Fall Fragrance Festival: Favorite Fall Gourmands

Kicking off the "fall fragrance festival" article series, here are a few autumn gourmands I'm enjoying this year! 🍁

1. Bronzo

Think of your favorite fall craft store candle, but make it wearable - and you have Bronzo . It's mixed baking spices, syrupy warmth, a bit of creamy vanilla in the base.

If the leather, tobacco flower, and other floral notes give you pause, don't worry: to me they are well-blended and support the fragrance with a soft, velvety undertone.

2. My Happy. - Cookies & Kisses

The name here is misleading - it's not gourmand like a real cookie or apple pie. Instead this is a sexy patchouli bomb, with some spicy warmth. My nose picks up soft vanilla gourmand, ambery-musk, cedar chest, and "forest".

I saw someone say it was like tossing baked goods into a pile of leaves, and that is absolutely spot-on - but they're freshly-fallen autumn leaves that are still wet from a cold rain, and there's a fire inside a cedar cabin nearby. Even as someone who usually avoids patchouli, I'm addicted to this!

3. Miel Bourbon

This boozy blend would appeal to those who normally dislike anything alcoholic. Miel Bourbon is a peach-infused bourbon on the rocks - with a brown sugar-dusted rim, and a candied peach slice garnish. The longer I wear it, it evolves into a smoky-sweet peach cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream + drizzle of bourbon syrup over top. Quickly becoming one of my favorites for fall!

4. Fall Cashmere

Fall Cashmere has been a fan favorite for a few years now, and it's easy to see why. To my nose, this is a combination of several things I love about autumn: a dense, sweet pumpkin bread, cinnamon pinecones from a craft store, and mulled apple cider. (While apple isn't listed, I swear it's there! It is more fleeting than the other notes, though.)

5. Cozy

Don't be fooled: it might be a Rue 21 fragrance - but there is nothing synthetic or cheap about this. Cozy is one of the richest, highest-quality gourmands in my collection. (Rue 21 no longer exists as a company - but there are thankfully plenty of bottles to be found on resale platforms.)

Despite no caramel being listed, this feels like a rich caramel blend. With notes of almond, marshmallow, muguet, milky woods, patchouli and ambrox, it's definitely gourmand but not tooth-achingly sweet. The cardamom adds a sophisticated depth, and augments the overall warmth.

6. Sweet Whiskey V.2

When Sweet Whiskey was first released in Fall 2020, the red berries note was off-putting to me. It was re-released just a few months later in Winter 2020 (Sweet Whiskey V.2), and there was a slightly-powdery + fresh addition of apple blossom instead of the red berries. It felt like pouring vanilla-infused, ambery-whiskey into a glass and topping it with frothy apple blossom foam, and I couldn't get enough of it!

After Winter 2020, Bath & Body Works changed Sweet Whiskey back to the original formula - but it's worth hunting down a Winter 2020 bottle, since the apple blossom note makes this one especially magical.

7. Spiced Vanilla Fig

Victoria's Secret has created some beautiful fig fragrances over the years, and I love that they've released a new one this fall! The opening of Spiced Vanilla Fig is a blast of sharp, sweet anise - which gives it an "ambery cola" feel to start. This quickly softens into powdery fig + subtle, creamy chai. It has a fairly quiet dry-down, but it makes for a cozy personal scent bubble.

Have you tried any of these fragrances? 🍁
What are your favorite gourmand, boozy, etc. scents for fall?

Coming soon in this fall fragrance series:

• Fall Fruits: rich figs, plums, berries, and more
• Battle of the Pumpkins: let's go "pumpkin picking" for the perfect pumpkin gourmand
• Spooky Sweets: fragrances that "fright" for Halloween night
• Coffee Shop: curl up with cozy notes like coffee, caramel, cinnamon, etc.