into her composition and create her personal vision of nature. Perfumery is generally more about artifice and fantasy, but as summer fades, I too become inspired to borrow autumnal scenery for my fragrant accompaniment. My perfume choices become led by the scents of fall.

Even in the deodorized urban environment, autumn is a fragrant season. The moment that leaves start to fall, the air is filled with a mellow sweetness reminiscent of walnut shelves and faded leather. On my way to the metro, I take a roundabout way through a park, kicking the golden leaves and glossy chestnuts with the tip of my boots. On my scarf I carry Serge Lutens’s Chypre Rouge, a perfume that smells of maple syrup and bittersweet moss. Or I might select the delicate Bulgari Eau Parfumée Au Thé Rouge, an infusion of tea, ripe figs and maple leaves.

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Marie Kondo, the author of the best-selling book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” suggests that only items that spark joy should be kept around the house. Of course, Kondo’s “spark joy” philosophy is more nuanced as she applies it to various aspects of cleaning and decluttering, but the idea of surrounding oneself with objects that are meaningful and special makes perfect sense. It can also be applied successfully to selecting a perfume.

Whenever I’m asked by friends and readers for recommendations, instead of listing fragrances, I try to determine what scents make them feel good. Or, to use Kondo’s phrase, what perfumes spark joy for them. One such composition for me is Serge Lutens’s Iris Silver Mist. It’s a cool, polished fragrance based around the scent of iris root, and when I wear it, I feel as if I’ve stepped into a secret garden filled with pearly light and the soft rustle of leaves.

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