On previous weekend I was almost melting because it was so hot here. Today I am enjoying the mild 22C and the clouds rolling in the sky. The change in the weather is obvious and as I travel between Poznań and my home town I can clearly notice how much faster it gets dark, week after week. When I wake up in the morning it’s not that warm anymore and evenings get more chilly too. On those two moments during the day I can slowly notice the smell of autumn that starts to linger in the air. I still haven’t had my summer vacation and I’m going to go somewhere in September. No fancy trips to Italy this year, gotta get some rest locally this time. Especially that the situation related to covid starts to get worse again in those popular holiday destinations like Spain or Croatia.
The thought of autumn getting closer lead me to thinking if you have, or at least know, any perfume that could be referred to as a “transition fragrance”. A scent that doesn’t fit one specific season but feels like a perfect choice when the weather starts to change. For some reason I think of mimosa as one of those transition notes. There’s even an old Polish song with lyrics saying that “the Autumn starts with mimosas” (though I doubt the accuracy of this information – mimosa in France starts to bloom around February). Jo Malone Mimosa & Cardamom is a great example of a transition perfume in my book. Floral & lightly spicy.
Fugit Amor, a perfume from Jul et Mad range is another one that fits the bill. My skin makes this fragrance smell very clean, almost like a barbershop soap. But in fact it’s a resinous composition with a strong ginger accent and a glorious carnation in the heart. Thanks to woody and ambery notes in the base it emanates with inner warmth. It was one of those cases when I have falled for the perfume and quickly bought it to add to my wardrobe. You might see in the photo that the flacon is nearly empty. I really would love to hear from you on this topic – what fragrances do you wear in between the seasons and why? Not necessarily just on the edge of summer & autumn.
Chemist in the Bottle 
Transition perfumes for me include Etro’s lovely spicy cardamom scent “Paisley,” YSL Cinema, and Prada Cargo de Nuit. It’s still too hot here for me to want to reach for these but come October I’ll be wearing them for sure. Prada Purple Rain is also a transition scent for me, but from August to September, where it becomes a little less humid.
I’m sorry we are all missing vacations this year. Sigh. I had hoped to be traveling to Spain this fall but it’s not to be. More sighs. Praying for a covid 19 vaccine!
Some nice choices out there! To me Purple Rain is more for autumn or spring but I can see it in between the seasons.
I will have some vacation soon but it won’t be as adventurous and spectacular.
What a beautiful picture!
Summer is not even close to be over here: I think we’ll get at least another month, maybe even more, of warm/hot summer weather. But once it gets a little colder, I’ll start wearing my lighter ambers: we have so few cold days (California cold, I mean – still above the freezing temperature), that I want to “save“ those for heavy ambers that I love but don’t get enough chances to wear.
My vacation is also officially canceled, and at this point I’m not sure if we’ll be able to go anywhere locally because of the fires. We’ll see.
Thank you darling.
I guess loving in California is a blessing or a curse. Do you miss snowy winters you had when you still lived in Europe?
Hope you can wear your light ambers properly.
Sorry about the fires and about cancelled vacation.
NO! I hate cold (I think I have a PTSD from the last couple of winters before we left for the US), and for any type of nostalgia I get some snow for a couple of days around New Year once every several years on a short mountain vacation (preferably with not lower than -2-3C 🙂
I see, I see. I remember harsh winters in Poland as a kid or teenager but nowadays winters are much milder…
The climate is changing
Yes, cold is rough. Our last 2 years in Washington, D.C. were unpleasant, blizzards, 3 hour bus rides to get home in the snow. Ugh. I did love it, however, when we moved to an apartment in Crystal City where there was an underground tunnel to the Metro and the Metro station near my office connected directly to my building. That was amazing! It was like Minneapolis with all those tunnels and overpasses for humans so you can get around without getting in the snow. Saving that, however, snow stinks.
Hahaha! Sounds like underground tunnels are a very convenient solution for you.
I usually wear my perfumes year round, with the exception of the heavy ambers and the light colognes. Of course, as soon as I hit send, I’ll probably think of a couple (in which case, I will comment again).
I have been walking after work (trying for 3x a week) and I’ve really noticed a marked change in the light conditions, not daily, but definitely weekly. I’ll have to change my walking routine since I like to walk around relatively empty parking lots and while it’s safe here, it’s better to be over-cautious.
I see, I see. Hope you can continue your walking routine. It’s an important element to keep your sanity during quarantine.
After our suffocating heatwave, we are now experiencing one of the coldest August bank holidays on record! Autumn is definitely in the air. You recommended to me what I think is the perfect fragrance for this inbetween time – Origins Ginger Essence; it has the lovely citrussy, zesty freshness to refresh against the heat, but the spicy gingeryness gives it depth and a kick. Thank you.
That is quite surprising the weather is changing there so much. Glad you are enjoying this Origins Ginger Essence.
I think you’ve hit on something — cardamom may be a good transitional note. I wrote on my blog about how much I’ve been enjoying my sample of Diptyque’s 34 Boulevard Saint Germain, and it has a lively cardamom note.
Ha! Thank you! And that was a coincidence. Cardamom is considered a cold spice (as in treating cold) but because of the play of words you can also think it’s a spice (usually warm) with cold aspect to it.
Nice explanation, Luca. Unfortunately, Jo Malone fragrances don’t last on my skin. For me, the best transition perfume would be Acqua di Parma Colonia Essenza. Have you tried it?