Winter 2020 photo courtesy of Ann Bouterse of Indigo Perfumery

 Winter 2020 is the winter of our discontent and disconnect. Many of us are back in lockdown and cannot leave our homes unless it’s for essentials. In our lives perfume is essential. We find comfort this Winter 2020 in our favorite fragrances. Some of us chose scents that seem suited for chilly weather while others of us chose perfumes that are symbols of better seasons ahead.

Our Favorite 2020 Winter Fragrances:

Photo by Ekaterina Belinskaya

Rogue Perfumery Derviche (Manuel Cross): Imagine a great tented room on a chilly night at one of those 1930s Hollywood parties you’ve heard about: coloured glass lanterns glow with resinous perfumed oils as scarlet-lipped, satin-clad women draw on hookah pipes while the men murmur quiet invitations upstairs. Derviche, from Rogue Perfumery’ ever-talented Manuel Cross, is a glamourous, deliciously naughty tobacco scent. A brilliant sparkle of bergamot ignites the opening, and then fades as tobacco and incense curl around each other in a deliberate tango. Sexy hits of animalic labdanum and leather mingle with the guests, smoke swirls underneath the chandeliers, and, from behind the odd closed door, there’s a telling trail of civet and musk. Just the perfume to wear when Charles Boyer suggests a trip to the Casbah. Notes: Bergamot, labdanum, vanilla, antique jasmine, olibanum resin, sandalwood, musk, tobacco leaf, leather, saffron, civet.-Lauryn Beer, Editor

 

Anne St. Marie photographed by Henry Clarke© for Vogue (1958) ©

DSHPerfume Une Robe de Zibeline (Dawn Spencer-Hurwitz): This winter of confinement, isolation and often melancholy, I more than ever welcome touches of veritable glamour in my life. Apart from watching the impossibly elegant screen icons of the classic films I so much love, I need a fragrance to carry me to times when people would infallibly dress up for dinner, when perfumes primarily aimed to seduce; times when Perfume Houses proposed scents that would ideally be worn with precious furs. DSH Une Robe de Zibeline is a rétro-nouveau gem that can stand next to the most sumptuous “parfums fourrure” of the past, elevating any contemporary faux fur coat to sublimity. Scintillating aldehydes introduce a classically opulent bouquet: velvety ylang-ylang, piquant carnation, hypnotic jasmine and sensual rose, embellished with soft leather, sweet tobacco and buttery orris, crowned by a cornucopia of spices, resins and balms. All that, and a spectacular – cruelty-free – animalic base, whose roaring beauty summons up memories of vintage perfumery at its best. Notes: Aldehydes, Bergamot, Black Pepper, Lemon, Spices; Ylang-Ylang, Bulgarian Rose, Carnation, Jasmine Grandiflorum, Orris, Tobacco, Coumarin, Sable Fur Accord; Ambergris, Brown Oakmoss, Castoreum, Civet, Patchouli, Benzoin, Labdanum, Tolu Balsam, Leather  – Despina Veneti, Senior Editor.

 

Digital photo by dana a_nose knows

And so, it ends.

Winter 2020 has developed and engorged like an alien concept, taking over smell and taste and touch and synapses, until the very fabric of time warped and the days started agglutinating. It’s thus hard, from whence I look, to know its winter and to feel like a fresh start is around the corner. I have nothing left to sprout; I am spent, and in need of deep wellness. Maison Sybarite 720 is like a warm stone to my aches, like silence to my loud turmoils, like unconditional patience to my undeserving rushness. Water-based and calming to the touch, it’s a comfort to the nose and a most welcome break from all the assaults on the senses, creamy and nurturing, of perfect temperature, and gentle like a loving hand on a sleeping forehead. Healing Notes: cardamom, lavender, birch tar, nutmeg, cinnamon, ambrox, tonka, patchouli, cedar —dana sandu / a_nose_knows, Editor

