Fall is hands down my favorite time of year for fragrance. My yard is currently covered in leaves and the morning air is crispy and I’m seriously here for this. The heavy hitter fragrances come out of hiding, the sweaters come back and you can finally spray something rich without worrying about melting by lunch. I’ve been rotating through a bunch of cold weather bottles over the last few weeks and these five are the ones that kept pulling me back. No ranking, no particular order. Just five fragrances I think you should have on your radar this season. Let’s get into it.
1. Grand Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Let’s start with one of the older ones in the bunch. Grand Soir opens with Spanish labdanum and orange, moves into lavender and Siam benzoin in the middle, and settles into amber, vanilla, tonka bean, musk and cedar. If you’ve been around the fragrance world, you’ve probably smelled this one before. If you haven’t – you really need to fix that this season.
This one is rich, warm and seductive without trying too hard or being overly loud. It just smells expensive. In my opinion it’s the second best in the whole MFK line behind Baccarat Rouge 540, and that’s not a knock, because BR540 is also an amazing fragrance. Grand Soir is a true cold weather masterpiece. The amber and vanilla base wraps around you like a hoodie and it’s the kind of scent that’s perfect for a night out when it’s cold and you want to leave a trail behind you. Grab your sample of Grand Soir and see for yourself. It’s opulence in a bottle.
2. Tobacco Chocolat by Tom Ford
I’ll be honest, this one and I did not get off to a great start. The opening is harsh. The orange and akigalawood hit you right away and my first thought was “uh oh.” But stick with it. Give it a few minutes and it completely changes.
Once it settles, the dark chocolate and cacao come through in the middle and the tobacco, Peru balsam and patchouli pull everything together underneath. It turns into a really cohesive, smooth scent profile that is honestly unlike anything else I’ve smelled. It’s not a straight up gourmand and it’s not a straight up tobacco, it’s its own thing. It won’t be for everyone (which is Tom Fords moniker), but it’s absolutely worth a try. Just don’t judge it in the first 60 seconds. Pick up a sample of Tobacco Chocolat and give it time to do its thing.
3. Oud for Grace by Initio Parfums
Sweet, spicy and woody. That’s the best way I can describe Oud for Grace. It opens with bergamot, goes into praline and black pepper, and finishes with vanilla, cedarwood, oud, sandalwood and guaiac wood.
Oud can be a lot for some people, and that’s usually where the hesitation comes from. Something about rotting wood and animal musk usually shy’s people away from oud in general but some do it just right. What I love about this one is how the praline and vanilla work with the oud instead of fighting it. They take the edge off and make the whole thing way more inviting and easy to wear. You get that depth and richness from the oud without it feeling intimidating. Initio is one of the best houses to earnestly give oud fragrances a try. Instead of straight up oud scents, Initio does an amazing job of finding complementary ingredients to harmonize the oud and make it memorable. If you’ve been curious about oud but haven’t wanted to dive in headfirst, this is a really good place to start. Check out Oud for Grace when you get the chance.
4. Forbidden Plum Oud Extrait by Fragrance Du Bois
I’m just going to say it. This is the best use of plum in any fragrance on the market. Period. And it’s not just me saying it. Look around – almost every fragrance influencer is flat out amazed by this fragrance and I’m right there with them. The SECOND it hits your nose you immediately fall in love. I sprayed this on my arm to do my testing and I couldn’t stop sniffing it. Everyone else in the house would notice the scent when I walked in the room – their noses pressed against my arm and taking deep inhales followed by the “ahhhhhhhh” after is a true testament to this fragrance. This should be the first one in your cart after you read the rest of this blog. Seriously – it’s THAT good.
Plum, bergamot and cloves up top, Indian tuberose, rum and whipped cream in the middle, along with Australian sandalwood, oud and patchouli in the base. Just like Oud for Grace, the oud is in here, but it’s balanced beautifully against that sweet, juicy plum. It’s rich, it’s decadent and it’s absolutely flawless from the first spray to the last hour of the dry down. I don’t throw that word around lightly. You can grab Forbidden Plum Oud Extrait right here.
5. 1 Million Black by Rabanne
Here’s the sleeper of the list. Pineapple, cardamom and blood orange up top, a big stack of vanilla (Madagascar and Bourbon in there too) with coconut and clary sage in the middle, and tonka bean, ebony wood and patchouli in the base.
Out of the entire 1 Million lineup, this is probably my absolute favorite. It mostly smells like the rest of the family, but it’s darker and richer, and the longevity is on another level compared to the others. I’m talking sprayed in the morning and still smelling it the next day. That’s not something you can say about most of the line. It’s a fragrance that’s been slept on for way too long and it shouldn’t be anymore. For the price, it’s tough to beat. Pick up a sample of 1 Million Black and see what I mean.
Final Thoughts
There’s a little bit of everything on this list. Grand Soir is the elegant one, Tobacco Chocolat is the one that needs patience, Oud for Grace is the friendly intro to oud, Forbidden Plum is the showstopper and 1 Million Black is the sleeper that outlasts all of them. Fall is the best time to dig into the richer side of your collection, so get some samples, try them on skin and let your nose tell you what’s worth a full bottle. I hope you enjoy your testing as much as I did. Enjoy the colder weather season and I’ll catch you all in the next one. Peace!
