My autumn signature smells like cigars by an open fireplace.
My autumn scent obsession is moody and dark. Think tobacco, cigars, an open fireplace. Some days I'm in my masculine energy and that smoky depth is exactly what I want. Other days I'm in my feminine, and I want something soft and musky instead. Autumn has room for both.
As the mornings get crisper, I swap my light summer citrus for something with more depth. These are the natural perfumes I go to as the weather turns, all made with pure essential oils and botanical extracts. Some come as minis too, so you can try them before committing to a full bottle.
1. Vanessa Megan Wild Woud
This is my signature scent, the one I wear most through autumn and winter. It's that cigars-by-a-fireplace smell I'm obsessed with: tobacco leaf, sandalwood, cedarwood and oak moss, moody and dark. It opens brighter with a hit of bergamot, but it's the smoky, woody dry-down I'm in it for. This is my masculine-energy scent. It's made in Australia and comes in a 10ml if you want to test it on your skin first.
2. Kimono 100% Natural Perfume
When I'm in my feminine, this is the one. Kimono is soft and musky, and it takes me straight to musk sticks, that pink-lolly muskiness, in the best way. It's a blend of blue lotus, pink lotus and vanilla, it's won a gold medal, and it even comes wrapped in a piece of vintage silk kimono fabric. I love it.
3. Metamorphosis Formë Aromatherapeutic Perfume
Formë is special, and I love it enough that I wrote a whole blog about it. Vanessa Megan made it for women going through hormonal changes and life transitions, which, at my age, I'm here for. It opens with Bulgarian lavender and rose absolute and settles into a warm base of vanilla and sandalwood that sits close to the skin for hours. It's a splurge, but worth every cent.
4. Vanessa Megan Harvest
If you want the classic autumn scent, start here. Harvest opens with sweet orange and lavender, then warms into Peru balsam and cacao absolute, over a base of sandalwood, vanilla bean and patchouli that lingers for hours. It's warm and a little sweet, the smell of a golden autumn afternoon.
5. Vanessa Megan Aether Natural Perfume
Aether is a wind-down scent as much as a perfume. It's juniper berry, neroli and rosewood over a soft vanilla base, calm and grounding without being too sweet. A good one for early evenings.
6. Black Chicken Remedies Essential Oil Perfume #1 Transcendence
For crisp days, Transcendence is complex and evolving. It starts with calming lavender, opens into nutmeg and ylang ylang, then settles into patchouli and sandalwood. An earthy one for when the weather turns.
7. Salt + Glow Restored Elixir Oil
This one's a roll-on, handy for the handbag. It's a frankincense base with chamomile, lavender and rose geranium, a soft floral for busy days.
8. Lavanila Healthy Fragrance Roller Ball in Pure Vanilla
When it's cold, vanilla is pure comfort. This roller ball is rich Madagascar vanilla with tonka bean for a warm, almondy depth. Another handbag-friendly one.
How to wear natural fragrance
Autumn scents have more presence than a light summer spritz, so a little goes a long way. Dab the roll-ons and oil-based ones onto pulse points, the wrists, behind the ears and the base of the throat. For the spray perfumes, mist into the air and walk through it for something subtler. Natural fragrance reacts with your own skin chemistry, so it smells a little different on everyone.
About the Author ~ Irene Falcone
Irene Falcone is a clean beauty writer and co-host of a wellness podcast. She has spent more than 15 years reading the back of beauty labels, and is a Telstra Business Women's Awards winner and a judge for the Clean + Conscious Awards.
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