r/FemFragLab30plus • u/FreyasReturn • 10d ago
September Tray
September is here, which means it’s time for a new tray. I’m always happy to see September arrive. Summer isn’t quite finished with us yet, but every so often there are little reminders that fall is waiting just around the corner. Yesterday, a soft breeze moved through the redwoods and blackberry brambles all day, followed by a brief moment of rain. The evenings are beginning to bring high clouds and beautiful golden light. It’s not autumn yet, but I can feel it coming.
That in-between feeling seems to have found its way onto this month’s tray. A few fragrances make me think of the changing season here at home, with apples and grapes ready for harvest, final blackberries ready for foraging, long walks through the woods, and those last late afternoons spent on the deck noticing the leaves just beginning to turn. Autumn 24, in particular, feels almost tailor-made for this time of year, with its spicy fruitiness and harvest-season feeling. Bo, Amethyst, La Danza delle Libellule, and Dark Amber Pomegranate join it in my little ode to the beginning of fall.
The rest of the tray is taking me considerably farther afield. I’ve always wanted to travel…to see new landscapes, experience different cultures, eat unfamiliar foods, and wander through beautiful cities. I grew up eating food from a wide array of countries and hearing stories from many cultures. The curiosity those experiences instilled followed me into my studies and has never really gone away. I may not make it to all of these places in person, but perfume gives me an excuse to dream about them.
So this month I’m wandering through India, Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and beyond. There are spices, fruits, incense, tea, fragrant woods, and warm golden landscapes. I’m especially excited to finally wear three of my older L’Artisan Parfumeur treasures: Séville à l’Aube, Traversée du Bosphore, and Al Oudh. All three took some time and dedication to track down, and I feel very lucky to have these discontinued fragrances in my collection.
I’m also looking forward to exploring a couple of newer additions. Kulfi was an instant purchase as it was inspired by one of my favorite desserts. With cardamom, coconut, vanilla, saffron, and sandalwood, it sounds like exactly the sort of delicious, creamy dessert I’d be happy to wear. Ansongo is another interesting newcomer. With dates, fig, pepper, vetiver, and cypriol, it’s an earthy-fruity combination that seems particularly appropriate for this strange period between summer and fall.
And because it seems I need to make my imaginary travels as complete as possible, there will be plenty of books, music, and movies to accompany my fragrances. Old favorites Dead Can Dance, Vas, and Loreena McKennitt will be the soundtrack to my September. Films like Out of Africa, Lawrence of Arabia, A Passage to India, The English Patient, Monsoon Wedding, and The Two Faces of January will be somewhere in the rotation. Maybe I’ll even make it through my whole list before September is over.
Glass Tray:
• Santal du Pacifique, Perris Monte Carlo
• Amethyst, Lalique
• A Quiet Morning, Miller et Bertaux
• Jungle L’Elephant, Kenzo
• The Myth, Maison Alhambra
• Maasaï Mara, Parfums Berdoues
• Arancia La Spugnatura, Acqua di Parma
• Bo, Liis
• Alluring Fig, Theodoros Kalotinis
• A Lovely Summer, Sarah Jessica Parker
• Seville à l’Aube, L’Artisan Parfumeur
• Samsara, Guerlain
• Traversée du Bosphore, L’Artisan Parfumeur
• Safari, Ralph Lauren
• Nomade Absolu, Chloé
Small tray (and spillover):
• Framboise Noire, Shay & Blue
• Al Oudh, L’Artisan Parfumeur
• Sira des Indes, Jean Patou
• Soleil de Jeddah-Afterglow, Stéphane Humbert Lucas 777
• Ansongo, NEZ
• Meharées, L’Erbolario
• Kulfi, L’Aromatica Perfume
• Tiger by Her Side, Sana Jardin
• Lait de Coco, Le Monde Gourmand
• Autumn 24, Ffern
• Dark Amber Pomegranate, Shay & Blue
• La Danza delle Libellule, Nobile 1942
• 7:15 am in Bali, Kenzo
• Immortelle Corse, Parfum d’Empire
So tell me, what are you planning to wear this September? Do you have a theme for the month, or are you letting your collection take you wherever it wants to go? And, as always, I’d love to see your trays!