The Xmas tree in front of La Scala theater, Winter 2020

Olivier Durbano Pink Quartz: Winter 2020 has never been so anticipated, for it means this annus horribilis is finally almost over. Horror is a feeling of repulsion for the senses, and nothing better than this covers what everybody experienced, or better couldn’t experience in 2020 limiting physical experiences and personal relations above all, making everybody struggle to stay alive but also to live our life. Coming from this gloom nothing feels more soothing and resilient than wearing Olivier Durbano Pink Quartz. The vibrancy of Damask rose and Durbano signature olibanum resonate so high in this Pierre Poème you can’t help but feeling love surrounding you, promising new possibilities and fresh starts ahead. Its spicy chypre harmony also reflects the shining stone with the crispness of ginger and citrus radiating its gentle light all around, spreading compassion towards ourselves and towards others, which is definitely what we all need as a gift for the upcoming year. Olivier Durbano Pink Quartz wears over time like a warm blanket lingering in jammy rose absolute and buttery, roasted benzoin, like a sheltering potion keeping away the storm and reconnecting with our tenderness and humanity. I am especially enjoying it in troubled nights. Notes: bergamot, pink grapefruit, Somalia oliban, saffron, ginger, palmarosa, Damascus rose, Indian rosewood, Indian rose absolute, ambergris, patchouli, myrrh, benzoin, white musks– Ermano Picco, Editor

 

Sr. Editor Ida Meister and perfumer Maria McElroy at the Perfumed Plumes nomination ceremony 2018

Desert Rouge for American Perfumer*(Maria McElroy): The snow whirls like a dervish outside my door, hypnotic and dream-filled. Likewise, in perfumer Maria McElroy’s Manhattan at this very moment, a tiny tranquil space in which we have shared tea and treats, warmth and conversation in cheerier times. Maria spent lockdown days completing Desert Rouge for American Perfumer in this environment, inspired by memories associated with Morocco: her first journey there, accompanied by Paul Bowles’ The Sheltering Sky (“How fragile are we under the sheltering sky.”) – and the Greek pastries which festooned the family’s tablecloth –  honeyed, spiced, they later echoed the Moroccan pastries with which she became familiar (Maria and her beloved brother have spent a great deal of time together in Morocco over the years). Love is embodied by her Arabian rose accord, fulsome and decadent in its lushness; sandalwood serves to ground the restless soul, sweetened with the resinous addition of Siam wood (aka pemou) and its balsamic tones crowned with fruit. Maria likens the tender spicing she employs to “the amorous blood of life”: Moroccan-sourced vanilla, nutmeg, star anise, clove, cinnamon – while further volupté is provided by a subtle touch of honey and tobacco. Under the flaming Saharan sunset lie warming hues writ large.-Ida Meister, Senior Editor

Esther Simpson, the Snow Queen Illustration

“in the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. and that makes me happy. for it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.” A.Camus

Amidst the 2020 winter gloom, with cold rains instead of snow, kindergarten zoom lesson overlapping google meets populated with grownup frowns, the ever too familiar walls closing in on us; and drawing near, the everpresent and evergrowing tight knot of fears and anger – this winter I needed a thick slice of light and the promise of an “invincible summer” to hold on to. I have reached for, time and time again, for the quiet calm and wise serenity of Tsarina from Ormonde Jayne – like a stern, firm, and reassuring embrace that I needed (almost every day). Notes: Mandarine, Bergamot, Coriander, Cassis, Hedione, Freesia, Jasmine, Sambac, Iris, Suede, Sandalwood, Cedar, Vanilla Bean Base, Labdanum, Musk –  Nicoleta Tomsa, editor

Emmanuelle in France Winter 2020

 Vierges et Toreros, Etat Libre d’Orange (Antoine Lie and Antoine Maisondieu): I have always been in love with tuberose. It’s my “signature note”, that I even wear as a tattoo. And I love it in all seasons. But when the temperatures drop, tuberose has no choice but to deal with my best armor against the cold: leather. I’m lucky enough to have some vintage items that I have owned for many years, and that I wear as often as possible in winter time. I just love the look… and the smell of it! Anyway, the match between leather and tuberose was always imposed by this meeting between perfume and clothing. Because yes, I have always sprayed tuberose on my leather jackets! And it’s a pure delight to put your nose into your collar, or onto your sleeves. Luckily, Etat Libre d’Orange has bottled this superb, passionate accord which switches endlessly between femininity and virility, aptly baptizing it “Vierges et Toreros” (Virgins and Toreros). It is arguably one of the brand’s most sensual creations. A true winter scent telling a story that takes place… in the Andalusian summer, in an arena crushed by the heat. You immediately smell the tuberose-leather accord, enhanced with spices. A rather very animal leather, almost dirty, battling against (or with?) the tuberose virginal whiteness. Even if it’s softened by ylang-ylang and adorned with a vetiver note that calms the beast, it is a rather provocative fragrance that warms the body and the mind. A perfect partner for winter 2020. Notes: Bergamot, pepper, cardamom, ylang-ylang, tuberose, leather, patchouli and vetiver –Emmanuelle Varron, Contributor

