2024 winter fragrance rotation
my perfect perfume tray rotation for december, january, and february
I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again”.
—Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Back in time for a winter perfume rotation!
Anyone who knows me knows that I love perfumes, and I’ve historically been the go-to person among my friend groups whenever they need a perfume recommendation. I also think there is something so special about trying to describe scents, because they differ based on your skin chemistry with the perfume. Your sense of smell is also actually directly connected to the amygdala and hippocampus, which are the two regions that control your emotions and memories. I think that’s why I think of perfumes as something precious, something that requires a lot of thought to purchase (also because most of them are very expensive).
As such, I truly believe that one of the loveliest and most romantic things to describe are perfumes. Like literature, each scent interprets differently for everyone and attaches itself to a personal constellation of memories. Talking about perfumes is quite literally the olfactory form of translating and analyzing a text.
Scents hold so many memories, that sometimes, I will smell something specific and have a vivid flashback, transported back to somewhere from years ago—a mundane day at the park with my parents when I was seven, on a school bus in middle school, or even think of friends I fell out with years ago. I’ve given perfumes away because I associate them with memories I don’t want to be reminded of anymore (just this Christmas, I gave away my basically full bottle of Le Labo The Noir 29 because I got so massively hungover while wearing this a year ago, and I was still gagging when I smelled it—it was terminal for me, unfortunately, and the bottle needed a new home before it expired).
Here is my winter perfume rotation for this year (eleven bottles), which I think is a great blend of cozy, woody, warm, and sweet. More of the underrated, niche perfumes I own are beyond the paywall!
[This post is is too long for email and is best viewed on a computer / laptop screen. All notes are from Fragrantica]
BYREDO super cedar
I am not a big fan of dense, woody perfumes, but Super Cedar is a masterpiece. It’s very cedar-heavy, but the note is balanced perfectly with a hint of rose. The woody note is ensconced in wisps of musk and rose, allowing the perfume to dry down into the embodiment of a forest after it rains. One of my all-time favorite words is petrichor, which is the smell of rain on dry earth, and that is what this smells like after a few hours. This is best accompanied by a long wool coat and a soft white sweater at the tail end of fall. Super Cedar projects and smells better the colder it is, so I carry this one into winter with me. If you like Diptyque’s Fleur de Peau in the summer, this is the cold weather perfume for you.
KILLIAN angels’ share
Angels’ Share is so easy to fall in love with. It’s a cognac-soaked apple pie affair. The boozy note is not strong to begin with and dissipates completely in the first five minutes. All that you are left with is a delicious cinnamon vanilla apple pie. Some perfumes are so atmospheric and immersive that they paint a picture and a story in my head as soon as I spray them. Angels’ Share transports me to nighttime at a log cabin or a ski chalet, sipping hot apple cider by a crackling fireplace.
GIARDINI DI TOSCANA bianco latte
Bianco Latte is a classic vanilla scent that doesn’t feel overtly cloying or saccharine, which is important to me as someone who gets nauseous very easily. This is eating caramel-drizzled vanilla custard while in a cozy sweater on an autumn night. Soft coconut and coffee notes chase the creamy vanilla in the tail end of the dry down. Anyone who used Warm Vanilla Sugar from Bath and Body Works as a teenager will love Bianco Latte as an adult. In an attempt to create unique perfumes, the art of mastering a basic scent has been lost recently. Bianco Latte is the perfume equivalent of a perfect, good-quality pair of jeans that fit you like a glove. I have genuinely gotten a compliment from someone every time I wear this (including TSA at the airport).