12 Fragrances to get Cozy with this Fall

With the cooler air, the leaves will be turning soon, we're drinking apple cider and eating pumpkin flavored everything. I'm excited for fall to drink hot chocolate, go apple picking, Halloween, Thanksgiving food, boot season and to sit by a cozy fireplace. This is the season that I keep my windows open at home for fresh breezes. So now that fall is here you can swap out your light summer scents and arrange your vanity with your warmer scents. In the fall you want to opt for scents that are richer, spicy (cinnamon), creamy (vanilla), sultry amber, woody and maybe even boozy.

For me fragrance is about aligning my inner vibe so I'm projecting my aura outward. Whatever I want to feel, I pick a fragrance that amplifies that vibe for me. Your fragrance has to match your essence and style. It has to make your eyes sparkle and fit you. I'm too excited for fall because I'm ready to pull out the big guns and break out my fall fragrances! I'm all about to be smelling sexy and cozy. I can't wait! Let's see what I got lined up for you because I'm loving this fall selection roundup of fragrances that capture the essence of sweater weather and evoke feelings of coziness with the notes of fall.

I love all of these perfumes, but if I had to rank them I would say 1. Grand Soir 2. Magenta Tanzanite 3. Gris Charnel Extrait 4. Commody Gold 5. Nishani Ani. I use the word sillage to describe the perfumes which is a word in the fragrance community that refers to the scent trail that a perfume leaves behind as it evaporates. Half of these fragrances are considered unisex which means both men and women wear them. The ones that are more feminine leaning are Magenta Tanzanite, Changing Constance, Gold, Santal Complet and Santal Basmati.

Top row:

Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Grand Soir

This is a unisex scent and with a strong scent trail. If you're the type of girl who likes a dark ambery fragrance, this is for you. In French, Grand Soir means "Big Night", so imagine what scent you'd wear for a night out in Paris as you drive by the all the bridges and sparkling Eiffel Tower. This is a beautiful scent with notes of sweet amber, vanilla, tonka bean and benzoin. It's rich, sophisticated, and breathtaking. It's warm but not too spicy. It has superb performance lasting 8 hours and through a shower!

Giorgio Armani - Magenta Tanzanite

2022 release, notes are cardamom, ginger, bergamot, cinnamon, coffee, myrrh, tobacco, vanilla, tonka bean. Some people compare this to Penhaligon's - Changing Constance as they have some similarities.

Overall it comes off as a dark, resinous, cherry liquor soaked cigar with spices (cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla bourbon). My uncle used to smoke cigars so I have a scent memory of that and while I would never want to go to a cigar bar, I love tobacco candles. I'm not talking about ashy cigarettes, but sweet cigars. This smells like that sweet cigar and its intoxicating! It's the feminine version of my favorite cologne for men - Spicebomb Extreme.

The brand says that the myrrh was sourced from Namibia (where I went to in May). Myrrh is a natural amber-colored gum resin extracted from small thorny trees and its resin is used as perfume for the Himba people. Myrrh is one of the items the three wise men brought to Jesus.

BDK Gris Charnel Extrait

2022 release, a unisex scent, this is the 30% more concentrated version of the perfume Gris Charnel and thus its called Extrait. It's similar to the original but has a stronger intensity that is richer with the added notes of patchouli and cedar. This one is deeper, richer, longer lasting. It has fantastic sillage! The extrait is a little darker and has a little more edge and the fig note is toned down. If you spray this on one wrist, you will smell it for the entire day! Top notes are Cardamom, Black Tea and Fig; middle notes are Iris, Bourbon Vetiver and Cistus Incanus; base notes are Sandalwood, Madagascar Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Cedar and Indonesian Patchouli Leaf. It's a creamy and deep rich sandalwood scent! The smoky vetiver adds a lot of depth, complexity and darkness to the fragrance. It's a stunning fragrance! The Black Tuxedo for its sophistication.

Another perfume I like from BDK is Tabac Rose.

This is lighter version of Lancome’s Oud Bouquet. It’s a sultry, well-balanced masterpiece. It smells like a mild spicy rose with some plum and tobacco so it’s not too boring. Picture a sweet and jammy, spicy gourmand rose. The tobacco is that sweet cherry pipe tobacco that your grandfather smoked. Its nostalgic and warm. The rose is dark and velvety. It also has notes of chocolate and labdanum in it which is a resin, and that gives this perfume a deep, powerful, leathery note that is almost like an oud. This is a powerful, strong perfume, not for the weak of heart.

