It's no secret that, as a beauty editor with a special interest in fragrance, my collection is grotesquely large—and autumn perfumes are some of my absolute favourites. You see, I keep over 100 of the best perfumes in my stash. And while I would never condone anyone buying such an absurd number of fragrances, I write about perfume every week, so feel that it's important I have them to hand so that I can give you the best reviews and descriptions.
And with the arrival of autumn (and as we step into prime time for fragrance launches), I am fresh out of my annual perfume collection clear out. This year, I have been particularly brutal with what I have decided to keep and what has been given away to friends. The bottles that get to stay in my autumn rotation must be long-lasting perfumes, fragrances that smell expensive (even if they aren't), scents that win me compliments and, most importantly, possess that sort of joyful comfort that only an autumn perfume can.
So, from inviting floral scents to luxury perfumes that ooze the sort of richness you want out of your cosy season fragrance, here are the best autumn perfumes in existence (and the only ones that made it out of my cull unscathed).
1. Diptyque Orphéon
Anyone who knows me will tell you that this perfume is basically a part of me. If you cut me open, I wouldn't be surprised if I bled Diptyque Orphéon. It is, in my opinion, one of the finest perfumes ever created. While I find an excuse to wear it year round, there's no questioning that its powdery, luxe-smelling nature lends itself to the autumn months. It lasts all day, wins me countless compliments from the harshest of perfume critics and smells absolutely divine. It's like stepping foot into a Hollywood powder room in the Golden Age, where face powder, perfume and cigarette smoke entwine in the air.
2. Avon Far Away Beyond The Moon
I know this one might be a hard sell, but please believe me when I say this is one of the most deliciously luxe-smelling perfumes that has landed on my desk this year. It is warm and enveloping, with a heady hit of powdery florals and juicy cherry. This is the sort of perfume that belongs on the necks of women at the fanciest of evening soirées, wearing cocktail dresses and (faux, of course) fur shawls draped over their shoulders.
3. Tom Ford Café Rose
Historically speaking, I have struggled to find a Tom Ford perfume that I really feel speaks to me. I totally understand their universal appeal, but there are only two or three out of the vast offering from the brand in which I really like. Café Rose isn't just a perfume I really like, however, it is a perfume I think that everyone deserves to smell. It is, without a show of a doubt, one of my most worn perfumes of the season so far. It's a smoky, caffeinated rose that isn't in the least bit overbearing. It's not a light, silky floral and it's not a hard-hitting smoke show—it teeters the line between the two expertly. It's so good that I recently had the whole ladies room in a restaurant lining up for a spritz once they caught me topping up after dinner.
4. Dior J'adore l'Or
I have been a die-hard fan of J'adore since I was a teenager. It is one of the few classic perfumes that I have continued to wear over the years. The latest iteration of the scent, however, is punchier, more floral and absolutely perfect for cold, autumnal evenings. Created by none other than Francis Kurkdjian, the best way I can describe l'Or is like a bouquet of heady florals drenched in liquid gold—it is pure opulence.
5. Le Labo Thé Matcha 26
We're shifting gears a little with this one. While I know countless colleagues who lean on Le Labo's Thé Matcha 26 in the warmer months, for me it really comes into its own when the temperatures drop, the air feels crisp and I'm encased in wooly knits. The combination of fig and matcha make for a creamy, comforting, delectable delight, while cedar wood gives it the sort of longevity you expect from a £168 fragrance. It's luxe, warm and skin-like in a way that no other perfume is.
6. Vyrao Witchy Woo
Spicy, floral and totally intoxicating, Witchy Woo is everything you could ask for from an autumn perfume. I have thought a lot about the best way to describe this fragrance, and I have to resort back to the first thing I scribbled down when I initially spritzed it: Cher in the Witches of Eastwick. It's the sort of empowering scent that would make the line "You're not even interesting enough to make me sick" roll straight off the tongue.
7. Aesop Ouranon
Like all Aesop fragrances, Ouranon is a totally genderless scent that has my fiancé and I fighting over it most days. It is rich, spicy and almost impossibly captivating. With notes of frankincense and myrrh, it's like poking your nose into an old, wooden box filled with all of the world's most precious (and expensive) materials.
8. Beauty Pie Une Balade En Forêt
With strong notes of fir, at first you'd think this perfume would be reserved only for the festive season, but you'd be wrong. It reminds me of walking through a sun-dappled pine forest—it's fresh, sense-clearing and mossy. This is the sort of fragrance that puts a spring in your step on a cold autumn day and makes you feel like you can take on anything.
9. Prada Les Infusions de Prada Infusion de Figue
In my opinion, there is no perfume note more suited to autumn than fig. Its creamy, skin-like nature embodies all of the cosiness this time of year brings with it. This new fragrance from Prada is probably the most delicious fig scent I have ever come across. It is juicy and attention grabbing, while the fig and its woody base melts over you like a cloak of calmness.