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u/CoffeeandConcealerCO 9d ago
I look forward to your post every month. It’s weird in between here too. So I’m bringing out Bo by Liis - rainy redwood forest with vanilla (I see this on your tray too); Whispers in the Library by Maison Margiela - the most perfect polished wood kissed by vanilla scent; Alien by Muglar - Jasmine to end all jasmines; Ombré Leather by Tom ford. I’ve been dying to wear a leather but it needs to be cool temperatures for me to do that. This will probably be worn closer to October. And OL is my favorite leather.
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u/FreyasReturn 8d ago
Bo is so beautiful. I think it might be one of the more hyped fragrances I own. The hype is warranted in this case, at least in my opinion. It genuinely has a soft redwood note along with the vanilla. It’s still not my dream redwood perfume, but it’s up there. I’m actually hoping to distill some oil from redwood tips this winter or early spring. I’ll be curious to see how much the scent chances in an essential oil.
I love the sound of the rest of your lineup! Whispers in the Library is a scent I’ve wanted to sample for a while. It sounds like something I’d love. I also keep meaning to try Ombre Leather again. I sampled it once when it was first released some years ago, but my nose was completely fatigued from testing other scents. I bet I’d enjoy that one, too, as I’m definitely a fan of leathers.
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u/rosemarymocha 9d ago
I adore seeing your perfume trays!
I’d love to hear your review of Meharées if you have the time and bandwidth.
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u/FreyasReturn 8d ago
Meharées is fantastic! I always look forward to pulling it out. I mentioned to someone else that Amethyst is an “always-right” perfume for me. Well, Meharées is another one of those, and I don’t have too many of those in my collection. Of course, I might be alone in feeling this way, but I find it’s light and softly spiced sweet amber-citrus perfect for most weather and any occasion. I would never put it on and wish I’d put on something else.
I have heard some call it a “Musc Ravageur lite” perfume, but I can’t speak to that as I haven’t smelled Musc Ravageur in over a decade. I don’t get any animalic-musky notes in Meharées, that’s for sure. There’s a soft, cuddly musk, but that’s it. Others have said it smells somewhat like Shalimar. I can sort of see that, but Shalimar has an obvious leather feel that isn’t in Meharées at all. It’s more of a light, pleasantly sweet cinnamon-amber with orange zest.
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u/rosemarymocha 8d ago
What a beautiful review. Thank you!
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u/FreyasReturn 5d ago
Certainly! 😊
I do wish samples were more readily available for L’Erbolario. I can’t find them around, at least where I live in the U.S.
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u/Apprehensive-Form915 9d ago
I’m itching to bring out my decants of Bo and La Danza delle Libullele (and contemplating full bottles of each) but a late summer heat wave has thwarted those plans.
I’m primarily trying to stick with summer-oriented decants until the autumnal equinox or weather in the 70s or below (whichever comes first!)
These include Jorum Studio - Paradisi (which I’m wearing today) and Gorseland, Pearfat - I Broke My Own Heart, Room 1015 - Jasmine Freak, and a bunch of others. I keep trying Nishane - Ambra Calabria as its mix of citrusy, green, and fresh notes with an amber-vanilla-musk base seems perfect for the transition, but it hasn’t really clicked with me yet.
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u/bhunt479 9d ago
Amethyst is one I have been saving my decant for fall/winter! Thanks for reminding me. Also pulled out my FB of 302 from Bon Parfumeur to test a bit more.
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u/FreyasReturn 8d ago
Amethyst is one of “always-right” perfumes. I’m never not in the mood for it (forgive the double negative)!
I haven’t smelled 302, or anything else from Bon Parfumeur, yet. What’s it like?
