A few fragrances to get winter off to a gentle start...
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A few fragrances to get winter off to a gentle start...

23 november 2017

Is the idea that winter’s around the corner getting you down? Although we can’t do much about the weather, lush waves of warm scents are unequalled for bringing some comfort on a cold day. Here are a few suggestions to make the frantic holiday season more enjoyable.

Brand new on the shelves of perfume shops, Réminiscence’s Tonka has everything it takes to become a must for winter. Rather than focusing on tonka bean’s almondy aspect, this fragrance exalts the tobacco nuances instead, and the honeyed ones as well. Spicy and slightly liquor-inflected notes bring exciting finishing touches to the composition. It’ll make your mouth water, without getting overly sweet.

But gourmand notes can be just the thing for shrugging off the cold and wrapping yourself in comforting waves of warmth. Especially in a scent like Serge Lutens’s Louve, whose name (“She-wolf”) feels just right for winter. If you like bitter almond and powdery scents, be sure to get a whiff of this one. A delightful blend of heliotrope and rose over a vanilla-toned base, this is one sexy perfume, thanks to its delicately cosmetic waves (as long as you don’t overdo it).  


If there’s a season for gracing yourself in lush, enveloping scents, winter is it. So this is the perfect time to give in to the temptation of a fragrance like Hermès’s Ambre Narguilé, with its heady waves of scent. By turns intoxicating – thanks to notes of rum and candied fruit, elegant – thanks to blond tobacco, and come-hither – thanks to cinnamon wrapped in mouthwatering caramel, this unisex scent is the perfect antidote to winter’s cold and blues.


A honeyed register is clearly just right for the season, especially when Etat Libre d’Orange’s Noël au Balcon arrays it in all its finery. Playing with mandarin orange, cinnamon and vanilla, this sparkling and sensual scent makes mischief rhyme with voluptuousness. Its spicy, musky and oriental notes make it ideal for facing the coming months with a grin.

Men looking for a warm and manly scent will find just what they need in one of last year’s most striking launches. With a nod to the classics, Noir by Tom Ford starts with a refreshing dash of bergamot and lavender; then an earthy, woody and camphory patchouli is haloed in ambry-resinous vanilla. Like a modern take on Habit Rouge, Noir revisits men’s fragrance codes the better to renew the genre with elegance and seduction. Irresistible.

Sophie Normand

Sophie Normand

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Even though I’ve been fascinated by perfume since I was a teenager, I still studied first law and then journalism. I started writing professionally, and then about three years ago I thought of doing a blog about perfume. Alongside that, I share my passion for perfume through other media as...

  • 15 september 2018

    Ton Ford is always my first choice.My hubby loves Tom Ford.I have got a soft spot for Burberry Body. Somehow I often go back to Burberry Body...There is something special about it.

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  • 18 december 2017

    Noël au Balcon est devenu un classique, un incontournable, très enveloppant, agréable et qui nous plonge dans l'ambiance des fêtes.

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  • 24 april 2014

    me encantaria poder conocer estas fragancia pero en mi pais no lo encuentro :(

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  • 19 december 2013

    Tom Ford Noir is excellent. I like that Serge Lutens named his scent, Louve (she-wolf). Ambre Narguile is a gourmand lover's dream. I'm not curious about Noel Au Balcon. At first, I thought it was named Noel Au Bacon. I wouldn't want to smell like that. My winter favorites are Shalimar Initial, Burberry Body and D & G The One. I still want to buy Pure Poison, Hypnotic Poison and Plum Japonais by Tom Ford.

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