Kilian - Angels’ Share

A unisex scent that comes in this beautiful crystal bottle that looks like a glass of cognac. I love the presentation of the bottle! This is a 2020 release. The notes are cognac, cinnamon, tonka, oak, praline, vanilla and sandalwood. It opens with the scent of cognac then dries down to a boozy, sweet, woody fragrance. Imagine smelling a boozy apple cinnamon pie. This is a cinnamon bomb!

Second Row:

Commodity - Gold

An Amber woody fragrance with notes of juniper, musk, vanilla, amber, sandalwood, benzoin. This is the kind of vanilla that I love! Done very elegant and sexy without being juvenile or basic. It’s warm, ambery, and evokes feelings of a cozy blanket in the fall. Not too sweet, but think vanilla bourbon. A deliciously woody, vanillic, lightly sweet, classically cozy scent. Sillage doesn't last long but oh man does this smell good.

Giorgio Armani - Ambre Eccentrico

Charisma in a bottle! This is the most beautiful amber scent on the market but has light sillage. It’s similar to MFK Grand Soir but with less performance and more feminine. It’s a lush opulent amber fragrance with strong velvety vanilla base.

Penhaligon's - Changing Constance

A spicy and warm fragrance and rounded with a slight touch of tobacco accord with a woody dry down. The brand describes the scent of Constance as conjures up the feeling of sitting in a cosy coffee house, reading a book, whilst indulging in a cigar and some salted caramel truffles. The main notes are caramel, cardamom and vanilla but light sillage. This smells similiar to Magenta Tanzanite.

Nishane - Ani

Nishane is a Turkish brand and Ani is considered a unisex fragrance. It's a warm woody vanilla with an effervescent bergamot opening, then it changes over time to a spicy ginger with cardamom. I wore this every day last December because it smells like Christmas. I got lots of compliments on it as it's a stunning fragrance! It's dreamy, delicious, inviting, warm and comforting so also perfect for rainy fall days. This also comes in a hair perfume. A hair perfume has less alcohol so it's safe for your hair and your hair can hold a scent longer than your skin.

Third Row:

Fragrance Du Bois - Santal Complet

Notes are Coconut, Lemon, Violet, Black Pepper, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Musk and Amber. It’s has some similarities with Jazz Club. It's a beautifully blended kind of scent and the sandalwood and coconut do create a beautiful and classy creaminess. I used to love Tom Ford’s Santal Blush but this is a softer sandalwood with light sillage.

Matiere Premiere - Parisian Musc

This smells like a mixture of two of my favorite perfumes: Diptyque Philosykos and BDK Gris Charnel. This is exactly what I wished Philosykos to be which sometimes can be a bit too green. It’s a creamy musk with notes of fig, coconut and the dry down is a milky sandalwood. The heavy cedar in the opening doesn’t stick around long. A beautiful, elevated scent that feels so chic and effortless.

Affinessence - Santal Basmati

This smells like basmati rice with a creamy luxurious touch of sweetness and smoky wood chips. It’s a warm and inviting skin scent so the fragrance sits close to your skin and doesn't project much.

Maison Margiela - Replica Jazz Club

This is a unisex leather scent and the reviews on Sephora from women say they either bought it for themselves or for their husband/boyfriend. The same fragrance will smell different on a man or woman because of our different body chemistries.

Top notes are Pink Pepper, Neroli and Lemon; middle notes are Rum, Java vetiver oil and Clary Sage; base notes are Tobacco Leaf, Vanilla Bean and Styrax. It smells like booze and unlit cigarettes. The tobacco is sweet, wet, fresh, and smells expensive. Its an evening scent as if you just spent hours at Jazz Club, a venue filled with sweet smoke and spicy rum. Perfect to wear to a night out to the theater or when you wear your black leather pants. This is a dark fragrance, a bit sweet with the nuances of rum and cognac, not for daytime wear.

This list is mostly niche fragrances so they are pricey but they're amazing quality! Saks Fifth Avenue has frequent sales on perfume. You can buy a dupe of them from either Oil Perfumery or The Dua Brand. Or you can purchase samples of them from Scent Split - get the 1ml size just to smell but if you already know you like it get the 9ml size which is also perfect to travel with or have as a purse spray for reapplication. Some brands like BDK, MFK and Kilian sell their perfumes in a 10ml size which I'm starting to buy now to see if I finish it, only then I will go for a full size bottle. The reality is I don't finish any perfume bottles so I don't need the largest size of them.

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