Embracing
the winter season is a positive way of experiencing what the season has to
offer. Instead of complaining about the short, greyish and snowy days, think about how chic winter is. You get to wear many accessories such as
gloves, hats, warm scarfs. You get to savor hearty soups, stews and
fondues...you have a good excuse to eat chocolates and high calorie
desserts... not to mention ice skating and all these amazing winter sports! The
landscape turns white, the air is crisp and clean and we get to hold our most beloved person in front a fire place...how romantic is that? So cheer up!
In my past articles related to winter I offered fragrances that are more fashionable during cold weathers; fragrances that brought coziness and warmth; and uplifting perfumes to improve winter blues. I love these lists. But this year I wanted to add a different group of fragrances. The ones that either embrace or enhance the winter experience. I guess this time I don't want to offer you a scape route to false happiness.
Fully embracing what Nature bring us brings real happiness and teach us how to adapt and grow.
Photo credit: Daniela Yaroslavsky* - Central Park NYC
I also thought that it would be interesting to bring a bit of science for a change. After all, here you will find much more than just perfume reviews!
Have you ever wondered why winter smells different than summer?
According to olfactory scientist Pamela Dalton from Monell Chemical Sense Center in Philadelphia it has to do with the speed of the movement of the molecules that tend to be slower when temperatures drop. That is exactly why your perfume seems to have less diffusion during winter than on a hot summer day, therefore we also tend to use heavier compositions such as orientals.
She also explains that we are less sensitive to smell and odors during the winter because our receptors inside our noses "seems to bury themselves deeper inside the nose" during this season. Neurologist Alan Dalton from Chicago explains that this is a protective response of our body against cold.
Being both neurologist and psychiatrist he adds "What you think a smell will be
impacts whether you like it and what you perceive it to be. So, if you go
outside in the winter and you are used to smelling snow or chestnuts in the
fire or whatever you happen to smell outside, that's what you will interpret
smells to be. Of course, the smells that are available to be smelled
differ as the seasons change. Summer brings flowers and dirt and barbecue
smoke. In the most wintery of places, there isn’t much outside on cold days
except snow, blustery wind and cars warming up. To
cope with the smell deprivation of winter, many people compensate by burning
more scented candles, cooking more aromatic stews and baking more cookies. That
creates a greater contrast between the indoor and outdoor environments.
"You
probably have an uptick of indoor scents in the winter," Dalton said.
"Homes are closed up, windows are closed. We concentrate the smells of
cooking and living."
Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog/Hoboken - NJ
Fragrances capturing cold
Snow by Demeter Fragrances - "Our Snow fragrance captures the scent of cold air and silent moments in the forest, after fresh snowfall.
Snow comes from water vapour in the air. If the air is cold enough the water vapour crystallizes around a speck of ice or dust and falls to the earth as snow. If there is no speck for the water vapour to crystallize on, it will remain in the air as a cloud.
After years of effort, we were able to capture the essence of snow in a chilling, cool, clean and fresh scent, with just a touch of dust (necessary to form flakes) and earth (upon which to rest). The Fragrance Foundation USA recognised this unique fragrance as the Best Fragrance in America in 2000, awarding Snow two FiFi Awards – the fragrance version of an Oscar".
Walking in the Air by CB I Hate Perfume - The scent of new fallen snow.
Winter 1972 by CB I hate Perfume - The smell of untouched new fallen snow, hand woollen mittens, covered with frost, a hint of frozen forest and sleeping earth.
Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog/Hudson River
Fragrances capturing the the winter atmosphere:
Lago Del Desert by Fueguia 1883 - "Perhaps the only fragrance ever
designed to recreate the scent of an immense body of ice. Named for a lake near
the border of Argentina and Chile, this beautiful area near Mount Fitz Roy
features forests, wildlife and a hanging glacier, which inspired this scent.
Lago del Desierto is a frozen aquatic, with sweet melon-like watery notes laced
with a bracing dose of ozone over clean musk and native Patagonian woods. While
this shares some attributes with other aquatic scents, there is something very
distinctive about the proportions of sweet, salt and ozone in this blend and
the unusual woods and musk create a sense of a specific forest. We can testify
that this smells frozen and wild and somewhat otherworldly. However, we have no
idea if it actually smells like a glacier, having never encountered one in real
life. We are happy to take the word of its creator that it does. A tribute to a
place far away from anywhere else". Fragrance Notes: musk, lenga wood and coihue wood.
Winter Woods by Sonoma Scents - "A cozy perfume featuring ambered woods with a touch of smoke, perfect for fall and winter. The long-lasting drydown of amber, woods, musk, and oakmoss is slightly sweet and gently smoky". Fragrance Notes: Guaiacwood, cedar, sandalwood, birch tar, cade, oakmoss absolute, castoreum, amber, labdanum absolute, vetiver, ambergris, musk.
Fire Intense by Sonoma Scents - " This smoky woods fragrance captures the oddly satisfying scent
of smoked woods carried by the crisp fall air or emanating from an evening
campfire. Fireside Intense opens with a fairly strong leather and smoke accord
that mellows into a drydown of beautiful smoky woods, soft leather, and a touch
of deep agarwoood. The fragrance has a very high percentage of natural oils and
resins that provide a soft but lasting natural, outdoorsy dry down. Fragrance Notes: Guaiacwood,
nagarmotha
(Cyperus), Texas cedar,
Himalayan cedar,
Indian
sandalwood, agarwood,
birch tar and
cade, leather,
oakmoss absolute,
castoreum,
amber."
König by YOSH - "This elegant masculine scent captures the dual nature of man -
gentleman and hunter, an alpine fragrance that evokes a king on a hunt, racing
through the Bavarian forest with aromatic bitters and crisp red apples in the
air. Beneath a layer of snow flowers, it opens into a white musc and deepens
into the scent of saddle leather and smoky firewood. KÖNIG, is the second fragrance in the “M” Series by San
Francisco perfumer, Yosh Han. “The “M” series is a departure from the ethereal
quality of her previous collections and explores fragrances that evoke our
deepest nature. KÖNIG embodies the archetypal King in the mature masculine
bringing the qualities of mythology into present time.” The modern man who
wears KÖNIG embraces his primal instincts while honoring the king within". Fragrance Notes: bitters, sage, cypress, apple, smoky papyrus, snow
flowers, bois d'landes, vetiver, white musc, saddle leather, amber, firewood.
Albaho by Sulékó - "As if transported to a distant country beyond the mountains, where the sky is always pure, an icy freshness of mint and eucalyptus takes hold of you. The atmosphere is one of icy purity. Traversing the immensity of the forest, a woody scent takes you to the highest treetops. The spicy freshness of pine, the dry hardness of cedar and the smoky finish of guaiac wood open you to unexplored horizons. Majestic and powerful, you smell the distant scent of balsams, benzoin, tolu balm, labdanum. These warm and suave resins portend the presence of a life being created. And you know that, in the same way the snow covers the earth, cradle of life, the swan’s plumage is hiding a living thing. The swan is a being coming into life. It metamorphoses itself, hidden from all eyes, far away through forests and over mountains, in the most complete tranquillity. It is focusing on the essential – seeking harmony and inner peace".
Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog/Hoboken - NJ
Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog/Ramat HaGolan - Israel
Photo credit: Daniela Yaroslavsky* - Central Park NYC
Past winter lists:
Trends:
You can also search in the blog search engine WINTER and you will get many articles related to this season and many perfume options!
*Daniela Yaroslavsky is a Brazilian amateur photographer who captures the most beautiful landscapes of NY and NJ and who was kind enough to lend me some of these spectacular moments of her life abroad.