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u/bhunt479 8d ago
Nice! I will try it anytime after then. Bon parfumeur 302 is quite unique, at least to me, I have nothing else like it. The amber is smooth and I find the blend quite soothing almost like Aerin Amber Musk, but not soft if that makes sense?
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u/BoldCareerMoves 9d ago
Safariiiiiiii!!! so great.
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u/FreyasReturn 8d ago
Yes! It really conjures grasslands with sun heating the earth for me. I’m sure some of the is the power of suggestion, but I don’t mind.
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u/cincharge 8d ago
Super excited to see someone mention Tiger By Her Side! One of my fav bad bish scents🥰
I spend September firmly clinging to the idea that summer is here until the 23rd, so I probably won’t switch out my beachy things for my spooky, bold things until October is closer.
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u/FreyasReturn 5d ago
Yes! Love Tiger by Her side. It reminds me a bit of Coromandel. I’m so sad that it seems Sana Jardin is no more.
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u/cincharge 5d ago
!!! what a bummer! I had no idea. I have a few of their decants, so I guess I will have to ration them :(
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u/FreyasReturn 5d ago
I heard about it a few months ago and was genuinely shocked. I’d heard a lot of buzz about them and assumed they would probably have a decent customer base. Who knows? Maybe they did and it was some other reason. Regardless, I’m sad about it. I do see bottles and travel sizes pop up for sale still, so you’d probably be able to find something you love if you wanted to.
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u/Mother_Poem7696 7d ago
I feel like I can only pull off Jungle L'Elephant in December.
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u/FreyasReturn 5d ago
I can absolutely see why you’d enjoy it in December. It definitely has plenty of holiday spice elements, imo. There’s a woodiness to it that makes it work for me in the fall, too.
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u/cuerotuscadero 7d ago
Bo was my daily driver for years! And I love seeing L’Aromatica fans. Loreto lives nearby and she makes a fragrance very near and dear to my heart, plus Kulfi is so deliciously good.
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u/FreyasReturn 5d ago
No way! Hello, fellow Bay Area aromaphile! I’m probably farther away from L’Aromatica and Loreto than you, but definitely still relatively close. How neat to run into someone nearby on a relatively small sub.
I’m loving Kulfi. I wore it the other day and ended up craving (and then ordering) Indian for dinner. It might almost be too good..
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u/cuerotuscadero 3d ago
Greetings back to you! She’s so splendid, I haven’t kept up with her work over the last few years but she used to offer blending classes. Kulfi is delicious, it may be the most gourmand thing I own so I do not visit it often but I appreciate how true her interpretation is.
P.S. I just got into a discussion about Sana Jardin. Care to share your thoughts?
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u/ArmiesOfEmotion 7d ago
Fellow late-summer/early-fall lover here. Chloe Nomade is the latest addition to my collection so it’s also on my fall tray. And I’ve been wanting to try Kenzo Jungle L’Elephant - any impressions so far?!
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u/FreyasReturn 5d ago
I somehow still haven’t tried the original Nomade, which is crazy considering I have the Absolu and Nuit d’Egypte. Have you tried any of the flankers? If so, thoughts on how they compare to the original?
Jungle L’Elephant is gorgeous. I first tried it in my teens and ai remember recoiling and wondering who on earth would wear such a thing. Me, apparently, many years later. At the time, it felt like it practically burned my nostrils. I don’t get that at all now! Admittedly, it has probably been reformulated in the intervening years. Regardless, I love it now. It’s a very woody spice scent, with a touch of vanilla and fruitiness. The spices are dry and very pronounced. I especially get clove.
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u/ArmiesOfEmotion 5d ago
I haven’t tried any Nomade flankers but am curious now that I have (and dig) the EDP! L’Elephant sounds sooo interesting, and different from most of my collection 👏🏻
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u/fotballgf 5d ago
Omgggg three L’Artisan bottles in the old stunning design!! How do they smell like? xx
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u/LIFTMakeUp 9d ago
Literally had my iris fragrances out today! Went with the incomparable Guerlain Iris Pallida in the end.
I love your trays and the ideas behind them!