Oh, autumn.
Pumpkin lattes are on sale, leaves are the perfect shade of red and yellow, and though the days get shorter and darker, there's cosy blankets and slippers to run home to.
It's also the perfect time to invest in a new perfume to match the mood.
Put your light, summer fragrance to the side and opt for a warm, rich and exceptionally autumnal scent to keep you in the snuggly spirit of the new season.
Just pick your scent style from these to find your perfect perfume partner...
Scent style: getting sexy
Well, gosh, what ARE you going to do to pass the time on those long, dark nights?
If your perfect autumnal scent is Barry White in a bottle, look no further than YSL Libre, from £56.
It’s a sultry little number, make no mistake, with notes of lavender, orange blossom and mandarin lingering with intent until the whole thing melts into a smoochy base of vanilla and amber.
Get a room!
Scent style: cosied in a café
Are you regularly to be found hiding from the cold in a café, hands wrapped round a cosy cappuccino?
We can suggest no better scent to complement your caffeine break than Maison Margiela Replica Coffee Break, £96 (spendy but it’s a venti size at 100ml).
Don’t worry, it doesn’t literally smell like you just spilled your Starbucks down your chunky knit.
Sure, there’s rich, creamy coffee and frothy milk in there, but it’s rounded out beautifully with lavender, mint, sandalwood and cedar.
The overall effect is so evocative, you can practically hear the clatter of cups and whoosh of steam.
Scent style: wrapped up in velvet
One of the loveliest things about this time of year is swathing yourself in sumptuous textures, from luscious velvet to softest suede.
One new perfume that pairs perfectly with that luxurious style is Gucci Bloom Ambrosia, from £81.
It’s a heady delight of jasmine, tuberose and orris which drapes over your skin like that expensive winter coat you bought even though you shouldn’t have.
Scent style: curled up under the duvet
Ah yes, that well deserved self-care moment when autumn truly kicks in.
You’re fatigued by the shrinking daylight and what feels suspiciously like the tickle of a seasonal bug in your throat.
Might as well get under the duvet, right?
If this is your mood, you’re going to love the new anatomē aromatherapy oil scents, from £22.
For us, it’s a toss-up between lavender-laden Recovery + Sleep and the almost medicinal blend of eucalyptus and rosemary in Support + Protection.
It’s the beauty equivalent of being tucked up in bed early by your mum.
Scent style: sinking into a massage
Snuggly can be sensual without being sexy - as you’ll know if you’ve ever experienced a head rub so good it’s practically mystical.
Boss The Scent Absolute For Her, from £53, is inspired by the whole ‘autonomous sensory meridian response’ trend, aka trying to trigger that spine-tingling sensation you’d get from a great massage (honestly, look up ASMR videos on YouTube.)
We can’t 100% promise its blend of honeyed peach, vetiver and vanilla will make the hairs on your arms stand on end but it’s not a bad place to start.
Scent style: nestled by a roaring fire
There are few places we’d rather be this time of year than in a cosy country pub, tucked into a vintage leather armchair in front of a log fire.
You get that same glowy feel with a spritz of Malin and Goetz Leather, £75, which smells of - yes - leather but mingled with the warmth of incense, pepper and clove.
If it WAS a pub, you’d be staying until last orders.
Did you know?
Your sense of smell is at its peak right now, according to boutique perfumier Ormonde Jayne.
Apparently scents pass more slowly through the cool, dry autumn air, so our nose has longer to savour them.