Winter in San Francisco by Dalya

Francesca Bianchi The Dark Side: The thrill of a not-actually-that-cold California winter delights me every year. After a too-hot summer of fearsome wildfires and hushed speculation of when it might rain, autumn is a literal breath of fresh air. As winter approaches, the temperature drops into the 60s for quieter days of mists and early darkness. I find myself reaching for those boozy patchoulis, spicy musks, and resinous incenses that wilt in the summer heat but bloom in the relative cold. This winter, it’s the warm, seductive vanilla of Francesca Bianchi’s The Dark Side that has me swooning. It’s deeply musky from the first moment, but then a shimmery, spicy, honeyed vanilla starts to fizz at the edges. As resin notes waft up and around, Francesca Bianchi The Dark Side snaps into a warm, languorous, furry, musky spiciness that fills my nose and calms my soul during the stress of winter 2020. Notes: honey, spices, iris, violet, sandalwood, cedarwood, vetiver, amber, styrax, incense, patchouli, vanilla. Dalya Azaria, Contributor

Winter 2020 during snow-mageddon, December 15, 2020 New York City photo by Hernando©

Ineke Evening Edged in Gold: December 21, 2020 is the Winter Solstice and it will be one we will not forget. The two largest planets in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, will align auspiciously above Earth.  Sometimes called the “Star of Bethlehem”, it has not been seen in the evening sky for 800 years. What better fragrance to wear this winter 2020 than the intoxicating plush, lush floral by Ineke Ruhland, Evening Edged in Gold. This summer was the first time I smelt Angel’s trumpet flowers in nature while I was on an evening run, and Ineke’s night blooming beauty is so close as to be hyper-realistic. Angel’s trumpet has a heady sweet scent and the flower itself points up, as if greeting the stars. Midnight candy grows in the gardens in my neighborhood, little clusters of white flowers that are aptly named, exuding a honeyed aroma that is a mix of vanilla and macarons. Lest you think it is too sweet, notes of leather, wood and spices create a balance that reminds me of vintage Serge Lutens for Shiseido Feminitie du Bois. A hopeful, gilded perfume,  it is the scent of the trumpet of angels, to uplift us during these bleak times. Notes: Gold Osmanthus, Plum, Angel’s Trumpet, Saffron, Cinnamon Bark, Midnight Candy, Leather, Wood-Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

For our Favorite Winter 2020 Fragrances Draw:

WORLDWIDE: From the generous Dawn Spencer Hurwitz: DSH Perfumes Une Robe de Zibeline 10 ml edp or vdp depending on where you live

photo digitalized by Emmanuelle

USA, UK, EU: merci Etienne et Olivier for 100 ml of Etat Libre D’Orange Vierges et Toreros

artwork by Ermano

EU, USA, UK and Canada:  Bises to Olivier Durbano for Pink Quartz by Olivier Durbano

EU, US, UK: with gratitude to Linda Pilkington of Ormonde Jayne 50 ml of Ormonde Jayne Tsarina

original photo by Dalya©

US, UK, EU: 30 ml of Francesca Bianchi The Dark Side thanks to Francesca

USA ONLY: With our heartfelt gratitude to  30 ml of Rogue Perfumery Derviche

photo by Ann©

USA ONLY: Thanks to Ann Bourtese of Indigo Perfumery for sponsoring 75 ml of Maison Sybarite 720

US/CANADA: Many thanks to Ineke Ruland for 75 ml of Ineke Edged in Gold       https://www.ineke.com/shop-perfumes/evening-edged-in-gold-eau-de-parfum/

USA ONLY: Thank you Dave Kern of the American Perfumer for 2 ml of the upcoming Desert Rouge by Maria McElroy for American Perfumer (will go on sale November 26, 2020, limited quantity of 50 and will retail for $65).

Photo by Ann Bourtese©

To be eligible for the above Winter fragrances we chose for 2020, you must be a registered reader. Remember to click here or your comment won’t count. Tell us what you thought of our favorite 2020 Winter fragrances, which you would like to win, and where you live, as some fragrances are only available in certain  countries. You can list as many of the nine as you are eligible for, but explain WHY (we put a lot of time and thought into these team projects). Draw closes 12/24/2020

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