Image courtesy of makeup.com
How far have we’ve come in a year! In the fall of 2020 everyone was so sad, we had no COVID -19 vaccine, it was getting too cold to eat outside, and practically every movie that was supposed to come out was postponed. According to manufacturers, everyone was so apathetic about our personal grooming that some folks had stopped purchasing soap and deodorant. Yuck!!
But this is fall 2021! Movie theaters are open, Broadway is coming back, and we can safely gather for communal meals indoors again! So, you’d better smell good if you want to still be around people and be welcome.
Maybe brands were holding back releasing new fragrances because of the health pandemic because now there are so many new perfumes for fall 2021! Usually, brands do their big releases in spring, but let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. These are the scents Fashion Reverie is excited about and you will be, too.
Image courtesy of allure.com
Bond No 9 has come out with a new fragrance to celebrate yet another New York neighborhood called Nomad. If you are scratching your head that means “North of Madison Square Park” or as the locals call it, Chelsea. The scent will contain base notes of oud, sandalwood and vanilla with gentle fruity top notes. It screams “autumn in New York.” A limited-edition, Moroccan blue bottle encrusted with 74 Swarovski crystals will be available for a short period and retailing at $440 for 100 ML. It’s definitely the most indulgent perfume on this list, but it will make your vanity look so good.
Image courtesy of Ulta Beauty
Florals for spring are hardly groundbreaking—as noted by Miranda Priestly in the” Devil Wears Prada”—but florals for autumn are not typical. But since when has Marc Jacobs ever done anything “typical”? The scent described as ‘warm amber floral” was created by celebrated perfumer Domitille Michalon Bertier with top notes of narcissus and night blooming jasmine, the middle note is almond, and its base note is sandalwood. Some say wearing it is like strolling through an autumn forest.
Image courtesy of Aerin
Cedar Violet Eau de Parfum – Aerin
Another warm floral fragrance, this one has key notes of violet leaf, cedarwood, and amber. Perfumer Aerin said the perfume was inspired by his own walks though sun-dappled forests in the Adirondack mountains of Virginia, saying the gold hued fragrance was “the perfect sense of escape from city life.”
Image courtesy of Floral Street
Sunflower Pop by Floral Street
Not quite ready to let go of bright sunshiny days? Check out this new offering from Neon Street. Sunflower Pop is floral, fruity gourmand that is fresh, citrusy, vegan, cruelty-free, and unisex. You’ll be transported to the sunny fields of Amsterdam with the delicate aromas of mandarin orange, passionfruit, and plum blossom with a musky base of honey and amber.
Image courtesy of Valentino Beauty
This intense fragrance is a fresh blend of florals with a vanilla base and bergamot mandarin married with complex woody notes to create a scent for strong women everywhere. It’s not surprising that none other than Lady Gaga herself is the brand ambassador. (Gaga is ironically starring in a film about Gucci this fall.) Tremendous care went into the design of the bottle which is a sleek glass block with V shaped notches designed to capture light and create a collar for the bottle giving a modern edgy elegance, topped off with Valentino’s signature deep burgundy red.
Image courtesy of birdie.com
It would be impossible to put Rihanna in a box, but could you perhaps put her in a bottle? Fenty now has its own fragrance named what else? Fenty! Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, the master perfumer for Louis Vuitton, worked directly with Rihanna to create the scent (largely over Zoom due to the pandemic). The woodsy floral is an enchanting sexy mix of magnolia, musk, tangerine, and blueberry with hints of Bulgarian rose absolute, geranium and patchouli. The sensual scent is perfect for fall. Selling out almost instantly the day of its release, it’s available again. Grab yours before they are all gone again.
Images courtesy of harpersbazaar.com
Scent from Above – Dolly Parton
Looking for something that doesn’t have quite the hefty price tag as the designer scents listed above. Look no further than Dolly Parton’s debut fragrance, Scent from Above. If Parton seems a bit late to the party in the world of celebrity scents, it was well worth the wait. The musky floral, which combines notes of mandarin, peony blossoms, jasmine, vanilla, sandalwood, musk, and patchouli, retails for $59 for a 1 oz bottle and is available exclusively from HSN.com. Parton was inspired to create the perfume by fans who would tell her she smelled amazing. She explained it was due to a mixture of oils and lotions Parton used as part of her daily grooming routine. Parton even wrote a song to promote the new offering. Word of warning, if you decide to download the tune, the catchy earworm will be stuck in your head for days.
Image courtesy of dossier.com
Woody Chestnut – Dossier
During the 80’s due to explosion of high-end fragrances, a company was formed called Designer Imposters that offered recreations of famous scents like Giorgio of Beverly Hills or Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door and had taglines like “If you like Dior’s Poison, you’ll love our Potion!” Sold at chain drug stores for $10 a bottle they smelled like …. well like perfume you purchased at a drugstore for $10.
Dossier was a company founded on the same general principle as Designer Imposters (amazingly still in business) but with a radically different business approach. Dossier recreates famous designer scents but uses high quality oils and essences that are ethically sustainably, sourced to create high quality ingredients. Additionally, their vegan and eco-friendly fragrances are 100% non-toxic and cruelty-free, containing no parabens or phthalates. And if that wasn’t enough, their packaging comes from post-consumer recycled cardboard. Dossier recognizes that 90% of a perfume markup comes from advertising and promotional costs such as hiring Lady Gaga to be your spokesperson, so their offerings retails between $29 and $49 dollars for the high-quality long-lasting scents as they rely largely on word of mouth to advertise.
Fashion Reverie recommends Woody Chestnut, a recreation of Maison Magela’s, By the Fireplace. It is the perfect scent for snuggling in front of a roaring fire with your honey when crisp autumn winds begin to blow. With subtle notes of pink pepper and cloves swirled in smoky chestnut, you won’t be able to tell the difference, but your wallet will.
—Cameron Grey Rose
